Chapter 17: You’re A Good Man
All the dishes were served soon. The food was authentic and thus really hot. Thanks to the juice, they could ease the spicy feeling from time to time. At the time, Lexi had just finished her work in the kitchen, so she sat down to have a rest and chat with them.
Lexi said Kate looked like the star Taylor Swift. Then they talked about girls in Los Angeles. Jimmy said one of his and his colleagues’ biggest hobbies was counting beauties on the streets. Their conversation started to proceed in an active atmosphere, and Kate felt at home.
Lexi said, “Jimmy is a picky eater.”
Jimmy showed his complacency. “I am a gastronome. I’m not bragging, but anywhere with a yummy smell of food in this city cannot escape my nose.”
Kate drank her juice and then said laughingly, “You have a sensitive nose.”
He reacted. “Are you saying I’m a dog?”
Jimmy found that Kate’s lips were red and a little bit swollen because of the hot food, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes got misty. She was more enchanting than usual. Jimmy fell into a trance momentarily, and soon he understood why that bastard would have evil thoughts about her.
One meal could make one know much about the other. Kate started to see Jimmy in a new light. He was totally different from how she had felt about him previously. The man was quite generous, seeming to forget the fact that it was her treat, and took out his wallet. But she managed to pay the bill before him.
Once they got in the car, Jimmy seemed to become another person. He returned to his old self.
He didn’t start the car at once but stared forward and kept quiet for a while. Then he suddenly asked, “Why were you unwilling to accuse them that day?”
Kate answered truthfully, “Even though we had the evidence to accuse him, they could have taken revenge on John. He often goes to places like that with Sarah. We cannot afford to offend him.”
“You know him?”
Kate was confused. “Who?”
“Edward.”
Kate was shocked. How could he see through it?
“My eyes are made for a detective, and I’ve been a policeman for almost four years,” Jimmy said peacefully.
Seeing Kate shift instantly to high alert, he explained, “It’s nothing that you know him. This is not a crime. I just want to warn you that this man is not simple. He was in the gang before. He did all kinds of bad things. But later, he wormed his way into a large corporation somehow. He goes by the name of the head of public security corps, but he’s actually a hired thug.”
Kate didn’t say a word. She was thinking more than a hired thug.
Jimmy didn’t probe more about the issue. He leaned back to the seat lazily and stared forward with a serious expression.
Then he changed the topic. “Maybe we’re connected to some extent. I remembered the case three years ago. You said you just came to LA, and I was a green hand who just graduated from college at that time. I was young, vigorous, and full of a sense of justice. I flew into a rage when I came across things like that.”
“You came to thank me, especially the other day. I wasn’t feeling right about it. It’s the duties of the police to protect the honest people and bring the bad guys to justice. However, nowadays, this seems to be something rare. If you do nothing, nobody will consider it abnormal; but if you do one thing that you’re supposed to do, you’ll be deeply remembered and appreciated.”
He paused for a little while and continued, “But I always remember what you said at that time. You told me that you would never sell your body and dignity even if you would starve to death.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.
Kate’s heart trembled. She forgot what she had said in a moment of desperation when she was in her stupid teen years. But he remembered it, until now. She suddenly felt warm in her heart and became speechless.
As both of them were deep in the same memory but in different thoughts, Jimmy’s mobile phone rang. He answered the phone and replied briefly. After hanging up, he looked at Kate and spoke to her in a slightly sorry tone, “Sorry, I have a new task now.”
Kate replied hurriedly, “Just go. I’ll get back on my own.” Then she reached out her hand to push the door.
Jimmy said to her, sincerely, “It’s not easy for a girl to lead a life far away from home. Just feel free to call me if you come across any trouble. We’re friends.”
“Thank you,” said Kate. She got out of the car. Before she closed the door, she added, “You’re a good man.”
Jimmy smiled, turned the steering wheel to back the car up, and set off.
Kate saw the Pajero disappear into the traffic stream. She was recalling the word in her mind and pondering over it. The man, who helped her twice out of the only three times they had met, regarded her as a friend. “Friend” was really a warm word.