Under normal circumstances, he would have eliminated the entire group. Their disappearance would have caused little uproar, as they were ordinary people. However, times had changed. Tommy had forbidden indiscriminate killings, so Charlie had no choice but to seek Tommy's guidance. Tommy was asleep when Charlie called. He answered with a yawn, "Charlie, it's late. What happened at the bar?"
"Mr. Lewis, some kids are causing trouble. They beat up Bob and are acting arrogantly. Can I kill them?" Charlie asked cautiously.
Tommy furrowed his brow. "Kids? Who are they? Are they from the Crimson Dragon Gang?" Considering Tommy's reputation, only the Crimson Dragon Gang would dare cause trouble on his turf. Given Jared's recent assault on Steven, revenge was a possibility.
"No, they're hot-headed youths from a company owned by the Sullivan family. One is Jared, who injured Bob," Charlie reported.
At the mention of Jared, Tommy leaped out of bed. "Charlie, I'll be there soon. Don't touch them; wait for me." He ended the call and rushed out. Charlie was baffled by Tommy's urgency but obeyed. Returning to his office, he was met with the stench of urine. "What the f*ck?" he exclaimed, pinching his nose. "Open the windows!"
Fresh air quickly dispelled the odor. Since Tommy had told him to wait, Charlie withdrew his armed men, fearing Tommy's disapproval. "I've informed Mr. Lewis; he'll be here soon. Any last words?" Charlie sneered. Zayne and the others, terrified at the news of Tommy's arrival, renewed their pleas.
The room fell silent, then erupted in agonizing wails. Everyone in Horington knew Tommy's ruthlessness. "Mr. Hoffman, Jared did it! Please let us go!" Zayne pleaded, kneeling again. The others followed suit.
Jared, however, held Maria and Hilda, preventing them from kneeling. Despite Maria's resentment, he was concerned for her, given his good impression of her father. Charlie wanted to rebuke Jared's defiance but heeded Tommy's instructions. Hmph, he thought, you'll pay when Mr. Lewis arrives.
(The final sentence, "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," is promotional material and should be removed from the cleaned-up passage.)