The Master Programmer-Chapter 178: Love and Loss 2

Jason’s fists clenched. His voice dropped to a dangerous calm, a tone honed to unnerve. "You’re playing a dangerous game, Jack. You better not touch her. After all, you wouldnt have shown her to me if there wasn’t something you wanted from me. So tell me. What do you want?"

Jack gestured toward the background, where several men in black suits stood. Their sheer size and demeanour mirrored the thugs Jason had dealt with at the auction. Jack’s voice turned venomous.

"Admit your mistakes to the Cross Family. Bow down, Jason, and I’ll deliver her to you, untouched. But step out of line, and you know what happens. These big guys are pretty energetic. I’d hate to see just how badly they would scar her. Even worse, she can’t even fight back right now while coming down from the Neural Flux Pill. Not that her fighting back would have mattered, haha!"

Jason’s mind raced, assessing the situation. Jack’s arrogance was his Achilles heel. He wasn’t just gloating; he was showing his hand. The men, the location, Jason was taking it all in, and he was going to use al this information to his advantage. He was also promising himself to ruin Jack Cross.

Jason noted the faint hum of machinery in the background and the peculiar steel walls. An underground facility? Damn it. That was not enough to get a location. But still... he could use this, and he knew someone who was literally the king of the underground.

He couldn’t do this alone. He needed help. And he knew just who to call. After all, those guys were dressed in the same black wear that the guys who had attacked the Auction were. This meant that they had enemies that were very willing to find them.

"Alright, Jack," Jason said, his tone deceptively casual. "Tell me where to meet you. And don’t worry about bringing a car. I will drive you to wherever you want to go myself."

Jack’s grin widened, having finally won the exchange. Jason, you’re dead!

Ever since that moment when Jason had stolen those necklaces, Jack had been extremely annoyed and he wanted to humiliate Jason as much as possible. He was saying all this and yet in the back of his mind he had already told the boys that at the sound of his call, they could take turns with this sweet young girl.

What was Jason going to do to him after having lost everything? No matter how much money Jason had, one thing was true about reality. Your network was your net worth.

Jack held his chin for a moment, and then after a second’s think he snapped his fingers. "The supermarket. I need groceries, after all. For my father. He’s feeling a bit sickly. Winter cold. I’m sure you understand. Let’s keep it simple when we get there. No funny business. Or else... well you get the point. Emily here will not be laughing once she’s staring at these big guys, haha..."

Jason ended the call without saying anything, his expression unreadable. Beneath the surface, his mind churned with calculations. Jack’s overconfidence would be his undoing. If Jason was a normal person this might actually go the way Jack expected it, but Jason was not normal. And there was also Troy, a cold, calculating, and vindictive person who was just as cold as Jack was, possibly even more. Did Jack know of their connection? Possibly not.

Jason arrived at the supermarket, parking his car discreetly. He noticed a black SUV pulling up moments later. Jack stepped out, his cocky demeanour intact as he looked around everywhere, smirking in victory as the SUV drove away. Jason’s eyes flicked to the heavily tinted windows of the SUV, noting the faint silhouettes inside. So those guys were inside. That meant they were probably going to make their way back to the location they were holding Emily, right?

Miscalculation.

Jack approached, his smirk as irritating as ever. "Ah, Jason. Punctual. I like that. I consider myself someone punctual too. But I do try to accommodate those who are less than me. I appreciate that. People in the line of business I was in before... weren’t very punctual though... And they were people who really were special in that case."

Jason remained silent, his piercing gaze never wavering. His stillness was a tactic—anchoring the interaction. Jack filled the silence with nervous chatter, a subconscious need to assert control. And he would quietly do as he was told, answer when asked, and show compliance, and this would lull the man into some feeling of even deeper control.

As they entered the store, Jason’s phone vibrated subtly in his pocket. Troy had received his earlier message and was already tracking Jack’s location and the location of the car that left. Jason allowed himself a sliver of satisfaction as he put away the phone.

"Who was that?" Jack asked, looking back. Luckily Jason was very prepared. The phone had buzzed twice, and it wasn’t just that one message that came in. He opened up the message from Isabella, and when Jack saw it his eyes went wide.

"Jason… maybe I should have taken this one too, just for myself though. Her body is fuller, much more my style. And she looks real… tough. I like tough women, you know. Especially breaking them." Jason turned to him with a completely calm look. This guy... had no idea.

Jack grabbed a shopping basket, his casual demeanour an odd juxtaposition to the tension in the air. "You know, Jason, these Neural Flux Pills of yours are remarkable. I can feel every beat of my heart, every rush of blood through my veins. It’s exhilarating."

Jason arched a brow. "Of mine? What do you mean by that? And even if they were mine, they are yours since you bought them right And yet, you’re wasting that clarity on petty games."

Jack chuckled. "Games? Oh, Jason, this is business. You should know that better than anyone. Once I have you over, the family will be one step closer to handing everything over to me. It’s all just business. Give and Take. Nothing more, nothing less. I am the winner in every single case. That is the nice thing."

Jason’s silence was deliberate and it seemed Jack was starting to get it too, turning away from him and looking at the food in the aisles. In his head, he was thinking something else though... Jason would soon be singing like a parrot.

Meanwhile, Jason was natural. He knew Jack thrived on conflict and would reveal more if Jason refused to engage.

As they moved through the aisles, Jason’s gaze remained sharp, scanning for any sign of weakness or anything happening at the sides, any more of Jack’s men. He had already spotted a few who had somehow appeared. They lingered at the entrance, their presence a constant reminder of the stakes.

It seemed Jack did not trust that Jason would do nothing to him. Or maybe it was Jack who did not trust Jason. Was that fear or uncertainty? Interesting. Jason could use this.

Finally, Jack stopped near the frozen foods section, turning to Jason with a sly grin.

"Let’s cut to the chase," Jack said, lowering his voice. "Emily’s safety is in your hands. One wrong move, and she’ll be a memory. Think carefully, Jason. The Cross Family doesn’t forgive mistakes. And neither do I..."

Jason’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Really? Well then, cousin. You and I might be family after all. Because I don’t forgive mistakes either."

Jack froze for a fraction of a second, the subtle shift in power unmistakable. Jason had planted doubt, using Jack’s fear against him. Mirroring confidence and disrupting the adversary’s rhythm was a technique that he used often.

The faint buzz of Jason’s phone signalled a message from Troy, but since Jason had shown the phone on Isabella’s chat history last time, Jack merely sneered and looked away, putting more things in the basket he had given to Jason to carry.

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This allowed Jason to read Troy’s message without worries.

[Coordinates confirmed.]

[No payment necessary this time.]

[I’ll take those fuckers down for free.]

Jason’s eyes deepened their gaze as he put his phone away beore Troy said anything. When Jack turned to him, he smirked. "What? Another sexy picture?"

Jason looked away from the man, putting his phone away, and letting a faint smirk appear on his lip. "I know you want to fuck my girls. What, do you love getting my leftovers? Look, I’m done playing games. Shall we finish shopping? I’m sure you have a list."

Jack’s laughter was forced. He nodded, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. Jason’s calm, unshakable demeanour was a weapon Jack hadn’t anticipated.

As they exited the store, Jason’s mind raced ahead. The next move was crucial, and he’d make sure it was checkmate. But for now, he played along, his every step leading Jack closer to his downfall.