"No, no, that's not it at all..." Kevin hurriedly explained. "Let me tell you what actually happened..."
Dexter kept a straight face, maintaining his act. He didn't say a word, just waited quietly for Kevin to spill.
"We don't have any kids. My wife... she's insane. She used to beat me, abuse me..." Kevin rattled off the whole story in one breath.
After listening, Dexter raised an eyebrow. He looked Kevin up and down with exaggerated scrutiny, then said with a smirk, "Who would have thought? You look like a killer, but deep down... tsk tsk."
Kevin couldn't help but feel embarrassed. His cheeks burned as he defended himself. "What was I supposed to do? It's not like I could hit her back..."
Dexter chuckled, shaking his head lightly, but remained silent.
Kevin sighed, poured himself another beer, and chugged it down. "I really didn't have a choice, that's why I ran. It's not like I abandoned her. I escaped a crazy woman..."
Is that so?
Sounds like twisted logic to me.
Not long from now, that psycho Monica—Frank's wife—would show up and say the exact same thing to Frank and Fiona. 'I had no choice, Frank forced me to run away...'
Yeah, same script.
Speaking of Monica...
Dexter felt a surge of excitement. Monica, and that guy Bob... they could both die.
That would be two waves of karma points—easy XP. At least ten thousand points.
I need to prepare in advance, Dexter thought.
Seeing that Dexter still wasn't speaking, Kevin started to panic. He considered Dexter a friend, wanted to do business with him, and Veronica worked for him. He needed Dexter to believe him. "Dexter, I'm not the kind of scumbag you think I am."
Dexter snapped out of his thoughts and gave a noncommittal shrug. "Remains to be seen."
Kevin was speechless. "..."
"So, what's your plan?" Dexter asked.
The question gave Kevin an instant headache. He poured another beer and took a huge gulp. "I have to tell Veronica. She's going to be heartbroken. We can't get married..."
"Why can't you?" Dexter interrupted.
"Because I'm already married. Bigamy is a crime," Kevin replied instinctively.
"I mean, why don't you just go get a divorce?" Dexter raised a brow. "Or are you still hung up on your wife?"
"No way!" Kevin shouted, then looked pained. "I want a divorce, but you don't know this woman. She's nuts. If I go to her and ask for a divorce, she might actually kill me..."
For a big guy, Kevin was a total wuss at heart.
Well, that was normal for him.
Otherwise, he wouldn't end up tied to a chair and robbed later on, looking pathetic...
The mental image made Dexter want to laugh. "So that's it. You're scared of her. That's simple. I'll go with you and help you settle it. Provided you actually want the divorce."
Dexter paused, then let his tone drop, becoming dark and menacing. "I really hate men who deceive and play with women. When I meet men like that, I have a strong urge to cut off their junk."
The words sent a chill down Kevin's spine.
He instinctively looked down at his own crotch and shuddered. Then, a thought occurred to him. "Dexter, why do I get the feeling that you... aren't exactly a normal civilian?"
Dexter flashed a brilliant, toothy grin. "Kevin, do you really think a 'nice guy' can make big money in this world?"
"It's a dog-eat-dog world out there."
Kevin didn't fully understand, but he was definitely intimidated. He was starting to feel a little afraid of Dexter.
Dexter was enjoying this immensely. "But don't worry. Most of the time, I'm very friendly. So, do you want my help? We can leave right now and get this over with."
"I figure if you get the crazy woman to sign the divorce papers first, then confess to Veronica, she'll take it a lot better."
That was a fact.
Kevin was tempted, but still hesitant. "Dexter, you won't do anything... bad to her, will you?"
Dexter shook his head decisively. "No. Relax."
Kevin thought it over and finally nodded. "Okay. Let's go."
Kevin stood up to leave, took two steps, then stopped abruptly. He looked at Dexter awkwardly. "Uh, it might take a while. I don't actually know where she lives now."
Kevin's short-sightedness was classic. Totally on brand.
Dexter laughed. "You have her phone number, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then call and ask. If you're too scared, I'll call for you."
Kevin thought for a second, then grinned sheepishly. "Okay, you call."
Look at that.
What a coward.
The contrast between his size and his guts was hilarious.
---
The two left the bar and headed to Dexter's hotel first.
In the parking lot.
"Wait in the car. I need to grab something from my room," Dexter said with a smile.
Grab what? His gun, obviously.
Once he had the gun, they followed Dexter's suggestion and found a lawyer. For a small fee, they got two sets of formal divorce papers drawn up.
After that, they went back to Kevin's house.
Kevin dug up Cheryl's phone number.
Dexter made the call, spun a lie, and easily got the address.
It wasn't far. About an hour's drive.
"Let's go," Dexter said after hanging up.
Kevin hesitated, looking conflicted. "I really don't want to see that crazy woman again..."
"Kevin, man up!" Dexter scolded him bluntly.
"Uh..." Kevin looked embarrassed. He took a deep breath, trying to summon some courage. "Okay."
"That's better," Dexter smiled. "Let's roll."
Soon, they were in the car, heading straight for Cheryl's place.
About fifty minutes later, they arrived.
Sitting in the car, staring at the dilapidated house.
Panic was visibly rising on Kevin's tough-looking face.
Dexter watched him, unable to hold back his amusement. He had to laugh.
The contrast was just too strong.
Kevin was genuinely terrified.
It was a mix of things: not knowing how to interact with Cheryl after so many years, genuine fear of her insanity, and a lingering sense of guilt for disappearing...
"I need a minute," Kevin said, taking several deep breaths.
"Sure," Dexter didn't push him.
Kevin didn't say anything else. He silently pulled a joint out of his pocket, lit it, and took a massive drag.
Liquid courage. Or smoke courage, in this case.
Dexter understood. It made him look forward to Kevin's reaction even more when Dexter pulled out the gun later.
That's going to be a show, Dexter thought with a grin.
Ten minutes passed.
Kevin smoked the joint down to the roach, puff after puff. He exhaled a long, exaggerated cloud of smoke and finally spoke. "I'm ready."
"You sure?" Dexter teased.
Kevin's expression stiffened. He smiled, but it was the ugliest smile imaginable. "Sure... just back me up in there. I can't die here. That woman is capable of anything..."
"You got it."
They got out of the car and walked toward Cheryl's front door.
One step, two steps...
Kevin walked slower and slower.
The scene was pure comedy.