18 Daredevil

"Well, well, well. Look who's finally here."

"I was forced to come, alright? Don't get your head above the clouds," Keagan muttered.

"We've been hot on your tail for the last 5 months. You have no idea how much I yearned for today to happen." The man sat on a black swivel chair and casually put both his legs on the table.

Keagan was staring at the man curiously. Unlike what Hollywood has pictured FBI agents in movies, this guy was just wearing a pair of denim jeans and a white polo shirt.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but is that what FBI agents are supposed to wear, Thorn? Where are your black sunglasses and well-tailored navy blue suit? Oh and you have a stubble under your chin."

Thorn rolled his eyes. He stood up and walked over to his coffee maker, keeping his eyes on Keagan all the while.

"You know, Keagan. I would keep quiet if I were you. You have no idea what I'm capable of. Not a single clue."

"That's excellent advice, Thorn. But then again, where's the fun in that?" Keagan smirked.

"Playful, hm? You must have been a handful to your parents when you were younger. Mind you, I still have your friends in my hands. So, you could say I have the upperhand."

"With all due respect, sir, I believe blackmailing has to be against some policy in the FBI agency. And please, don't bring my parents into this interrogation."

Thorn took a sip of his freshly brewed coffee. While savouring the aromatic smell of caffeine, Thorn added, "Sure, I'll respect your choices. How about you have a seat over there and then we'll jump straight into business, alright?"

Keagan shrugged and obediently took a seat on another swivel chair, located right in front of Thorn's. "Just so you know, I sat down because my legs were getting numb. Not because I have obedient-child-syndrome. If I had a choice, I would have kicked you already."

"That was indeed, a very unnecessary statement."

Thorn settled on his chair, staring straight into Keagan's eyes.

A tense yet awkward silence filled every corner of the seemingly small office. It lasted for about 3 minutes. However, being overly-active, Keagan couldn't take it anymore.

"Mr Thorn, you ambushed my trip home, ordered your burly men to punch me into literal pulp, drop the bomb on me by letting me know Sar-Vanessa is a spy you sent to my doorsteps and blackmailed me with my friends. Please don't tell me you've done all of those ridiculous things, just to have a staring contest with me? I'm not taking this shit.You're being a bit obsessed with me."

Thorn chuckled. "It was only a mere 3 minutes silence and you're already rambling off like an old woman."

"Oh, I wonder why? Well, maybe it's because I could be at home, enjoying my last bottle of wine and watching Netflix? I don't know about you, but that sounds like a better alternative than being stuck in this suffocating room."

Thorn sighed. "Fine, I'll stop toying you. Tell me, why would you go rob so many places?"

"The real question is, why not?"

"Keagan, that's what a psychopath would say. I'm giving you the benefit of doubt right now. Answer the question again."

"Ha, if you think I'll get intimidated by you, think again! I've faced far too many challenges in my life and you won't be able to scare me at all. I'm sticking with my original answer; Why not?"

Thorn inhaled sharply and nodded. "Okay, I see what you're doing."

"Do you now? Strange, I don't know what I'm doing most of the time. I prefer to go with the flow of events, y'know?"

"Cool, we have something in common. How about, I rephrase that question. Do you find pleasure robbing places and terrorizing the citizens' minds?"

"Well, it's a yes and a no."

Thorn looked at Keagan intrigued. "So you're doing the more or less thing now? Care to explain your vague response?"

"Vague? You can read my answers like an open book! Clearly, it's a yes because look at all that fame I get! Literally everybody knows me now. I'm on the news every day and I assure you, there are reporters out there itching for an interview with me. And it's a no because I'm not exactly in their good books at the moment, which makes ordering pizza unnecessarily difficult."

"Yup, I have confirmed my suspicions. You are a psychopath." Thorn said as he pointed his index finger at Keagan.

"I'd prefer the term daredevil. Calling someone a psychopath is a huge no-no. You should be thankful you've met a kind soul like me."

"You're not even trying to deny it?"

"I can't change what people think about me, mate. Once it's stuck in their head, somehow it remains there forever. Even though 90% of the time, their assumptions are wrong.Man, a fairy godmother sounds tempting right now."

Thorn smiled. "A very positive mindset you have there."

"I'm too cool to be negative.Life's too short for us to be dwelling on negatives."

Thorn laughed softly. "As much as I want to hear your conspiracies about the world, you need to get going. I'll bring your words to the court and let them judge whether you should rot away in prison, or thrown into a mental asylum. Goodbye, Keagan. I must say, I've never been so entertained by a criminal before. Thank you for broadening my horizons today." He proceeded to call his men into the room.

Keagan shrugged, "Meh, either punishments seem fine to me. I've lived my life and maybe it's time to retire. Glad you found me awesome. That's another item off the bucket list."

Keagan stood up and was escorted by Thorn's men to the door.

"Oh by the way, Mr Thorn?"

Thorn looked up. "Yes?"

"It's funny how you view your criminals based on a single question. That's a little biased."

Keagan sauntered out of the room, with a smug plastered on his face.