Chapter 37: Christmas Action

Hardy woke to a pleasant itch on his face. As he reached up to scratch it, he felt a delicate hand.

Opening his eyes, he saw that dawn had broken, with sunlight streaming into the room. Ava Gardner lay beside him, half-covered by a quilt that revealed her fragrant shoulders. She was playfully teasing him, but Hardy had caught her hand.

"What's the matter, Ava? Why are you looking at me like that?" Hardy asked with a smile.

"Hardy, I've been thinking. It might be better to leave my brokerage contract with you. Since you already have a brokerage company, I could work with you," Ava Gardner said.

"I don't have the time to manage artists," Hardy replied.

"Then I'll be more flexible. Just keep me in mind if any opportunities arise," Ava Gardner said with a smile.

Hardy considered it for a moment. Running a brokerage company wasn't overly complicated; it just required hiring a few brokers.

"Alright, I'll find some brokers, set up the company, and adjust your contract to a 50-50 split. That's the standard for Hollywood stars," Hardy said, looking at her.

"Thank you, boss," Ava Gardner said, clearly delighted.

Today was Christmas.

The city was alive with holiday cheer. Floats paraded down the streets, malls were bustling with shoppers, and "White Christmas" played from phonographs.

While Hardy enjoyed his first Christmas in this world, not everyone was taking it easy.

The Spanish gang had been robbed of over $200,000 in cash. The casino was bombed, resulting in numerous casualties and forcing a temporary closure.

Dani, the gang leader, had sent out people to find the culprits and even offered a reward, but there were no leads, which frustrated him.

"Burstein, how is the shipment progressing?" Dani asked his right-hand man.

"It should be at sea by now, following the original route. The large boat will reach the open water, then smaller boats will transport it to the dock," Burstein replied.

Dani chewed on his cigar, worried. "The transaction volume is five times what it was before. Everything must go smoothly with no problems."

Dani, experienced in the business, was still uneasy about the higher stakes.

"The staff is prepared. Once the goods arrive at the port, the transaction will be completed swiftly. The other party will leave with the money, and we will move the goods to a secret location. It will take less than an hour in total," Burstein assured.

"Ensure everything is foolproof."

Just then, the door knocked.

"Come in."

Cranston, Dani's informant, entered. "Boss, I have some intelligence that may be related to the casino robbery."

Dani, frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigation, perked up. "What information do you have?"

"I discovered something from my sources. Remember Bill from the Jewish gang, the one who clashed with Cook?"

"You mean Bill was behind the casino robbery?" Dani asked, frowning.

"No, Bill has been hospitalized since his injury and hasn't been discharged. After he was hurt, someone took over his territory. I heard it was his friend, Jon Hardy."

"Jon Hardy then gathered a group of men, all former Marines. I started to wonder if this Jon Hardy is the same person who killed Cook, and with such a group, might he be planning to target our casino?"

Dani's eyes narrowed. Jon Hardy was connected to Bill, who was injured by Cook and later killed. Jon Hardy then took over Bill's territory and recruited a group of soldiers.

Dani had reason to suspect Hardy of the casino robbery.

Burstein considered the possibility. "There is some suspicion."

Dani bit his cigar, concerned. "If there is any suspicion, investigate it thoroughly."

He turned to Cranston. "I'm assigning this to you. Find out if Jon Hardy was involved in the casino robbery."

"Understood, boss." Cranston accepted the task eagerly. A successful investigation could lead to a significant promotion.

Cranston left the office with Burstein. As they walked out, Cranston overheard Dani and Burstein discussing docks and additional manpower, though he didn't grasp the full context.

Cranston got into his car and instructed the driver, "Take me back to the station."

On the way, Cranston pondered how to carry out Dani's orders, trying to determine if Jon Hardy was responsible for the robbery.

Back at the station, Cranston contacted his informant, a thief named Naxi, who was in his fifties, thin, and scruffy, looking like a vagrant. Despite their appearance, such individuals often had valuable information.

"Where do you think they're operating from?" Cranston asked.

"They're based at the Jewish gang's old location, the sweater factory in Xiacheng. There were about eight or nine people there originally, though not necessarily all are still present," Naxi replied.

Cranston frowned, struggling with his lack of ideas. He realized that the most straightforward method would be to raid the place and question the people directly. However, he didn't want to risk it.

Instead, he called his friend Beckman. "Beckman, got any good jobs?"

"What's the job?"

"I might have found the group that robbed the casino. Dani's boss said I'm in charge of the investigation. If you help, we can split the reward."

Beckman's interest was piqued. If they were the robbers, they would likely have a lot of cash.

"Count me in!" Beckman said.

"Get ready. We'll act tonight, on Christmas Eve. We'll call it 'Operation Christmas Eve,'" Cranston declared with satisfaction.

As night fell, the streets were aglow with Christmas lights and crowded with shoppers and children. Two trucks drove to the remote Xiacheng district, a factory area that was deserted despite the holiday.

The trucks stopped in front of the factory.

"We'll go in shortly. If anyone resists, shoot them on sight, but try to keep at least one or two alive. Understand?" Cranston ordered.

His subordinates nodded in agreement.

A nimble operative scaled the wall and quietly unlocked the door. The group surged into the factory, ready for their operation.