The Bicycle Thieves

The summer sun was high in the sky as Haley and I wandered through the city. We had planned to go on a date today, and when I suggested trying to find this hidden food spot in the city that I had been hearing about, Haley agreed as she had heard about it as well. We were looking for the place with only vague directions from the article to guide us.

"Here, it has to be here," I said, looking around.

"We have been looking for this place for two hours," Haley said, tired.

"Well, three if you count the time we spent making out," I said with a grin.

"Then why don't we go back to the car and do that instead?" Haley offered with a playful smirk.

"As tempting as that offer is, I have to decline," I replied. Haley gasped.

"For now," I added.

"Why are you so obsessed with finding this place?" she asked.

"I read they have this amazing burger…" I began.

"Of course, it's a burger," she interrupted.

"Hey, I am a connoisseur of burgers, and this is supposed to be the best in the city."

Haley shook her head and looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. "Are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I even asked a person who claimed to have gone there," I said, looking around.

"It's around the corner, I think," I added as we walked along the sidewalk.

As we turned down another street, our conversation shifted to Haley's anticipation of getting her driver's license later in the year. "I can't wait to drive myself around," she exclaimed.

The mention of Haley driving sent shivers down my spine as I remembered being in the backseat when she was driving with Phil after getting her learner's permit.

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"Okay, Haley, gently press on the gas," Phil instructed.

Haley, taking the advice a bit too literally, stomped on the accelerator, sending the car lurching forward. I gripped the backseat and braced myself as my life flashed before my eyes.

"Left, Haley, turn left!" Phil shouted, as a mailbox came perilously close. But instead of a smooth turn, the car had jerked in a comical zigzag, narrowly missing the mailbox. Phil's exclamations of "Brake, brake, brake!" echoed in the car as I closed my eyes and waited for the end to come.

"Oh thank God it's over," Phil said as Haley slowly drove the car into the driveway.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad," Haley defended herself.

"Tell him, Daniel," Haley said, turning to me only to find me sitting in the back with my eyes closed.

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"Daniel… Daniel," I heard Haley call. I was pulled from the memory to see Haley looking at me, confused about why we had stopped.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just remembering when I had a near-death experience last week," I said, pointing to a large building.

"Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad," Haley exclaimed. "I'm getting better," she added.

We continued our quest for the hidden restaurant. We were about to give up and leave when I spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

"Hey, isn't that your dad?" I said to Haley, pointing towards someone he thought was Phil, who was examining a bicycle at the side of the road.

"Yeah, I think that is my dad," Haley said, squinting her eyes to get a better look. "What's he doing with a bike?"

"Let's ask him," I said, walking towards him.

As we approached, Phil saw us and waved. "Haley, Daniel! What are you two doing here?" he asked, surprised.

"I told you this morning I was going out with Daniel," Haley replied.

"Oh yeah, you did tell me," Phil said and turned his attention towards me. "Hey Daniel, my man," he greeted me, offering me a fist bump, which this time I enthusiastically returned.

"So what's with the bike, Mr. Dunphy?" I asked.

"Call me Phil, Daniel. And this….." he said, looking at the bike by his side.

"Is that Luke's new bike?" Haley interjected before Phil could continue.

Phil sighed, a look of mild frustration crossing his features. "Yes, it is. Found it abandoned here. I can't believe he was so careless," he lamented.

"Mom did tell you he was not ready," Haley said with a smirk.

"Please don't tell your mother," Phil requested, knowing how Claire's going to react.

While Phil and Haley were speaking, I looked in the direction Phil had come from and saw a group of children. They looked very distressed and seemed to be searching for something.

'Wait, were they looking for the bike?' I thought, quickly coming to a realization that this was not Luke's bike; Phil had taken one of the kids' bikes by mistake.

"Phil," I said, interrupting the conversation between the father and daughter.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"I don't think that is Luke's bike," I said, as my eyes once again drifted to the children in the distance.

"Of course it is. I just bought this for him," Phil said confidently.

As I was about to explain it to him, I saw one of the children spot us and point in our direction, their faces changing from distress to anger. "That's my bike!" I heard one of them shout, their voice carrying across the distance.

Phil, following my gaze, finally saw the group of kids charging towards us.

"Phil, I think you took that kid's bike," I said.

"Oh my God, let's get out of here," Haley exclaimed.

We ran in the opposite direction. I looked at Phil and saw he was still holding onto the bike.

"Phil, drop the bike!" I shouted.

"Oh right," he realized, dropping the bike on the sidewalk.

I looked back and saw the kids stop by the bike, and we quickly turned the corner, putting some distance between them and us. We stopped in front of a convenience store, panting.

"That was close," said Phil.

"Why did we run?" I asked.

"I ran when you ran," Haley said, holding onto a stop sign.

"That was stupid," I muttered.

Looking around the area, my eyes fell on the doors to the secret burger place; it was the same as I had seen in the picture in the article.

"I'm gonna head home; you kids enjoy yourselves," Phil said, staggering away still panting from the run.

Then I turned to Haley.

"Let's get that burger," I said with a grin.

"Daniel, come on, we are never finding that place," she said.

"Are you sure?" I said, turning her in the direction of the entrance to the place across the street.

"That's the place?" she asked, not impressed by the looks of the place.

"Let's go check it out," I said, as I led her to the very ordinary-looking door.

Arriving at the entrance of the elusive food spot, Haley and I were met with an unexpectedly ordinary building that blended seamlessly with its surroundings. Haley was skeptical of this being the place and wanted to go somewhere else as she was getting very hungry, but I decided to check it out.

I knocked on the door, hoping this was the place. A small sliding panel at eye level opened, and a man peered out. "Yes?"

"Umm can we get in?" I asked.

"We only allow members and VIPs," he stated firmly.

Feeling a pang of disappointment, I was about to turn away but Haley stepped up. "Hello, do you know who this is?"

"Not a member or a VIP," the man answered.

"Not a VIP? This is Daniel Adler! Are you saying you don't know who that is?" Haley said angrily. I was trying to hold her back; it seemed she really was hungry.

Recognition flickered in the man's eyes. "Wait, you're Daniel Adler?" I nodded. "The one who made 'The Blair Witch Project'? I loved that movie!"

With a swift change of attitude, he unlocked the door, swinging it open with a respectful nod. "My apologies, Mr. Adler. Please, come in." He looked at me, scrutinizing to see if I really was who I claimed to be.

"She wasn't lying; you are Daniel Adler. I remember seeing you on TV," he said, giving me a handshake.

The interior was much nicer; it was adorned with tasteful art, plush seating, and tables set with fine china and crystal. We were led to a table.

"Glad you spoke up; I would have never mentioned who I was," I said.

"Well, Daniel, you need to learn to use your fame to get things," Haley said as she looked around the place.

"Wait, is that Brad Pitt?" Haley said in a low voice.

"There's no way he is here…" I said, turning in the direction Haley was looking

, then quickly corrected myself upon seeing the man himself, "...okay, that is Brad Pitt do you think Angelina is here too" 

"You are getting a membership here," Haley said, taking my hands.

"I'm going to get a membership here after I try their burger," I replied with a smile as I looked around to see if there were any other celebrities.

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Jeremy and Jacob were waiting to meet the man who had offered to buy their shares in Stardust. He had asked them to meet at a gun range of all places, apparently owning the entire place. They could hear muffled sounds of a gun firing through the soundproofed room they were in. They looked out of place in their suits. The door to the room opened, and a man asked them to follow him.

They were led to the end of the range where they saw a man in his 70s, his posture strong and his aim steady as he fired a pistol at the target with practiced ease. He wore casual clothes, a stark contrast to their attire. The man noticed them and set down his pistol, then turned to greet them, his demeanor friendly yet commanding.

"Henry Morgan," he introduced himself, extending a hand. 

"Jeremy Wesker," said Jeremy, taking the offered hand. 

"And I'm Jacob Stein," Jacob followed, shaking Henry's hand in turn.

Henry nodded, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he assessed the two. "So, you're the ones looking to sell your shares in Stardust Studios," he stated, more than asked.

Jeremy and Jacob exchanged a glance; they could not deny that they were intimidated by the person standing before them.

"Yes," Jacob said, finding his voice.

"Good, good. Let's talk business then," Henry said with a wide smile.

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