Negative Return by Jessie Kwak

Author:Jessie Kwak [Kwak, Jessie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jessie Kwak

10

Professionals

Manu decides to talk to Oriol. For a break — not business, just conversation. After all, he’s the only one who doesn’t seem to have three agendas at once. Plus, he’s easy on the eyes.

He doesn’t get ten steps away from Toshiyo before Jaxie catches him on an intercept course. “Fancy meeting you here,” she says.

He keeps walking — Destination: Out of Earshot — and she follows along beside him. “I found you,” she says, grinning like she’s won first place in an amateur detective contest. Her mass of thin brown dreadlocks is tied in a messy knot at the base of her pale neck; her eyeteeth are lacquered in turquoise and trimmed with gold, filed to have just a bit more point than usual. She’s dressed in casual black fatigues and prickly with her usual collection of weapons handles. Manu wonders if he can get one or two away from her.

“Surprise for sure,” Manu says.

Jaxie has the presence of mind to make sure no one’s listening, though her stage glance around the room screams conspiracy. Fortunately, no one’s watching, either. “Word’s got around the boxing gyms that Coeur and Jaantzen were looking for some people for a job. Sylla figured this was where you ended up, and when I saw you with her” — a jerk of the chin at Gia across the room — “I figured that’s what happened.” Jaxie grinned. “So here I am to make sure you finish your job.”

Manu gives her a look. “How do you know who Gia is?” He’ll stick with polite questions, but really he’s dying to ask how she got to be so stupid. She’d kill Jaantzen now, with Coeur in the picture? Risk bringing that wrath down on Sylla? Blackheart’d burn Sylla’s entire operation to the ground and be back home by dinner to enjoy a nice glass of wine.

“Nice reward on her head from the Alliance,” Jaxie says, and Manu keeps himself from glancing over his shoulder at Gia right now. “Only reason nobody’s collected it is she’s thick with Jaantzen and he’s tough to get through. And ain’t many people want to work with the Alliance.” She shrugs. “And she’s a tough bitch. Hard to take her in a fight.”

“That’s three reasons.”

Jaxie frowns at Manu like she’s not sure if he’s giving her shit or not.

He is.

Manu only really knows Jaxie by face and reputation — she is a predator, but slow. Sylla doesn’t have much in her organization by way of brains, and Jaxie certainly doesn’t add to the balance. She’s not just in Sylla’s crew for looks, though: Manu’s seen her fight in a friendly sparring match — “friendly” in quotations. Her opponent had to be carried away.

“Coeur know you normally work for Sylla Mar?”

“Course not,” Jaxie says, but Manu doesn’t believe it. Coeur didn’t get to the top by being unobservant. And speaking of, she’s probably observing right now. Noticing that Manu seems awfully friendly with Sylla’s lackey.

Last thing he needs is for Coeur to think he’s working with Sylla, because he’s not — not anymore.

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