章 45: Part 43
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***
We continued our conversation, but just five minutes later a call from an unfamiliar number distracted me and apologising to the girls I curtailed the conversation with them, putting it on hold, then answered the call.
- Speaking.
- OWLs, this is your employer....
Her voice was hard not to recognise, but I'd never heard her in that tone before. The girl must have really messed up.
- ...your employee is ignoring me. And yet she's supposed to be working. Deal with her, or the fixer will cut your fee. So if you don't want to lose your reputation and most of your reward, have Alvarez call me, or better yet, meet me and pick up the material she needs to work on.
I'm holding back.
God only knows what it cost me. I wanted to tell her everything I thought about her mental abilities and everything else. But I did it. I'm good!
- Why don't you say something? Are you speechless?
- Parker, you're gonna talk yourself to death.
- Are you threatening me?
Despite her haughty tone, I could hear that she was scared.
- Threatened? No...
I shook my head.
- I'm just stating a fact. Because even without understanding the situation, you're throwing accusations and demands and insults. As for the order DeShawn offered me, I refused....
- А?
- B, also a letter of the alphabet.
- But... how... is... it...
Parker sounded confused. She clearly didn't understand how exactly what I said could happen. Namely, that someone could have turned down the order DeShawn was offering.
- Big league. Big money. Big prestige.
- It's all empty words.
- You're dragging her down!
- Parker, make up your mind...
She blinked in confusion.
- ...either I have to make Judy work, as you put it, or I'm dragging her down... Well, it's probably the same thing in your head, because you can't get it into your head that we just love each other. You just refuse to accept that I don't control her, but coexist with her and she can make her own decisions and it was HER DECISION to send you away.
And I held back again...
And how many strong words were about to come off my lips, but I still held them back and face, maintaining my reputation as a calm solo who doesn't lose his temper.
- Come on, goodbye.
I dropped the connection and immediately added the girl's number to my blacklist. I didn't want her to start calling me with incomprehensible demands and claims. And naturally, having finished the conversation, I returned to the conversation with the girls, who were already discussing something among themselves. And after they saw that I came back, they were silent, burning me with curious looks.
- Parker called... Where she got my number I have no idea... No, it's clear that she probably bought it from some fixer, and I never hid my number, but like this....
I shook my head.
- ...I guess she just didn't know I'd cancelled the order. I guess she thought DeShawn's order was such a rare chance that it would be accepted without a second thought that there was no way it could be excluded. So she rushed to call Judy first, and when she put her on the list and me as her boss....
I emphasised the last word in a mocking tone, and the girls smiled. They knew we had deeper feelings for each other than that, and they weren't going to deny it.
- Did she even apologise?
- Pfft! Becca, you're not a Book Girl, you're a Story Girl!
Judy decided to play a little joke on Becca.
- Why is that?!
There was no resentment in Becca's voice. Just curiosity. Well, she likes to read fairy tales too, as someone who occasionally talks to her about books, I know that better than anyone... Hmm... maybe we could take her to a library? Where there are still real books printed on paper.
- Because even though you're a grown-up girl who's seen a lot of things, you still believe in fairy tales. Without knowing a person, you say that he is able to ask for forgiveness... It's a fairy tale version of events.....
Judy shook her head.
- ...and you live in Knight City and you believe that any of its inhabitants are capable of such a thing... As for Parker, even if she was guilty, she wouldn't ask for forgiveness. I can tell you that as someone who lived with her and thought I'd live our whole lives with her...
- Well, I didn't know.
- That's why you're a Storyteller, because you believe in things that can't be!
I grinned and curtailed the conversation, but continued to listen to the girls' conversation, giving Panam a slight nudge on the shoulder and nodded towards the car park when she was distracted from the fascinating conversation.
- Shall we go home?
Panam nodded at my question and together we walked towards the car park where Tortik was parked. As soon as we reached the door that led to the car park, Vee intercepted us.
- So you said no after all?
- Yeah... and you thought I'd say yes?
- Well... actually, yeah, I thought you'd take DeShawn up on his offer after all....
- Maybe if the offer had come from Nemo or Indigo.....
I've named two legendary fixers. Their appearance is a mystery, they work only through intermediaries, or rather they look for solos through proven fixers like Bestia, Regina, Wakako... But their reputation... it's not a reputation, it's an unsinkable ship without a single trace of rust. Even Bestia doesn't cringe when she's asked to pick solos for a job.
- ...I'd go for it, but DeShawn...
I shook my head.
- Ha, you're such a dreamer! It's a Knight City invention!
- Mm-hmm.
I nodded my head.
- ...as fictional as Silverhand and Blackhand...those other legends that most intelligent people don't think ever existed. But you're not going to convince me they're all bollocks and just a myth, are you?
- Comparison...
Now it was Vee's turn to shake her head. However, she didn't pursue the topic further.
- ...Well, it's your choice, and I'll wave goodbye to you from the top when I'm in the Major League.
- Yeah, yeah...
I nodded my head and took a couple of steps into the car park, but didn't get far from the door, then came back and held the door open before it slammed shut.
- Vee...
The girl who was already leaving stopped and half-turned in my direction.
- Yes?
- Be careful...
- I will, daddy...
Despite her slightly mocking tone, she showed with her gaze that she was completely serious right now. And I realised this and decided to try and influence the canon of the game a little more. Of course to tell her everything I know would be stupid, but... Perhaps it will allow her to save her mind, as well as to save Jackie....
- Daughter, take some advice from your daddy.....
I also decided to add a little humour to our interactions and judging by Vee's grin, she liked the idea.
- You all need an upgrade. I haven't worked with DeShawn, and I don't want to, so your colleague should ask me more specifically... But I have some information about him....
- You mean T-Bag?
- Yeah... her... But back to DeShawn... he's known for high profile cases... successes, failures... but they're necessarily high profile cases. Except when there are high-profile failures, he gets dumped, and after the last one, he disappeared and dumped a bunch of solos he had ties to.
- И?
V decided to rush me a little bit.
- Get ready for things to go... not according to plan.
I shook my head holding back from a strong word.
- Do you know something?
- No, I'm drawing conclusions from information that's available to everyone. If you don't believe me, ask Wakako, I don't think she'd be willing to share information with you for a small fee. And then you can draw the same conclusions yourself.
- Hmm... Panicky?
- No...
I shook my head. It's good to know that V took me more than seriously, but she's a corporatist and knows when and where to make jokes. And that's something you can't take away with some time away from the corporation.
- ...I just realise that you all need an upgrade for your survival. The big leagues need chrome and much tougher ice...or you could be in for a world of hurt.....
- Like what?
- Well...
I shrugged.
- ...let's say your target will be protected by voodooists, or a network watch... now imagine what will happen to your T-Bag, which won't have more or less solid ice and that after it...
I ran my thumb across my throat.
- ...Will be with you...
- You know, I've got a bit of an arsehole gut... starting to show signs of life... I guess I'll have to empty my coffers after all....
- Shake it up.
I nodded my head.
- ...and get yourself an optic, a third series and record the whole order....
- А?
- If things don't go according to plan, you can try DeShawn as proof that it wasn't you, but he didn't think it through. Though if he's thinking of dumping you, it won't do you much good....
I turned around and let go of the door and walked to the back of the car park, just in time to hear V say goodbye to me. I walked calmly to the Tortilla and got in.
- Judy and I were lucky after all, and the girls.....
Those were the first words that Panam said after she started the car and the Tortik started off, carefully avoiding the parked cars, moving towards the exit of the car park. It was just the two of us now, as the girls had already switched off from the conversation.
- Would you mind explaining?
- Do I have to?
- Well, it'd be nice to hear people praise me.
- Yeah...
Panam grinned.
- ...However, if you want it so much, why not? You're too kind...
She shook her head with a vague look at me.
- ...and you don't want to be a leader. You don't try to get above where you can hold your own. You just live and provide a stable life for us. There aren't many like you... very few... However, no one else could have won Judy and me over... and the girls... well, except for Kiwi... and what does she see in Pilar?
- Ahem?
I grinned, but Panam gave me a slight frown, saying that you asked me to tell you, and you did... but she realised what she had said and her eyes widened in shock.
- Forget it! Do you hear me?! Forget it!
- All right, all right!
I grinned and nodded my head.
- And yes, Judy and I hadn't agreed to anything yet!
The grin on my face got even wider.
- Now what?!
- You said 'yet', which means that at the very least, you've already had conversations on the subject....
Panam groaned in embarrassment and dropped her head on the steering wheel a couple of times, right while driving, however, her skill allowed some liberties that I couldn't have taken if I was driving....
- Forget it, eh?
And there was so much pleading in her voice... that I just couldn't refuse her.
- What was it?
She nodded and gave me a grateful look.
- So, what's next?
- У?
- Well, you're lucky... only someone like me could have collected you....
I didn't go on and bring up the topic that Panam had asked me to forget about.
- Well... few people in your place would have kept themselves from rushing ahead... taking everything from life right now without looking back or thinking about the future. And shares... usually the big bosses take a much bigger share... The way you treat us...
- How am I treating you?
I really didn't understand Panam's words. I seem to have a normal attitude, I'm moderately strict on tasks, moderately caring, moderately showing initiative and... a lot of other things, but I seem to do everything in moderation....
- That's the point... You treat us normally... Without overreacting. You're not afraid of us, you don't glorify us... You don't have that trait that for years the mad females have been cultivating in men. Now they're afraid to even say a word... it's like you're from the last century.....
- It can't be that bad...
I shook my head. It can't be that bad, I've never noticed anything like that around me.
- Well, in the clans the situation is more or less even, and solo, there are no rabid do not survive, and this is your social circle, so there is nothing surprising that you have not noticed such ....
- So not only are you lucky with me, but I'm lucky with you?
- Hm?
Panam grinned, and I realised that she had deliberately brought the topic to this very point, because now I would have to praise her and the other girls.
- Sly Cherry...
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