-1-

Here is the thing about being an atheist; Religious people will always ask what you think happens when you die.  They try not to be judgmental or pompous about it but, they usual are. The only answer I have for them is nothing. I don’t believe anything extraordinary happens after our lifetime is over.

I only think about the here and the now, not what could be. The  truth is we just stop existing. That scares the shit out of some people but, that is what science tells us and that is what makes sense to me.  Your soul can’t really go anywhere because all you are is in your body.

However, if you give me enough parameters I am willing to accept anything, even a concept of heaven and hell. If I accepted these parameters then  I would guess I belonged in hell. After all I killed a man and didn’t believe in a god until I had to.

I’ve decided to accept this concept of heaven and hell because that would be the only way to explain why  I opened my eyes again. And more importantly why once they were open I was looking directly at Sara. She looked slightly blurry and I could not make out her face but there was no mistaking that red hair. I began to feel something warm on my hand and I looked down to see her hand over mine.

 My head was turned sideways on something damp, I shifted my eyes behind me and I could see the side of  Minnie—she was holding her hands near my head. I shifted my eyes back to Sara, looking beyond her at the decaying wall  filled with tiny holes letting miniature rays of sunlight in. This place did not look familiar to me at all.

In the corner  Jean was sitting in a stool facing the wall, intently reading a book. I looked back at Sara and this time our eyes made contact.

“Alan ?,” Sara asked.

The edge in her voice was gone and she sounded almost nice—it was bizarre her being decent to me, her coldness had vanished.

“Alan do you understand me ?,” she asked, this time her voice was a  little harder.

My throat felt like someone had stuffed a sock down it but, I managed a yes.

“Listen to me, you are in a black clinic,” she said, “ You’ve been out for 3 days. You are hurt badly but, Rayne is willing to pay one of the rippers to give you a black op if you want. Do you understand that ? ,”

I tried to respond but, my throat was to parched to speak.

“Jean, bring him some water,” Minnie snapped.

Jean got up slowly and approached me. He held the neck of a bottle to my lips. His face seemed to lose all color and he was looking everywhere but at me. He seemed to whispering some kind of prayer to himself.

“Alan, ignore him and  keep looking at me,” Sara said noting Jeans behavior,” And don’t look up either,”

That was all it took for me to look up. I saw myself in a reflection of a mirror over my head.  I was lying on a blood drenched towel where Mininie was changing gauze on the side of my head.

Or where the side of my head should have been.

 A large chunk of my head was missing. I stared long enough to tell what was brain matter and what was bone and I immediately felt sick to my stomach and threw up—Sara moved her feet quickly enough out of the way. I looked like I should have been brain dead if not completely dead.

“Men are so weak,” she sighed picking up a bucket and holding it as I threw up what was mostly congealed blood into it.

After I got myself together, Sara posed the same question to me. Did I want Rayne's help to get better.

“Yes,” I said,” Please, put me back together,”

“You need to understand,” Sara  said, ”Once you let someone like Rayne help  you will be indebted to him.  I will kill you if you do anything to cross me but, Rayne will tell the Yakuza to kill your family in front of you if you step so much out of place. You will be like Jean who owes Dakota and me who owes Rayne as well.  You will be at his service eternally. Black operations like this cost a lot.  Now, alternatively , we can also just leave you here to die. An infection will get to you soon enough,”

“ I don’t want to die, “ I said

It was clichéd but, truer words have never been spoken. The words came out before I even thought about it.

“I’ll get the doc,” Jean said quickly heading for the door

“Don’t worry, Alan.” Minnie smiled,coming around to stand in front of me, “I’ll stay here with you, the whole time. I’m not a bitch like Jean,”

“You can see his fucking brain,” Jean retorted ,”If that doesn’t bother you I’d be more concerned,”

He opened the door and headed out.

I looked around the room, I could see spare shelves with canned food on them and what looked like a counter where a cashier would be. Judging by the fallen "PRODUCE' sign, this place looked like an abandon grocery store. For a  place Sara called a clinic there wasn’t  much sterile about it.

“This leech is good,” Sara said “You’ll be fine,”

I knew I had a head injury but, it couldn’t be that bad

“Why are you being nice to me ?,” I asked

“You are about to owe Rayne big time, which makes you an extension of his cartel” she repeated, “ We are practically family now”

She gave me a half smile, moved her hands from mine and set them on her lap.

“Who was that girl ? Who did this to me ?,” I asked

“One of Dakota’s former joygirls turned street samurai. Those razors where some kind of specialty black op.  A conversion most likely,”

“A conversion to --,”

I was interrupted by the door opening and Jean came back in with an older man, everything about him seemed average. He was in his mid-forties with a balding head, dressed in a dark colored pants and shirt. He didn’t even introduce himself or acknowledge anyone in the room really. Not that I was expecting any bedside manners.

He laid a steel tool chest on the table next to me and opened it to reveal a clumsy assortment of wires, medical tools and tiny machines --some wiring to life and others making beeping noises.  As he set up a light over me Sara got up to leave. She was inches from the door when she  paused with her back to me.

“Look, Alan I didn’t want this to happen,” Sara said, “Seeing you get hurt made me realize it’s not you I hate. It’s just everything you represent I hate.”

Those sounded too much like last words, like she was expecting me to die. I was about to say something when the doctor stuck a needle in the side of my face and it went completely numb. When I looked back at the door she was gone.

***

I had no idea how many days or hours passed before I opened my eyes again. The first thing I noticed was a soft buzzing in my ears and the feeling that there was something fundamentally different about my body. I looked down and the first things I noticed were my hands. I picked them  up and  moved them closer to my eyes to get a clearer image.

That was . . . different.

 I looked over to see Minnie sitting in the corner of the room looking into her Syndicate.

“Did you fucking paint my nails black ?,” I asked her

She was already  in a fit of laughter  and I just smiled. I expected to feel groggy but I felt like I just had the best sleep of my life, I felt alive.

“You were so handsome, “ she said quietly,” I was trying to make you look handsome again,”

I looked back up at the mirror on the ceiling but, it had been removed.

I looked to the side table and saw the mirror. When she saw I spotted it Minnie immediately got up to grab it but  I was already looking into it. Inside the mirror was a different version of myself. One side of my hair was missing and in it’s place pink scarred skin covered partially with thick white bandages. My left eye was hanging slightly and there  were a variety of grotesque cuts along my forehead and a long cut going from the top of my head, around my eye and disappearing down my cheek. My skin seemed to barely stretch across my face. I may not have died but, I looked like a ghost. I should have been more upset--I looked like a monster-- but, I wasn’t.

I wonder what my mom would say if she saw me.

Mom.

I knew the word mom and I knew I  had a mom, I knew I did but, I couldn’t remember her face. Or her first name.Or anything about her.

The same for my dad.

 I had a vauge sense I was 19 years old but, I didn't remember my 19th birthday. As if it had never happened.

Before I could ask Minnie about what exactly they did to me the door opened and Sara came in followed by Rayne who looked pissed as hell.

“Sir,” I began, “ I want to thank you---,”

“Save it,” he sneered, “  I didn’t think you were worth shit but, Sara thinks you are--,”

“That’s not exactly what I said,” she interrupted,

“How many times do I have to tell you to shut the hell up ? he said,”I asked one thing and that was to kill Morrissey. You said it was an easy target ,a waste of your time and yet the 4 of you couldn’t manage it,”

It looked like Jean had never caught up to Morrissey. It was my fault he got away in the first place.

“ I want him dead,” Rayne continued, “Do you understand ?  And this time I want a body. And for future notice Mr. Gray I’ve installed a lo-jack so, I will always know where you are if I need you,”

Without so much of another word he walked out Sara following  after him.

-2-

The basement we had all been living in  had  5 rooms in it. One was a closet with emergency bookbags if there was another bombing,  Sara occupied one room with Chris and Luce, Saint in another and I was in the other one with the Dories.

The fifth one was a closet as well but there were no coats or supplies in there, it was where they were keeping Dakota. Alone in the small cell-like room. The same one they had kept me in.

“So, Morrissey got away ?,” I asked when I saw Dakota in the room.

“What was your first clue ?,” Sara snapped at me,” We were atleast able to catch Dakota,”

“Dakota is never going to crack,” Jean said

“He will,” she said,” He loses money and whores every day he is here,”

I felt someone moving swiftly behind me and quickly turned to be confronted with nothing. My eyes tinged as pixilated images flashed before me.  I tried to blink them away but my eyes resisted. After a moment the images faded.

“You okay, brother ?,” Jean asked

“ No . . . I need to lie down,” I said and headed toward the bedroom. I fell into the bed—I  have no idea why I did that, I had never touched that bed before.

 Something wasn’t right-- I felt  like I had a headache I couldn’t feel and even though that made no sense it was the best description I could think of.  The drugs the doctor gave me must have really done a number on me.

The door opened and Minnie walked in and her eyes went directly to me.

“I’m sorry--,” I  said sitting up.

“Stay,” she said,” Are you okay ?,”

“No,” I replied

Minnie stared in a far off kind of way and then got on her knees in front of the bed. She reached underneath the bed and pulled out a  glass bottle of whiskey. She handed it to me and I opened it --breaking the seal-- and took a sip. It burned like peroxide down my throat but ended on a sweet flavor that sent a warmth down my body. It was an odd feeling but, it  seemed to calm me down a bit.

Minnie pulled of her shoes and climbed on to the bed lying down next to me her arm grazed mine for a second sending vivid sensations through my skin. My body flushed even more but, I was sure she couldn’t tell.

“What  the fuck did they do to me?,” I asked as she took the whiskey from me and took a drink.

“ They ‘borged your brain--,”

“In English please,” I said taking the bottle back from her.

“The doctor put cybernetics in place of your missing brain and other pieces. Instead of blood keeping you alive, it’s mostly machine,” she said taking another drink, “That’s why doctors who perform black surgeries are called rippers or leeches. They take something from something else and apply it to a person. Sometimes they even take out all your blood and replace it with machines and liquid nitrogen. That girl who did this to you, Belle she had a full conversion that means more than 50% of her was cybernetics,”

“That’s so inhuman and archaic,” I said tipping the bottle to my lips.

“That’s why it’s called a black surgery," she smiled, " I mean I guess it's super illegal and super risky but, the results are always fun,”

,” It's not fun. This may sound crazy but, I think I can feel the foreign shit in my body," I admitted, " Did you know if I had been at home they could have used a Biofarm to recreate my brain--,”

“Really ?,” she interrupted half amused.

“Yes,” I said, “Then I wouldn’t owe anybody anything,”

I tipped the whiskey bottle to my lips  again but, it was empty. Minnie took the bottle and let it fall on to the ground, she opened her palm and offered me a pink octagon shaped pill.  I took it she took an identical one.

“Really ?,” she repeated

“Yes, really,” I said, “If I had known that he was going to put machines in my head I would have never said yes,”

She rolled closer to me so more than just our arms were touching

”I really did clean you up nice,” she sighed

I was still pissed off and wanted to explain why this was so archaic but, I couldn’t erase her touch from my mind. All I could think about was how good it would feel to touch her. My hands slid down to her waist and I rolled slightly closer to her forcing a kiss on to her lips. She didn’t lean in to the kiss or fight back but for a second she didn’t move. After a minute, I felt the feelings die down and the impulses I had vanished. I immediately let go and moved a few inches from her.

Minnie slid her hand through my hair petting the unscarred side of my face.

“Am I missing a party?,” Jean asked coming into the room,  “Minnow ?,”

She kept petting my face and something was telling me not to talk.

“Alan and I are going out tonight,” she said

“Great, I’m coming with you,” he stated

“You have to stay here and get Dakota to give you info about Morrissey,”

“Says who ?,”

“You’re the idiot that let him escape--,”

“Actually it was Al--,”

“Well, Alan and I have plans already,”

-3-

“Where the hell are we going ?,” I asked Minnow for the 8^th time that night. We had just left the house and were heading down the street on foot. Minnow was quiet and I decided to just give it up.

There was something different about the streets, I could tell.  As we neared downtown it seemed brighter and calmer. Getting closer  I saw there were police officers on either side of the streets and all the streetlights were turned on.

“Police ?,” I asked

These were the first cops I had seen since I had been here.

“It’s been like this the last few days, ever since our failed hit. Once they realize it’s hopeless it will die down,” she explained as we headed to the train station.

I felt something coming up behind me and I tried to brush it off but, I turned defensively to see a police officer standing behind me a gun pointing at my face

“What the--,”

“Sir, we need to search you two,” the officer said taking the gun down, " You passed the check point,"

“We didn’t do anything,”Minnie pointed out and continued heading into the train station. The officer grabbed her arm and she pulled away.

“Get off me you son of a bitch,” she said pushing him away

The officer was soon joined by a partner and I just hoped Minnnie wasn’t carrying any weapons. She wasn’t wearing the kind of clothes that could exactly hide anything but, the officer opened Minnie’s bag pulling out her wallet and looking through it. Her bag was clean and they moved on to me.

“Got any ID ?,” he asked

“No,” I said

“He got mugged last week,” Minnie responded coolly,” Did you not see the report we filed ?,”

“We’re not trying to hassle you kids, we are just trying to keep everyone safe,”

They seemed to believe why I didn't have any ID and we headed into the station, Minnie turned around long enough to flick the guard off.

“Come on !,” she squealed. taking my arm as we ran to catch the departing train, slipping in at the last minute.

“So, were you trying to get arrested ?,” I asked her

“Those fucking blueboys really piss me off,” she said, “ I mean they act all upstanding family and government men but, the minute a bomb goes off anyone who lives outside of the military base is evil. And when the officers are patrolling the streets they are usually  just spending the night with Jean getting away from their boring wives and kids. This police presence is all for looks and the minute they get bored or run out of money they leave,”

I went back to one of my first nights here, how many weeks had that been ? Nearly a month. Jean had left the house right after the first bomb went off.

“Minnie, I feel really bad for you,” I admitted, “Jean told me how you guys left home--,”

“I know he told you,” she smiled, “But, why do you feel bad for me ?,”

“You were so young. Don’t you miss your parents and school ?,”

She put some thought in before answering.

“Jean put me in a weird position. I loved my brother, he was like my best  friend--my only friend and I would go wherever he went. He always knew that. I wished he didn’t want to leave home but, Jean is stubborn. I missed home a lot at first--so much it made me sick but now I’m better," she explained, "I saw my parents a few years ago when we were still on our own and Jean was really sick.  I thought it would bring us together but, all we did was fight and we left after 4 hours. Then  I realized our family was permanently fractured.”

 “Do you ever want to do anything different ? I mean, what do you want to be when you grow up ?,”

“I don’t know,” she said,”  I make money as it is so ,I’m content,”

“No you're not ” I told her, “You’re a god damn idiot. You just don’t know any better—I don’t understand how the hell you can throw your life away ?,”

The words were more condescending  than I wanted them to be. I had never spoken to anyone like that. The frustration I was feeling took over, I wanted to remedy the situation but, I couldn’t think of the words to fix it.

“Minnie I--,”

“Here it is,” she said as the train slowed to a stop.

I followed her off the train and out into the station. We were in a sprawl that reminded me  a lot of home. All of the high rises were of equal size and facing one direction. We got off the train and on to the empty sidewalk outside the station, the town was like a ghost town.

“It’s so quiet,” I said

“People are sleeping,” she whispered

We walked a few blocks from the station towards the high rises. I had never seen a street so dim in my life, even the holoscreens were turned off. Minnie made a quick turn and walked  into one of the high rises.  Inside was a large room with plaques along the walls, each plauque decorated with engravings of  roses and flowers. Some plaques had synthetic flowers attached to the side, it was like garden.

But, it wasn't. I knew exactly what this was.

“This is a mausoleum,” I said, “Do you know someone buried here ?,”

“Nope,” she said, “Do you know who owns this mausoleum ?,”

She knew I didn’t

“Tempus Corporation. It’s for their employees and their family who work in the testing facilities. This floor is just this year. You see  people are dying from nuclear poisoning and Tempus never even mentions it or tries to cure it. All because they need the uranium technology to run their precious BioFarms among other things,”

“I think I already knew that,” I told her, not feeling the need to hear more sanctimonious speeches.

“Yesterday  you said you wanted to have a Biofarm harvested brain cells because it meant you  wouldn’t owe anyone," she recalled  " But you do, you owe all these people.”

Minnie said everything in a matter of fact tone. I wondered if my naivete really bothered her or if she was just good at hiding her emotions. I waited for her to say something more but, she just headed for the doors.

I followed her out into the quiet streets. The silence was really getting to me, it made me anxious. Whatever was in my head was only made worse by the silence.

"This quiet," I thought out loud.

“Everyone here works 9 to 5 and most things close at 8 so people are rested for work. The company gives the employees everything they need to live comfortably ,” she said in a conversational tone “But more importantly to keep them quiet,”

Minnie slowed down so we were walking together again.

“Why don’t they just leave ?,” I asked

“And do what ? All the nuclear powered machines take a lot of jobs.  It’s either join the cartel or government or the black market. We don’t have many other choices out here in the West. When it comes to good jobs, people can’t see beyond these offices,”

“So, this is where Sara is from then ?,” I asked

“No, her parents worked in the uranium fields in the desert. The people there have it much worse and are closer to the radioactive poisioning. They are unskilled while the people here have more specialties. Yes, here they even have castes within the castes,”

I couldn’t believe this was the company my dad took so much stock in, a company  that the government mandated would allow so much exploitation. Despite all the advancements we still had to sacrifice something.

IWe were standing in  the center of town in front of the largest high rise with the Tempus logo glowing on it.  I just couldn't understand why things had to work this way.

“ I really hate this company,” Minnie said picking up a rock and throwing it softly towards the building. The rock barely skipped 5 feet away from her

I picked the rock up and threw it too. However this time the rock made contact with a window on the 4^th floor. As the glass broke an alarm blasted and the 4^th floor was lit up with lights.

“Shit,” Minnie laughed ,”We should walk to the next station over,  in case they come looking for us at this one,”

Before I could say anything Minnie took a running start ahead of me.

"Come on !," she yelled.

I ran after her and  quickly caught up with her, after a few seconds I passed her. We kept running non stop in the endless sand, using the track overhead as a guide. I was surprised when I heard Minnie shouting from behind me for me to slow down.

I turned to see she was far behind me bent over on the ground breathless even though I was just getting my first wind. I went back and picking her up we  ran to the next station together. When we reached the station I was breathing hard but  I never felt more alive.

“I had no idea , I could run that fast,” I said as we climbed the steps to the platform.

“It’s probably your cybernetics,” she explained as we boarded the train, “ Part of your brain is  machine. So, if your brain doesn’t tell your body it’s tired it won’t get tired,”

“That’s really cool,” I admitted

“Maybe but, you could hurt yourself,” she smiled

It was close to 1 am and we were the only ones on the train this time of night. We sat in the back car next to each other in the window seat.

“You know I can feel more than just the cybernetics inside me. Sometimes I get emotions I've never I had,” I explained, “For a minute yesterday-- I thought I had ---well, that I wanted you  I--,”

“Machines are nice,” she said letting her hand rest on my leg sending lustful feeling back through my body ,”But, there is nothing like reality. Like skin,”

This time she reached over to kiss me. I felt her slip a pill in my mouth with her tongue and before she pulled away it had already dissolved. My head was at an awkward angle so, I pulled her closer to me as our lips locked. My hands wandered across her breasts down her stomach and past her hips.

I couldn’t tell if it was my brain or if it was the cybernetics but, I couldn’t let her go. I felt waves of energy washing over my body causing my limbs to tingle and come alive. After a moment my mind was on fire and I felt like  my body was looking for some kind of release.

“What did you give me ?,” I asked pulling her slightly away from me.

She just leaned in again kissing me, as we approached the station in the city. She seemed not to notice we were back  so I pulled away from her and headed for the door pulling her arm  to follow after me.

When we were back on the crowded streets Minnie let go of my hands and playfully jumped on my back, her bare legs swinging around my waist. She let her lips rest on my ear.

 “Let’s get something to eat,” she said

I carried her to the Phoenix arcade where despite the police presence it was loud and crowded as ever. When we got into the café she jumped off my back and led me to the table in the far back corner.

Minnie’s legs wrapped around mine underneath the table as she kept turning the menu over.

“So, Alan,” she said,” What do you want ?,”

I took the menu out of her hands and placed my hand over hers.

 “You,” I said.

***

“Alan,no ! Alan !, Alan ! Don't ,” Minnow whined dragging her foot to the ground

If it wasn’t for the firm grip I had on her she would have fallen right out of my arms and on to the gravel pathway in front of the house.

“What ?,” I asked

“Let’s go through the front door, Jean and Sara might be awake,”

I had never known Minnow not to want to be with Jean but, I followed her orders anyway.

She had taken more than her share of pills tonight  and she was barely standing now. Minnow set both of her feet on the ground and leaning on my shoulder we headed for the front door.

I didn’t have a key to the front of the house but, there was still a gaping hole in the side of the building so we walked through. The upstairs was quiet.

I heard the click of a gun and turned to see a weapon at my head. Without the lenses in my eyes I couldn’t distinguish things in the dark anymore but, I recognized the gun.

“Sara ?” I asked

“Shit,” she breathed taking the gun down,”What the hell are you two doing coming through that door ?”

I looked to see one of the upstairs bedroom doors open. There was a blanket on the ground and holosceens, keyboards and other pieces of tech I didn’t even recognize.

“Late night ?,” I asked her

“I’m trying to hack my way into figuring out where Morrissey is. We need to find him,”

“If you don’t,” Minnie slurred coming back to my side,”Rayne will . . . . he’ll . . . rain down a shit storm,”

She fell on the floor in laughter nearly hitting her head on one the fallen beams

“Is she burning ?,”  Sara asked

I nodded my head.

“Jean couldn’t make Dakota talk ? ,” I asked

“Dakota is  stubborn and an idiot two things that don’t go together,” she said,”No threat is working on him,”

 “Let me help,” I said, “Something tells me my ass is on the line too,”

“It is,” Sara said.

“Well, good night then  Alan Gray,” Minnie said using my body to balance herself as she stood back up.

Placing her arms over my neck she  kissed  my lips and my hand found it’s way to the small of her back,pulling her closer to me. I knew she was high and still I was encouraging this kiss.

She pulled out of the kiss first and headed for the stairs to the basement. I turned to see Sara wasn’t at all phased by the kiss. She just turned to the bedroom  beckoning me to come with her.

The room she was in looked like it used to be her bedroom. Parts of the ceiling were missing and the walls were slanted but, I could see where her bed would have been. Sitting on the floor I noticed some holographic pictures of her and her husband, Derek. She looked so much younger than she did now. In one image they were sitting on a couch having a conversation with someone not seen in the photo.

This wasn't the perfect happy couple image, they just looked normal--almost annoyed at the camera's presence. They didn't know this image was going to serve as a lasting memory of the way they were.

” Rayne gave me my first hit a week after I met him,” she said “I refused and he separated Luce and I. Can you imagine that ? A girl still basically a teenager who lost her love and her parents and now he was threatening her with her only son? It was cruel but it did the trick because I did it and  I discovered it was easy. The point is Rayne is serious and if I had said no, I wouldn’t be with Luce right now,”

"So, Rayne's a pretty bad guy ?,"

"In case you haven't noticed," she said, adjusting the strap holding her gun in place, "We're all the villans, here,"

"That reminds me," I  said, "You weren't the first person to put a gun in my face tonight. I feel like I should have a weapon and--,"

"You aren't borrowing one of mine," she interrupted, reading my mind, "Just ask Rayne and he will add it to your debt. It may be a good idea because then you can practice and maybe next time you won't miss,"

"Does Rayne really expect me to pay him back ?,"

"No, not in full. Just until he no longer needs you. You are still mildly attractive and maybe next time we have a female target you could be an asset and I'll give you 5 percent,"

"You kill women ?," I spat

"I kill marks and who I'm told to," she replied, "Now help me go through these files,"

I knew at some point that Sara wasn’t just an ordinary hacker.I really had no idea how anybody hacked anything but, I watched as she did simple things like figuring out passwords to  e-mail accounts to hacking into remote traffic censors to look through their cameras.

“This was not supposed to be so hard,” she sighed as the sun came back up in the sky,” This is pissing me off so much I just might kill Morrissey myself if I get the chance,”

“Are you sure you can’t get Dakota to talk ?,”

"I don't know,” she said, I was sure I hinted a yawn in her voice, "You still can't really hack people,"

“Let me try,” I offered.

She let out a laugh the most I’d seen her laugh.

“Fine,” she said standing up and heading for the stairs, “But, don’t wake me,"

We walked to the basement together and she disappeared into her room. I opened the door to where Dakota  was being kept. I knew he wasn't asleep, it was hard to sleep when you had no idea where you were. He looked near dead but had a devious smile on his face when he saw me.

“You ?,” he sneered, “I remember you. A glitterboy,huh ? That’s pathetic,”

As he spoke a plan formulated in my mind.

“Why won’t you tell us where Morrissey is ?” I asked ,”Don’t you want to get out of here ?,”

“Damn,I thought Belle killed you too. Well, she’ll be disappointed,” he said, ignoring my question.

“Did Jean threaten you ? Is that why you won't talk to him ?,” I asked, “ I’m different. I’m smart. I will give you what you want. I can help you, but you have to help me.”

“Fuck off,”

It looked like I was going to have to get to the point.

“Minnie and  I have gotten close,” I said,” I see why you want her so bad,”

“You can’t get close with quiffs. That's what they want you to think,” he said

“Listen, just tell us what you know  and I’ll convince Minnie to go with you. That's what you want, right ? No threats ,No violence. You’re obviously afraid of Jean but, if I can work this out he will be your friend. I've been watching them and everyone in this house, I'm sure I can manipulate them,”

"You just want me to talk so the Yakuza won't nail your ass, right ?,"

It was partially true.

"Maybe," I said, " Are you going to help us or not ?,"

We all really are the bad guys.