“So…”
I sat down on the couch and stared at the ceiling.
“David?”
Panam put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a light shake, trying to snap me out of it.
Or so she thought.
Truth was, I was just thinking.
Weighing whether or not I should get involved in this mess.
And no, I wasn’t talking about Regina’s job.
That was settled.
I’d take it.
The real question was whether I should bring Bex and her friend along.
I knew who Bex’s friend was likely to be, but I didn’t have the specifics.
Her crew had at least three netrunners.
One of them apparently left before the canon timeline.
Maybe she died.
I didn’t know the exact details.
But if she was still alive, Bex might reach out to her for a side gig.
The second was that blonde who’d been tailing me back when they were trying to figure me out.
She had some history with Arasaka.
Something bad.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t that obsessed with the anime, so I only knew the outline, not the specifics.
And the third was a traitor.
On top of that, their big boss was supposed to go cyberpsycho and wipe out half his own team.
Right now, I could ignore that problem because they were basically strangers to me.
Sure, I’d fed Bex a few times, but that was it.
But after working with them?
After building some rapport?
Because I knew I would, at least with Bex.
That little ball of sarcasm and sunshine was hard to keep at a distance when we only crossed paths occasionally.
And then I wouldn’t be able to stay out of it.
“David?”
“I’m thinking.”
“About what, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“About whether it’s worth bringing Bex into our crew.”
“Hey!”
She shot up from her seat, slammed her fists on the table, and leaned over it.
Her eyes burned with indignation and hurt.
Damn.
I think I offended her.
“Look, who’s your netrunner?”
“Really?”
Her face lit up.
She looked at me with desperate hope.
“Tell me who we’d be working with first.”
“Um…
Lucy.
Lucy Kushinada.
You’ve seen her a few times.
Short, blonde.”
“She’s taller than you.”
I gave Bex a smug look.
She puffed up her cheeks in mock outrage, her eyes flickering with anger and amusement.
“So what!”
She flopped back into her chair and turned away dramatically.
“Fine.
Call her.
If she’s interested, we’ll bring her on for this job.
Your cut is forty thousand.
Hers is sixty.”
“Hey, why the big difference?”
“Be grateful you’re getting forty.
According to our agreement, I’d only get twenty.”
Panam pretended to be annoyed.
“I’m just the driver.”
“So I get sixty too?”
Judy pointed at herself and raised an eyebrow.
“Exactly.
But that’s just the clean payout from Regina.
Bex, you get that much because you’re protecting the netrunners.
You don’t jump into the fight unless you have to.
If someone gets past us, they only reach them over your dead body.”
“Fine.”
Bex’s eyes flickered, signaling she was calling someone.
I walked over to the stove and started cooking another batch of treats.
The girls loved snacks, and bribing Bex and her friend was a smart move if I wanted smooth cooperation.
Which I probably did.
“What are you making?”
Bex had apparently finished her call and was watching me.
Their eyes were practically glowing with anticipation.
“Pancakes?
You’re making pancakes?”
“Of course.
Gotta welcome new crew members, even temporary ones.”
I smirked.
“What toppings?”
“Cherry and strawberry jam.”
“Real jam?”
Bex looked at me with disbelief and hope.
“Does fake jam even exist?”
Twenty minutes passed with jokes and casual chatter.
When someone knocked on my door, there were already several plates stacked high with pancakes on the table.
“Hands off!”
A sharp slap echoed behind me.
I turned to see Bex pouting on the couch, clearly caught trying to snatch a pancake.
Panam was standing over her like a guard dog, watching both her and Judy.
I walked to the door and opened it.
A white-haired girl with red eyeliner stood in the hallway.
“Lucy?”
“Yeah.
You’re David?”
“Yeah.
Come in.”
I stepped aside.
She walked in, and I closed the door behind her.
“Have a seat.
I’ll be right there.
We’ll go over the plan.”
“Okay.”
While Lucy introduced herself to Panam and Judy, I ducked into my workshop and closed the door.
I reached into my hidden stash and pulled out two jars of jam.
It was worth its weight in gold here, but the girls loved it.
I had to hide it.
After a moment’s thought, I grabbed a jar of condensed milk too.
I concealed everything carefully, then walked out and closed the door behind me.
“Panam, pour the tea.”
“Got it.”
I walked over to the table.
In addition to the plates of pancakes and individual settings, there were two small bowls.
“Judy, bring a third bowl.”
“Why?”
“I grabbed condensed milk.”
“Holy shit!
I’ll be your bitch!”
Bex couldn’t contain herself.
Her eyes were tearing up.
But Panam was on guard.
“He’s mine.”
“I wasn’t asking to be his girlfriend!
I’m offering to be his bitch!
Let him fuck me once a week and feed me like this!”
I sighed.
“I’m not interested in that kind of arrangement.”
“Liar!”
Bex burned with righteous fury.
Judy brought the third bowl, and I poured in the condensed milk, then spooned out the jam.
“Dig in.
And yes, I am lying.”
Judy and Panam snorted.
Lucy stared at me, stunned.
Even Bex, despite her outburst, looked shocked and embarrassed.
“I’d have to be impotent not to be interested in something like that with such a lovely lady.
But here’s the thing.
I’m not an animal.
I can control my desires.
I have a girlfriend.”
I nodded at Panam.
“And that’s enough.”
“He’s lying.”
Judy delivered the verdict as I bit into a pancake.
Unlike me, the girls had already devoured five each.
Lucy was the most enthusiastic.
I hadn’t expected that.
“Lying?”
Bex looked at Judy, confused.
“He’s been hitting on me.
“Hey!”
Panam glared at her friend.
“Actually, you’re just invited to be a mistress.
And that’s only because I like you and I’m willing to share.
But them…”
She pointed at Bex and Lucy, who froze mid-bite.
“Let’s not get into this right now.”
I shook my head.
I filed away the note that Panam wasn’t opposed to Judy becoming my mistress.
I’d revisit that later.
I sent Bex and Lucy the plan Judy had drafted.
“Here’s your task.”
I looked at the newcomers.
“Lucy, I don’t know your skill level yet, so Judy will be the lead netrunner.
I’m sure you two can figure out the details.”
They exchanged glances and nodded.
“Judy will be driving you to the access point.
You’ll be there with Panam behind the wheel and Bex providing security.
The access point is close to the underground fighting ring, so keep it quiet.
Use suppressors if you can.”
Bex grimaced but nodded.
“I’ll infiltrate.
You’ll guide me.
If there are threats, I’ll neutralize them quietly.
You’ll know my methods soon enough.”
“I could just…”
Bex made finger guns and mimed shooting everyone.
“Bam-bam-bam.”
“Is that how you always work?”
Panam mimicked the gesture.
“Yeah, so?”
“Judy could have guided David through this blindfolded.
But they have something else planned.
Something that needs silence.”
“Exactly.”
I clapped slowly, acknowledging Lucy’s insight.
“Genius plan, huh?”
“Not genius.
Standard.
I work quietly while the netrunner hacks whatever I access.
The payout can be five to seven times what the fixer offers.”
“What?”
Bex was shocked.
“One netrunner guides me.
The other hacks everything and funnels money through offshore accounts.
If we hit the fighting ring, there should be plenty of cash.
I can’t carry much, but the netrunners can drain accounts.”
“And Regina tolerates this?”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
I shrugged.
“She wants quiet work.
We work under cover of a heist.
Sometimes targets don’t even know they’ve been compromised.”
“And how long have you been doing this?”
Lucy asked cautiously.
“Two jobs a day.
Sometimes one.
Sometimes three.
Two days off a week.”
I shrugged.
“Every single day?”
“Yeah.”
“Holy shit.
Even without bonuses, you should be millionaires by now.”
I exchanged glances with Panam and Judy.
“Not even close.”
I shook my head.
“Money laundering.
We’re investing.
Building a passive income stream so we can retire.”
“What about becoming a legend?”
Bex asked cautiously.
“Why bother?
Living long and happy is worth more.”
I shrugged.
“Besides, with this setup, we’ll become legends anyway.
The ones who made bank and walked away.
Not the ones with a cocktail named after them in the Afterlife.
Between a drink named after me and a life, I’ll take life.”