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“Night City has never lacked opportunities,” Rook said, setting down his beer.
“What it lacks are people who can grab one and turn it into a dream.”
He moved straight into orders.
“Maine, you know Regina Jones, right?
Take Dorio down to Little China and contact her.
Ask for the address of a man named William Hare.
Former soldier, from the Rancho Coronado slums, severe postwar trauma.
Bring him back.”
“No problem, Mr.
Mercer.”
Maine nodded.
He and Dorio stood and headed for the elevator without another word.
Rook turned to Jackie.
“Jackie, take Falco and Pilar to a Chevillon dealership.
Buy two Emperor 720 Ironclads.
Yes, the heavy armored model the NCPD uses.
Don’t make that face.
If we’re building a crew, we need proper equipment.”
Jackie’s expression had become so dramatic that Rook had to stop before continuing.
He went inside, brought out a case, and filled it with neatly stacked cash.
Five hundred thousand eurodollars.
When the case opened, everyone drew in a breath. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Maine’s crew often took jobs worth two hundred thousand or more, but once the payout was split, each person might take thirty or forty thousand.
Most of that went to chrome, weapons, or the kind of spending people used to forget tomorrow was coming.
Even the hundred thousand Rook and Lucy had made from the stolen Arasaka chips had only been that high because his standard Arasaka R&D chip had pushed up the value.
Five hundred thousand eddies was a fortune most people at the bottom of Night City could not even imagine.
“Santa madre,” Jackie muttered, running his hand reverently over the stacks.
“That’s a lot of scratch.
I swear, I might pass out from looking at money.”
He grinned so wide it almost split his face.
“Two Emperor 720 Ironclads should top out around three hundred thousand.
This is half a million, easy.”
Cars in Night City were not cheap, but compared to high-end cyberware, they were almost reasonable.
A single serious upgrade could cost more than a luxury vehicle.
Chrome kept people alive.
Cars just made them look better doing it.
Even the Emperor 720 Ironclad, a military-grade transport platform, cost roughly 130,000 eddies each, less than a Rayfield Caliburn.
Rook patted Jackie’s shoulder.
“The two Ironclads won’t use all of it.
I also need you to buy a Herrera Outlaw GTS.
Sixty-two thousand.”
“The new four-seat luxury sport sedan?” Jackie stared.
“Are we becoming landlords now?”
The joke loosened the mood around the table.
“The remaining money has a use too,” Rook said.
“Civilian Emperor 720s don’t come equipped like NCPD Ironclads.
I want ballistic glass, reinforced tires, and armored bodywork.
Go with Falco and buy the parts.”
He pointed toward the elevator.
“Move.
The dealerships should still be open.
Park everything in the underground garage downstairs, then bring the parts up.”
“And tomorrow, you and Maine’s crew are coming out of the city with me.
We’re going to fill out your team.”
Rook turned away and led Lucy, Sasha, Kiwi, and T-Bug toward the duplex.
“Hey!
You forgetting about me?” Rebecca jumped up, still chewing meat, oil on her lips.
“What am I supposed to do?”
Rook looked back and gave her a token assignment.
“Grab your guns and guard the living room.
If anyone who isn’t ours comes in, shoot them.”
Rebecca’s eyes lit up.
She grabbed her pistols, ran into the living room, spun them with a flourish, and sat down like a tiny armed sentinel.
“All right,” Rook said with a shrug.
“Now we handle the urgent problem.”
He brought the four netrunners to the second-floor bathroom.
“We need a lot of ice,” T-Bug said.
“I can provide the deep-dive connectors.”
She unfastened the heavy leather coat wrapped around her.
Inside, data cables and interface plugs were arranged with almost surgical neatness.
Rook did not waste time.
He left the bathroom, went to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and pulled two large buckets of ice from the freezer’s ice bin.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.