to Sasha.” Jynx looked away, trying not to laugh at the drunken Prince. “Anyway, it’s getting late and I have a meeting with my father soon.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave.”
Jynx watched him stumble out the door. He was so young and in spite of all he had been through, still so innocent.
“Goodbye Prince.”
LAO
Of all the casinos he owned, Hawk’s Lair was his favorite. It stood in the center of the city’s plaza like a monument. Soft magenta carpeted its floors and immediately upon entering, the stench of the city disappeared into a cool lavender fragrance. It was like walking into another world.
Lao stood at the top of the twisting staircase that led to his office. There was no second floor, only a large platform with his office at the end of it. It let him overlook the casino and watch the chandeliers split the sunlight into a million shooting stars.
But he didn’t have the luxury to appreciate that now. His daughter stood behind him, waiting for his meeting with Salib to finish.
“We lost a man,” Salib read from his report. His voice was a crude reminder that the meeting was still going on. “He was a dealer at Hawk’s Lair, he fell ill fighting the fire and passed away this morning. We’ve already sent the rest of his pay to his family. Shall we give them anything more?”
“No.” Lao’s answer was immediate. “How was our firefighting?”
Salib scratched the paper with his pen. “Not good. The drought has turned houses into kindle. Right now, all we can do is take buckets to the river.”
“How archaic.”
“We don’t have the money to do anything else.”
Lao frowned and stood silent. It always came back to money. Times like these reminded him how fragile their city was. “And how goes the murder investigation.”
A silence filled the air. Salib looked away. “No progress,” he finally said.
“We have a camera on every single street and alley, how can there be no progress?”
“We don’t have the budget to leave on all the cameras. You were the one that cut our power budget.”
Lao grimaced, he didn’t need to be reminded of that. “Have you at least discovered something new?”
“All we know is that the victims were Hawks.”
“Useless.”
Salib stared at his feet. “Sorry.”
“I don’t want apologies; I want—” Lao paused to think for a bit. “What are people calling him?”
Salib gulped. “The Slasher.”
“Tsk. He sounds as ridiculous as the boogeyman.”
“We’ll find him. We just need time.”
“Fine. But keep in mind, our number one priority is still the gun Owen had. Figure out how he managed to get a gun into my city. If I was to guess, the same people are responsible for smuggling heroin through my walls.”
Salib nodded as he retreated from Lao. “Is there anything else?”
“No. You can go,” Lao said, the edges of his lips turning to a chuckle. “I want some quality time with my daughter.”
Lao raised his hand, getting the attention of the two guards. With a slight nod, they stepped aside to let Jynx through.
“ What’s your status?” he asked her.
“All drops are going smoothly.”
“And Sasha?”
Jynx’s mouth twitched. It was all it took to betray her annoyance. “She failed her last drop.” Her words were steady and her face blank. “The little one, Bolt, couldn’t complete his leg of the drop again.”
“That’s the one responsible for the fire, right?”
“Well, the fire was made to flush him out. With one more success, they complete their contract.”
Lao’s lips stretched into a small grin. “The first Mice ever.”
“Should we do something about it?”
Lao shook his head. “Rule number two.”
Another twitch of her mouth. “If they complete the contract and earn the final reward, they’ll have enough saved up to leave the city. I don’t suppose I need to remind you what happens when the world learns of Mice and Hawks.”
“Yes, everything we’ve worked towards will be
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave.”
Jynx watched him stumble out the door. He was so young and in spite of all he had been through, still so innocent.
“Goodbye Prince.”
LAO
Of all the casinos he owned, Hawk’s Lair was his favorite. It stood in the center of the city’s plaza like a monument. Soft magenta carpeted its floors and immediately upon entering, the stench of the city disappeared into a cool lavender fragrance. It was like walking into another world.
Lao stood at the top of the twisting staircase that led to his office. There was no second floor, only a large platform with his office at the end of it. It let him overlook the casino and watch the chandeliers split the sunlight into a million shooting stars.
But he didn’t have the luxury to appreciate that now. His daughter stood behind him, waiting for his meeting with Salib to finish.
“We lost a man,” Salib read from his report. His voice was a crude reminder that the meeting was still going on. “He was a dealer at Hawk’s Lair, he fell ill fighting the fire and passed away this morning. We’ve already sent the rest of his pay to his family. Shall we give them anything more?”
“No.” Lao’s answer was immediate. “How was our firefighting?”
Salib scratched the paper with his pen. “Not good. The drought has turned houses into kindle. Right now, all we can do is take buckets to the river.”
“How archaic.”
“We don’t have the money to do anything else.”
Lao frowned and stood silent. It always came back to money. Times like these reminded him how fragile their city was. “And how goes the murder investigation.”
A silence filled the air. Salib looked away. “No progress,” he finally said.
“We have a camera on every single street and alley, how can there be no progress?”
“We don’t have the budget to leave on all the cameras. You were the one that cut our power budget.”
Lao grimaced, he didn’t need to be reminded of that. “Have you at least discovered something new?”
“All we know is that the victims were Hawks.”
“Useless.”
Salib stared at his feet. “Sorry.”
“I don’t want apologies; I want—” Lao paused to think for a bit. “What are people calling him?”
Salib gulped. “The Slasher.”
“Tsk. He sounds as ridiculous as the boogeyman.”
“We’ll find him. We just need time.”
“Fine. But keep in mind, our number one priority is still the gun Owen had. Figure out how he managed to get a gun into my city. If I was to guess, the same people are responsible for smuggling heroin through my walls.”
Salib nodded as he retreated from Lao. “Is there anything else?”
“No. You can go,” Lao said, the edges of his lips turning to a chuckle. “I want some quality time with my daughter.”
Lao raised his hand, getting the attention of the two guards. With a slight nod, they stepped aside to let Jynx through.
“ What’s your status?” he asked her.
“All drops are going smoothly.”
“And Sasha?”
Jynx’s mouth twitched. It was all it took to betray her annoyance. “She failed her last drop.” Her words were steady and her face blank. “The little one, Bolt, couldn’t complete his leg of the drop again.”
“That’s the one responsible for the fire, right?”
“Well, the fire was made to flush him out. With one more success, they complete their contract.”
Lao’s lips stretched into a small grin. “The first Mice ever.”
“Should we do something about it?”
Lao shook his head. “Rule number two.”
Another twitch of her mouth. “If they complete the contract and earn the final reward, they’ll have enough saved up to leave the city. I don’t suppose I need to remind you what happens when the world learns of Mice and Hawks.”
“Yes, everything we’ve worked towards will be
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