Georgia waited out of sight as Sandra was shown to her new room. Once certain that Oliver was clear of the area, she went and knocked softly on the door. A second passed before Sandra let her in.
"He totally fell for it." the other girl whispered excitedly, after shutting the door behind them.
"You did well." Georgia replied smiling. "We may very well need the trust of the higher-ups to get though this. Just remember, the 'father' himself won't be misdirected so easily. Be very careful around him."
"I will." Sandra promised. "Will you be trying to gain his trust too."
"Not him." Georgia said. "I think it's for the best if we don't appear any closer to each-other than any of the other girls while we're around these people. The closer two people are to each-other, the harder they will try to drive a wedge between them. It's how they make you lose faith in anyone else but them. Keeping keep you safe is still all I care about. I just have to keep those thoughts in here." she said, placing her palm to her chest. "Keep them hidden deep where they can't get to them, and you need to do the same." She placed her other hand over Sandra's heart "You understand, right?"
Sandra nodded. "I understand... but Gee, what do we do? I thought we weren't even supposed to be here."
"I don't know." Georgia told her. "Not everything can always go according to plan, but She wouldn't just abandon us, we know that. The next place we touch ground, She'll find a way to send us a message. In the mean-time, we just have to remember what we were always told. Keep safe. When we have no guidence to follow, that's all that matters."
She took the moment to embrace the younger girl tightly, before planting a quick kiss on her forehead.
"I have to go now, Sandy. I'll do my part, but... I can't say for sure when our next chance to talk will be."
"It's okay." Sandra replied, giving the older girl a comforting smile. "You know where to find me."
=========================================================================================================================
The deal seemed to be wrapping up. Good. Amy had nothing else to contribute to it; and she felt that she should probably take the first chance to speak to Pixie in private, to explain herself. Necessary or not, ti can't have been good for Pixie to be blind-sided in such a way by her own crew. Perhaps Pixie was furious right now, thinking Amy had gone over her head when she had expressly forbidden the action? She had to make sure Pixie knew it wasn't like that, Austin must have just discovered the town and attacked of his own accord. Or else... no. The Gentleman wouldn't have done that, not without Amy's consent.
Her train of though was interrupted as the windows to the saloon were smashed in by thrown projectiles. A second later, the cylinders hissed and belched red smoke, and the outside became filled with the noises of gunfire and battle-cries.
'Oh no!'
Thorough the red haze in the room, Amy just about spied a shape burst into the doorway. There was no time to aim, but the figure couldn't have been more than eight yards in front of her, standing right in the threshold. Her pistol was up before the attacker's rifle, and without thinking Amy fired two quick shots.
The gunman in the door way crumpled, and with no hesitation Amy closed the gap to him. The man had taken two shots to the chest, but was still breathing. Amy fixed that with a third shot between the eyes, before inspecting the body.
"This man is a Bejik!" she called out to the others in the room, fighting to keep her voice from wavering as her original reflex faded away. She may have drawn first blood, but Amy had not desire to join a pitched battle. Her eyes searched for Pixie, so that she might communicate the words she did not want to say in front of Wilkes-Vines.
'Our friends in the North must have been too late. Or else, they're in the same trouble.'
=========================================================================================================================
"Carlos here. What can I do for you?"
"Good morning Carlos." The Gentleman replied. "No, it would appear that this call came a little late to be of any use. We'll just have to trust in Meredith's ability to get out of tricky scrapes as always. Anyway, how are things on your end?"
Carlos shrugged out of habit as he replied, "Things are quiet. It is just me, Cameron and a couple others here right now. Listen," He paused for a moment. "Do you have a moment to speak? Pixie gave me the greenlight to discuss that other matter you were curious about a few days ago."
"Oh please do. I find myself with nothing at all to plot at this particular moment. It's been so terribly dull. I don't know how I ever managed before I discovered crime. Tell me your secrets Carlos, I'm all ears."
Carlos grinned. Somehow, despite the ugly nature of it, the Gentleman was far less threatening when he was being honest, "Lady Contessa Lombardi. The Queen of the Golden City. She was who you robbed that night."
"One of the people." The Gentleman conceded "Sirus Dickens had several clients; but yes, considering her stake I suppose, for the purposes of the argument, she was. What of it? It's hardly the first time."
Carlos sighed, "Look, I don't make it my business to get involved with all the movers and shakers on the Rock. That's not my style. I'm in-and-out, with no strings attached. However, I heard some things. Nothing concrete, mind you, just whispers. Contessa knows Dio is up to something and she also knows you're making moves against him."
Carlos hesitated a moment before he continued, "I know you're the last person that needs to be cautioned, but tread carefully, Gentleman. Lady Lombardi is possibly the most dangerious individual on the planet. If she's found out you are the one who has crossed her she won't think twice about going after you. Not when the stakes are this high. That carbon was likely vital to her strategy against Dio, afterall."
As Carlos was speaking, The Gentleman was letting the strategic part of his mind tick over. Weighing up intel on the capabilities of the Lombardi family, examining possible angles. In the long game, he would need her forces pitched against Dio's directly. All the better than she was already gunning for him, the fact (if it was indeed a fact) that Lady Contessa currently wanted him dead, was no real cause for concern. What was more worrisome, was how she knew anything of his own plans (though that could easily be hearsay, time would tell).
"You're right." he said nonchalantly "I don't need to be warned. I know Lady Contessa well, having dealt both for and against her on several occasions. Recent events may have put me in her sights more prominently than before. However, she didn't get to where she is without knowing when to set a grudge aside, and I didn't get to where I am without knowing how to turn enemies into friends.
What this doesn't explain," he continued "is why you were there in the vault. Was it Contessa who sent you then?"
"Yes," Carlos replied without missing a beat. "You may be the best assassin on the Rock, Gentleman, but since Pixie has been in retirement it seems the title for 'Best Thief' has been bestowed on yours truly." He chuckled. "You're method had been considered, but Contessa ultimately shot down that idea. Too much risk. It is just like Pixie to agree to a plan like that."
He shook his head and grinned.
The good old days.
"No," He continued. "I don't like to leave a single trace. I know then men who installed the safety protocols, so all it took was a few bribes and we were given keys to the back door. The strongest vault in the world is nothing when put up against a man with the right connections. Anyway, yes, I was working for her. I imagine she's already turned my manor over several times in search of me."
'Oh, so that's the way we're playing it?'
"Perhaps, when we both have more time," The Gentleman replied with a smirk. "We should stage a friendly competition, decide once and for all who's the 'Best Thief' as you put it. I think you may be forgetting, The Heart of The Rock didn't steal itself, you know. You're good, Carlos, good enough to come out of retirement and stay under my radar I'll give you that. However, if you don't mind a little constructive criticism, from one fiend to another, you lack a certain... flair. Oh, I know the mark of a professional is remaining incognito; but the mark of a savant, lies in recognising how a reputation can be used to your advantage. Besides, my way didn't require splitting the score with two dozen supporting players, and I still got away clean.
Back to the matter at hand, I'm certain Contessa didn't require your expertise just to remove her own carbon from that vault, There are many others searching for someone to blame for their losses at this time. It would be terribly unfortunate for her if the identities of the dead men we left back underground were to be traced back to her. Something for the Noble Lady to think about in our absence. So, what did she tell you about the job?"
Carlos laughed at the Gentleman's playful jabs. His snark was infectious. However, his expression hardened once more before he replied, "Nothing. I've already told you all I know. Most of it is hearsay, anyway. Contessa's a careful woman when she wants to be, as was the case when she hired me. I'm a contractor, though. It was a one-off. She didn't tell me anything I didn't have to know."
He grunted, "She can be messy when she wants to, however. You're out in Frostfall right now with limited support. If she's caught on to your whereabouts it wouldn't be hard for her to corner you. Just... watch your back. She's got a mind like a maze. Her tactics may seem straight forward on the outside, but there's a method to every ounce of madness she unleashes. But then, I doubt I have to tell you that. If I find anything else out or recall a detail I missed, I will let you know."
The Gentleman's smile grew wider, Carlos' warnings only serving to further excite him. It had truly been too long since he'd had a worthy opponent to spar with. He must keep his mind on the long game though, it would all come down to Dio in the end, and he may well need Contessa under his thumb when it came to that. In the mean time, the ball was in Contessa's court, and he needed simply to react accordingly to whatever play she made. Personally, he hoped for a more subtle battle of wills. However, if she sought simply to kill him, then he would pay back whoever she sent after him in kind. Exchanges of gunfire were Junk Food to The Gentleman. Quick, easy, not particularly satisfying, but always providing a reliable solution.
"Just one more question, before you go." he cut in. "For a man who claims to hate complications, you've put yourself out to a staggering degree by letting myself and Meredith walk away with so much of your employer's carbon, making yourself an accessory, no less. I imagine, should she ever cross paths with you again, that she'll be almost as displeased with you as she is with me." He let the gravity of it hang in the air for a while before continuing.
"It must be some history, between you and Meredith, to make you go to so much trouble on her behalf. Perhaps you can elaborate, while we're still being frank with each-other?"
"Absolutely not," Carlos stated, bluntly. "It's not my place to tell you. Sorry, nothing personal."
"It never is." The Gentleman sighed. "In truth, the details are irrelevant outside of my own, personal curiosity. You must know you're not the first to be so entrapped by that woman, and you certainly aren't the last. It's a mistake that I've vowed to never make myself, having foreseen it ever since our first encounter. Why do you think I dedicate so much time to maintaining a barrier of professional mistrust between us. I would serve Meredith Monroe a thousand small betrayals, and still consider it a great deal safer on my part than having her complete trust. I've never known anyone like her when it comes to killing with kindness. You gave me a warning, and now I shall return the favour. We all use people, it's an inextricable part of our condition. The fact that Meredith has the decency to feel distraught when the people she's wrapped around her little finger jump though fire for her sake, doesn't change the outcome."
Carlos nodded to himself, "Yeah, well, if she were to sacrifice me tomorrow for her own gain it would be a fitting outcome. Thanks for the concern, but I fear I know the woman far more than you do. If I were concerned for my own well being I'd have likely tried to kill her a long time ago." He sighed. "And there goes that mouth of mine." He sounded frustrated. "Good luck out there, Gentleman. Carlos, out."
Slamming the mic down on the table, Carlos turned to leave the room but was intercepted by a confused Cameron. Her hands on her hips, she furrowed her brow, "What the fuck was that about?!"
"None of your concern," He muttered as he brushed by her.
Clenching her jaw, she turned her head to watch him leave, "Weird fucker." She whispered to herself.
