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Intimate touch always sent a needy heat through Jean Dory’s body.
It has been the worst and last hacking he ever experienced.
He’d been naïve in his choice of hack. Blackbird had spent hours pushing thin filaments into his veins ignoring his pleas for more pain killers and then ignoring him again when he begged the doctor to stop and unstrap him from the table.
When the pain subsided chrome and cardiovascular enhancement drugs coursed through his veins and mixed with his blood. It had resulted in an unbelievable high and a devilish horniness--which had faded quickly over the years. One day very soon Jean knew he’d be chasing that high again.
Jean moved the tip of his tongue teasingly across Pretty Boy’s erection. Jean could swear when he took him in his mouth he could almost taste the ink covering every inch of Pretty Boy's cock.
Pretty Boy’s body lay in one of his tattooing chairs. Pretty Boy shook and his hand trembled, sending a tray of tattoo instruments across the small studio.
Jean sat up on his knees and rested his head on Pretty Boy’s thigh.
“I’m close,” Pretty Boy whined. “You’re a bastard.”
“Did you want to come ?,” Jean asked coyly, rubbing his finger over the inked tendon on his thigh.
Pretty Boy makes a barely perceptible nod.
“Then talk to me about what you know about this Mjollner incident,” Jean said.
Pretty Boy closes his eyes and Jean admires his tightly coiled body. The hot spots of Pretty Boy’s body almost seemed to illuminate. Jean was really doing some of his best work and he wasn’t even getting paid.
“You’ll be pissed with me,” Pretty Boy sighs
“I won’t be, brother.”
“Yes--”
“Have you ever seen me pissed ?,” Jean asked, reaching his hand to stroke Pretty Boy's cheek bones. He could feel the shiver go down Pretty Boy’s back.Pretty Boy regarded him, his eyes struggling to hide the
want his body was demanding.
“It was your sister,” Pretty Boy said. “…and maybe El from the Luxor.”
Jean lowered his head and opened his mouth over Pretty Boy, the sound seemed to go out of the room and all he felt was numbness over Pretty Boy’s cries.
Fuck.
He was pissed now.
Jean stayed on his knees and watched distracted as Pretty Boy redressed.
“I didn’t know exactly what she was going to do,” Pretty Boy said. ”Am in trouble ?”
Jean knew that was a lie.
“That’s not up to me,” Jean says.
***
“Who knew so much of the shit in your distillery could kill people ?,” Minnow laughed in the darkness of the night.
“Only a sick bastard like you,” El retorted.
Punchdrunk, he picked her up and spun her around. When she landed on her heels, he kissed her. When she pulled away he cupped her ass and she laughed loudly.
He put a finger to her mouth to silence her, but it only made her laugh louder.
They walk slovenly to a bench on the
far side of the West Strip promenade. Exhausted, Minnow lies down on the bench and El slumps
on the ground next to her his eyes on the MGM Paradise II casino and bar. Minnow takes a long sip from the flask she kept on her hip before passing it down to El.
They’d spent a good portion of the night lining up El’s homemade moltav explosives around the edges of the MGM Paradise. Once more pedestrians were out to witness it El would ignite the remote fire starter and Paradise would go down in flames.
“They once ran me out of
here,” Minnow told him gesturing to the casino.
“I have no doubt you deserved it,” El smiled listlessly.
“Still can’t wait to see this place destroyed,” she smiled.
They watch silently as the sun began it’s slow rise and the streets of the West Strip were taken over by drug dealers, Mjollner and suits. Minnow watches as a woman in a bartender uniform makes a beeline for the Paradise.
“Now,” Minnow says "Quick."
Without hesitation El taps the fire starter. Barely a
second passes before a soft boom makes everyone in the promenade pause and look around.The sound is followed by tall bright flames exploding
from the top of the Paradise illuminating the West Strip. The woman walking towards the MGM stops just steps away from the now burning building.
El watched in muted horror as figures races from inside of the Paradise.
"I thought you said it was empty." he starts
Beside him Minnow was
laughing her middle finger exposed to the burning building as one of the Mjollner's most valuable properties smoldered into ash.
“We should go, baby girl,” he smiled, afraid their laughter would attract stares.
They walk casually to El’s car, weaving through the crowd of onlookers.
“We can’t top that,” El said as they drove back to the Luxor. “I’m officially out.”
“You’re not out until I say you’re out,” Minnow laughed throwing her feet on the dashboard. “Besides you’re having fun.”
“Too much,” he said. “We’re going to get caught, I think the Mjollner got our message.”
She sighed unconvinced and closed her eyes.
“Heads up,” El says to her in a soft voice.
When she opens her eyes they are pulling to the front of the Luxor and a sleek gray sports car is parked out front. Jean is standing in front of the door with his arms folded.
“Bit early for a drink, even
for you.,” El says jokingly to Jean.
“Do I know you ?,” Minnow
asked teasingly walking up to Jean and putting her arm around his waist. Her
brother had all but abandoned her since the kidnapping.
“Of course you two are together,” Jean snaps pushing her arm away. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”
His tone is unusually serious and the oddness of it makes her laughs. Jean only cuts his eyes at her.
“Last week Alan sent us a message that 7 dead Mjollner were dropped off at a synthesizer lab. They died under suspicious circumstances and he thought it might mean something so Sara looked into it.”
Minnow and El don’t hide the glance they share before breaking into stifling grins.
“Alan mentioned they had fresh ink and when Sara hacked into Pretty Boy’s account he had exactly seven payments from accounts that frequented Mjollner establishments just hours before the time of death. I just had a little visit and Pretty Boy just gave you up. What the fuck ?”
“So ? I killed some Mjollner. They kill us all the time.” Minnow shrugged. “Who gives a fuck ?”
“I do,” a voice from the car says.
The car door cracks open and Sara steps out, slamming the door behind her.
“Sara--,”
“I was going to let Jean handle this, but you’re clearly too stupid to see what you are doing that is so wrong. I told you to stand down,” Sara screams. “You put my boy’s life at risk with these stunts.”
“Oh, please. No I didn’t--” Minnow sighed.
“Excuse me ?,” Sara retorted. .“If I can figure out that you two idiots killed those bastards by barely lifting a finger so can the Mjollner. Then what do you think they are going to do to my son ?”
“Wake up, Sara!,” Minnow shouts. “It’s been months. There is no baby anymore and you know it. If there was Alan would know by now. He’s gone. We’ve all gotten used to it, even you. You don’t even say his name--”
Sara’s hand slaps her across the face. Jean makes a move to lunge, but pauses, unsure of who to restrain.
“Get in the fucking car,” Sara says through clenched teeth. “Both of you.”
They drive in silence to the Mojave Knife Company headquarters. Minnow feels hot tears forming at the base of her eyes and she clenches El’s hand. Last time she had gone off the rails Rayne had taken her finger—what would he take now ? And how had she gotten El twisted into this.
They walk somberly past the reception desk and into Rayne Washington’s office where he sits at his conference table in a starched suit with a drink in hand.
“Rayne--,” Minnow begins ready to defend El and herself but Rayne shushes her with a look.
“You’re wild, Minnow Dory,” Rayne says walking up to her. He reaches into his coat pocket and her body tenses.
“I just wanted to help-,” her voice shakes
Rayne silences her with a look and reaches down to snatch her hand, slipping an elaborate onyx cartel ring over it.
“Next time,” Rayne says slowly. “You act under my orders.”
----
...And that's going to close up Minnow's separate story line