Chapter 43

We continued our conversation, but in about five minutes a call from an unknown number distracted me and I apologized to the girls and put the conversation on hold, then answered the call.

"I'm listening."

"Solo, this is your employer..."

Her voice was hard not to recognize, but I had never heard her in such intonations before. The girl must have really messed up.

"...your subordinate is ignoring me. And yet she's supposed to be working. Deal with her, or the fixer will cut your fee. So if you don't want to lose your reputation and most of your reward, have Alvarez call me, or better yet, meet me and pick up the material she needs to work on."

I held back...

God only knows how hard it took. I wanted to tell her what I thought of her mental abilities and everything else. But I didn't. I'm good!

"Why don't you speak? Are you speechless?"

"Parker, your tongue will drive you to the grave..."

"Are you threatening me?"

Despite her haughty tone, I could hear that she was scared.

"Threatening? No..."

I shook my head.

"...I'm just stating a fact. Because you are throwing accusations and demands and insults without even understanding the situation. As for the order DeShawn offered me, I declined..."

"А?"

"B, also a letter of the alphabet."

"But, uh. how... it's, uh."

I could hear the confusion in Parker's voice. She clearly didn't understand exactly how what I said could have happened. Namely, that someone could refuse the order DeShawn was offering.

"...Major League... Big money... Prestige."

"It's all empty words."

"You're dragging her down!"

"Parker, you make up your mind."

She blinked confusedly.

"...I either, as you put it, have to make Judy work, or I'm dragging her down... It's probably the same thing in your head, because there's no way in your mind that we just love each other. You just refuse to accept that I don't control her, I coexist with her and she can make her own decisions and it was HER DECISION to send you away."

And I held back again...

And how many strong words were about to fly off my lips, but I still held them and my face, maintaining my reputation as a calm solo who doesn't lose his temper.

"Come on, goodbye."

I dropped the connection and immediately added the girl's number to my blacklist. I didn't want her to start calling me with incomprehensible demands and claims. And naturally, having finished the conversation, I returned to the conversation with the girls, who were already discussing something among themselves. And after they saw that I had returned, they were silent, burning me with curious glances.

"Parker called. Where she got my number, I have no idea. No, it's clear that she probably bought it from some fixer, and I never hid my number, but like this..."

I shook my head.

"...I guess she just didn't know I'd backed out. I guess she thought DeShawn's order was such a rare chance that it would be accepted without a second thought and there could be no exceptions. So she rushed to call Judy first, and when she put her on the list and me as her boss..."

I emphasized the last word in a mocking tone, and the girls smiled. They knew we had deeper feelings than that, and they weren't going to deny it.

"Did she even apologize?"

"Pfft! Becca, you're not a Bookwoman, you're a Storyteller!"

Judy decided to play a little joke on Becca.

"Why is that?!"

There was no resentment in Becky's voice. Just curiosity. Well, she likes to read fairy tales, too, and I, as someone who talks to her about books from time to time, know that as well as anyone... Hmm. why don't we take her to the library? Where there are still real books printed on paper...

"Because even though you're a grown-up girl who's seen a lot of things, you still believe in fairy tales. Without knowing the person you say that he is able to ask for forgiveness ... This is a fairy tale version of the development of events ...

Judy shook her head.

"...and you live in Knight City and believe that anyone in Knight City is capable of such a thing... As for Parker, even if it was her fault, she wouldn't apologize. I can tell you that as someone who lived with her and thought I'd live our whole lives with her..."

"Well, I didn't know."

"That's why you're a Storyteller, because you believe in things that can't be!"

I grinned and curtailed the conversation, but at the same time, continuing to listen to the conversation of the girls slightly pushed Panam in the shoulder and when she was distracted from the fascinating conversation nodded to her in the direction of the parking lot.

"Let's go home?"

Panam nodded at my question and we walked together towards the parking lot where Tortik was parked. As soon as we reached the door that led to the parking lot, Vee intercepted us.

"So you still said no?"

"Yeah...and you thought I'd agree?"

"Well, uh. actually, yeah, I thought you were gonna take DeShawn up on his offer..."

"Perhaps if that suggestion had come from Nemo or Indigo..."

I've named two legendary fixers. Their appearance is a mystery, they work only through intermediaries, or rather they look for solos through proven fixers such as Bestia, Regina, Wakako... But their reputation. it's not a reputation, it's a ship that's unsinkable without a trace of rust. Even Bestia doesn't cringe when she's asked to pick a solo to fulfill an order.

"...I would agree, but DeShawn ..."

I shook my head.

"Ha, you're so imaginative! It's a Knight City fantasy!"

"Uh-huh...

I nodded my head.

"...as fictional as Silverhand and Blackhand... those other legends that most intelligent people don't think ever existed. But you're not going to convince me they're just myths, are you?"

"Compared..."

Now it was Vee's turn to shake her head. She didn't want to go on, though.

"...Okay, well, that's your choice, and I'll wave goodbye from the top when I'm in the Major Leagues."

"Yeah, yeah..."

I nodded my head and took a couple of steps into the parking lot, but didn't get far from the door, so I came back and held the door before it slammed shut.

"Vee..."

The girl, who was already walking away, stopped and half-turned in my direction.

"Uh-huh?

"Be careful..."

"I will, daddy."

Despite her slightly mocking tone, she looked at me with a look that showed that she was completely serious now. And I realized this and decided to try to influence the canon of the game a little more. Of course, telling her everything I know would be foolish, but... Maybe it'll save her mind, and it'll save Jackie...

"Daughter, take some advice from your daddy..."

I decided to also add a bit of humor to our interaction and judging by Vee's grin, she liked the idea.

"You all need an upgrade. I have not worked with DeShawn of course, and I have no desire to do so, here your colleague should ask more substantially... But I have some information about him..."

"Are you talking about T-Bag now?

"Uh-huh. about her. But back to DeShawn. he's known for high-profile cases. successes, failures. but they have to be high-profile cases. Except when he has high-profile failures, he's gone, and after his last failure, he disappeared and dumped a bunch of solos he had ties to.

"And?"

V decided to hurry me up a little bit.

"Prepare for things to go-- not according to plan.

I shook my head holding back from a strong word.

"Do you know something?"

"No, I'm drawing conclusions from information that's available to everyone. If you don't believe me, ask the same Wakako, I don't think she would refuse to share information with you for a small fee. And then you can draw the same conclusions yourself."

"Hmm... Panicky?"

"No..."

I shook my head. It was good to know that V took me more than seriously, but she was a corporate girl, and she knew when and where to make jokes. And that's something that some time away from the corporation wouldn't erase.

"...Just realizing that you all need an upgrade for your survival. The big leagues need chrome and much tougher ice... or you're gonna be in for a world of hurt."

"Like from where?"

"Well..."

I shrugged.

"...Let's say your target will be defended by voodooists, or a network watch... now imagine what will happen to your T-Bag, who will not have more or less solid ice and what after her...

I ran my thumb across my throat.

"...will be with you..."

"You know, I'm starting to get some asshole instincts. is starting to show signs of life. I guess I'm gonna have to empty my piggy bank after all."

"Shake it off..."

I nodded my head.

"...Also put your own optics, a third series, and the whole order write up..."

"А?"

"If things don't go according to plan. not according to plan, you can try DeShawn as proof that you're not the asshole, he's the one who didn't think it through. Though if he's thinking of dumping you, it won't do you much good."

I turned around and let go of the door and walked into the parking lot, hearing Vee say goodbye to me. I walked calmly to the Tortoise and got in.

"Still, lucky for Judy and I, and for the girls, too."

Those were the first words that Panam said after she started the car and the Tortik drove off, carefully avoiding the parked cars, heading towards the exit of the parking lot. It was just the two of us now, as the girls were already disconnected from the conversation.

"Would you mind explaining that?"

"Do I have to?"

"Well, it would be nice to hear people praise me."

"Uh-huh...

Panam grinned.

"...but if you feel like it, why not? You're too kind."

She shook her head with an uncertain look at me.

"...and you're not trying to get ahead in life. You don't try to get above where you can stay. You just live and provide a stable life for us. There aren't many like you. very few. There's no other man who could have won me and Judy over. or the girls. except Kiwi. what does she see in Pilar?"

"Ahem?"

I grinned, but Panam looked at me with a frown, saying, "You asked me to tell you, but you... But she realized what she had said, and her eyes widened in shock.

"Forget it! You hear me?! Forget it!!!"

"All right, all right!"

I nodded my head with a chuckle.

"And yes, Judy and I haven't agreed to anything yet!"

The grin on my face grew even wider.

"What now?!"

"You said "yet", which means that at the very least you've had conversations on this topic before..."

Panam groaned in shame and dropped her head on the steering wheel a couple times, right as she was driving, however, her skill allowed some liberties that I could not have afforded if I had been behind the wheel...

"Forget it, huh?"

And there was so much pleading in her voice...that I just couldn't say no to her.

"About what?"

She nodded her head and cast a grateful glance in my direction.

"So, what's next?"

"У?"

"Well, you're lucky...only someone like me could have gotten you together..."

I did not go on and bring up the topic that Panam had asked me to forget.

"Well, uh. there's not many people in your position who could resist rushing forward. take everything in life now without looking back or thinking about the future. And the shares. the big bosses usually take a much bigger cut. The way you treat us."

"How do I feel about it?"

I really didn't understand Panam's words. I seem to have a normal attitude, I am moderately strict on tasks, moderately caring, moderately showing initiative and... and a lot of other things, but I'm not doing too much.

"That's the thing. You're okay with it. You don't overreact. You don't fear us, you don't glorify us. You don't have that trait that the femme rabies have been bringing up in men for years. Now they're afraid to say a word. It's like you're from a bygone age."

"It can't be that bad..."

I shook my head. It couldn't be that sad, I hadn't noticed anything like that around me.

"Well, in the clans the situation is more or less even, and solo, there are rabid do not survive, and this is your social circle, so there is nothing surprising that you have not noticed such things ..."

"So not only are you lucky to have me, but I'm lucky to have you?"

"Hmm?"

Panam grinned, and I realized that she had purposely brought the topic to this very point, because now I would have to praise her and the other girls.

"Sly Cherry..."