Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) (2 page)

Hanna sat with her feet up on the comfy sofa.  She took in the living area of the flat she now lived in with Deni.  This one room could have fit their previous place in three or four times.  With the money they earned on Sneaker’s Crew, it was a no brainer to move out.  They left moving for six months after joining, so they could concentrate on the work and save the cash. 

They then bought this place outright.  It helped of course, Sneaker originally buying it as part of his purchase of the Dawning Sun.  He sold it to them without adding the appreciation his opening of the casino caused.  It wasn’t completely out of the goodness of his heart and Hanna knew it.  It was in Sneaker’s interest to have two of his main Crew living above their base.

The girls could have even afforded to have their own places, but neither broached the idea and Hanna was sure she didn’t want to live alone.  She knew her best friend very well and recognised neither did Deni.  The two of them had been through too much to split up now.  It was nice to have their own rooms and especially their own beds.

Hanna struggled to sleep at first, in her massive and very comfortable bed.  It was so strange, not to be forced to lie still all night, so she would not wake her friend.  There was also the chance of bashing her arm against the wall or falling off their former narrow bed, depending on whose turn it was to sleep by the edge.  It took over a month of sleepless nights for Hanna to get over it.  Now she luxuriated in the extra space, often waking to find she turned during the night and she was lengthways across its expanse.

Life had been good for the last year, the best Hanna could remember, even before her parents died.  Now they would be heading off planet, to another star system completely.  Hanna had only left the city of Inferno a couple of times and never Blaze itself.  It was with those thoughts she contemplated the Mag pistol in her hand.  It was unloaded with the magazine on a table, in easy reach off to one side, just as Valerie taught her.

She’d never needed to fire the weapon at an actual person.  On the Crew’s Jobs, it was down to Valerie and the Enforcers.  Hanna was a Hacker and a Thief, but Valerie made sure she and Deni knew how to fight.  They were included in the woman’s strict training regime, mandatory for all of Sneaker’s Enforcers.  Hanna lost count of the amount of rounds she fired in the target range, on the practise floor below, with its moving virtual targets, and in the simulator.  If they weren’t actively on a Job, then Valerie insisted on an hour weapons training every day.

Hanna knew she was a good shot and on any other Crew, she would be counted amongst the best.  In Sneaker’s, she was only one of the best, if you discounted the Enforcers.  The question on Hanna’s mind was, could she actually do it?  Could she kill someone?

“Hey, Hanna.  You here?”  Deni called from the front door.

“Yeah.  In the lounge,” Hanna called back and Deni came in with numerous bags in her arms.

“What’ve you been up to?” Hanna asked.

“Let me think,” Deni replied in a distinctly sarcastic tone.  “I’ve been painting the outside of the building.  Sneaker moaned it’s too shabby outside.  He wants to attract better clientele to the bar and casino.”

“Ha.  Alright, fair enough.  You’ve been shopping.  What’ve you got?”  Hanna loaded the magazine into the pistol, set the safety and placed it on the table before swinging her legs off the sofa.

“Clothes for Olympus,” dumping half of the bags in Hanna’s lap.  “I pulled holos from the datanet of what people are wearing in the Ghettos and Towers.  The high end stuff I got Trovare to get her hands on.  The rest I picked up from around here.”  Trovare was Sneaker’s Procurer and specialised in getting hold of whatever the gang needed.  Often including clothes the Privileged would wear for Jobs and Heists.

“Good idea.” Hanna looked though the various bags and pulled some of the clothes out to have a look.  “It’ll be easier if we’re ready to go as soon Sneaker manages to get a ride together for us.  I don’t think Valerie will want to wait around.”

“True, and besides, I wasn’t busy sitting and staring at my gun.”  Deni said as she sat down on a comfy chair matching the sofa.

“You caught that, eh?”

“Yep, and the other three times you’ve been doing it.  What’s on your mind?”

“It’s five actually.”

Deni just raised her eyebrows.  “Fine, it’s five, don’t try and divert me.  What’s up?”

Sighing, Hanna knew she would not be able to get round it, without asking Deni flat out to drop the subject, and she didn’t think she wanted to.  If she couldn’t talk about it to Deni, who else was there?

“It’s leaving Blaze.  There’s a real possibility we won’t be coming back, even if we do survive Valerie’s crusade.  She got me thinking I have unfinished business.”

“Ah.  Cest,” Deni said with an understanding nod.

“Got it in one.”  Hanna picked up the pistol again, automatically ejected the magazine, which went straight back onto the table.  “How can I leave after what he did to my Mum?”  Hanna could feel the tears at the edges of her eyes.

“I hate to say this, Hanna, but is it worth it?  Is she worth it?”

Hanna shrugged.  “I don’t know.  It was never like Valerie’s family.  We lived in a tiny flat.  Dad was a Whore who got killed by one of his Jane’s.  Mum was so high she didn’t even notice the body for a week.  I tried to move him, but he was too heavy and I was too small.  Mum wouldn’t listen to me.

“Life was shit.  I know.  I’d never say otherwise, but you know sometimes, just sometimes, Mum would be clean and she’d hug me, call me beautiful.  Everything would be right for a day or even an hour.  He took that away.  Cest didn’t have to kill her.  So she puked on his car?  What does that matter?  It’s because of him I ended up with Tern.  Why shouldn’t he pay for it?”

“I can’t argue with you, Hanna.  If there was a chance to do something about my people, I’d take it, but Granddad couldn’t tell me who it was, so there’s nothing I can do.  I will say this.  Ask Valerie.  She’d do it without a thought and Cest would be dead within an hour.  If not her, then Troll and Barney, you know they’d take the contract and only charge you a night’s beer in the Sun.”

“I can’t ask Valerie.  After the last month, if a dark haired woman Enforcer leaves another pile of bodies, particularly this close to home, we’ll have the Police breathing down our necks.  As for Troll and Barney, Sneaker would never go for it.  The last thing he wants is a Gang war, certainly not with Valerie about to leave.  They’re too high profile and everyone knows they’re on Sneaker’s Crew.  Cest’s Boss would have to declare war.”

“So what then?”  Deni demanded.  “You can’t just walk in there and shoot him.  They’d see you coming a klick off.  You’d be dead before you were anywhere near him.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”  Hanna ran both of her hands through her long, light brown hair in exasperation.  “It’s why I’ve been sitting here this whole time.  I’ve been trying to come up with some sort of plan.  Some way in and I can’t think of anything.  I can’t leave with this still undone!”

Sitting forward, Deni rubbed her face with her hands.  “Alright then,” she chewed her lip as she always did while she was thinking.  “We run this like any other Job.  Valerie wants us to step up, so we step up.  I’ll case Cest’s joint.  You Hack whatever system he has.  We get our info, then we plan the Job.  Do you think we can get into the Ops room while Valerie’s not about?”

The Operations room was right next to Valerie’s office, but she was off doing her marathon runs every day.

“Yeah.  Valerie keeps Sneaker and me in the loop on her movements.  That’ll be easy.”

Deni stood.  “OK, I’ll head out now.  Cest doesn’t know me and I haven’t been over to the Incesu estate for years.  It should be safe enough.  I’ll do an over-night and crash in one of the squats nearby.  Meet back in the morning?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Hanna said as she got up.  “I’ll get down to my office and start my systems running.”

Nodding Deni headed to her room.  “Don’t mention it.  I need to get changed into street clothes and get my gear.  Make sure you have the coffee ready when I get back.”

“No fear there.  Deni?”

The auburn haired girl turned back to her friend.  “Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

Smiling, Deni nodded seriously.  “I will.”

***

Leaning back in her chair, Hanna rubbed her eyes and looked at her screen’s chrono.  It read 5.34 am and she knew she needed sleep.  Her programs and worms were busy all night, teasing information out of any system in and around Cest’s building.  Stretching her arms above her head, Hanna couldn’t stifle the yawn engulfing her.

For probably the hundredth time, her eyes strayed to the icon set at the top left hand corner, a heart with a time stamp next to it.  Unable to make a com call, in case she blew her cover, Deni was instead inputting a code into her wristcomp.  It triggered a simple signal, disguised as a data check, to Hanna’s system and told her, her friend was still alive. 

The time currently read 3.46 am and it was the longest interval Deni hadn’t checked in.  Hanna hoped it was because she decided to get some sleep and for no other reason.  The sun was due to come up any minute and wake Deni.  If she didn’t hear by 6.00 am Hanna would send Valerie and to blazes with the consequences.

Trying to put it out of her mind, Hanna reviewed what she found.  There was a true wealth of information and, if the Inferno PD gave a Tofu’s ass what happened in the Ghettos, Hanna had enough to put Cest away for life.  Stuff like financial information on his operation, who his suppliers were and even a list of clients.  The idiot went as far as recording some of the beatings he gave those customers who didn’t pay.

So much information, but Hanna wasn’t sure if there was anything she could use to kill him.  There he was more circumspect.  He never dealt directly with the actual customers, unless it was to enforce his will.  All the deals were done by the runners and holders watched over by Enforcers.  Cest didn’t come out of his building very often and Hanna could see no pattern to it.

Something tickled her brain and she wasn’t sure what.  There was something in what she had just been considering and her brain, in its tired state, was trying to tell her.  The Enforcers.  That was it.  Hanna pulled the names she obtained from Cest’s files, cross referencing them with their own people.  There.  Shade worked with two of Cest’s people previously, Barclay and Twilight.  It was a very good idea of Sneaker’s to get full back ground information from everyone, particularly who they ran with in the past.

Checking the roster, Hanna smiled when she saw the wily old fox was on duty upstairs, watching over the Dawning Sun.  Glancing again at the heart icon, it still had not changed from 3.46 am.  Tightening her jaw in worry, Hanna was about to head upstairs, when it blinked once and changed to 5.46 am. 

Hanna let out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding.  Now things seemed to heading in the right direction she left her office.  A glance across the hall confirmed Valerie was not in.  She was probably at her small flat across the road, in bed.  Hurrying up the stairs from the basement, Hanna went through the security door and into the dark and dingy bar.

Tatiana had the overnight shift and the bartender nodded to Hanna as she approached the bar.

“Early or late today, Hanna?” she asked pleasantly.

“Late one.  I’ve been up all night checking over some programs.  Can I have two coffees please?  Deni’s been up as well and should be back soon.”

“No problem.  To take away or staying in?”

“In.  We’ll be downstairs.”  Tatiana nodded and turned away to the coffee machine.  Hanna looked around.  Shade sat in the booth reserved for whichever Enforcer was on duty.  The slight grey haired man, saw her looking at him and cocked his head inquisitively.

Trying for a mildly surprised expression, as though she had not expected him to be there, but glad he was, Hanna went over.

“Hi Shade.  I’m glad I bumped into you.  There was something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Of course.  Anything for the Bosses.”  He waved her to the seat opposite and Hanna blushed slightly as she sat down.  She was widely regarded as the number three in the gang, after Sneaker and Valerie.  It was not something she was really comfortable with.

“Erm, well...  Sneaker asked me to do some background checks for the recruitment drive.  Your name came up against a couple of people.  What can you tell me about Twilight and Barclay?”  They were currently trying to expand their pool of Enforcers and it seemed a good cover story.

“Really?” Shade leaned back and rubbed his stubbled grey chin.  “Twilight and Barclay?” his eyes clearly said he wasn’t buying it.  Hanna tried to keep her expression to one of an earnest worker doing what her Boss told her.  Not that she really had any experience of earnest work, so she could see why it wasn’t working.

“Weellll.  I couldn’t recommend either of them.”  A twinkle in the man’s eyes told Hanna he was willing to play along.  “There’s no way Carter would sign them off, that’s for sure.”

“They’re no good then?”  It was difficult to keep the hope out of her voice.

“I didn’t say that,” Shade shook his head.  “They get the job done, but Twilight’s too brutal and will often go too far.  Barclay just doesn’t have any discipline.  Both can shoot and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.  It’s been a while, but when I ran with them, they both weren’t shy about using Fuzz either.”  Neither Coca or Poppy plants could grow on Blaze, but the original colonists soon found native plants that worked just as well.  The two most common drugs were Blank and Fuzz.