A few hours later Rock's emergency phone buzzed. He answered it quickly hoping not to wake Revy.

"Hey, boss," Benny said into the phone. "Some woman just called. Says she has to see you tonight. She wouldn't give her name, but she says that she, 'wants to show you what lies in wait for the stranger.'"

For a moment Rock frowned with confusion, then his eyes went wide with realization.

"She said you'd know what that meant. What should we do?"

Rock rose from the bed.

"Call her back. Arrange a pick up. Operation two-five delta. The apartment," he whispered and hung up.

Rock and his team had dealt with cases like this before. If someone wanted to meet with Rock secretly they would make contact with his business, normally through Benny or one of his agents. If Rock thought the meeting was worth his time, he would send an unmarked car to make the pick up. After making sure they weren't being followed, the driver would take them to whatever meeting point Rock specified. There, they would be searched. If they were clean, Rock would apologize for the inconvenience and proceed with the meeting. In this case, Rock's apartment had an underground garage. The driver was to pull in while the passengers head was covered, normally by a jacket or blanket they kept in the car. If Rock's apartment was being watched, the spy would only see a black car entering the garage with one driver, and leaving it not long afterward. If they saw the passenger at all they would be unable to identify, and the driver would make sure they weren't being followed before dropping them off. If the person who had made contact was who Rock suspected, then he was certain that this meeting would be very worthwhile.

He started dressing into his pajamas and bathrobe.

"What's up?"

Rock jumped and looked around. Revy was looking at him.

"Sorry to wake you," he said. "I think Feng wants to see me."

Feng Yifei was a former spy for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). She had come to Roanapur prior to Rock's coup to infiltrate Jane Bahai's hacker group. The PLA had intended to use the information Feng obtained to boost its cyber-warfare capabilities. Unfortunately for Feng, Jane had been onto her. She tricked Feng into helping her group hack into multiple international corporations, knowing that the methods Feng used would make it appear the PLA was behind the attacks. To avoid an international incident, the PLA had erased as much evidence of its involvement as possible, and had sent assassins to eliminate Feng. Feng only survived because Rock and Revy intervened. In the end, Rock had set her up with a job laundering money for the Italian Mafia under Ronnie. They gave her ongoing protection. Feng liked Rock. As thanks for his help she had kissed him twice. Rock and Revy hadn't been together at the time, so Revy hadn't killed her in response. Still, she had stuck her gun in Feng's face not long after.

"The fuck's she want?" Revy ground out, rising from the bed and grabbing her guns. "If this is about some new computer shit, I'll kill her."

They moved into the kitchen. Rock put on a new pot of coffee. Revy had dragged on the rest of her outfit save for her boots. She sat in her usual seat at the kitchen table, plopped one of her guns down on it, and lit up a smoke. About twenty minutes later Rock's emergency phone buzzed again.

"Yes, Lotton," Rock answered his employee's question. "Send her up."

A couple minutes later there was a knock at the door. Revy cocked her Cutlass, looked through the peephole, frowned, and opened it.

"Sup, four-eyes?" she asked, referring to Feng by the nickname Revy had given her. Rock moved behind Revy and looked over her shoulder.

Feng was Han Chinese, same as Revy, but that was where the similarities ended. She had neck-length black hair, black-rimmed glasses, and was slightly smaller and skinnier. Personality-wise, she was highly analytical, professional, and intelligent. She spoke both Cantonese and English. Tonight she was wearing an over-large black trench coat and black hat. Rock thought she looked so stereotypically spyish that he wondered if it was intentional.

She nodded to Revy.

"Sorry for the hour. Can I come in?"

Revy eyed her suspiciously then stepped aside.

"Thanks. Good evening," Feng said as she crossed the threshold.

"Hello Feng," Rock said, shaking her hand. Revy narrowed her eyes at this as she closed the door. "Would you like to sit down? Some coffee?"

"Thanks," Feng responded, taking Revy's usual seat and removing her hat. "I can't be long."

Revy glared at her for a moment, then stormed up to her.

"That's my spot," she menaced.

Feng stood and bowed quickly.

"My apologies."

Rock set a new chair on the normally unoccupied side of the table and placed a cup of black coffee in front of it. Feng sat with her back to the door and took a sip as Rock and Revy took their usual spots.

"So?" Revy demanded. "Spill."

Feng looked from her to Rock and got straight to the point.

"Ronnie ordered the attacks against you, and Chang."

There was a momentary silence while both Rock and Revy processed this intel, then…

"Hallelujah!" Revy exclaimed as the thrill of the hunt instantly lit up her eyes. She slipped her gun back in its holster and jumped up. "Rock, I'll be back in an hour!"

"Wait!" Feng exclaimed, causing Revy to stop. "There's more."

Revy frowned as she sat back down. Rock grabbed a notepad and pen.

"No need," Feng said when she saw this. She drew a large manilla envelope out of her coat. "It's all here."

Rock took the envelope and opened it. As he looked through the contents, Feng explained.

"Ronnie and Abrego are working together. They want to take you and Chang out to expand their holdings. But they're both being backed by someone much bigger. I don't know who."

"Don't know?" Revy asked with her arms folded. "What kinda spy are you?"

Feng ignored her.

"Plan "A" was to take you out and pin it on Balalaika," she explained to Rock. "They were hoping to spark another Triad/Ivan war. Makes sense, really. With you out of the picture and the two largest gangs weakened there'd be no-one left in the city who'd stand against them, not with the amount of money they have behind them, anyway."

"Do you have any idea who might be backing them?" Rock asked.

Feng shook her head.

"There's a list of Ronnie's call logs in there," she explained. "They talk by phone. Nothing written. But it's a different number each time."

Rock looked at the list.

"If we tried any of these ourselves, they would know that we're onto them."

"Course we're fucking onto them," growled Revy. "We know who they are now. Rock, gimme two hours and a few of your guys and our problems are fucking gone!"

Rock looked at Revy. He could sense the frustration behind her demands. Revy wanted action. She was tired of waiting. She had a target and she wanted it dead. He'd have to placate her.

"Not yet," Rock answered. "I want to know who's backing them first. Otherwise, the attacks will still continue, just under a different pawn.

Revy slumped back in her chair and crossed her arms, moping. Feng continued.

"They've been working on this for months. Ronnie was furious when the first plan failed. But he tried to capitalize on it anyway."

"Yeah," Rock suddenly remembered. "He accused Balalaika right away and," he realized something else. "It was right after my meeting with them. That useless meeting that was for nothing."

Feng nodded.

"He hoped that an attempted assassination would still spark the war. But you survived, so the Cartel decided on a more direct approach."

"That second hit," Revy chimed in.

Feng nodded.

"They were fed up with waiting. Really it's just luck that their plans failed."

"My vest the first time. Revy the other two," Rock deduced.

Feng nodded again.

"When they couldn't get to you, they went for Chang," she explained. "They're still hoping to implicate Hotel Moscow, and destabilize the city in general. If Chang's finished his investigation, he's probably found that his attackers used Russian weapons, and had Russian I.D.s."

"Why didn't they do that for the second attack?" Rock asked. He remembered that the attackers in that case had used Uzis.

Feng rolled her eyes.

"Because Abrego is an idiot. I don't know what he was thinking, but Ronnie was pissed to no end after that. I don't know what they're going to do next, but they're getting desperate. They know that each attack increases the odds that they'll be found out."

"When did you learn of this?" Rock asked.

Revy narrowed her eyes at Feng suspiciously.

"I suspected after the first attack, so I did some digging and found proof. Apparently, they've hired mercenaries to try to finish the job. I don't know what company. And I don't know when or where they'll try next."

"Mercenaries?" Rock repeated. "Is that the exact word they used?"

Feng nodded, and Rock dropped his gaze to the table, thinking hard. The only mercenary company he knew of that operated in the South China Sea was the same one that had attacked him and the rest of the Lagoon crew when they'd first taken him for ransom, the EO company. Could it be the same one? If so, they'd need a few more guns on their side.

He looked at Feng again.

"Does Ronnie still operate out of Visconti Foods?" He asked, referring to the Italian restaurant and grocery story where the Italian mafia did most of its business.

Feng nodded.

"Yes. Although I've noticed that some of the guys' families have been leaving town."

Rock's eyes widened slightly. After the end of the Ivan War many gang members had brought their families into the city. Whereas before the gangs had lived in near all-male barracks for protection, they had afterward spread out to individual houses for comfort and to accommodate their families. All the mafias did it. But if the Italians were sending their families away, it could mean they were preparing for war.

"How do you know?" Revy pressed.

"It's been happening slowly over the last month," Feng explained. "They leave for vacations, to visit the home country, or for school or business trips. I didn't think anything of it until your attack. Then I realized that none of them have been coming back."

Rock felt his heart rate increase.

"Do you know if the Colombians are doing the same thing?" he asked.

Feng shook her head.

"Okay…" Rock trailed off. He began thinking about the past attacks. He tapped the table for a minute. Feng and Revy looked at him.

"What are the common factors here?" Rock asked, seemingly to himself.

He stood up and strode over to the painting on the wall. He slid it to the side. Feng and Revy exchanged glances, then followed him.

Rock slid the maps of Roanapur aside until he reached the one he'd been working on.

"The fuck is this?" Revy demanded, surprised.

Rock looked at her.

"I use this to help track territory in the city," he explained. "Who owns what percentage of what property and on what terms."

Revy let out a low whistle. Feng nodded, impressed. Rock turned to the map.

"Revy, where did the attack on Chang take place? At the tower?"

"Nah," Revy answered, "Chang's gun range. I used to train there."

"Is it here?" Rock asked, pointing to the mark over the Triad office.

"Nope," she said, striding forward and taking the pen from him. "More like, here," she drew her own X on a spot near the city limits.

"Who knows that location?" Rock asked.

"Almost no-one," she answered. "I wasn't even gonna tell you until all this happened."

Rock looked at her, slightly hurt.

"Hey!" Revy barked, putting her fists on her hips, "Sometimes I need a little 'me time,' okay?"

Rock's shoulders sagged but he offered no objection.

"Excuse me?" Feng interjected.

Rock and Revy looked at her. Feng had folded her arms.

"Much as I enjoy a good lover's spat, every minute I stay here increases the odds they'll notice I'm gone."

"My apologies," Rock said, turning to her.

"Fuck you," Revy growled, flipping up her middle finger.

Rock took a deep breath and closed his eyes slightly. He wished Revy didn't insult every person who could help them, but he didn't dare say so. Feng didn't seem perturbed however.

"What do you intend to do?" Feng asked Rock.

"Find out who's behind these attacks, and stop them." Rock answered.

"How?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. For now, what are your plans?"

"Keep working for the boss like nothing's changed," Feng answered. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else. Also, I'm guessing I'll need new employment by the time all this is over. Any chance you'd have some work for me?"

Rock smiled.

"Of course. Thank you, Feng."

They shook hands. Then Feng looked at Revy.

"Fuck off," Revy snarled. "I wanna crash."

Feng smirked and nodded, then turned for the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she said again, looking at Rock over her shoulder.

"There's a disk in that folder you should look at. It's what we talked about before."

Rock perked up immediately.

"Excellent! Thank you, Feng."

She left.

Revy looked curiously at the envelope Rock had left on the table, but decided she'd had enough of Feng's computer crap. She went back to bed.

Rock replaced all the documents in the envelope, noted the CD Feng had mentioned, and followed Revy. They lay awake for a while talking about what they'd learned.

"They're dead," Revy commented. "Minute you say 'go,' the fucks are dead."

Rock smiled at her.

"Hold up, Rev. You take them out and you'll have all their people after you. Plus, whoever's backing them will just find new pawns."

"Like I give a fuck," she said without looking at him.

Secretly, Revy knew that Rock was right, she just wasn't going to tell him that.

Rock chuckled. He found her desire to kill for him rather romantic.

"It'll be soon. For now, just sit tight. We'll line this up perfectly and take them all in one go. Feng will keep us updated. I'll let Chang know about this tomorrow. He might have his own ideas for how he wants them dealt with."

Revy sighed. "Whatever," she muttered as she rolled over. Rock was just about to turn off his light when suddenly she thought of something else.

"Oh! Also… "

He stopped and looked at her.

She rolled back over to face him. Her brow furrowed with curiosity.

"What's the deal with that bullet?"

Rock blinked.

"Bullet?" he repeated.

"That you've got in your drawer, dummy."

Rock fished around in the drawer and produced the bullet in question.

"This? You gave it to me," he answered.

She looked at him, confused.

"You don't remember? It was when you came with me to track down Roberta."

Revy's eyebrows jumped towards her forehead. She reached out her hand and took the bullet from him. Lying on her back, she stared at her own reflection in the metal.

Roberta was another lost soul who had come to Roanapur. Rock had been hired to find her. He asked Revy for help, but she'd had too much of his saving people crap and demanded a good reason. He gave a long speech about her being the gun, and him the bullet. Had they not met, he'd likely have remained an unfired chunk of lead. Now, he needed her to ignite him. His words had affected her deeply. She asked him what type of bullet he was. After she ran through a few options, he concluded that he was a silver bullet. Used correctly and at the right time, it could kill any monster. She agreed with the assessment. However, for the entire exchange he'd failed to comment on the fact that she'd been dressed in nothing but a pair of panties and a towel. She felt she'd been giving him a pretty clear fucking signal what "reason" she wanted, and had itched to chuck him out the window when he didn't bite. Still, she came. And she'd tossed him that bullet as she passed.

She finished reminiscing and gave it back to him.

"Nothin' special about it. Why'd you keep it?"

"Yeah there is," he answered, "it was a gift from you."

Revy thought about this for a moment, but it made her head hurt so she stopped.

"Whatever," she repeated, turning away.

Rock smiled at her. He knew all too well her aversion to anything she considered, "sentimental bullshit," to admit any sort of emotional attachment. But, in her own way, she had given him as close to a positive response as it was possible to get.

"Goodnight Revy. I love you."

He turned out the light and settled back into bed. Revy lay awake for some time afterwards, silently fuming. She wanted him to kiss her good night.

Boss Chang knew what he was doing. He guessed his tower was being watched, possibly by a traitor in his ranks. How else could they have found his private range? He also guessed that whoever it was would likely be bright enough to know his face with or without his customary attire. As such he had his convoy take him some distance away from the Triad office before making his move. While in the car, he changed into his disguise. He and Rock had agreed that a private meeting that relied on stealth would be more secure than one that was fully protected. As such they needed as much subtlety and misdirection as possible.

He removed his overcoat, sunglasses, and suit to reveal the jeans and t-shirt he was wearing underneath. If his driver thought this was odd, he didn't say so. His normal chauffeur had been killed in the last attack, but the new guy was good enough. Chang placed the baseball cap on his head and drew a medical mask over his nose and mouth. He was as disguised as he could be. At a prearranged intersection the convoy split up and each car took a different route. If they were being tailed, their tracker would have to guess which of the five cars contained Chang and stick with him. However, after his driver took several random turns, Chang ordered a stop.

He stepped out of the car into a busy marketplace. He walked through multiple shops and market stalls to throw off any potential pursuers.

At last he reached the bench overlooking the sea where his meeting with Rock was to take place. They needed a neutral location. He scanned the area. On his left were some deserted docks. To his right, a beggar was looking through the trash cans that lined the pier. Probably searching for some scrap he could sell, or his next meal. Chang averted his eyes from the unpleasant sight. He saw no one else.

He sat down, put his arms behind his head, and stretched out to wait. He realized now that it had been some time since he had simply sat and taken in the view of the sea. The day was clear and warm. Chang was glad he had abandoned his usual overcoat. He made a mental note to bring Fry-Face to the shore line for their next date. A romantic walk by the sea at night might be just what she needed after all this.

His thoughts were interrupted by the aforementioned beggar, who finished his examination of the trash closest to Chang, and approached him.

"Spare a baht, sir?" the man croaked in Thai.

Chang recognized the agreed upon greeting code. He turned to the speaker and gaped from behind his mask. If he had gone aggressively casual for his getup, Rock was downright disheveled. Long, matted hair obscured his face under a large rice hat. He wore an old, dirty white wife-beater with a blue tarp tied like a cape around his neck. He had donned dirty and ripped jeans, and equally ratty shoes. He carried a trash bag filled with god-knew what and was leaning on a walking stick as high as his shoulders.

Chang barely managed to choke back his laughter to give the correct response.

"Why not get a real job?"

"Because then I'd be deprived of your company," Rock said in his normal voice as he sat down.

"Rock," Chang shook his head. "You said, 'nondescript,' not, 'non-employed.'"

Rock smiled.

"It was a suggestion from STG. Your old student thought it was hilarious."

Chang snorted.

"I imagine she did. She around?"

Rock shook his head.

"She'd be too much of a giveaway. Besides, we agreed to meet alone."

Chang smirked.

"So, should I be your bodyguard today then, mastermind?"

Rock smiled back.

"I would never be such a burden," he responded. He lifted his shirt enough that Chang could see the small pistol he was wearing. It was a testament to the amount of trust between them that they had agreed to meet armed. If they had no guards around them, they needed their own protection.

"Nice to see you pulling your own weight for once," he sniped. Then, dropping his voice, "Let's get to it. Do you think she's involved?"

"No."

Rock drew Feng's folder from his bag and held it out. "I know she's not."

He recounted what Feng had told him last night as Chang flipped through the documents. Ronnie and Abrego were behind the attacks. They were trying to expand their holdings, and were bringing in mercenaries. However, they were being backed by powers unknown, and Rock didn't want to take them out before their backers had also been neutralized.

"Any guesses?" Chang asked.

Rock nodded.

"I was actually hoping for your help on that front," he continued. "I know all of the major powers that had a vested interest in this city before the last conflict, except one."

Rock took a deep breath. It was never wise to question a mob-boss, and the implications of this line of questioning were profound.

"Forgive me for being so forward. But, before the last war with Hotel Moscow, did you receive information or financial backing from any organization outside of the Triad?"

Chang chewed this question for a moment.

"If anyone else had asked me that, by now they'd have a third eye-socket. The wrong people hear the wrong answer, and it might raise… complications."

Rock lowered his head apologetically.

"I've no desire for complications, or to offend, just to solve our current problem. I think whoever used to back you may have had a change of heart."

Chang weighed this possibility. He wasn't even going to bother asking how Rock had figured this all out. He was Rock after all. As to the idea, his relations with, "Mr. C.I.A." had never been exactly friendly, nor had they spoken in some time. Chang couldn't see why they'd turn on him, but if they had both he and the city were in bigger danger than anyone realized. His city had come so far in the last year. Peace... prosperity… hell, even love. Someone was trying to toppel all that, and Chang realized two things at that moment: if it was the C.I.A., he needed to find out yesterday, and he needed Rock's help to do so.

"It's possible," Chang muttered. "What are you thinking?"

"Who is it?"

Chang tilted his head skyward, wrestling with his doubts. Could he beat the C.I.A. if he teamed up with Rock? It was hard to say. Rock was one of the cleverest people Chang knew. But did he have the balls? He had stones enough to face down him and Fry-Face, but this was government level shit. It would likely be the hardest and longest fight of either of their lives. Winning didn't seem likely, but the possibility was tantalizing. And, if it was them, neither he, the city, nor Balalaika would be safe until the threat was gone.

"It's the C.I.A., Rock. Spooks of the good old Uncle Sam."

Out of the corner of his eye, Chang studied Rock's reaction intently.

Rock took a deep, shuddering breath as quietly as he could as he felt the weight of the most powerful nation on earth bearing down on him. He'd assumed Chang had been backed by some rogue dictator, maybe another criminal organization. But this? Rock was Japanese. He knew all too well the consequences of treading on the toes of that sleeping giant. The difference now was that that giant was wide awake and had thousands of eyes and ears. He had visited the peace park of Hiroshima in his youth, and prayed that nuclear weapons were never used again in war. He had observed the National Memorial Service for War Dead every August with his family. He had visited the shrines and memorials dedicated to Kamikazee pilots who, so desperate to save their homeland, had intentionally crashed their planes into U.S. ships. They had failed. All their courage and sacrifice had come to nothing. Hell, Revy had even picked up her Cutlasses from an American military base when they had visited. American fighter jets had streaked overhead. If they were being targeted by the U.S. military or intelligence, what chance did he and Chang have to succeed?

And then there were the mercenaries Feng had mentioned last night. Who was to say they weren't really the Navy Seals? Or Delta Force? Or any of the other stupidly elite units of the U.S. military that could make even Hotel Moscow look like the boy scouts.

And then another thought occurred to him. Why not run? If the city was about to be targeted by the American military, leaving it seemed entirely prudent. Then he realized that there were few places on earth they could safely run to.

He felt dizzy, but kept his poise. There was no point getting bogged down in any of those questions now. He needed to collect more information.

"How long?"

Chang looked back out to sea. The fact that Rock was still asking questions was a good sign.

"Since before 93."

"When you and Balalaika first… "

"Yes."

"When was the last time you spoke to them?"

Chang thought for a moment.

"Around the same time we sent you after that maid."

"How would you communicate?"

"Phone."

"Do you have any way to contact them?"

Chang looked at him.

"And what would I say to them if I did?"

Rock met his gaze.

"Ask them who's behind these attacks. If they are, they won't answer honestly. I trust my source more than I do them."

Chang thought about this for a moment, then nodded slowly. It was classic police work. Ask your target a question you already know the answer to and see how they respond. Change appreciated the tactic.

"And, if they are?"

"Then we take additional steps. It won't be easy, but if we can pull this off, we'll survive. Plus, this city splits more evenly three ways than five."

Chang smiled and nodded again.

"Works for me. I'm sick of them, Rock," there was a bitterness in his voice Rock had never heard there before. "Arrogant, miserable, insatiable bastards. They talk about themselves like they're gods, and then they have the balls to act like it. If we can get them out of our city, I'll sleep all the better. Besides, I always like leveling the playing field."

Rock nodded, then he thought of something else.

"Oh, did you ever meet with Eda?"

Chang looked at him questioningly.

"The nun from the rip-off Church? A couple times I guess. Why?"

"She's former C.I.A.," Rock answered.

Rock had figured this out not long after his mission to find Roberta, and Eda herself and confirmed it when she'd helped him end the Ivan War.

Chang froze, then he rounded on Rock.

"Former my ass," Chang hissed in a tone that Rock had never heard him use before. "They'd have me come to the confessional of the Rip-off church for the really sensitive shit. I thought it was just a power move."

"Would you be willing to do it again?"

"Rock," Chang began, in a tone that suggested Rock was asking him to do something incredibly stupid. "If they are behind all this, what's to say they won't put a bullet in me the moment I set foot there?"

Thankfully, Rock had thought of this a few seconds before and had begun formulating a plan even before Chang had asked.

"Try to avoid actually going there if you can," Rock answered. "If they insist though, go with your convoy. You can just say you're taking extra precautions because of your recent attack. They won't risk a full-scale war directly between themselves and the Triads. If they wanted that, they wouldn't be working with Ronnie and Abrego."

Chang considered this for a moment, then…

"What are you thinking?"

"We might need to play their game, but not for long. If we get them on tape saying certain things, we might gain some new allies against them."

Rock pulled out a small box from his bag.

"Rock, I'm flattered," Chang joked, "But I just don't like you that way."

Rock opened the box. Chang saw what appeared to be an oddly shaped, skin-colored hearing aid inside.

"This is a small recording device from STG," Rock explained. "It won't interfere with cell phone reception. Place it in your ear and turn it on when you're about to talk to your contact. Just hold the phone normally. It can record a conversation up to an hour long. Once we've got what we need, I'll make the appropriate calls."

Rock passed him the box with the earpiece. Chang studied it for a while.

"I could make a joke about you wanting to stick something in my ear, but at the moment I don't quite have the stomach. Be here tomorrow. Same time."

Rock breathed a silent sigh of relief. Apparently Chang's dislike of his former handlers outweighed his pride and caution.

"Thank you, Dai Lo," Rock whispered.

Chang nodded.

"Now, one other thing," he smirked as he replaced the listener in the box and slipped it into his pocket. "What'd you do to piss off Two-Hands this time?"

Rock's face fell. He had always been able to talk to Chang about his relationship with Revy. He and Chang were kindred spirits in a way. They were both in love with murderous women. As such they'd often discussed their romantic lives. Rock wasn't worried that Chang would leak the intel, but he wasn't thrilled about being chastised for his mistake.

"I wrote her a love letter. A long one," Rock tried.

Chang nodded.

"How very sentimental. What did it say?"

Rock turned his gaze to the sky.

"I asked her to tell me more about her past."

Chang made a disapproving clicking sound with his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he shook his head.

"Now, Rock. Really? You ought to have more manners than to ask a lady about her trauma. Did you think there was gold under that pile of shit?"

Rock's shoulders sagged as he looked at the ground.

"We've been together for over a year. I still didn't know much about her. I just... I wanted to be closer."

"Get too close to a tiger and you're liable to get your nuts ripped off, friend," Chang responded. "Then again, that explains what she asked me."

Rock looked at him questioningly.

"Wanted to know if I'd asked about Fry Face's past. As if I'd be that stupid."

Rock sighed in defeat.

They nailed down the details of the plan, talked a few contingencies, then said goodbye. As soon as he was out of sight of the sea, Rock pulled out his phone. A minute later Revy pulled up.

"Yo!" she said as he got in. "So?"

Rock pulled off his hat and wig.

"He's in. He'll let me know how it goes afterward."

"Bitchin'," she returned.

He cast his mind around for something else. He wanted to reward her for her help, and his conversation with Chang had humbled him.

"So… pizza and Bacardi? On me?"

Her face cracked into a huge grin.

"Now yer talkin'!"

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and for your patience! Chapter 9 is in the works! A special thanks to Illicitaction for his invaluable contribution to this article. Please check out his stories A Hard Way to Fall and Cat's Game for more excellent Black Lagoon Fan Fiction.