Prologue

I'm getting used to my head throbbing. It's been this bad - if not worse – since I took up Hanako Arasaka on her offer to help me. Even with all the gunfire and loud crashes making it worse as we raided Arasaka tower, I kept going because I knew this moment would come. Unlike my headaches, though, I just can't get used to having to try to breathe. I always thought I'd be dead before being old enough to worry about that, but here I am in the office of Yorinobu Arasaka, CEO of one of the biggest mega-corporations in the world, so close to the end of this whole damn thing, and I can barely enjoy it because I'm using every effort I have left just to breathe. Fuckin' irony.

The massive room glows orange by the light of the screens that stretched across the windows, temporarily blocking out all light from the Night City sky. The center screen is cracked and there are several bullet holes where no doubt Yorinobu attempted to unleash his fury. But now he, his chair, and his desk all lay scattered across the cold corporate slab floor, pathetic and useless. Not that I should judge, given that I can already feel the adrenaline from that last firefight wearing off, but I had hoped for a little more grit from this guy. I use what energy I have to walk closer to him, which takes a little while because his office could fit my entire apartment in it twice with room to spare. I spot his gun on the ground, but since he's curled up almost in the fetal position on the ground, it's pretty clear that he's not gonna try to use it.

He turns to look at me. "You?" he asks in confusion, as if expecting someone else. "Where is my sister?"

I look around the dark office while I wonder the same question. I know Hanako is held up by forces on other floors, but she didn't have to fight her way past the legendary Adam Smasher like I did. If Johnny Silverhand's empty revolver in my holster didn't say enough, then the bloodstains, cuts, and burns on my clothes said the rest. Even hearing Yorinobu's voice makes my left hand twitch around the handle of my katana, but I know my orders if I want to keep the deal I made with Hanako. I'm starting to feel dizzy, so I use my right hand to brace myself against the toppled desk as I slowly slide to the floor.

"You mean your beloved sibling?" I ask sarcastically between wheezes as my blade clatters to the floor. "The one your men… almost shot and killed?"

He keeps staring at the floor. "She was to remain at the estate. Stay out of the way. I tried to protect her. Any danger she was in was because of you, no one else. Where is she?"

The floor feels comfortable enough, and I'm starting to almost relax. His gun is now closer to me on the floor than it is to him, and even in my scop-like state, I know I can reach it if he makes any fast moves. Nonetheless, it might be better if I take it.

"Be here… any sec, now," I gasp, still working to breathe as I reach out and slide his gun towards me. "This… you won't need."

He straightened his head up and looked at the screen. "Just one bullet left, and it's not for you. I have tried everything… nothing else remain."

I look up at the screen. It shows a digital map of the world with various Arasaka sites reporting emergency statuses and revocation of Yorinobu's access. It looks beautiful to me, but I have other things on my mind.

"I don't think you tried everything," I grunt. My breathing is becoming easier with every second I stay on the floor. My head starts to feel clearer too, but in the back of my mind, I know it won't be for too long.

"Oh really?" the man scoffs at me. "And exactly what would you have done so differently?"

I smile fondly at how I spent the last few months. "Well, if I were you, I never would've woken up Johnny Silverhand, or pit your army against a streetkid with connections, a rockerboy with a grudge, and a cop who just couldn't help himself. But where it all went wrong for you was when a city councilman hired me for a job."

The Tower

Cyberpunk 2077

Chapter 1

Three Weeks Earlier…

I groaned as I started gaining consciousness. The headache came in repeating and overwhelming waves of a tried-and-true hangover. Even through my closed eyelids, a bright purple light was invading my sight and making my head want to truly explode. Though I knew that purple light all too well, and I knew that Judy would actually slap me if I made a mess in her place.

Judy Alvarez was probably my only real "friend" once Jackie was gone. I mean, sure, Panam tolerated me in her way for the couple of times that we met, and as a streetkid I knew enough people in Night City to call in small favors and pull some strings. Misty was… well, Misty was a complicated situation, but I still trusted her above most people. Vik Vektor was more than my ripperdoc, but he was kinda the father-figure I could rely on, even though I really didn't think I needed one anymore. You'd think I'd crash-land at the doctor's place to get a cure for a hangover, but that duty instead rested with my best friend, Judy.

I felt the familiar gurgling in my stomach, and I quickly rolled off her curved couch and darted across the dimly lit apartment to the bathroom. The door slid open just in time for my stomach to send its contents hurling into the bathroom sink. I heaved and hacked as the stench of my vomit wafted back up into my face, and my vision blurred as my headache somehow managed to get worse for a few seconds. I flicked on the faucet and splashed some water up on my face, then waited for a moment to see if I'd get sick again. My ears perked when I heard a voice calling from the hall.

"You puke in it, you clean it," Judy warned. "You know the rules."

I wanted to grin, though I could only wince as I looked up into the ceiling light This wasn't my first time getting drunk and crashing at Judy's, and we both knew it wouldn't be the last. The apartment was a bit worn down with cracked or faded blue tiles on the bathroom wall and several works of graffiti on the living room walls from previous tenants, but compared to other places I had seen, it was a good find for Night City. I turned around to go get cleaning supplies from the cupboard. As I retrieved the bleach and some paper towels, Johnny's engram organized his image to be laying down in Judy's empty bathtub as he pretended to bathe himself.

"Damn," he moaned with self-satisfaction. "Those Valentinos can fuckin' drink. I think you're starting to handle it better, too."

I shook my head and noticed myself in the mirror. I looked like shit, and not just because my black hair was unkempt and my face desperately needed a shave. My left eyebrow was busted open from where my piercing must've gotten ripped out in a brawl. The black makeup over my eyes was smeared across the chrome around my eye sockets, but even then, I could make out the bags and shadows around them. I looked depressed, so much that I didn't even look like myself. But that was the reason I dyed my hair, dressed in all-black clothes, and started skulking around bars anyway. I didn't want to be reminded of how good I had it when the only man I ever loved was still alive.

The first time that I met Jackie Welles, he put a gun to my face while trying to jack me out of a Rayfield that I was trying to steal. Of course, The car was way too hot for either of us to steal, and the Night City Police Department was on us before I could even drive away. A few hours and a broken nose later, he's chatting me up like we're best buddies. After the cops dropped us off on some random curb in Heywood, we just sat there wondering how else that job could've gone. Funny enough, he never did tell me why he was trying to get the car. But sitting there, he started saying how he "had a good feeling" about us and that we had "chemistry," and then invited me out to lunch. I mean, apart from the blood dripping down from his nose and mouth, I did think he was ruggedly handsome, and I definitely saw a spark of something in his eyes. I just didn't expect to meet his mother on the first day.

Mama Welles ran the bar where I hung out, El Coyote Cojo. Like a true mother, she knew all about Heywood, even possibly rivaling Padre Ibarra's knowledge of its goings on. She was used to meeting Jackie's Valentino gang members or his friends, but usually at the bar. She was surprised to see me in her home, but certainly welcoming. I didn't realize until later that it was Jackie's way of having me "meet the mother" as his future boyfriend.

It took me a whole month from that first day to realize what in the hell was happening right in front of me. I had a little hole-in-the-wall apartment, but I was crashing on a blow-up bed at Jackie's place whenever we had late nights, which was pretty often. It was also where he lived with his mom, which I'm sure put a damper on his romantic life. Well, I wasn't even thinking that way until I mentioned getting a better place with all the cash we were bringing in. As a team, we had some pretty steady income, and I wanted to make use of it. But then he put his hand on mine and told me that he would miss seeing me when he woke up in the morning. I got the hint, finally. That was six months before the job stealing the Arasaka biochip from Konpeki Plaza came up. Six months of bliss, as much as one can have bliss in a place like Night City.

"How many this time?" I croaked in my head to Johnny.

He raised an eyebrow as a digital sliver crossed his mechanical left arm. "Drinks or joytoys?" he asked.

I huffed dubiously. It was probably a mistake to take Misty's red pills – the pseudoendotrizine – to let Johnny take control of my body, but he seemed to enjoy it and it helped me disconnect for a while whenever I was having a rough time dealing with things. "Either. Both. Whatever," I grunted.

"No idea how many drinks, but three joytoys," he reported. "I threw in one guy just for you in case you were watching. I never would've enjoyed getting fucked by another guy in my old body, but your brain starts pumpin' out endorphins like crazy when it happens, even while I'm driving."

I groaned uncomfortably. As if I needed any more bodily discomfort, now I had the displeasure of imagining what I might've picked up from three Jig-Jig Street prostitutes. I even wondered if the bleach I was using on Judy's sink would somehow make my skin stop crawling. I checked my account to see how many Eurodollars Johnny had burned through, and I groaned again when I saw nearly ten thousand eddies missing. I still had a good amount left, but it wasn't like I could make that amount back with just one or two jobs. I'd probably have to raid two Scavenger warehouses by myself and haul all of their weapons to a dealer to get even close to that.

I put the bleach back and sauntered out to the living room. The bright purple fluorescent light that woke me up earlier shone on the wall over a mural of a giant octopus, which was probably my favorite work of art in the apartment. A soft blue light lit up a tall fish tank on one of the walls, and another blue light lit up a small robotics workspace. On the kitchen counter, I noticed a pair of pills and a water bottle that were obviously left out for me. I took the pills and washed them down, then turned around. Across from the counter, Judy stood in the door frame to the bedroom looking towards the bed where a woman curled herself up tightly against the wall.

Even from behind, I could tell that Judy was tense. She stood in her usual black overalls and cropped tank top that I think she had been wearing for a few days. Her green and pink hair dropped down to completely cover one side of her face. She'd been that way since we rescued her ex-output, Evelyn Parker, from a Scavenger den. Evelyn had been completely unresponsive since, but Judy was doing everything she could to make her feel safe. I had my own motives for finding Evelyn, but I was glad that Judy had her back as well. We bonded over having partners that went through hell. The only difference was that hers was still here, at least in some capacity.

"She's sleeping," Judy whispered to me. "At least, I think she is. Her eyes are closed and she's not shaking anymore. I would've already killed her by now if I didn't feel so bad for her. Only reason you're still here, too."

I frowned. "Woah, what are you mad at me for?"

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Come on, V, be honest. What was it this time that got you on another bender?"

I looked away and sighed. "Jackie's ofrenda. The memorial service at El Coyote Cojo. Mama Welles gave me a key to go into his locker. I'd never been there before, and it was just… really tough. Everything that everyone said, everything that I found, it just all really cemented that he's gone."

She looked at me for a moment and sighed, then massaged her temples. "Okay, come here." She brushed past me and sat down on the couch.

I prepared myself for a lecture and sat down next to her, careful not to trip over my shoes that I hadn't even realized that she'd taken off of my feet overnight.

"V…" she began hesitantly. "I can't say 'I get what you're going through,' and I know that Hellman was a dead-end, but… you've gotta stop doing this to yourself. You're dying, and you're wasting time getting trashed when you could be figuring out how to get that chip out of your head. I mean, shit, V, you've seen Evie. I can't be taking care of both you and her at the same time."

I gave her a moment, fully knowing that she was right and having also had that same conversation with myself before. "How long have you been holding that in?"

She managed a half smile. "Since the first time you showed up wasted at my door. I just didn't say anything because I felt bad about you losing Jackie, even though that was before we found Ev."

I leaned gently against her and nodded, then straightened up. "You don't have any other leads as to who hired her? I just need something."

"I really don't want to get inside her head right now," she frowned grimly.

I shrugged. "I dunno what else to do then. She's my only lead, unless somehow Arasaka finds me and doesn't shoot me on sight."

"Alright, alright," she huffed. "Alright, I'll do it, but on one condition. This bullshit with you fucking around with whatever time you have left has to stop. I'm not asking you to act all happy, but seriously, don't tell me you've got it worse than Evie." She glared at me as if trying to dare me to say something.

I nodded, once again knowing she was right. Behind her, I could see Johnny thudding his head against the wall.

"Oh sure, listen to her because it didn't sound right the first fifty times I said it," he griped.

I shut my eyes to make sure Judy didn't see me rolling them at what Johnny said, then started slipping on my shoes. "I'm sure Regina Jones probably has another Cyberpsycho I could go after. I've already beat a couple of those boxers that my coach set me up with, but there are a couple more. I'm just not sure why I should do any of it if I'm gonna be dead in a few months."

She folded her arms again. "Come on, you know better than to talk like that in Night City. You grew up here. You never can plan that far in advanced. Besides, I already got you a gig."

I furrowed my brow curiously as I put on my coat. "And here I thought you didn't have time to take care of me."

"Ha," she fake-laughed. "I don't, but I got someone that came to me needing experience in BDs. And since I'm not leaving Ev's side if I can help it, I'm sending them your way."

"Really?" I asked incredulously. "What aren't you telling me that would have you turn down a simple BD gig?"

Judy smirked and her eyes lit up with a blue glow as she transferred a contact card over to me. "Elizabeth Peralez, name sound familiar?"

"Oh god," I mumbled, then joined Johnny in a monotonous groan, "Politicians."

She nodded. "When politicians are involved, that usually involves some iron. Not exactly a simple BD gig when you look at it that way. Get going and freshen up. You look like shit, and I don't want you messing up my reputation by showing up looking like that."

I wanted to take my time in the shower based on Judy's advice, but I knew that if I didn't rush through, then Mrs. Peralez would call while I was stark naked and soaking wet. After two cups of coffee and twenty minutes of pacing around the apartment, I finally got the call.

"Hello," the female voice smoothly greeted. On the holo, I could see her styled hair and expensive-looking dress, along with earrings that looked far to heavy and expensive to wear in public. "We haven't met. I'm Elizabeth. My husband and I, we need a somewhat delicate matter… handled. We think you could help."

I took a breath and replied, "Yes, Judy told me she was recommending me for the job. Mind telling me what it's about?"

"I'd rather not say, not over the phone," she explained hesitantly. "Is there any way we could meet, discuss some of the details?"

At first, my mind went to thinking that it was some kind of scandalous sex vid that they needed removed from the Net, but anything was possible with these types. I kept it simple. "Sure, let's do that."

Her voice didn't have as much relief as I would've expected as she replied, "I'll send you the address. See you."

The address she sent me was in a fairly decent part of Heywood. I figured I'd be best off if I blended in with the Peralezes by dressing in a suit jacket and corpo pants that I utterly loathed, though for once, I was gratefully for Johnny appearing with his usual sarcastic attitude.

"Look, if a job starts like a classic 'whodunit' – some femme fatale calls you up, refuses to give deets and just calls a meet – one of three things is going down: you're dreaming, you're scrollin' a shit BD, or someone's hazing you good," he explained. "Think you can scratch the first two."

I rarely gave Johnny's witticisms too much thought, but I agreed that if it had anything to do with scrolling a political braindance or being hazed by some bored politicians, I didn't want to be caught in the wrong part of Heywood looking like a corpo just begging to be mugged. I quickly switched over to a black leather jacket, jeans, a t-shirt (one of my few without bullet holes, tears, or blood), and my black hightop sneakers. I folded up by BD wreath and slipped it into a pocket before heading down to the building's garage. My head still slightly ached from the hangover despite the meds I had taken, so I opted for a smoother ride and chose the Rayfield Caliburn I had found stored in the Raffen caves with Panam. It was worth more than my apartment and costed almost as much as my rent just for insurance, but it was faster than pretty much anything else on the road. Whatever trouble I was about to find, I wanted to be able to get out of it faster than I got in it.

As I rounded the last turn of the parking garage, I decided to take a quick detour down to Misty's Esoterica. I met Misty a few days after meeting Jackie. She was his girlfriend. I was still oblivious to Jackie's attraction to me, though something about her makes me think she had her suspicions. Jackie told her the truth, of course, and she was the first person I brought up when I started taking the hint that he was in love with me. She was the only thing stopping me from letting myself fall in love with him. I think the fact that I was another man and another mercenary was enough of a difference from her that she felt comfortable enough to share Jackie with me, which I found unusual, but I wasn't about to complain. There were certain things I could relate to Jackie about that she couldn't, but there were also ways that she grounded him in a very good way that would never have worked with me. It may have seemed unusual, but it worked out really well for us all.

Misty and I had our own little friendship, especially bonding over the fact that Mama Welles, while she "liked" us, didn't really like either of us for her son – especially at the same time. I'm not sure who would've been good enough, and I don't think that she nor Jackie would've found them in Night City, but I think she at least liked that I had Jackie's back and wasn't just some dumb gangoon with a gun.

"Hey Misty," I called as I entered the small shop.

She looked up from her counter and offered a small smile. "Hey, V." She looked back down at a spread of tarot cards and shrugged, then scooped them up and shuffled them into the deck. "Glad to see you up and around. Or rather, both of you."

I nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I let Johnny take the reins after a few shots. I should've expected him to go back for a few more. I'm on my way to a job, but I just wanted to see how you're doing after yesterday."

She set the cards down and crossed her arms. "Just… trying to put my life back together… without him."

"Me too," I agreed as I sat on the stool in front of the counter. I studied the deck of tarot cards and smirked. "Jackie gave you those cards, right? Remember when he asked me to help him pick the right deck."

"Mhm," she nodded bittersweetly. "He picked just the thing for me, too. I feel a real connection to this deck. We could lay out a spread for you now, if you like."

I hadn't really put much stock in tarot or some of the spiritual things Misty was about, but I didn't want to dismiss this if it was important to her. I shrugged. "Yeah, why the hell not."

She nodded again and took a breath, then stared right into my eyes. "Focus on the recent past and what you expect in the future." She then flipped over the first card which looked like it had a traveler with a dog. "The Fool. That would be you," she noted with a slight smile.

I rolled my eyes, already regretting my decision. "Great, thanks," I grunted.

"The Fool symbolizes the beginning of a journey," she explained. "You brim with enthusiasm, yet remain unaware of both your capabilities and the threats you face."

She then turned over the second card, which had a big circle and a few creatures with wings. "The Wheel of Fortune. The danger is greater than you think. It will come suddenly, without warning. Conflict is unavoidable."

It sounded a little gimmicky to me, especially considering that I had taken a bullet to the head only a few weeks ago. Shootouts were commonplace, and even I sometimes took on subcontracts for the NCPD to put down a shooter. People would bet on the daily body counts in Night City, and those were just the bodies that were found. I guessed the only greater danger that could come would be Arasaka finding me again, and I'd avoid them as long as I had to. She flipped another card, though I couldn't quite make out its image.

"The reversed Chariot reveals that such danger is tied to your love of risk," she continued. "Do not aim too high, V."

I felt a slight knot in my stomach. I knew it was impossible for the cards to be predicting anything, but even just the idea of aiming too high made me relive the entire Konpeki Plaza job, and how Jackie never made it back from us trying to make it to "the big leagues." I wasn't about to let the cards make me feel guilty, but it didn't take much for those feelings to resurface.

She flipped the final card that appeared to be a man standing in front of a table of sorts. "The Magician," she hummed with a tone of surprise. "Interesting… You may meet someone fascinating, someone charismatic. Maybe even someone you will grow to love? It's hard to say."

I knew then that the whole thing was bogus, and as much as I tried not to laugh in her face, I couldn't contain the chortle any longer. "Ha!" I blurted out, then quickly pressed my lips firmly back together.

She frowned sternly at me, saying a lot without saying a word.

"I'm sorry, I just…" I began. "I just can't imagine falling for someone right now. It's just too soon, and I'm… I'm just not there."

"Sure," she replied pensively as she began picking up the cards. "But I said 'grow to love,' V. Bit of a difference. And it doesn't just mean 'romantic love,' but a bond that you share with this person that transforms you and brings you to your highest potential. It could even be part of Johnny that you haven't discovered yet. Maybe even part of yourself that you've cut off and need to rediscover."

I understood the wisdom of what she was saying, even though I wasn't planning to take it to heart. I trusted Misty, but I didn't really take the cards that seriously. I had only stopped in to check on her, after all. I started to stand up, but she must've seen the doubtful look on my face.

"You laugh now," she continued firmly, "But you know how things are in Night City. Whether it's friends, family, lovers, anyone special…" she paused and hung her head. "… you take them where you can find them. You never know when you'll need them, and they won't be there."

I felt another guilty punch right in my chest. Even with her spiritual background and beliefs, she was taking Jackie's death pretty hard, too. And even though she sat there alone in the shop for days and days, she was arguably handling it better than I was. My hangover headache was a dull reminder that I was the one checking out with pills and alcohol, whereas she seemed relatively unmedicated but equally miserable. I sighed and slowly rounded the counter, then took her into a gentle hug. She hugged me back for a moment, then released me and looked up at me.

"You have to go, I know," she half-smiled. "You have that job and don't want to keep them waiting."

I shrugged. "It's politicians. I'm not exactly anxious to meet them."

It was her turn to smirk at me before looking back at the cards. "Heh. A politician? Someone 'fascinating and charismatic?'" she repeated mockingly. "Even if you don't believe in tarot or the occult, at least appreciate the coincidence."

I hadn't thought of my meeting with the Peralezes that way, but I did chuckle a bit when I considered that maybe the cards weren't too far off after all. "I can do that," I replied jokingly. "I'll see ya, Misty."

I walked back out to the crowded alley, but only made it a few steps before I heard a voice roar out, "PANDEMONIUM!" I quickly looked over to see the local homeless conspiracy theorist, Garry the Prophet, in his small nook of the alley giving one of his speeches.

"What is life without its body?" he asked to the moving crowd, gesturing widely with his arms. "What are the beings of the Net if not souls from beyond our plane of existence? I have heard their voices. Let they who yet live never cross that threshold, for their souls will join those ghostly ranks!"

I recognized what he was talking about, the "Secure Your Soul" Relic program from Arasaka, the very thing I unwillingly had in my head. I heard him ranting about the Arasakas being vampires or something a week before. Like the tarot cards, I didn't exactly take him seriously but rather felt sorry for him, and it was nice hearing someone other than Johnny bashing Arasaka. I wasn't going to make fun of him, but I wanted to spur on his rant to the one thing I knew they all led to. "You heard their voices?" I asked. "What did they say?"

He stared at me with wild fervor. "They spoke not in the language of mortals, no. They howled, screaming in agony, forever removed from their earthly formed. Among them was a woman, her voice of ice – Queen Lilith. She was calm, but at the cost of her humanity. You ask – who opened these unholy gates of the abyss?"

I braced myself because I knew the answer was coming, the same cause of every problem. It'd make me laugh my socks off and piss off Garry something fierce if I didn't stop myself.

"And I answer you… the techno-necromancers of Alpha Centauri!" he raged.

And there it was. God, I loved the crazy-ass people on the streets of Night City, and Garry was no exception. The drama was almost as good as "Watson Whore" on TV. I kept my lips firmly pressed together to keep from laughing, but I'd howl about it in the car later.

Johnny appeared next to him with a devilish grin. "He's 'fascinating and charismatic,' V. Could be the love of your life, your Magician," he teased spitefully.

I gritted my teeth. "Oh god, you paid attention to that?" I quipped silently at him.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "And there's no limit to how much fun I'll have at your expense over it."

"Asshole," I grunted quietly.

Garry then studied me for a moment, not having heard any of my exchange with Johnny, then pointed to me. "I recognize you," he continued in a quieter voice. "You come here often. Your eyes tell me that your mind has opened to the truth. Will you provide a humble donation so that I may continue my mission?"

Well, my eyes were open to the entertainment value he brought to the streets, at least. Last time he asked me, I tossed him €$100 because I had nothing better to do and I felt bad for him. Though after Johnny's €$10,000 night out and Garry's predictable sermon, I was feeling a bit tight. I transferred over €$1 to balance things out. "'Humble,'" I repeated. "Sounds affordable. Just don't spend it all on stupid shit."

"Thank you," he replied gratefully. "This has bought me a day or two."

I walked back to my car as he started into another rant about radio waves, and I broke down into amused chuckles as I sped smoothly down to the address Mrs. Peralez gave me. When I parked, I saw a black Villefort sedan, the same kind that Delamain uses for its limousine service. It was slightly ironic that my Caliburn was worth a bit more than their car, but then again, I basically stole it whereas they probably have a garage full of these luxury cars. Next to their sedan dutifully stood a single hired muscle, or "huscle" as private guards were commonly called. I quickly scanned him with my Kiroshi Optics just to make sure I wasn't walking into some kind of trap, and ID-ed him as Donnie Carter of Secure Services, Inc.

The man looked at me and called, "Are you V?"

I nodded without saying a word.

"Please, step in the vehicle," he gently ordered.

I prepared myself for anything as I walked to the driver's side and opened the back door. "Okay…" I replied, more to myself than to him, as I sat down.

In the other back seat was the man I'd seen on many political posters and scream sheets around town – City Councilman Jefferson Peralez, perfectly groomed, tidy suit, and a practiced, handsome smile that matched his portraits in his campaign for Night City Mayor.

"Hello, V. I'm Jefferson Peralez," he introduced himself and shook my hand while putting his other hand on my bicep, either as a warm welcome or something else.

My guard stayed up with that type of welcome because few people that I had just met tried to get their hands so close to me without a weapon in them.

"You've already spoken with Elizabeth, my wife," he continued smoothly in a gentle but down-to-business tone.

In the front seat, I saw the same woman from the call, Elizabeth Peralez, also perfectly groomed and impeccably dressed. "Nice to meet you Mr. Peralez, Mrs. Peralez," I nodded blankly to each of them.

He smiled almost seductively before looking over to Elizabeth. "Hm, right again, Liz. You see, my wife is a great judge of character. Said this would work. Now I see why."

Johnny, of course, wasn't going to stay silent and instead appeared just outside Jefferson's window, cackling like a madman. "HA! I've heard that line and seen that look before. And he's a 'fascinating and charismatic' politician. Get ready to scroll a threesome, V. Just remember, when he asks you to bang his wife, get the money first."

This was going to be a very awkward car ride.