8

Scorpion. Bob. Ted. Saul. Marsha. Andrew. Keaton. Logan. Alicia. James. Terry.

All because of you. Too late to leave. You're dead.

V stared at the messages as they scrolled through his optics over and over again. The world suddenly felt unsteady.

"V!" Sturdy hands caught him and he realized he'd almost fallen over. Both Mitch and Panam were there, concern on their faces.

"Are you alright?" Panam put her hands on his shoulders.

He nodded. "Yeah, just… just spaced out. Sorry about that." There was no way he was going to bother Panam with the messages. She had enough to worry about. The look she gave him told him she knew he was lying, but she didn't press.

"We're going to be heading out soon. Just need to finish a few repairs on my truck. Are you taking your bike or riding with me?"

Riding with Panam meant she would probably question him about why he almost fell over. But he was still feeling weak from his run in with the Raffen a few hours prior.

"Think I'll ride with you. But I think my Arch will have to go in the back of your truck. Seeing as the trailers are out of commission." He frowned at the state of the camp.

Panam nodded and went back to tapping on her Thorn's computer.

As he was walking over to his motorcycle, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" He straddled the bike.

There was static for a long moment before a raspy voice cut through it. "Your friends have deep pockets, merc. We're coming for you."

Before he could respond, there was a click and the call disconnected.

"Fuck me." He whispered, gently bumping his handlebars in frustration. Things were escalating a lot faster than he had expected. Whoever was doing this clearly hadn't expected him to come back from Reno. Especially given that he'd only been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks and so much has happened.

He tried to trace the call but was interrupted by another incoming call. This one was from a known number - Kerry.

"Hey, Ker. Get home alright?" Relief flooded him at the sight of the rockerboy's smiling face.

"Yep, just walked in. Shit, V. Is that… blood? Why is it all over your coat?" His eyes widened. V forgot it was a video call.

"It's nothing. Promise. The Raffen tried to zero me on the way back to camp. But I'm fine." V tried to reposition himself, now fully aware that Kerry could see whatever was behind him. No need to show him the charred remains of, what had been, his home.

"You're sure you're fine, V?"

He nodded. "Promise. Listen, I've gotta go. The clan is packing up. We're heading to the main Aldecaldo camp near Tucson. But I'll call soon, alright?"

The rockerboy frowned, his voice stern. "V, you're not telling me something. What happened?"

With a sigh, V explained the coordinated attack and turned so Kerry could see the destruction behind him.

"They wiped everything out, Ker. Killed seven people. Thought we were safe here, guess not."

Stunned silence stretched for several moments before Kerry finally found words. "But, why?"

V shook his head. "Not sure. Got some ideas but nothing to back them up. Anyway, I'll talk to you soon. I… I love you." His heart fluttered, the words felt strange on his lips.

A soft smile crossed the rockerboy's face. "Love you too. Stay safe."

V could feel Panam looking at him out of the corner of her eye as she drove. He'd made a point to focus on tracing the mysterious call instead of the uncomfortable silence. She hadn't asked about his near-collapse back at the camp and he wasn't going to bring it up. Surely the attack and having to move so fast was causing her enough grief.

The miles stretched on and so did the silence.

"V," Panam finally shattered it. "Please talk to me. Are you feeling alright?"

He nodded. "I'm alright, yeah."

"Back at camp, you were so pale. I know you'd bled quite a bit, but it was a different kind of pale."

"Not sure I follow, Pan," he looked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Before you had your operation, when you'd have an episode, your face always turned a specific shade of pale. And that's what happened today. Almost like fear." Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel, pointedly avoiding V's gaze.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Panam. I promise."

She huffed in frustration. "V, I want to help. What's going on?"

V shifted in his seat and readjusted his seatbelt. His optics glowed as he checked the status of his tracing efforts. So far, nothing. But the software was still running.

"Alright, fine. Remember how I had said that some of the clan blames me for Saul?"

"Even though you know it's not-"

"That's not the point, Pan. Things are escalating. Remember how I said the Raffen attack didn't make sense?" She nodded and he continued. "I think it has something to do with me. I got a couple strange text messages not long after we got things cleaned up. Then a phone call."

"What did they say?" He could see her trying to hide the worry on her face.

"The messages listed the dead, all the way back to Scorpion. And then said I would be next. That's when I almost passed out."

Panam frowned. "And the call? I saw you talking to Kerry."

"It was before that. And it wasn't from anyone we know. I'm still trying to trace the number. But they said 'your friends have deep pockets, merc. We're coming for you.' I'm thinking it was Raffen that called."

"So, let me get this straight. You think someone in the clan is paying the Raffen to kill you because they blame you for Saul's death?"

"Something like that. But it's more than just Saul. I think they blame me for Scorpion too. And Bob and Ted."

Shaking her head, Panam turned her attention to the radio. The Phoenix station they were listening to was starting to fade and she fumbled with the dial. Her poker face was in top form.

"Any idea who it might be?"

He shrugged. "You've seen all the people that aren't exactly fans of me. Could be anyone. But…" he trailed off. Panam had finally tuned into a Tucson radio station and a familiar tune filled the truck. V instantly recognized it - Seamurai In Smoke.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he continued. "But maybe I should leave. Things are getting out of hand."

"V… we've been over this. It's not your fault."

"True or not, Panam, it's obvious that the clan isn't safe with me around."

She opened her mouth to argue but the words seemed to die in her throat. "We'll figure it out, V," was all she managed.

They lapsed into a soft silence for the rest of the drive.

Until the Raffen caught up again.