Chapter 23
Longest Night in Vegas (Part 1)
The room with the stage and dancers was more crowded than Sandra had ever seen it before.
The place was positively packed; the crowd around the stage was shoulder-to-shoulder, and the dancers on stage were wearing flashy colorful showgirl outfits instead of the usual ordinary stripper garments. It seemed there was a full-on show tonight, famous showgirls dancing and singing stylishly as the drunken customers hooted and hollered in delight, multicolored lights moving rhythmically across the scene as Sandra, Niner, and Arcade made themselves comfortable at the bar across from the commotion.
The three of them sat backward in their stools, sipping on their drinks and watching the impressive show from a distance.
"This is weird," Sandra practically yelled into the side of Niner's head. "Why is it so busy tonight, Niner?!"
"It's always like this on Friday," Niner replied coolly, taking a sip of gin. "You'd know that if you was here for the past two months."
"Well—it's a good show, but we need to be mindful," Arcade reminded them, lifting his glass and tapping on it. "None of us can afford to get wasted tonight. Remember that."
"I knooow," Niner whined. "What are you, my dad? Piss off."
Arcade scoffed and rolled his eyes. Sandra laughed at them.
After a bit of time passed, Niner glanced at the double-doors off to his right, feeling allured to the outdoor wing of the casino. He placed his empty glass down, popped his collar, and prepared to walk off.
"Hey—where're you going?" Arcade asked, grabbing his arm. "We need to stay together."
"I'm jus' going to check on something," Niner griped, yanking his arm away. "I'll be back in an hour or two."
"Niner," Arcade growled. "We're here for a reason—"
"I'm here for a reason," Niner snapped with an odd sense of seriousness. "Did you ever wonder why I came here every night for the past eight weeks? I got my own shit to deal with."
He stormed off without waiting for a reply, Sandra and Arcade staring after him grimly. Once he was gone, they faced each other.
"What was that about?" Sandra asked, feeling a pinch of concern.
Arcade shrugged. "I have no idea. During all that time you were gone, Niner spent most of his free time here… but I figured he was just getting wasted all the time. I saw a lot of him being smashed firsthand, actually…"
Sandra fell silent, sparing the double-doors another glance and wondering what Niner could've been up to.
And far across the crowd—on the other side of the vast ocean of people—Mr. Burke sat in a large, rounded booth along the side of the wall, Sarah and Bryan seated on either side of him, Boone and Veronica sitting on the edges of the booth. For a while now, they'd been observing Sandra and her friends from afar, and nothing suspicious had occurred as of yet.
"I can't believe the bouncer let you bring a rifle in here," Veronica remarked, pointing at Boone.
"I'm a chairmen's bodyguard," Boone shrugged, nodding at Mr. Burke. "Special perks."
"Wish I had my gun," Bryan pouted. "I feel naked without it…"
"I miss my power fist," Veronica sighed.
"I miss my laser rifle," Sarah agreed. She turned to Mr. Burke, expecting him to comment as well, but his attention was fixed solely on Sandra far across the massive room.
Sarah glanced between the bar and Mr. Burke. "God… you are so transparent."
Mr. Burke blinked, turning and giving her an odd squint. "Beg pardon?"
"Dude—you've been desperately in love with her for how long?" Sarah cackled. "You cross her path again halfway across the world, and you're still not even talking to her."
"I am not in love with her," Mr. Burke murmured, eyeing Sandra in the distance again. "I doubt if you'd understand."
Sarah shot him a look. "Oh yeah? Try me."
Mr. Burke glanced at her and sighed deeply. Boone scratched his neck and looked away, growing uncomfortable with the conversation, Bryan and Veronica reacting similarly.
"You wouldn't understand because you've always been good," Mr. Burke told her sincerely. "You didn't need anyone to make you question your ways. You didn't need a wanderer to stumble into your life and make you reflect upon everything you believe to be important. But I did need that… and that was her."
Sarah gazed into him profoundly, suddenly lost for words. "Wow, I… I don't know what to say to that…"
"Yes… well… it's not romance. I thought it was once, but it's not," Mr. Burke stated plainly, fixing his tie and narrowing his eyes at the distant courier. "It's just a… fascination. And a debt I owe her."
"Hey… listen," Veronica spoke up suddenly, swiping her combed-over hairs aside and giving Mr. Burke a firm look. "I know it's not romantic. I can tell."
Mr. Burke gave her a thoughtful stare. "Oh, can you, now?"
"Yeah. I can," Veronica stated with a firm nod. "Because I've been in love before… and if I ever miraculously crossed paths with her again, there's no way in hell I'd be hiding at the corner booth without talking to her."
Mr. Burke stared at her for a moment, then nodded and took a sip from his beverage. "Well, then… there you have it."
"Well'p—if we're gonna talk about all this awkward shit, I might as well make it worse," Bryan laughed, turning to Boone. "What about you, bodyguard guy? You ever been in love before?"
Boone turned and gave him a long, heated glare.
Bryan instantly regretted asking, slowly sinking deeper into the booth's leathery cushions.
"Yeah. Once," Boone grunted, taking a swig from his beer. "She's gone now. End of story."
There was a tense silence following his words.
Then, Bryan turned to Sarah. "Your turn, sis. Ever been in love?"
Sarah gaped at him, then let out a breathless laugh. "You never asked me that before, you nosy little shit."
"I'm asking now," Bryan smirked devilishly. "Have you?"
Sarah gulped without answering, shaking her head and resisting the urge to glance over at Mr. Burke. She fell silent and began sipping on her tequila more quickly than she was before.
"Hey… this might be a weird question, but I have to ask," Veronica muttered to Sarah, nodding toward the bar. "You knew Sandra pretty well back in the day… and she's super pretty, in that badass tough-girl kinda way. You think she'd ever swing the way I do…?"
Mr. Burke choked on his drink, sputtering guiness all over the table and coughing between a series of laughs.
Veronica squinted at him. "I'll take that as a no…"
Sarah chuckled and shook her head, and they all returned to their task of observing Sandra from a distance in silence.
As more time passed and nothing suspicious occurred just yet—far across the building at the front of the casino, Vulpes marched inside with Melody, Scar, and ED-E at his wake.
The greeter bouncer instantly shot him a bizarre look.
Vulpes sighed and adjusted his hat, swallowing the urge to wince and strolling forward.
"Uh… sir," the bouncer said. "This isn't really the place for kids. Or… deathclaws."
"Melody is my daughter. Her mother is no longer with us, so she has to stay with me whenever I'm out conducting business," Vulpes explained. "The deathclaw is a trained animal. I'm going blind in my left eye. The animal is my seeing-eye escort, sold to me by the doctors at the Old Mormon Fort. I assure you, he is completely harmless, especially at such a feeble age."
The bouncer slowly nodded, giving ED-E a strange look.
"This was an heirloom left to her by her mother," Vulpes told him, patting ED-E's metal shell. "She doesn't like to go anywhere without it."
"Ah… all right," the bouncer uttered. "That's fine, then. Just lemme search you and you can go about your way."
Vulpes nodded and spread his arms, his silenced pistol tucked in an area no one would find during a pat-down. Once the search was finished, the bouncer nodded and stepped away, motioning for them to go on inside.
When they marched past the front lobby, Vulpes closed his eyes briefly, grabbing his side and quickly releasing it, trying to appear as normal as possible. Melody glanced up at him worriedly.
"You okay…?" she whispered.
"Fine," Vulpes replied with a nod. "Keep moving."
"Where do we go first?"
"I plan to search from the bottom floor up. The bottom floor is a poorer wing for the less-wealthy customers… so you'd better stick close. There will be plenty of drunken reprobates raging about."
"Okay…"
Vulpes moved across the casino with his three followers—and as he did, and as Sandra and the others sat around watching the showgirls in the expensive wing—Niner was by himself outdoors, wandering across the garden and staring into the darkened sky.
He sighed heavily, staring up at the stars, just able to hear the echo of the blaring music inside the building. This garden was where he first met her, but now, the place was completely empty, as all the girls were presumably off-duty…
Niner frowned, sitting at the edge of the pool and staring into the waters glumly. He hadn't told anyone about his endeavors in Gomorrah, but after the way he left things with Sandra and Arcade, he'd likely have to explain the whole story soon.
Moments later, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
Niner twisted around—and there she stood, the most captivating woman under the thumb of the Omerta family, with sparkling green eyes and the smoothest head of brunet hair he'd ever seen on a human being. He slowly stood, facing her properly and trying to muster up the nerve to speak.
"Niner," Joana said sweetly, wearing a sad smile. "The wiseguys keep kicking you out, and you just keep coming back…"
Niner smirked at her. "I ain't that easy to beat, babe. You oughta know that by now."
"Oh… I know, honey, I know," Joana said softly. "You're just the sweetest thing…"
"I went out and talked to Carlitos again last night," Niner informed.
Joana's eyes widened. "You did?"
"Yeah, I did… and I got good news and bad news," Niner said, his smile weakening. "It's all set up. We're plannin' the escape tonight, but… I got friends inside right now. We got a whole other conflict going on. I dunno what to do…"
"Your friends… the courier, right?" Joana asked, Niner nodding somberly. "Oh, honey… do you know what Cachino is planning? Do you know what they're gonna do to her?"
"I got some idea," Niner grimaced. "But the doc's watching her right now… and I plan to get back to her soon."
Joana stared at him doubtfully. "How are you gonna help me and my girls escape? If you have to watch over the courier…"
"Babe, listen… it's kinda perfect, if you think about it," Niner smirked at her. "You said the wiseguys needed to be distracted, right? Well, now they will be. They're all probably focused on Six right now. Perfect time for you and your girlfriends to slip out."
Joana frowned. "But… doesn't that mean your courier friend is bait for them?"
"You don't know her like I do," Niner replied confidently. "She can handle it."
Joana swallowed. "Well, does… does that mean… right now?"
"Right now," Niner affirmed. "We picked the busiest night of the week for a reason. While Six is in there, we make our leave. Let's go out to the lobby."
"My girls are waiting in the bathroom beside the stage," Joana told him. "I have to stop and get them, and then… we can go."
"Then homefree," Niner nodded. "Let's go."
Joana nodded, fidgeted with her pinkish dress, and placed her stylish black throw-over atop her head, hiding her face from view. Afterward, Niner adjusted his hat and swaggered off with Joana around his arm, marching with a sense of importance once again.
When the two of them walked back inside, Niner and Joana walked past Sandra and Arcade.
Sandra shot Niner a strange look as he passed by.
Niner made a subtle 'shush and stay put' motion, then marched off with Joana in silence. The two of them vanished into the crowd, then emerged near the bathroom. Joana stepped inside for a moment, then returned seconds later with three other disguised hookers. Afterward, Niner led them all into the main casino wing, all of their hearts pounding anxiously as they slowly walked toward Gomorrah's exit.
Thankfully, none of the Omertas stopped them.
Niner pushed the doors open, leading the ladies outside. They all maintained their nonchalant pace as they approached the strip's gate—and after they reached Freeside, the five of the broke into a run.
"Aaand we're off!" Niner grinned with delight, Joana giggling behind him as they all sprinted into the Freeside slums. "Run, harpies, ruuuuuuun!"
All the ladies were laughing with triumph as they skidded to a stop near the corner—and just as Niner had planned, Carlitos was standing at the curb, smiling joyfully the moment he laid eyes on Joana. She dove into his arms, and Carlitos snapped his arms around her so tightly, it seemed as if he'd never let go.
Niner smirked at them, sliding his hands into his pockets and feeling a rush of accomplishment that he certainly wasn't accustomed to.
Carlitos and Joana separated, both of them turning and giving Niner a grateful smile.
"I don't know how to thank you, man," Carlitos admitted.
"Me either," Joana smiled warmly.
"Just go somewhere and be happy," Niner told them firmly. "And never say no to drugs."
They all laughed, turning on their heels and preparing to leave—and just then, four suited men emerged from around the opposite corner.
Niner, Joana, Carlitos, and the girls all froze in their stance.
The four Omertas approached them, the leader brandishing his pistol.
"Well, well, well… Carlitos," the leader snarled. "And the bottom bitch herself. We knew you wouldn't give up on getting her back… but this? God, this is a stupid plan, even for you."
Joana and Carlitos exchanged frightful expressions—and then, with a borrowed nerve of steel, Niner sauntered forward fearlessly, flicking his hat and glaring daggers into the Omerta grunts.
"What in the everlovin' fuck are you doin' here?" Niner growled with a tone of authority that hardly sounded right coming out of him. "Now you've gone and fucked everything up."
The four Omertas traded strange glances.
"And who're you, big guy?" the leader barked.
"Major Tom Young—founder of the Cali Belt Buckles & Accessories Inc," Niner ranted, wondering if he'd even remembered the name his fictional business correctly. "Close personal friend of the fat Italian fucker who signs your checks. I'm movin' these bitches to a secure location—Carlitos came to us and told us about a conspiracy from the White Gloves to recruit a buncha your hoes. So, the boss man told me to take 'em elsewhere for the time being—and, if you care to know, Carlitos deliverin' this information to us completely absolved his debt to the Omertas. Izzat good enough for you?"
Once again, the four Omertas glimpsed oddly at one another.
"How come I never heard of you before?" the leader asked.
"How come I never met the pope before?" Niner shot back. "We all got our circles, and some are higher than others. You play in your league, and I play in mine. And my league ain't gutter trash like you. So, I suggest you go back to your little nine-to-five before all the important Omertas find out that you got in Major Tom Young's way."
The Omertas hesitated, the leader slowly lowering his firearm.
Just when the four of them were preparing to walk away, one of them spoke up.
"Wait," one of the Omertas said to their leader. "Isn't Major Tom Young that wine distillery executive that goes to the UltraLuxe all the time?"
All four of them stopped, slowly turning and fixing their predatory glares onto Niner.
Niner sighed. "Well, shit."
The leader raised his pistol—Niner ducking and hitting the pavement hard. He whipped out his handgun and blasted the leader away—the remaining three lunging at Carlitos—
Carlitos bashed his knuckles into one of their faces—and Niner scrambled to his feet, hammering his trigger relentlessly until the gun would no longer fire.
To all of their great relief, the four Omertas had crumbled to the ground, bleeding out on the damaged Freeside road. There was a long, tense silence, and Niner sighed exasperatedly, turning to Joana and Carlitos for the final time.
"Well… that was fun," Niner exhaled. "You guys better get gone before more of 'em show up."
Joana and Carlitos nodded, Joana giving him a hug and Carlitos giving him a firm handshake. The other girls took turns thanking Niner, and then, Niner stood by and watched as all of them hurried off down the street, vanishing into the night.
Smirking victoriously and releasing a content breath, Niner spun on his heel and hummed Railroad Bill the entire way back to the Gomorrah casino.
By the time Niner returned to the expensive wing and sat at the bar, another showgirls performance had started, and Niner took a nonchalant swig of the drink he'd left on the counter, not seeming to notice the bizarre and questioning looks that Sandra and Arcade were giving him.
Niner glimpsed over at them and laughed, leaning backward against the bar and upturning his beverage. "Ah, long story. I'll tell ya' later."
Just when Niner moved to order another drink, his mouth fell open—as he spotted an Omerta thug approaching the three of them.
"Oooh shit," Niner muttered, sinking down and hiding beneath the rim of his hat. "Be cool."
"Why?" Sandra gasped, smacking his arm. "What did you do?"
"Hey," the Omerta barked, pointing at the three of them. "The boss man wants to see you three. Complementary dinner on the house, courtesy of the Omerta family."
Sandra, Niner, and Arcade swapped befuddled glances.
Far across the room—Mr. Burke and his companions all perked up, watching intently as the Omerta spoke to Sandra and her friends.
"Um… why?" Sandra asked. "Why're we getting a free dinner?"
"A free dinner and free complementary suites for the night," the Omerta corrected, flashing a polite smile, an expression that clearly wasn't a frequent one for him. "Big Sal and Cachino send their regards to their new business partners, heirs of the late Mr. House."
"Erm… will these boss guys be joining us for dinner?" Arcade wondered.
"Absolutely," the Omerta agreed, handing out three keys to each of them. "Here are the keys to your suites, all presidential on the second floor, best rooms in the house. Dinner will be taking place in our private quarters downstairs. You can come down there whenever you like… no rush."
The Omerta gave them a smile and wave, then turned and wandered off.
After he was gone, Sandra and her friends traded bewildered looks again.
"Okay… didn't see this tactic coming," Arcade mumbled, surveying his key. "They're being awfully polite…"
"That's how they get you," Niner grumbled, stuffing his key in his pocket. "Fuckin' Cachino is a ruddy monster, from what I've heard…"
"Sandra, what do you wanna do?" Arcade asked.
Sandra glanced between them, staring down at her key and sighing. "I don't know. I think we should play along for the moment… just to see what they're planning. If it looks bad, we'll back out ASAP."
"That's assuming we can," Arcade said. "But, I suppose we came here to deal with them tonight, so… once more, I'll defer to your judgment."
"Me too," Niner said powerfully. "I wanna be the one to cap Cachino."
"Let's go check out our suites, then go downstairs," Sandra decided.
The three of them stood from their stools, finished off their drinks, and paid their tab. When Sandra walked across the crowd with her friends, Mr. Burke and his companions watched idly by from their booth, Burke's eyes following the head of crimson hair all the way to the exit.
"She's going," Mr. Burke breathed, reaching his feet and bumping the table. "Goddamn her, she's going—I have to stop her."
"Burke—sit down," Sarah whisper-yelled, yanking on his sleeve and glimpsing around. "Remember—you can't blow your cover here."
"To hell with the damn cover—" Mr. Burke griped, then suddenly stopped dead.
He, Sarah, Veronica, and Boone all stared directly ahead of the table, seeing that Cachino and a few of his goons were approaching them. Bryan stifled a gasp, slowly sinking downward and hiding underneath the table, vanishing from sight.
Mr. Burke instantly straightened out, fashioning a witty cover story in his mind just when Cachino stopped at their booth.
"I didn't expect you here tonight, Burky Burke," Cachino smirked.
"Just a night on the town, Cache," Mr. Burke replied with a convincing smile, nodding between Boone, Veronica, and Sarah. "My bodyguard and I have dates this evening. A fine night for us, indeed. Especially in your illustrious establishment."
"It would appear so," Cachino agreed, his eyes twinkling strangely.
He winked at Veronica, making her repress a shudder.
"Interesting that you'd arrive tonight, of all nights… seeing as how Courier Six decided to arrive tonight, too," Carchino remarked.
Mr. Burke perked his brow. "Did she, now…?"
"Oh yes," Cachino confirmed. "We're holding our special dinner for her this evening. I do hope you plan to join us?"
Bryan remained hidden beneath the table, eavesdropping intently as his heart began to pound.
"I shall if you wish me to," Mr. Burke agreed.
"Absolutely. Let me show you where our private quarters are," Cachino offered, motioning for them to join him. "Dinner won't begin for another hour or two, but I'd like to show you where to go ahead of time."
Boone, Sarah, and Veronica glanced at one another before standing alongside Mr. Burke. They all reluctantly followed Cachino out of the room—and once they were gone, Bryan crawled out from under the table, inhaling a determined breath and setting off to find Sandra with haste.
Once they reached the bottom floor, Vulpes stopped in one of the isolated narrow halls, leaning into a crevice containing a broom closet and resting his back against the wall. He gnawed his bottom lip, grabbing his side and hating himself for experiencing such a hindering limitation, now of all times…
Melody stared up at him, ED-E and Scar on either side of her.
"I'm just tired," Vulpes exhaled. "Just give me a moment…"
The pain and lightheadedness seemed to be worsening with every passing second, namely because he hadn't allowed himself any rest. Still, now was hardly the time for recovery.
Melody slowly reached out, grabbing at the bottom of his button up.
Vulpes shook his head and pushed her hand away.
"Just let me look," Melody requested. "It might be getting worse…"
"I'm fine," Vulpes told her.
"What if you're not?" Melody asked sadly. "Because if you pass out or something, then you're probably gonna die here… along with me, and Sandra, and everyone else."
Vulpes stared into her, looking and feeling torn. Then, reluctantly, he sighed and rolled up his suit, revealing the numerous gauze-wrapped segments of his wounded torso. The wound on his side seemed to be bleeding through the adhesive antibacterial cream that Julie had applied, a crack of blood oozing out of the glue-like substance and trickling down his hip.
"Holy crap," Melody breathed, examining the fresh wound, as well as all the old scars. "You've been through hell…"
Vulpes let out a breath and rested his head backward on the wall, forcing himself to stay as alert as possible despite the fatigue creeping up on him.
Melody sighed and pulled the first-aid kit out of ED-E's compartment, popping it open and gently applying a smear of disinfectant onto Vulpes's wounded side, hoping to cover the area that was bleeding through. To her surprise, Vulpes didn't jerk or twitch once, even after she finished wrapping a small, fresh gauze pad over the bleeding spot.
After she put the first-aid kit away, Vulpes rolled his head and stared down at her tiredly.
"Thank you," he said softly. "You're talented for a child…"
Melody managed a smirk.
"Well… what now?" she asked, peeking out and glancing up and down the hall. "This whole area just looks like a buncha orgy rooms. I doubt she's down here."
"As do I… but there's a bar in the main corridor down here," Vulpes told her, swallowing a groan and straightening up. "We at least need to check there."
Melody nodded, and they all set off down the hallway, venturing through a large room full of pillows before appearing in an open area. The lower-level bar was filled with loud hollering drunks, strippers dancing on platforms, and a rectangular bar in the center, but there was no head of crimson hair anywhere in sight.
However, Vulpes spotted another peculiar sight across the room.
Far across the lower-level bar, Cachino was leading Mr. Burke, Sarah, Veronica, and Boone toward an elegant set of double-doors. Boone peered over his shoulder, meeting eyes with Vulpes across the room.
Vulpes stared at him intensely.
Boone made a subtle motion with his hand, pointing upward at the ceiling. He then faced away and pretended Vulpes wasn't there.
Vulpes took in a breath, making a slow nod and leading his followers back down the hallway from where they came.
After leaving the obnoxious room, Melody spoke up.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"That was a lead, Melody," Vulpes informed, crossing the room of pillows and approaching the elevator once more. "It seems my friend knows where we need to go. Sandra is somewhere upstairs."
And just before they could reach the elevator—someone barreled down the left hall, smashing into Vulpes and making him crumble to the floor.
Melody gasped sharply and covered her mouth. Vulpes hunched crookedly against the wall, horrid pain shooting up and down him as his vision exploded with stars. He sealed his eyes shut, fighting with all his might to remain conscious. ED-E twittered with agitation, Scar squeaking in alarm.
Bryan straightened up, wiping his face and panting, looking alarmed. "Oh, God… I'm sorry!"
"Look what you did!" Melody cried, swatting at Vulpes. "He's hurt already, and you just made it worse!"
"I'm sorry!" Bryan exclaimed. "But I'm in a hurry! I need to find someone—bye!"
"Hey—wait!" Melody reached out and yanked him back. "Who're you looking for?!"
"An old friend of mine—a courier," Bryan panted. "I really don't have time to talk—"
"East," Vulpes croaked painfully.
Melody and Bryan both spun around and stared at him.
"An… old… friend from the east," Vulpes groaned through clenched teeth, glaring up at Bryan. "Am I… right?"
Bryan gulped and gave him a suspicious stare. "How'd you…?"
"We're looking for her, too," Melody informed. "She's our friend, and she's in danger here."
"Oh—shit—we're all here for the same thing," Bryan realized. "Okay, okay—lemme think. Okay—first, we need to—"
"We need to fix him first!" Melody cried, motioning to Vulpes again.
"No… I'm fine," Vulpes rasped forcibly, planting a hand on the wall and slowly reaching his feet. "Just don't ram into me anymore."
Bryan frowned. "Sorry…"
"Who are you?" Melody inquired.
"Bryan Wilks," Bryan announced, offering his hand. "You?"
"My name's Melody," Melody replied, returning the handshake. "Do you have any idea where Sandra is now?"
"No… but I saw one of those shady dudes lead my friends down here," Bryan informed her. "Another one of those guys gave Sandra and her friends a bunch of keys, and they…"
"The suites," Vulpes determined, wheeling around and facing the elevator. "She is upstairs. Let's go. Now."
They all stepped into the elevator and rode to the second floor together.
But before the elevator could reach the second floor—Sandra, Arcade, and Niner marched down the stairs, just after checking on their suites.
The three of them decided not to linger around the rooms upstairs, just in case the Omertas were planning to ambush them alone in their sleep. So, they all walked down the stairway rather than taking an elevator, chatting with one another as they did.
"Niner… are you gonna explain what the hell you were doing earlier?" Sandra asked as they walked, passing by a large portrait of a mysterious figure in a suit.
Niner slowed to a stop on the stairway's midpoint, pocketing his hands and leaning on the wall. Sandra and Arcade paused in front of him, both of them giving him an expectant look.
"Six… y'know how much it sucked when you left?" Niner asked, narrowing his eyes at her and wearing another uncharacteristically serious visage.
Sandra said nothing, unsure of how to respond. She glimpsed over, seeing that Arcade was now wearing a deep frown, sliding his hands into his suit pockets and looking away.
In all honesty, she didn't have a spare moment to stop and think of how her disappearance might've affected her friends—after the encounter in Quarry Junction, she'd wandered north, found the Northern Passage, and stumbled into a long series of unpredictable adventures. Between Utah, the Sierra Madre, Big Mountain and the Divide—she hardly had time to stop for a breath, much less assess her thoughts. Truly, she did need to step away from all the huge things she'd gotten involved with in the Mojave—it did wonders to clear her mind and reset her priorities—but only now did she see that it affected her friends in a different way.
Especially since she left without even a goodbye.
Niner's expression seemed to intensify with perturbation, his eyes locked with hers.
Sandra frowned and bit her lip, an uncomfortable sense of guilt forming a knot in her stomach.
"I ain't your boyfriend—and I ain't your brother," Niner said in a low, soft growl. "I know that. And I know you ain't the type to stay cooped up forever, and neither am I—but you didn't even tell us anything. Y'know how fun it is to just have people disappear outta your life for no reason? I don't need that shit, Six. I've had more than enough of that already."
Sandra gulped and let out a stressed exhalation. "Sorry…"
"No, no… you're not sorry," Niner argued. "You came back all confident, and happy, and with a new pet, and new stuff… I know you ain't sorry for leaving."
"No, I'm not sorry for leaving," Sandra told him. "I'm sorry for hurting you."
Niner grumbled and rolled his eyes.
"Niner—do you know why I had to leave?" Sandra asked, rounding on him and suddenly feeling defensive. "Because I remembered something, and I—"
"Oh fuckin'a, Six—don't play the amnesia card," Niner griped. "You remember everything about the here and now, which means you got no excuse."
"Shut up and let me finish," Sandra snapped irritably. "I still can't remember most of the past—but I did remember one thing. I remembered that I got involved with something big, and half the people around me died because of it. I don't know what it was, or who died, or anything like that—but I know I've done this before, and I didn't wanna put you and Arcade in the ground like I did to whoever I knew back then. That's why I felt like I had to leave. You, and me, and Arcade—we might all die a pointless death in this mess—is that really what you want?"
"Six," Niner rumbled through gritting teeth, slowly grasping his dog tags and holding them upright. "Mike died a pointless death. He was sent to clear out mutants for some shitty little radio station that the NCR wanted to set up, and they didn't even succeed. That was pointless. But us—we're actually doing something important here. I don't think any of us are gonna die—but even if we do, it sure as hell won't be a pointless-ass death like my brother's was."
Sandra and Niner fumed into one another for a long, tense moment.
Arcade leaned on the wall of the stairway in between the two of them, sighing uncomfortably.
"You know, I… I hate to make this argument worse," Arcade muttered, turning to Sandra. "But I'd have to agree with him on that. Hell… look where we are right now. Look at what we're doing. We're willingly walking into a crime family's trap just to try and put them out of commission. We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't worthwhile to us… and to you."
"Yeah… I know that," Sandra replied. "I know that now. But when I left Quarry Junction, I didn't know what to think—I was scared that I was gonna mess everything up again. I just needed to prove to myself I wouldn't. And after all I've done in the past month or two, I know better now. I know I can… I know we can handle it."
"You still could've told us you were leaving," Niner argued. "How hard would it've been to stop by Sloan and let us know you weren't dead?"
"Where is this coming from?" Sandra asked breathlessly.
"Because when we got back here, I didn't know what the fuck to do anymore," Niner growled. "Me and you were mates, Six, and we had a whole game plan here—but then you just up and disappeared for no reason. I get that you were worried or scared, or whatever—but you don't just walk off and leave everybody! That ain't the answer!"
"That's exactly what you did in California!" Sandra snarled in response. "Your dad wandered off, your brother died, and you bailed!"
"That's different—I didn't have anybody left," Niner fumed. "But you did."
Sandra opened her mouth to retort—and instantly, a sharp pain penetrated her skull as a random memory hit her full force.
For a split second—she could've sworn she was standing in a large, rickety house constructed mostly of metal, an armored vault suit on the wall and a few familiar faces standing before her. A child frowned sadly, a man pleading for her to stay—but she knew she'd walked out the door that day, never to return.
Sandra stopped entirely, reality returning to her as she backed away from Niner. She grasped the railing, slowly sinking downward and sitting on the edge of the stairs, her expression now distant and disturbed. For several tense seconds, she merely sat there, gazing vacantly forward and wondering what she'd done—or rather, why she'd done it.
Whatever happened in the past—she'd chosen to leave it all behind, even though she still had friends around. And here in the Mojave, she'd done just the same thing to Niner and Arcade.
Perhaps the reality of the situation was simpler than she ever considered before.
She ran away the first time—she ran away again here in Nevada—and her own mind was so desperate to run away from her thoughts, it blocked out anything and everything unpleasant. Maybe she simply wasn't capable of coping with the hardship—so, everything inside her was prepared to cut and run at a moment's notice.
Vulpes's words soon came to her, and she remembered everything he said to her that night in Quarry Junction—that she knew everything she needed to know, she simply didn't know she knew, because she didn't want to. He'd seen it before she ever did, before anyone else could. Sandra had a problem, a bad habit of running away from things—and that problem would have to be nipped in the bud before she could ever begin the long process of reestablishing an independent Mojave.
"War never changes," she murmured thoughtlessly. "So I have to change instead…"
Niner and Arcade stared at her, trading grim expressions with one another. Then, Niner sighed and relaxed his shoulders, wandering over to her and sitting down beside her.
"I ain't mad anymore, but it sucked," Niner told her. "It really sucked for a while, there. That's why I started coming here all the time… drinkin' and gettin' high, and partyin' with the girls outside. But then, I… I met this girl, Joana, and I fuckin' connected with her right off. She already had her heart set one someone else, though… this guy named Carlitos. The Omertas were after him because of a debt he owed, and Joana was trapped here. Her and her girlfriends were kept on med-x and treated like dog shit. Cachino used to… fuck, the things he did to her, I ain't gonna speak of. Anyway, I helped the girls to get outta here. I found that Carlitos bloke, we all met up in Freeside, and they ran for it. That's what I was doin' earlier."
Sandra frowned down at the floor, nodding distractedly and remaining silent.
Niner observed her, patting her on the back. "I've run away from my fair share of shit, too. But it feels good to stick around and do some good instead of running away. You're the one who showed me how to do that. So… when you decide to run off… it kinda strikes a chord with me. Y'know?"
Sandra sighed and nodded again.
Arcade remained leaning on the wall, watching the two of them somberly.
"I've run from my fair share of things, too," Arcade admitted, his tone darkening. "Sometimes, it makes more sense to leave than it does to stay. But… considering our situation right now… I don't think that's the case for any of us anymore."
"Me neither," Niner nodded with a smirk.
"Me neither," Sandra agreed, glimpsing between them and flashing a broken half-smile.
"We all decided, didn't we?" Arcade smirked at them. "We decided on our new goal, and we're all done running away from things now. Including each other."
"Damn straight," Niner laughed, slapping Sandra's arm. "I need my mates around. You said we were important now, Six. And I'm pretty sure that's true, or we wouldn't be here now."
Sandra made a definitive nod, stood fully upright, and cracked her neck, giving each of them a firm stare.
"No more running… ever again," she said flatly. "We got this."
"We got this," Niner and Arcade agreed.
"Okay—let's go down to the brimstone," Sandra decided. "We can hang around at the bar and scope out where ever this private quarters is. If we get invited into their little welcome dinner, we're just gonna have to wing it from there."
"Oh—before we go to the brimstone, we need to do some illegal shit," Niner grinned. "Pop some locks, rifle through some rooms—we need to find us some weapons. You're the only one with a gun right now, Six—and that ain't enough."
"All right—we'll find the Omertas's private rooms, steal whatever firearms we find, and head down to the brimstone," Arcade surmised. "Sound good?"
Sandra and Niner nodded, and the three of them set off to set their plans further into motion—as were their unbeknown allies, and as were their enemies in the Gomorrah casino.