Viper had led Jacob as far into Lorenzo as the "Welcome to Lorenzo!" billboard when Jacob pulled off the road and motioned him back. He had something to settle, and he didn't want to get too far in without doing so.

Viper turned around and went back to him. "What's up?" he asked.

"Why'd you help me?" Jacob asked suspiciously.

Viper wasn't sure how to respond. "Well . . . You said there was a girl involved. How could I refuse?"

"You only agreed to help me after you knew my name. And then you knew my father's name. Which has to mean you knew my father."

Viper looked away and thought about what to say. Then he settled on the truth. "Yeah, I knew 'im. Jesse Waters." He nodded and smiled. "Good man. Great gangster. I swear, you look just like him!"

Jacob seemed offended. "He wasn't a gangster. He was a respectable man who obeyed the law!"

Viper rolled his eyes. "He was a freakin' gangster! Greatest threat to the Four Corners while he was alive!"

Jacob took out his sword. "My father wasn't a gangster."

"Put it away, Pup," Viper warned. "It's not worth getting beat again."

"You didn't beat me. You broke the rules. In a fair fight, I'd kill you."

"Then that's not much of a reward for playing fair, is it?" Viper asked. He took out his own sword and struck Jacob's out of his hand, then picked it up and crossed both of them over Jacob's throat, pinning him to the billboard. "Now pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these: What you can do, and what you can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a gangster and still a good man, or you can't. But it's in your blood, so you'll just have to deal with that someday. Now, me; I can kill ya!" A look of horror appeared on Jacob's face. "But," Viper emphasized, "whoever she is, that girl you're going after most likely won't be willing to come with me. So . . ." He pulled the swords away and Jacob dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. Viper put his sword in its sheath and aimed Jacob's sword at him. "Can you 'form a familiarity around gangs . . . '" He flipped the sword and held the handle down toward Jacob. ". . .or can't you?"

Jacob took the sword and stood. "Let's do it," he said. "I'm not gonna like it, but I'll do it. For her."

Viper nodded. "Now was that so hard?"

"You have no idea." They both climbed back on their motorcycles and sped into Lorenzo.

Viper led Jacob through the mall in Lorenzo, telling him about the city. "Now, believe it or not, Lorenzo is a city living under anarchy. There's no rules, because there's no cops."

"Why not?" Jacob asked, realizing he hadn't seen a single policeman the entire time they'd been there.

"I guess they know we don't need them," Viper replied. "It is possible to have order without law. And it's easier to keep order when there's no one making you." He shrugged. "Or, they're all too scared." He changed the subject. "But I tell ya, if every city were like this one, the world would be a much happier place." Just then, as if to prove his point, a girl with long red hair approached them. "Scarlet!" Viper addressed, and went toward her with open arms.

She slapped him across the face. "That's for last night!" she growled, then shoved past Jacob and stalked away.

"Not sure I deserve that," Viper said, rubbing his face. Another girl walked up to him. "Giselle," he greeted with a smile.

She smiled back, then slapped him and left, calling back, "That's for last night, too!"

Jacob gave Viper a look. "I may've deserved that," said Viper, then led Jacob to a secluded part of the mall. Here, there was what used to be the movie theater. The windows of the doors were boarded up and painted black. In fact, everything in that space was painted black. Even the floor. There was a big neon sign above the box office window that said, "The Tsunami."

There were people lined up at the window, but the man inside looked up from his list and his face lit up when he saw Viper. "Viper! How's it goin'?" he called.

Viper and Jacob went up to the window and Viper replied, "Pretty good. Hey, can you add a name to the list for me?"

"Sure," the man replied. "Let's have it."

"Um . . . Jacob Waters," Viper said, almost smugly.

The man dropped his pen in shock and caught it before it rolled off the deck. ". . .Come again?" Viper smiled slyly. The man looked at Jacob with wide eyes . . . as if he'd seen a ghost. "Jesse . . . " he whispered to himself. Then he scrawled Jacob's name down, never taking his eyes off his face.

"Thanks," Viper said, and led Jacob through the door on the left of the window. There was a long, spiraling staircase lit dimly with lanterns that hung on the walls.

"Okay, why did my name freak that guy out?" Jacob asked as they descended.

"Let's just say, 'Waters' is a name we never expected to hear again."

"Why is that?"

"Do you ever stop asking questions?"

"Do you ever fully explain anything? At all? Ever?"

"Not if I don't have to." They finally came to the door at the bottom of the staircase. "You ready?" Viper asked.

"Yes, let's just get this over with. The sooner I get to Rachel, the better."

As Jacob walked toward the door, Viper grabbed him by the shoulder. "Did you say Rachel?"

"Yeah."

"That's who we're rescuing?"

"Yes . . . "

"Blonde hair? Indigo eyes? Lilac perfume?"

"Yes to the first and second, but I wouldn't know about the third."

"Crap . . . " Viper muttered, realizing that now he actually had to rescue this girl. He opened the door and they stepped inside.

The Tsunami was an underground tavern with a tropical island theme. It was lit solely by the lanterns that were in the middle of each table and the torches on the walls.

"I'll be right over there," Viper said, pointing to a dark, secluded corner where one person sat at a table. "Keep your eyes open, 'kay?" he warned. Jacob became a bit uneasy at that statement, and kept a hand on the handle of his sword.

Viper sat down at the table in the corner. Across from him was his friend Bryan Lark, now twenty years of age. He took a sip from the glass of wine in front of him, then took a bottle out from under the table and held it out. It was Viper's favorite drink: black champagne. He reached for it, but Bryan moved it away. "I really shouldn't give this to you. First you threaten my cousin, next you go and get arrested, and then you almost get yourself fried in the chair this morning."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I'm now going to rescue your cousin, I was arrested honorably after an epic sword fight, and I didn't get fried. So hand over the goods, Pilgrim!" Bryan handed the champagne to Viper, who took it gladly and poured the dark drink into a glass and took a drink.

"So?" Bryan asked, "What's this adventure about?"

Viper leaned forward and said quietly, "I'm going after the Black Widow." Bryan looked at him in disbelief. "I know where they're gonna be, and I'm taking that bike."

"You're gonna steal the Silver Angel?"

"Exactly."

"Viper, that's not just dangerous, it's stupid. You know the stories about the Black Widow."

"That's how I know what Blake's up to. I just need a gang."

"Look. From what I hear, Blake's not the type to strike a bargain with a fool."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a fool, right?"

"What exactly makes you think Blake will give the Angel over to you?"

"All a matter of leverage," Viper said, motioning toward Jacob, who had a girl flirting with him, trying to convince him to dance with her.

"The kid?" Bryan asked.

Viper nodded firmly. "That is Jesse Waters's kid. His only kid. Eh?"

"Are you serious?" Bryan said, taking another look. "You say leverage; I say there's a change in the wind. I'll get us a gang. There's gotta be someone in this town that's as crazy as you!"

"Ya better believe it," Viper said with a smile. He raised his glass. "'Take what you can!'"

"'Give nothing back!'" Bryan finished their motto. They clinked the glasses together, gulped down the rest of their drinks, and slammed the glasses back down on the table, shattering them to pieces.