Chapter 62: Idol Gossip
Today had been great! After finding a homestead that had been relatively intact, the hunting party had camped out in the area while they waited for word to reach them about the rest of the clan. In that time, the hunt had been successful. They found a herd of wild bighorners a short trek away from the homestead and picked off three. While the night watch did their vigil, the rest of the clan prepared the bighorners, leading to a modest feast much to the delight of all in attendance. The only two dampers to the evening were that one of the newer guys brought up his previous life, and before that, he arrived to "check up on" the hunting party. Not remembering asking for any help, the unwanted gunner then left the crew to their own devices, leaving behind his "partner" in their care.
Not long until after the gunner was out of sight and mind, some of the guys decided to throw an impromptu poker tournament with the grand prize being "a pot to trade in for a honeypot." After several grueling rounds of Arizona Hold'em, the final three were down to Glover, Viktor, and himself. Glover and Viktor were two of the most experienced card sharks in the clan, if not the entire Unclaimed Wastes. What they didn't have, however, were pickpocketing lessons courtesy of Daphne, and a preference for suits over high cards. The pot was all his, and as he approached the girl, he then offered her the bedroom in the homestead if she was willing to share.
Amy preferred to be regarded as a masseuse, a skilled operator in the ways of comfort. Any woman could open her legs, that was all it took to be a whore after all, but to stimulate pleasure through minimal means could often be more satisfying than any crass bumping of the uglies. All she needed was a little auditory and some slight touching and her mark would be sleeping like a baby. Of course, that was before Larain mentioned that he and Audrey were going through a bit of a rough patch and remembering that during their last meeting that this Audrey in question had called her a "petty, maladjusted gutter slut," Amy then resolved to fuck Larain's brains out, so she did.
Larain laid his head against the headboard of the bed while Amy lay on her side against him, facing away. Larain's eyes trailed down her body, starting from her hair all the way down her ivory skin to her hips, ass and thighs. To his knowledge, only three people in the clans had likely actually gotten Amy into bed. Kenzie, Cade, and now himself.
"So, I'm just wondering," Larain yawned as he stretched out his hands, with the right one coincidentally landing on Amy's breast. "How good of a lay is Cade?"
Amy shot a look over her shoulder as she gently swatted away his hand. "And how am I supposed to know?"
"I mean, you've been following around that guy like a puppy ever since you joined up with us four years ago. I can't imagine what's been keeping you around him. Can't be his charm. Must be amazing in the sack," Larain joked.
Amy had felt nothing for Larain during their encounter, which was what she felt about him before and would likely afterwards. This was purely about monetary gain and something to lord over Audrey when she returned to camp. So, at this point honesty really was her best policy.
"I've never fucked Cade," Amy admitted.
Larain looked over to her, frankly astonished by the revelation. "You're serious?"
"Through no lack of trying on my part," Amy admitted. "I gave up a year ago. I don't know what he's interested in or what he gets off on, but it isn't anything I can give him. Everyone Cade fucks doesn't get up afterwards, you get it?"
Larain thought back to all the memories he had of Cade and thought of all the things he had never seen or heard of him doing. He never drank anything but water. He never gambled with dice or cards. He only rarely ever saw him lose his temper. And he never saw him sleep. "…Does he at least, you know…" Larain began to ask.
"…At least what?" Amy replied. Larain made the motion. Amy stared at him before shaking her head. Larain was crossed somewhere between amazed and wondering where to find an exorcist this far out in the wastes. "…What do you see in him?" Larain finally asked.
"…I see a man who saw a useless, broken, and forgotten junkie and decided she deserved a second chance. I see a man who would buy up Jet and dump it out in front of her when her cravings were at their strongest. I see a man who demanded she carry herself with dignity, even if she used her body to earn her keep. That man is someone I will not let down or betray, even if it ends up costing me everything."
"…You love him, don't you," Larain finally said.
"…More than that," Amy replied. "He's the reason I haven't tried to end myself even after I got clean. As far as I see it, every breath I take going forward is owed to him. The moment he doesn't want me anymore…"
The two lay in silence. Larain just wanted a night of "cheap" sex with the most attractive woman in a hundred miles. Though he often heard jokes about Cade being her pimp, he only now understood just how little that summarized their relationship. Amy wasn't a slave or some kind of groupie. With devotion like this, worship was the only title that even came close to describing the pull Cade had over her.
The door was kicked in, and a black-hatted gunslinger came traipsing into the room as a dead and bloody mole rat hung across his shoulders mid-dressing, apparently. Larain screamed as he grabbed the entirety of the blanket to cover himself, leaving Amy stark naked as she stood to greet the intruder.
"The caps are in the satchel, under the knapsack," she relayed. Cade pulled out the satchel from the pile of clothing, lifted it as he assessed its weight, and poured its contents into a burlap sack he carried with him.
"HEY, THOSE ARE MY WINNINGS!" Larain screamed as he cursed himself for leaving his gun holsters on the chair behind Cade.
"Amy, your services?" Cade asked.
"Nothing off the menu," Amy purred. "Though he did request an Over-Easy Highwayman, which I provided."
Cade shot a look of judgment and disgust at Larain. "Gross." Emptying over half of the satchel full of caps, Cade shook around what remained, listening to the jingle. "Should be enough here for a generous tip," he said.
"TIP?!" Larain cried out. "AFTER YOU BROKE IN AND STOLE HALF MY-" he paused and faltered at the glares Cade and Amy gave him. "…Fifteen percent, right?" he quietly surrendered.
"Would have been here sooner, but I had my eyes on this old guy who looked like he was going to blow his brains out on the property," Cade explained as he tied the sack to his belt. "He changed his mind, so no sifting through his pockets for me. He had a nice machete, though, real sturdy, Legion style. Not that you'd know about that, huh, Abilene?"
"Fuck you," Larain growled.
Cade reached into one of the open wounds on the mole rat he carried and yanked out an organ. He tossed it towards Larain, who panicked and tried to swat it away only for Amy to reach out and grab it. "Aww, the kidney? You're too sweet, Cade," Amy winked.
"Just looking out for my little earner," Cade smiled as he got up to leave. "And give you something to wash the taste out of your mouth," he added as he slammed the door behind him.
The farmhouse had been abandoned years ago. While the house had been long since gutted, the barn remained stable enough to set up camp for a little respite. While Cass oversaw the bulk of the setup, Melody and Joseph said they had a minor errand to run, leaving Jimmy and Kim to oversee the others. Mostly it involved keeping Dalton from agitating the Federales, though his recent spat with Joseph seemed to have largely put him in a rather subdued mood.
Amy had snuck out of the barn after finding a spigot on the property. Though the well was likely dry, her pain was acting up once more, and on Dalton's advice she would hold off on the morphine and try damp rags. Opening her shirt so the cool desert air could kiss her skin, she began pumping the handle onto the cloth. After a few spurts of water soaked the rag, Amy ran it over her scarred arm and felt some relief. Steadying her breathing as the scars on her chest began to flare up, she moved to pump some more water on her rag, only to have another hand intercept hers at the handle.
"Glad we can finally have a talk," Rosa hissed through her grin. "Hope you don't mind."
Amy stumbled back until she felt herself press against another. "Say cheese," Carla taunted as Amy fell between them. Amy found herself between two women who she had set up to fall. With Rosa she had tried to orchestrate her death for the sake of expedience. With Carla, she had used her identity as blackmail to twist Larain's arm to abandon the AEG. That plan failed, and Carla ended up losing an eye, apparently.
Rosa and Carla shot a look at one another. Rosa then immediately grabbed Amy by the collar of her shirt and raised her other fist to her face. "How long do I have to beat you until those plasma burns feel like satin sheets?" she threatened. Carla put a hand on Rosa's shoulder and gently guided her off. "Easy now, Rosa, Joe's vouching for her and Jimmy likes having her around. We wouldn't want to upset them, would we?"
Amy wanted to vomit over the lack of creativity of these two. The good cop/bad cop routine? How original! What next, we can do this the easy way-
"Seems to me like we have two options," Rosa began. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. What do you choose?"
Shoot me, Amy thought to herself. "…What can I help you ladies with?" she offered.
Carla knelt down before Amy. "…I know you weren't really responsible for all that bullshit that happened back at the Res, so I'm going to be patient and give you the benefit of the doubt. However, I need you to talk to me so I can keep a leash on my friend here," she explained as Rosa began barking. "…That guy in the black hat, Cade, right? I want everything you know about him."
Amy looked at Carla. The woman she had met and taken that photo of was someone who attempted to come off as a romantic, someone who wanted to put on good airs for the guy she was seeing. This woman, though, had a much tighter act about her. Even from here, Amy could see the gears turning behind Carla's eye, processing even the most minute detail. She was, truly, a cop.
The glob of spit landed directly in Carla's undamaged eye. As she yelped in disgust and fell back, Rosa was already on top of Amy. Putting a knee on top of her head, Rosa made Amy kiss the dirt as she reached into her pocket. "You smoke?" Rosa asked as she pulled out a lighter. Amy gritted her teeth as Rosa lit the flame. "You're about to," Rosa hissed as she pulled the lighter closer to Amy's free cheek. The memory of the plasma rushed through her mind as Amy immediately clamped her mouth and eye shut, waiting for it to come.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"
Carla had wiped the spit out of her eye as Rosa looked up to see the newcomer. "Interrogating the girl who tried to kill me and helped put out Carla's eye," Rosa explained. Larain stormed forward and swatted the lighter out of Rosa's hand. "Where did you even get that?"
"I borrowed it from one of the Federales," Rosa explained, sweetly.
Larain gently pushed Rosa off of Amy's head. Helping her up, Amy shot a glare at Larain. "My hero," she hissed, sarcastically.
"I didn't do it for you," Larain growled back, remembering how her threat to Carla instigated the whole mess they found themselves in. "Why were you two ganging up on her, anyway? Didn't the Legatum put her through enough?"
"We need her to talk," Carla explained. "About her partner."
Larain blinked. "…You want her to tell you about Cade?" Rosa and Carla both nodded. "…Why didn't you guys come to me? I've known Cade for years, even longer than Amy."
Rosa and Carla looked at each other. In truth, their interrogation was largely centered around revenge for Amy's prior actions against them. So much so that it blinded them from the obvious realization that Larain would have known plenty about their subject. Both girls in turn surrounded Larain. "…Spill it," Rosa said.
Larain crossed his arms. "What's in it for me?"
"You, me, and Carla in that house alone until morning?" Rosa offered.
"Nice try, I'm not falling for that again," Larain countered. "How about this, you two help me mend some bridges with Tobey and Jimmy and get me off their shit-lists, deal?"
"Deal," Rosa and Carla said, simultaneously.
"I met Cade about a decade and a half ago, give or take," Larain began. "He came down from the Rockies and did some business with Kenzie, and not long afterwards he was offered to join the clan. Cade wasn't much of a team player and never really took to the "family" aspect of the clan, just some mysterious loner douchebag who happened to be way better than most with a rifle."
"Sounds like what Mom said Dad was before they met," Carla muttered under her breath.
"The guy was the clan hitman, and I've seen him disappear into the wasteland for months tracking a target. Generally, if Cade is after you, you'll be dead before you know he's found you. He's a monster at a distance, but I've seen him in close quarters fights and he's pretty much the best gunslinger I've ever seen," Larain admitted.
Rosa thought back to her previous encounters with Cade. Each time he nearly had her dead to rights, but as she thought, she realized something. Whenever she closed the distance, Cade seemed to almost panic and tried to disengage, to which Rosa never allowed him to. While it was just sensible for most folk to not want a swinging blade so close to them, Cade seemed especially rattled by that notion, and that notion led him to make some nearly fatal mistakes. As Larain continued, Rosa began plotting Cade's downfall.
"…Amy here joined us about four years ago. Cade brought her in to work alongside the girls as a spy at Daphne's cathouse. And I know where this is going, yes, we have had sex," he sighed.
Carla blinked. "I… wasn't going to ask about that."
Larain blushed while Amy snickered. "…Did you know he likes his Highwayman Over-Easy?"
Carla looked to Amy. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked as Larain tried to motion for her to stop. Amy explained. Both Rosa and Carla stared at Larain. Carla wondered what Larain could possibly get out of such a thing, while Rosa wondered how she could introduce such a concept to Tobey and get him to go along with it.
"…Cade doesn't sleep," Larain forced the conversation back on track.
"Me neither," Rosa replied.
"No, I mean he doesn't sleep, ever," Larain explained. "I've never seen him asleep. Maybe he can only sleep in the wasteland alone, but I've seen him over a stretch of weeks and not once ever taken a nap."
"…With insomnia like that, it should be enough to kill him," Carla mused aloud.
"It's not insomnia," Amy finally spoke up. "He traded his ability to sleep."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rosa asked.
"It means he never gets tired, never makes himself vulnerable, doesn't waste time dreaming," Amy continued. "He's the perfect hunter, one who never surrenders to anything or anyone. That's why the RMX keeps him on the payroll."
"…RMX," Carla said. "What does this have to do with them?"
"…Cade is a member of the RMX Liquidation Services," Amy explained. "And the single best killer on their payroll. What it takes teams of others to do, Cade can handle singlehandedly. Like blowing away two fume-huffing shitheads to take back some paper bonds," she continued as the memory of caving in a skull with a crowbar flashed back to her.
"…He works for the RMX?" Larain asked, genuinely surprised. "Is that where all the caps he brought in came from?"
"He was collecting debts across the Unclaimed Wastes," Amy continued. "If someone shorted the RMX and thought they could get away with it, Cade would correct them. Once, if they learned quick. And Cade would take his cut and give it to McGrath so no one ever bitched about his share."
As loathe as Larain was to admit it, Cade was the best earner in the McGrath Clan by far. It had always stuck him as strange considering how cheap Cade seemed to live. One time he dropped a heavy bag of caps into a fire to prove a point to some of the other gunners about the actual value of money. When the fire was put out, the other guys estimated that Cade literally threw a year's wage for most of them away. Cade could be impossible to negotiate with, while on the other hand haggling outstanding pay for otherwise simple jobs. If he had been part of the RMX, that could go a long way towards explaining a lot about him.
"Ok, Ok, great, so Asshat is a badass, whoop-de-doo," Rosa heckled. "So, anyone know anything useful about him? Background? Family?"
Amy clamped her mouth shut. Not that she needed to, as Cade didn't talk about his past with anyone. The way people understood him, he just showed up one desert evening with a rifle and that was his origin, and he wouldn't want it any other way. She knew nothing of Cade's past, and he knew all he needed about hers. That suited her just fine.
"Probably just some orphan bastard," Carla scoffed. "Whatever records about this guy are out there are probably holed up wherever this "RMX" thing is."
"What makes you think that?" Larain asked.
"They're all about money, and I've seen how intense Jimmy can get about bookkeeping with the Wrangler. No doubt they're holding onto records for days," Carla thought aloud. "…You know, when this is all over, I might see about convincing Mom to launch another expedition into the Rockies so we can see what this RMX is all about."
"You'll have to make it fast," Rosa announced. "Cass is super anal about getting this job over with so she can head north herself and raise her own hell. Don't know what she's planning on doing, but I think after whatever she's been through, she kind of deserves it. Maybe take Dalton with her if he still feels like acting psychotic?"
"Ha-ha," Larain fake laughed. "If he hears that, he might take up that offer, even if it's just to get away from Joe. I can't remember seeing him that on edge, ever. You said Melody and Joe would be gone for the evening, right?"
"I mean, Joe likes to wander off and be by himself pretty often, and Mel is pretty insistent that he doesn't wander off too far. He's probably just off somewhere praying while Melody takes a nap," Rosa explained.
Elsewhere, behind the farmhouse, Joseph zipped up his fly while Melody rebuttoned her shirt. An awkward silence passed between them before they ended up laughing. "I always feel like a teenager whenever we pull something like this," Melody chuckled.
"I mean, is privacy so much to ask for," Joseph laughed as Melody began patting the dust off his shirt. Having been stuck at camp or with a group for so long, when the opportunity for some peaceful seclusion and intimacy arrived, Joseph and Melody all but leapt at the possibility. He licked the tips of his fingers before smoothing out a few standing hairs on Melody's head that he assumed would be there. This action always made her laugh, without fail. Brushing off her labcoat, Melody stood before her husband. "…How do I look?"
"Beautiful," Joseph smiled.
"Of course you'd say that," Melody giggled.
While Joseph could not see, he understood everything there was to know about his wife. The sound of her voice, the smell of her hair, the feeling of her skin and the taste of her lips. Really, it was in these intimate moments with his wife that he understood how much losing his vision was almost a blessing. Otherwise, he'd likely be too distracted at too young an age to really see the true beauty before him. He pressed his lips against hers once more.
"…What were we supposed to look for again?" Melody asked.
"I don't remember," Joseph replied. "Let's just find some empty bottles and use them to collect water from the well."
"Sounds like a deal," Melody replied as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
Back at the well, Amy listened on as Abilene and the other bitches continued to pointlessly theorize about Cade. Cade, a man so capable that the notion of these idiots challenging him was almost laughable. Cade, a sniper so skilled that he could effortlessly kill each and every one of these morons from a mile away at night, easy. Cade, a man so brutal that she had watched him defend her honor on multiple occasions from those who felt they could use her as they saw fit. Cade, the man who abandoned that notion when he put a bullet in her and left her for dead. Cade, who then did not attempt to find her, even though he was also in those mines. Cade, who always said he'd leave her behind when she ran out of use for her. Lo and behold, he wasn't coming back.
"…so here I am, ass out to here, the sombrero is stuck between FISTO and a cazadore, and suddenly my dad walks in at the worst possible time," Rosa continued her rant.
"For the last time, I'm sorry about your quinceanera!" Carla screamed. Larain had no idea how the previous discussion had veered so far off course, but at this point he was too curious and horrified to attempt to stop it. He looked to Amy and saw her beginning to shake. While the two girls were engrossed in their discussion, Larain quietly took Amy aside.
"Pain acting up?" he asked.
"…About Cade," Amy finally said. "…What if there was something I did know about him? Something that he wouldn't be happy if anyone else knew?"
Larain looked back at his partners as they argued. "…I'm listening."
The argument came to a stop when Joseph arrived with an empty Nuka-Cola bottle. "Excuse me, ladies, might I use this well?"
Rosa and Carla both stepped aside and opted to ignore the enormous hickey on his cheek, to which he was especially grateful as he blushed walking past them. Filling up the bottle, he paused as he turned to the two women. "…Not all marks are shameful."
"…Nor are they all worth explaining," Carla immediately caught onto his drift. "What do you say we let you two have the house for the evening while we tell the others you're still looking for xander roots?"
Joseph slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! Silly me, I'll have to inform Melody as soon as I find her. Thank you two for being so understanding."
"No problem, Joe," Rosa grinned. Giving him and the Mrs. some quality time while separating him from Dalton would work out for the best for everyone, she thought to herself. Agreed, he concurred.
As Joseph left, Larain returned with Amy. "…I'll be keeping watch over Amy so the two of you don't get any funny ideas again," he sternly announced. Rosa snorted while Carla looked a little guilty. "Rosa, Cass said she wants you on sentry duty until midnight. Javier will be your watch partner. Kim and I will take the second shift until morning. We clear?"
"Crystal," Rosa replied before turning away back to the barn. Larain then turned to Carla. "…Kyra looked pretty lonely in there."
"Fuck off," Carla rolled her eyes as she left in kind, ignoring Larain's snickering. Amy, on her part, felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, but also felt like she had just severed a limb. If Cade found out, he would know exactly what happened and why she did it. It would not stop him from killing her. And that would suit her just fine. A small price to pay to remind a man that for all his skill and reputation, he was only just human.
Files located within the RMX Contractor Personnel Database
Asset: Cade
Position: Liquidation
PIN: No. 377612
Notable Prior Contracts
Completed:
Joshua Graham: Hostile Variable, Competitor Asset
Raul Tejada: Hostile Variable, Competitor Asset
Edmund Darby: Embezzlement
Abigail Darby: Accomplice
Emily Darby: Leverage
Robert Hughes (Didacus): Espionage
Col. Howard Bennigan: Hostile Variable, Disruptive Assets Manager
Xarn: Hostile Variable, Estimated Too Dangerous for Acquisitions
Hector Salvatore: Competitor Manager
Enrique El Verdugo: Hostile Variable, Attempted Competition
Battlemaster Thex: Contract. See Client: Jefferson
"Skinwalker": Hostile Variable, Observation of "Psyker" Phenomenon, deemed "Cost-ineffective"
Doug McGrath: Contract. See Client: Rodgers, Daphne
Phillip "Griss" Cumberdale: Outstanding Debt, Asset Retrieval
DATA NOT FOUND: FILE EXPUNGED
Winston Guthrie: Rogue Asset, Espionage
Katherine Hudson: Contract: See Client: Glasser, Levi
Outstanding:
Rose of Sharon Cassidy: Hostile Variable, Competitor Manager
Legatus Barabbas: Contract: See Client: Oklahomus, Scorpio
Cancelled:
Rosa Perez: Contract: See Client: Abacus
