It was funny, how the wound on her arm somehow didn’t hurt all that much despite not wearing the sling. Sure, Ashe could probably give some credit to the painkillers she was still frequently finding herself on as of late, but all things considered, she didn’t feel that bad. There was a bit of pressure when breathing, but that was more likely the compression bandages she was wearing.

So yeah, she was feeling better than she probably should given everything that happened. That probably wasn’t a good thing, but she had other concerns on her plate at the moment, like the girls sitting across from her. Caralina and Brie said they needed to talk to her, and that it was somewhat urgent, which set off several alarms in her head. Crystal was busy for the afternoon and Ashe wasn’t ready to get back out on the streets, but she could keep up appearances with those who mattered.

At least until she had to once again return to school. The reprieve was welcome, but now she couldn’t watch out for Rachel while in class. Just another thing that would have sounded crazy to her just a few short months back.

“You said it was important,” Ashe said, her voice coming off flat, not at all how she intended. Right, the oxy could do that sometimes. At least she wasn’t slurring her words like a drunk. That hadn’t been fun when they slipped her a double dose right after waking up and getting some food down.

Caralina set a hand on Brie’s arm, the girl pouting at the contact. It was still a wonder that she was six months older than Ashe, but she looked small and vulnerable, which was probably intentional. Brie came off as a chipper teen girl, far younger than she actually was, and it was paying off. Literally.

Ashe’s stomach twisted into a knot at the thought of how all these clients of hers likely… No, that wasn’t a productive way to approach things.

“Brie has a regular,” Caralina said. “Who is providing her with information through small talk after services are rendered.”

Ashe nodded, not liking that, but rolling with it. “Anything of interest?”

“Nothing yet,” Brie said. “Complaining about work, mostly. He probably keeps getting turned down by girls because he’s a bit of a ‘nice guy’.” She even did the finger quotes as she said it. “I’m only mentioning it because he’s one of the cops working the Inferno case.”

She sat up straight, the haze she was under being pushed to the wayside as she turned her full attention onto the girl across from her. “You weren’t kidding then, good job.”

“She doubts me,” Brie huffed in Spanish.

“No, I don’t,” Ashe countered in the same. Brie blinked, and Ashe smirked under the mask. “Bad at Spanish doesn’t mean I don’t understand any of it. You did good. Cultivate that, and keep Caralina informed of all visits, nice guys tend to get clingy and possessive.”

“That they do,” Brie admitted. “Plus, he’s a cop, so he might just hit me or something if he sees me with another client.”

That was a fair point. Cops had a much higher domestic abuse rate than most professions, and it would be all too easy for him to have someone arrest her, and claim she had a gun or something to make sure she didn’t talk.

Ashe could admit freely that she was protective of the girls she had taken under her wing, regardless of how much more experience they had compared to her. Caralina knew what to watch for, so she would just have to trust her to know what to do.

“Remember, your safety is the priority,” Ashe said. “But if he starts feeding you good information beyond the basics, let me know. We’ll figure out a way to get you closer to him in a way that keeps you in as little danger as possible.”

“Some girls have gone exclusive for clients before,” Caralina said. “This man doesn’t have the money for that, not unless he starts to supplement his income with less legal methods.”

Ashe’s eyebrows raised. Would it really be that easy? “You think we can flip him?”

“Potentially,” Caralina said. “Brie, your thoughts?”

“Give me another week or two with him,” she said. “This could just be a fling for him, but he’s paid for my services every night since we set up. I’ll float him a freebie, see where that gets us.”

Ashe nodded, not liking the idea of corrupting a cop, but she’d already played her parents, what was manipulating some officer she likely didn’t even know? “Alright, I’ll cover any expenses that you need to flip him, and as always, any money you get from him is all yours.”

“Inferno is best boss!” Brie cheered, hopping to her feet only to get pulled back to the sofa by Caralina. She glared at her matron with a heavy pout that did nothing to the older woman. “Overbearing—”

“Protective,” Ashe said, cutting the girl off. “She is protective of you, as am I. Be safe about this, because if he suspects you’re manipulating him, he will turn on you. If you flip him, get proof of it so we can blackmail him if he gets cute ideas about double crossing us.”

“Yes ma’am,” she said, giving a sloppy salute in the process.

Ashe nodded, then turned somber. “If he does turn on you, I won’t hesitate to kill the bastard. Try to avoid getting attached.”

Brie huffed. “Please, I do have some professional standards. I’ve been doing this long enough to know better.”

That was all she could ask for really. Trusting those under her aegis to do their jobs would be a work in progress. Huh, she was basically management now, even if it was of the illegal sort. Looking at it like that, she was just watching out for her employees. Starting a small business to launder money into her normal life would be necessary if she was going to keep up with this career path.

Just more work to be done, another task on the never ending stack of shit to deal with. Sighing, Ashe stood and started to stretch only for her ribs to protest the action almost violently. Her spine shivered and nerves convulsed, a sharp hiss escaped her lips as she dropped back to the chair, clutching at her side.

Brie was on her feet in an instant, coming over but not touching her. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Still sore as hell,” Ashe whispered, eyes screwed shut. “Pinched a nerve or something when I got up.”

Brie cursed, muttering in Spanish about irresponsible white girls with no sense of self preservation. “Next time, tell me you are still healing, this could have waited another day or three.”

Stolen story; please report.

“Can’t be seen as weak,” Ashe said, wincing when Brie poked a rib. Ashe glared at her, but she had one of those looks that said her point was just proven. “Okay, fine. I’ll take it easy.”

“No you won’t,” Caralina said, shaking her head. “I know the folly of youth all too well. You will continue to overreach until you are unable to reach any longer.”

“That’s some deep shit,” Ashe said, getting the spasms under control, though her numb hand was a live wire. “I know I should take this chance to recover, to build up our influence slowly, but every moment I rest is potentially more girls being sent into hell.”

“You can’t help anyone if you’re dead,” Brie chimed in. Caralina offered a pointed look and the girl at least had the decency to look chagrined. “I have good ears, but I also know to keep secrets.”

The aloof facade that Brie affected had given way to complete seriousness, something that seemed almost foreign on the bubbly girl’s face. Ashe blinked, as if she was seeing Brie for the first time. In a way, she probably was.

Coming to a decision, Ashe reached up, pulling the cloth loop of her mask free and let it drop. The sunglasses came off next, then she pulled the bandana free from her hair. She met the girl’s eyes, watching her with a startling intensity and glimmering with intelligence. If that girl wasn’t in school, Ashe was going to get her a tutor for a GED, then see about college.

“Ashe Hamilton,” she said.

Caralina started muttering again, and this time it felt deserved. What she was doing was beyond reckless, but this girl had gone out of her way to show Ashe who she was, and the brutal truth of it was that Ashe needed people she could trust to run things in her absence. Brie was a strong contender, and it was better to cement those ties now, rather than later.

“Aubrey Esquivel,” she answered in unaccented English. “It’s a pleasure to work for you, Ashe.”

She answered that with a nod, flexing her hand as she did. It was still sending small shocks up her arm with each clenching of her fist, but it was better to work it out than allow it to sit. The way she saw it, any sensation was better than none, even if she had learned to mostly work around it. It was still a disability that she had to endure.

“The pleasure is mine,” Ashe said after a moment. “If either of you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Money isn’t exactly tight, but millions don’t go all that far when dealing with forming organizations. Still, you two have priority if something is needed.”

“That is most appreciated,” Caralina said, inclining her head slightly. “Brie, thank our mistress.”

The girl smirked, hopping to her feet where she got down on her knees, looked up with shimmering eyes and a quiver to her lip. “Thank you, mistress.”

Ashe’s mind blanked for a moment, only to be jump started again when Caralina smacked the girl across the back of her head. The pair exchanged barbs in Spanish, Brie still on her knees as she did, playing up the innocent little girl image the whole way. The entire situation was so incredulous that Ashe couldn’t help it, she started to giggle. The bickering stopped almost immediately, Brie now sporting a smug look of satisfaction while Caralina threw her arms up and walked away.

Neither of the girls were her friends, they were subordinates, but at that moment, Ashe thought she could pretend otherwise. She would leave the street level work to the pair, let Crystal handle anything that required actual work, and she would get some damn rest.

So of course, that’s when the universe had to spite her with the ringing of her phone. Pulling it out, she didn’t recognize the number, but she answered it anyway, wincing at how terse her monosyllabic greeting came off.

“Wow,” Keiko said. “Someone’s definitely coming into their own with this whole gang leader schtick.”

“Hanabi,” Ashe said, forcing calm upon herself, glancing at Brie who was now flopping back on their sofa. “I trust you have a reason for reaching out to me?”

“Wow, get a few followers and you get a right stick up your ass,” Keiko said with a huff. “Or do you have someone in the room you have to posture for?”

“Get to the point,” Ashe said, sighing in defeat.

She could almost hear Keiko’s grin in the reply. “See, that’s the Ashe I know. Unfortunately, this isn’t a pleasure call. I do need you two for something, but it isn’t pressing.”

“Hell of a time to ask that,” Ashe said. “I’m out of the field for a few more weeks at minimum, you know that.”

“Hell of a mess you made at Ellington’s little get together,” she said, her tone slipping. “I guess I wouldn’t have been able to stand by either, not when it was Crystal’s brother in danger.”

“Basically,” she said. “Otherwise I’d have let the fascists kill each other and stayed out of it.”

“Good girl,” Keiko chirped. “I never did thank you for stepping in like that, and I’m sorry for being out of touch these last few weeks. Yessina had me busy with something, and then there’s the reason I’m calling now.”

“I have several new scars to show for it,” Ashe said, her eye trailing down to her sleeve that hid the stitches. “I’m taking it easy right now, just getting things in order for the future.”

A heavy sigh crackled across the phone. “Hate to be a downer right now, but Robbie missed his last two check ins with me. He called it a precaution for as long as he remained in Jericho, and even said he’d send me a final message once he was settled. I’ve gotten nothing.”

Ice water ran down Ashe’s spine, dread settling into her stomach. “What about his boyfriend? Have you heard from him?”

“Not a damn thing,” Keiko said. “I just left their place and the lights were out and nobody answered.” There was now an undercurrent of desperation to her voice. “I would like to think that Alejandro wouldn’t screw him over like that, but I’m getting worried.”

Ashe grimaced, pulling out her personal phone and sending a message to Crystal. She was out with Jason right now, serving as an unobtrusive escort at her father’s request. She was also supposed to pry a bit and see what the Senator might know about the attempt on the kid’s life. Ashe even gave her permission to reveal that she had overheard them talking about killing him. He probably already knew though, given her parents agreed that was too important to hide and would justify her killing the men.

It seemed the mess wasn’t quite over.

“I’ll have my girls keep their ears open,” Ashe said. “Crystal and I will poke around the Tangled Web and see what we can learn. Keep your head down, and if you feel you aren’t safe, come to the apartments, go there, knock on one oh one. Tell them Ashe sent you.”

“Hey!” Brie squawked. “Don’t go sending all your rejects my way!”

Ashe gave her a pointed glare. “She’s one of the people that helped rescue you. I think a little hospitality wouldn’t be much to ask in that situation.”

Brie took a breath, pausing as she did, then let it out in a huff. “Okay, that’s fair.”

Nodding, Ashe turned her focus back onto the call. “Stay safe out there, and keep in touch.”

“I will,” Keiko said, then, after a pause, “thanks. I wasn’t sure if you would listen given I’m basically Yessina’s observer. I probably wouldn’t have in your shoes.”

Ashe huffed, rolling her eyes. “Just because we had a disagreement doesn’t mean that I’m going to turn my back on you. I’m not that petty or callous, not yet at least.”

“Lucky for me that you aren’t jaded,” Keiko said, laughing mirthlessly. “You’ll get there, someday.” A beat of silence followed before she continued, her voice much softer. Ashe would almost call it vulnerable if Keiko wouldn’t punch her for the slight. “Like, I’m hoping that he just took the money and ran, but I’d like closure either way.”

“I get that,” Ashe said, reading the message that arrived. “Crystal just dropped her brother off and is on her way. We’ll get started on that asap.”

“Good luck,” Keiko said, then hung up.

Sighing, Ashe set her phone aside, looking up to the ceiling. She had a complicated relationship with luck, having run into so many bad situations, yet coming out relatively intact all things considered. Worst good luck ever was starting to apply to her, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

Something told her she was going to need it.