Ashe was growing nervous, it had been days since the meeting with Alejandro, and nothing had come of it. No targets sent, not even a message, just another crate of gear delivered. She now had five sets of high quality armor that were undamaged, and one set that had two bullet hits to the weave. The damage was minor, but she had that suit set aside as a last resort.
Crystal had passed the message to Silver Cross, and for the moment it seemed that war might be averted. Ashe knew she wouldn’t remain lucky, that tensions would eventually boil over and the fighting would start. The real question would be who sparked the first exchange of the coming war. Worse, Ashe wondered if she could spark the conflict herself, and blame another party for the attack in a way that was actually plausible and left her largely out of it.
With each day that didn’t see combat, that idea was growing more enticing. She shouldn’t be thinking about a gang war like that, but to her, it was an opportunity. Ashe needed the others to disregard her, and Alejandro had seen that coming, putting her firmly into a position that meant she couldn’t just ignore him without making an obvious enemy of the man.
Make no mistake, Ashe knew the man was her enemy, but that didn’t mean they needed to come to blows. No, they had use for one another, and so they entered into a chess game that would see them fighting for a superior position like many past enemies fighting the same foe. Ashe knew she was being treated as a pawn, much as she longed to be a queen so she could hit her enemies head on. No, she was more akin to a bishop, and that meant coming from unexpected angles.
One such angle was tipping off Silver Cross, trusting the old bastard enough to play the part she needed him to, if only out of self-interest. That was the thing she was learning about being manipulated, sometimes it really was the best option going forward, to play the part the other party needed of you, so long as you were also getting what you want out of it.
Ashe knew she couldn’t draw Alejandro into conflict with Yessina, the woman was rather skilled at deflecting things onto others, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hit them from other directions. Which was why she was at her parent’s home, having dinner with them for the first time in days.
She didn’t spend much time at home anymore, and while no conversation had ever brought it up, everyone knew she was moving in with Crystal. Her growing list of injuries were a concern, which was why she still came home every few nights for dinner and rest. Each time she left, a bit more of her belongings left with her. She was moving out in pieces, bit by bit.
Nothing illegal was left in her room, having been moved out in the months before, back when she and Crystal were still getting to know one another. Before Ashe had become a hardened killer, before she established what was quickly becoming a new gang. A gang that still had no name.
Well, a name would come in time, and it wasn’t like Ashe was in any hurry to make a name for her growing group and thus get a bigger target put on their back. As much as she worried about the short term, there was the summer to consider, when she wouldn’t be available to fight if her people needed her.
That was part of why she was visiting her parents.
“So, you heard from my surgeon?” Ashe asked, passing the fried potatoes to her mom.
Mother nodded, cutting into her steak. “They got your medical records from the recent injuries and they don’t think your surgery date needs to be pushed back.”
Ashe let out the most relieved sigh she ever had, because for everything she feared, losing that surgery date would have been the death of her. It’s why she considered the criminal track so risky, she wasn’t just risking her life by being in danger, she would also die if caught, because Ashe would kill herself if she lost the ability to get her surgery and finally rid herself of the pest that she was born with.
She refused to go to a men’s prison.
“That’s good. I’ll just have to hope life doesn’t keep throwing bullets in my direction before the surgeon takes their own swing at me.”
Because, it seemed to be sharing those in abundance with her at the moment.
Her mom didn’t laugh at that, and neither did her mother for that matter. It wasn’t really all that funny, as the truth often tended to be. Joking about one’s mortality, or something dark, was just human nature at times. She’d often heard her parents do it after a particularly gruesome crime scene. Her mom had even joked about how someone shot out of a car because they weren’t wearing a seat belt. She joked because he somehow wound up impaled up the ass on a tree branch. It was less humorous when you learned he was still alive and conscious when she arrived on the scene.
He didn’t survive.
“Please don’t joke about that,” Mother said. “I know it’s a coping mechanism, but you’ve had two close calls in less than four months. It’s rare, but there is always the chance you might die on the operating table.”
Ashe paused, a bite of food halfway to her mouth.
“We aren’t trying to talk you out of it,” her mom hastily added, having caught on to her worry. “Just be aware of the risks. We both know you need this surgery, which is why we’re stressing caution.”
Ashe could only nod, chewing on her food as she did. She still didn’t quite understand why she jumped into a life of crime so willingly, especially with the stakes so high. The surgery was covered by her parent’s insurance, and only because the company the police went through rolled out a national policy of non-discrimination.
The day she got her surgery date after clearing all the hoops was still one of the happiest moments of her life. If there was anything that might see her reconsidering her current course in life, it was that.
“I’m not going to go looking for trouble,” Ashe promised, and she meant it. The problem was, trouble was looking for her, and getting it to look elsewhere was the problem. Hence, attacking from a sideways direction. “I heard they’ve already crowned Jessica prom queen, even though we’re still a few days off.”
Mother paused for a moment, eyes focused on the distant wall and set in a frown. “She’s the one that went missing three months ago, right?”
It hadn’t felt like three months, but Ashe supposed it had been. “Yeah. Apparently they’re doing it as a memorial thing, since the odds are so against her.”
“Not an incorrect assumption,” her mother said. “You’re still planning to attend with Crystal?”
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“Gotta take advantage of the loophole that lets me bring a girl to prom,” Ashe said with a grin.
Her suit was actually hanging in her closet in her bedroom just down the hall. She hadn’t even attempted to argue against her parents on that one, she wanted them to have the full experience of getting to take pictures and have their fun. She might have become a massive disappointment, even if they weren’t aware of it, but she refused to deprive them of that much.
“I do find it interesting that they’re doing that for her,” Mom said. “I imagine many of the girls aren’t happy about that.”
Now was her chance. “Apparently it was Rachel’s idea.”
Not a complete lie, she’d apparently made the comment to some of the others and said it would be good publicity for the school, and enough people ran with it that they had a good chance of getting it approved. She didn’t mention it to Ashe because she wasn’t sure how she might take it given that Jessica was alive and well, and living in her apartment building.
Ashe simply saw it as an opportunity.
“Rachel?” Mother said. “Wasn’t she the one that came in and reported Jessica had been kidnapped when everyone else insisted she ran away?”
“She came to me too,” Ashe said. “Thought the assailants were Viuda.”
“Didn’t that theory get dismissed after what we found in the burned out pawn shop?” Mom asked with a frown. “I know they were trafficking people there, but it seemed to be a small gang, not any larger group.”
“Small groups don’t get to be independent,” Ashe said softly. “Not in this city.”
The table was silent for a moment, both of her parents were eyeing her warily.
“Ashe?” her mother asked softly. “Is there something you need to tell us?”
This was it, her gambit. She’d be dragging her parents into her life of crime, even inadvertently, but Alejandro knew who she was, he could expose her at his leisure. She needed to take risks if she was going to survive the coming weeks.
“I may have heard something,” she said hesitantly, looking from her mom, to her mother. “That pawn shop fire, the girls that were there, were rescued.”
“And where…” her mom hesitated, her eyes suggesting she already knew the answer. “… did you hear that?”
Not that Ashe would ever even hint at what she got up to when she went to work. It was too dangerous to help that idea along, even by accident. They might suspect, but if it was ever confirmed, they wouldn’t be able to look the other way and keep pretending. Her parents would do something to try and help her, so she needed a veiled excuse.
“Rachel passed it along,” Ashe said, hoping they didn’t ask too many questions and force deeper lies from her, “that Jessica might have been among them.”
She could have given that tip anonymously, but that risked it never being acted upon. She’d dropped a few tips already, just to see what was and wasn’t acted upon. She expected the Patriot stuff to be ignored, but the Viuda weren’t investigated either. Only the insane would send cops into Alejandro’s territory, his people tended to shoot at their vehicles without hesitation.
She needed the Viuda drawn into the mess that was brewing, she needed all her potential enemies in hot water and focused on one another. So, she was going to use the one tool she left untapped.
“Why ask you to tell us rather than come to the station?” Mother asked.
Ashe sighed. “Because Jessica turned eighteen recently, and recent experiences have her not trusting many people. Apparently Rachel trusted you, but doesn’t trust the rest of the department, and doesn’t want to risk being recognized there so long after Jessica vanished. She wants to know if you would be willing to meet with her, off the record.”
“Weren’t both of these girls some of your bullies?” Mom asked with some concern. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?”
“I asked the same thing,” Ashe said. “Rachel still tells me off in the halls, but she’s also warned me in private about some of the others’ plans.”
“She’s playing both sides,” her mom said with narrowed eyes.
“I hardly count as a side, Mom,” Ashe said, returning a calculating look. “I need all the help I can get out there if I want to make it to my surgery date. If you’re that unsure, I can go with you as backup.”
Mother blinked, jaw hanging slightly open. “Ashe, you nearly died a month ago! You can’t be suggesting that we rely on you if someone starts shooting.”
“I can handle myself,” Ashe said with confidence.
They had both seen what she could do when the bullets started to fly. She just hoped they never got a first hand demonstration, because odds were that if it came to that, they would be on opposite sides. Her parents were having one of their silent conversations while she worked on finishing her meal, and it took some deliberation, but they came to an agreement, all without saying a word.
“We’ll agree to meet them,” her mother said. “We’ll choose the location.”
Ashe nodded. “That’s fine. Want me to give Rachel a call right now, or pass it along tomorrow at school?”
“Let’s get this over with,” Mom said, pinching her nose. “I don’t want to spend days stressing over this.”
Scrolling through her phone, she found Rachel’s number and sent a quick text, just the number three, which denoted yes, but with conditions. Ashe waited just long enough for Rachel to have time to see it, then hit the call button. She picked up on the fourth ring.
“Ashe?”
“Rachel,” Ashe said, projecting annoyance, which came far too easily. All she had to do was remember her sneering face spitting insults her way. “I spoke with my parents about what you said.”
“We want assurances,” her mom cut in, taking over. “First thing, is Jessica with you?”
There wasn’t an answer at first, but Ashe knew that Rachel was spending the night with her former classmate. Ashe wasn’t sure if there was something between them or not, but she also found it difficult to care if there was. They were business associates at this point, not friends. She wasn’t sure if that would ever change, they had too much history.
“I am,” came the timid reply. Jessica’s confidence was returning, but she still shied away from some things. “I heard you tried to help when others wouldn’t.”
“I told you they did,” Rachel said with a hissed whisper that implied it probably wasn’t meant to be heard, though it clearly was. At least Ashe hoped it was, because if one of them slipped with their infosec, she was screwed. Just because Crystal was there feeding them prompts wouldn’t save her from a slip of the tongue. “What else do you want?”
“You could just tell us now,” Mother said. “Though we would still need to confirm that you are indeed Jessica and not someone playing at being her.”
“I would be willing to meet somewhere, but I have changed my look extensively,” Jessica said.
“You cut and dyed your hair, big deal,” Rachel cut in. “Your face isn’t all that different unless you contour.”
An irritated huff could be heard, and Ashe imagined her eyes rolling at the byplay. She didn’t dare actually roll them, of course.
“Would Markson’s Bar and Grill work?” her mother said. “It’s fairly private and not in any known gang territory.”
Ashe had to bite her tongue on that one, because it was very much in her territory now, if barely. Ashe was also hesitant to call it a territory. The bar was on the outskirts of Sutton, nearly bordering Halsey so it still saw some decent business despite falling on hard times. They weren’t paying protection, because Ashe was directly investing in their business instead. All they had to do was provide some legal payouts in the future to a shell company for those continued investments.
“That works for us,” Rachel said.
In short, they were going to meet up at one of her own money laundering fronts.
Ashe wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that.