The SongBird's Love

#4 Bounty

Eden's blood went cold in half a second. The Italian was looking for her? Ghost already had several bounties on her head, but the price had just been raised again! Was it because of the last job? She had worked for the Italian before, but in the last job, she had worked against him. Was he pissed? Eden's heart was going crazy with conjectures. If the Italian was looking for her, she wouldn't be able to step north again. No, maybe she was just paranoid. He had no way to know who she was, for now...

"When did he put that bounty up?" She asked.

"Oh, not a bounty, an offer," said Loir, staring at his painted toes. "It did specify he wants you alive, and he's willing to pay two million just for any piece of info. Maybe you should sell yourself if you need money..."

"Very funny, Loir."

"I know what I'd do with that much money..."

Eden reacted immediately. She took out the little knife hidden in her sleeve and pointed it towards Loir's head. He squinted at the blade.

"You better f*****g keep your mouth closed shut, Loir. I could rat you out too."

He chuckled and stuck out his tongue, revealing the large piercing on it.

"Don't worry, Eden... I sell secrets. People pay me for secrets. ...but a friend's secret? Now that costs a looooot of money, little mouse..."

Eden lowered her weapon a little bit. Loir was a very strange character, but he had more to lose if they were found out, from what she knew. His bounty was much higher than hers, and Loir had one on each of his fake names. He was working with dangerous people behind all those screens. Moreover, he had never stepped out of this basement since she had met him there four years ago. None of the other residents even had any idea there was someone here; they all thought it was locked by the previous tenant.

She eventually put her weapon back, and he smiled even more.

"...Fine. But do you know what the Tiger's got after me?"

"Who knows? You probably pissed off the wrong Kitty, meow meow... He does send out some minions to retrieve some things for him sometimes. Maybe he's trying to get rid of the competition or... get it at all."

Eden frowned. She didn't like this at all. Having someone on her tail, one of the mafia lords at that? She'd much rather be left alone. At least, her identity was still concealed for now. No one, except for Loir, could connect Ghost to her. She sighed, crossing her arms with a sour expression. Maybe it wasn't a good idea if she returned to the Dark Web so soon after all. She had never seen the guy, but she knew enough rumors about the Italian Tiger. He was not someone she could afford to piss off, and if he was looking for Ghost, he probably wouldn't back down anytime soon. He was known as one of the most dangerous of the Mafia Lords. They all were, but the Italian had his own fame. She was cautious by nature, but he was probably on top of the list of the people she didn't want to be associated with. Of all the different Mafias reigning in the suburbs, the Italian one was the one she hated the most...

Eden clenched her fist without thinking, her memories taking over. She'd never work for that kind of scum again if only she was given a choice...

"Oh..."

Loir was watching one of the screens displaying video surveillance. Eden frowned and moved on his other side to look at it too.

"The Eagles..." she whispered.

Those were men of the Mexican mafia indeed. Once again, their faces were covered by Luchadores or eagle masks, but it made it even more obvious. Those men were ruthless, even towards those supposedly under their protection… Eden recognized the narrow street behind their building. She squinted, trying to see what they were doing. It looked like they were shooting at something and laughing.

"You know if we really come down from monkeys," said Loir. "Those guys are proof that some people came down faster than others..."

"Loir, open the back door for me, please."

He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Our Kitty is going out? Why?"

"That's where the dog is."

"You'll be in danger, though..."

"Open the damn door!"

He raised his finger and pushed a button on the keyboard.

Somewhere further in the darkness, a door opened. Eden took a deep breath. She didn't have her mask with her; she couldn't afford to stay outside for more than a couple of minutes. Eden ran there, prepared for anything. She wasn't one to intervene in those kinds of things, but she just couldn't ignore it.

Every morning, she saw that dog in the back alley. It was a female, a big one, probably a mix of several breeds, with short hair. She wouldn't let the humans approach her, but she stayed around as the locals fed her. Eden liked that dog. It was rare to see animals around as they usually died young, from hunger or whatever disease they'd catch, being in the polluted streets all day. Most of the locals didn't have the means to care for a pet, but they still tried to look out for those living in their area if they could. Eden knew that dog sometimes slept in their building or the neighboring ones when someone let her in.

That door put her in another back street. Eden had to climb up some stairs and walked a few steps to get into the right one, but she could already hear them sniggering.

"Come on!"

She heard another shot and the dog growling. That was definitely the female. Eden got as close as she could, staying close to the wall and careful. She could smell the cheap beer, but it was clear those three were drunk even without that. Only three men? She hesitated. She had nothing to cover her appearance if they saw her. Plus, it was her building. They could find her any time...

"That bastard is still alive!"

She shivered. What were they doing? She slid a bit closer to take a look.

The dog was cornered in the dead-end street, growling furiously. However, she wasn't standing, but in a strange position, her front paws hidden, her back legs up, as if to play. However, there was obviously no play here. Because her fur was so light, a cream beige, Eden could see all the blood. Her anger rose up in an instant. They had really injured her!

There was glass everywhere on the floor, and from the large foamy puddles, they had probably broken many bottles of beer on the asphalt. Eden clenched her fist a bit more. She just couldn't sit still.

"Hey, leave it alone, cabrónes."

The three men turned around. They were young, from what Eden could see of their eyes. However, with that kind of guy, young meant stupid and reckless.

"Look at that little b***h showing up," chuckled one of them. "Playing hero? Is that your dog?"

Eden stood still, not answering. She wasn't moving, but her eyes were counting. They each had a gun. Two were referenced weapons, one was an older model. The last one was the most dangerous. No matter how fast she was, Eden knew she couldn't outrun a bullet. She glanced behind them. The dog looked about to collapse. She wanted to go there, but she wouldn't be able to go without walking between those three idiots.

"Isn't she rather pretty," said one of them. "You got a name, lovely? Want to come with us?"

"My name is f**k you," Eden retorted. "Go play elsewhere."

"Feisty, feisty... Should I fill your head with lead, b***h?"

Eden tilted her head. She wasn't really impressed. Those kinds of insults and threats were a weekly thing for someone living in that area. Especially a young woman. She was one of the very few who could walk alone in the streets.

Seeing that she didn't respond to a gun pointed at her, the men frowned. They could tell when something was off, and a girl unafraid of a weapon surely seemed like it.

"Should I zap them?" Suddenly chuckled a voice in her ear.

"I told you to stop zapping people," she retorted.

Loir's voice in her ear giggled. She frowned. Actually, she had told him to stop hacking into her SIN as well. Of course, he wouldn't listen. Suddenly, one of the men behind them who carried one of the modern guns twitched uncontrollably. One of the others asked him what was wrong in Spanish, but the guy seemed lost. His arms twitched again as if they had just gotten an electric shock.

Eden ignored them and walked towards them, aiming to go check the dog. As she reached them, one of the guys reacted.

"Hey, b***h! Where do you think you're..."

Eden had learned one thing about street fights: whoever attacks first has the higher chances to survive. She flipped her body at the last second and sent a high kick into his face, her favorite move. The guy flew towards the other side, his face smashing the brick wall with a horrible sound. His two friends reacted immediately, lifting their guns and swearing in Spanish again.

She was ready, though. She jumped to the side, grabbed the other gun by its cannon, and pushed it out of her way. The shot fired and hit somewhere on the asphalt behind her. At this point, the other guy had his gun pointed right at her, half an inch away from her face. Eden turned her hazel eyes towards him, just in time to hear him chuckle.

"Die, b-"

Before he finished his sentence, his eyes rolled over, and he fell down on his knees unconscious. Eden grimaced, even if she was a little grateful. She really hated when Loir did that... The only guy remaining, whose weapon she was still holding, went livid.

"You're a hacker..." he gasped.

He wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either. He probably didn't know how it worked, and hence he had no way to know Eden had a partner, but she wasn't going to explain. She took his weapon forcefully and turned it against him.

"S-sorry," he said. "I... I'll go..."

"Yeah. As if you bastards let anyone go."

Eden shot.

She had aimed for his stomach, and the guy fell to the side, pure shock on his face. He probably didn't expect she'd shoot for real. She wasn't going to let anyone who had seen her face and her skills leave alive.

"...Loir?"

"Ding-dong. They are dead, dead and re-dead."

She looked, but indeed the marks on their necks had gone purple or black, a sign their SINs had just gone off forever. She sighed. Eden didn't like killing by any means. However, she just knew all too well what an unforgiving world it was for those who trusted the wrong people.

Pushing her blonde hair back, she walked past the bodies to go to the dog. The poor female was still growling, cautious of Eden, but she didn't have the energy to attack anyway. When Eden got closer, she began whining.

"It's okay... It's okay..."

As she got to caress her for the first time, Eden felt her heart sink. From the injuries, she knew that dog wasn't going to survive. Her front paws were sliced open, the bones showing. Eden's soles were getting tainted by all the blood underneath. She sighed and crouched down. The dog barked again faintly, but Eden wasn't scared anyway. She frowned, looking at the dog's belly.

"You... you had babies?"

She had noticed the female had gotten fatter lately, but she hadn't realized the dog was actually pregnant.

"Eden!"

She turned her head. At the other end of the street, a young Hispanic man was standing, out of breath and looking horrified. His sleeveless t-shirt was showing off his musculature and sweat. Eden frowned. She really didn't need him to show up now.

"Madre de Dios, what the heck did you do!" He said, walking towards her, careful not to trip over the bodies.

"They were torturing her."

"The dog? Eden, you just killed those men! What are you going to do if they send more here!"

She ignored him, looking back towards the mama dog.

"Lito, I think the dog's nursing. Did she have her babies yet?"

"What...?"

He stared at her baffled, and his eyes fell on the dog. At a time like this, she was asking about the dog? He hesitated, glancing down at the stray. He grabbed the cross on his chest, but he had a sour face while checking her overall state.

"Yeah, maybe... Anyway, what happened? What are we going to do about... this?"

"Don't worry, nobody will know."

"Nobody? Eden, we have three f*****g bodies here!"

"Shut up, Lito. Or are you going to shout that even louder, so all the neighbors hear it? Anyway, weren't you ignoring me? Why are you talking so much now?"

He made a sour face, but it was true. They hadn't actually talked in ages. Although Lito and Eden lived in the same building, he had been avoiding her on purpose lately.

"I heard the gunshots... I was worried it was you."

"Well, it was," she replied, very calmly.

Eden kept caressing the dog, but she was looking around. He realized she was looking for the puppies. He sighed.

"She must have hidden them. Eden, they're probably dead. Let's go back inside..."

"You go back inside," she retorted. "I'll look."

She got up and started rummaging through the mess of that back alley; Lito was frowning. Sometimes he couldn't understand Eden. She was risking her life by being out there so long, and for what? To look for some dogs who were probably dead already!

Yet Eden was stubborn like that. He watched her look into every nook and cranny of that trashy spot. She wasn't afraid to turn over some trash bags, check under the dumpsters, or inside some empty boxes. Lito sighed and began looking around too. The faster they found those dogs, the faster they'd be back inside.

"Here!" She suddenly exclaimed. She was somewhat crouched down, and half her body pushed between two large piles of trash, but behind them, she had found the puppies. She stepped back, carrying two of them, one in each hand. They were whining and wriggling around in her hands.

"Is there more?"

"No... the others weren't moving or breathing," she said.

Lito sighed and nodded. Those two were the lucky ones. One was dark brown, with a large white spot around his snout, and the other was brindle. They were quite ugly, in his opinion. They were probably a mix of pitbull and something else, a large breed. Eden put them down next to their mom, and they began suckling right away. The mom was lying on her flank, without much strength left. Eden sighed and patted her head gently.

"Alright... Let's go back inside now."

"You go back," she said. "I'll stay until they are done eating."

"What for?" He asked, annoyed.

"I can't leave them alone."

"Eden, you..."

"f*****g stop telling me what to do, Lito. Isn't that why you stopped talking to me in the first place? If you don't like what I'm doing, you leave me alone. Don't patronize me or tell me what to do."

"I didn't... Eden, this is a different matter. You're going to get sick out here!"

As an answer, Eden glared back at him.

"...Do you want me to zap him, Kitty?" Chuckled a voice in her ear.

Eden ignored Loir and kept caressing the dogs. Behind her, Lito sighed, putting his hands on his hips, at a loss what to do.

"Fine, I did say I don't like you working there, okay? I still don't! It's not a good place! You're selling your body, Eden!"

"So what?" She retorted, annoyed. "Are you going to pay my bills, perhaps? My mother’s? We don't all have the luck you have, Lito. Yes, I work as a hostess, I'm a Part, and everything else. It's true, and I didn't want to lie to you about it. If you don't like it, I don't care. Now go back inside. I don't want to ruin a future doctor's lungs."

"Eden, I just..."

His words got stuck in his throat. It was useless, anyway. What could he have said? That she would have agreed to listen to? Lito sighed and walked back inside, leaving her outside with the dogs and the bodies. Eden heard him leave, but she didn't look at him. She kept petting the dog until it really didn't move anymore. Then she grabbed the puppies as it looked like they were done eating and walked back inside.

As she returned to the basement, Loir was waiting for her, and his eyes lit up.

"Puppies!" He exclaimed.

However, Eden fell back on her rear, sitting down, her head spinning a bit. It had been a little while since she had been out for so long without a mask. She put the puppies down on her legs and began coughing.

"You overdid it, Kitty..."

Eden glared at him, but she was too busy coughing to retort with something. Suddenly, Loir extended her a large mask. She recognized it. It wasn't just a mask; it was one of those very expensive oxygen converters. She glanced at him, surprised. This thing cost millions!

He smiled.

"Are you going to take it or not?" He asked.

Eden grabbed it, put it on her face, and began inhaling deeply.