Page 39 of The Fall

“The execution though,” Lusa added.

Kerr nodded, scooping up her shot. “We had nothing to lose. The Chargers have always been Tyton’s waste. Even when the city was running, they only let us tap into power because we were cheaper than drones. It’s the other gangs that control supply lines, trafficking, extortion…”

“And you want to control that?” Lusa interrupted.

Kerr shook her head. “No. We just want to be left alone, right? Model 2 would have guaranteed enough defences to keep it that way. Now, I have no idea what’s going to happen. Chalice fucked me over again.”

An eyebrow raised.

“What?” Kerr didn’t need her judgment.

“Again?”

A weight shoved her down, like her strength amplifier gave out. Lusa wasn’t wrong, but what else was she going to do? You don’t just leave a gang. And Chalice was content to keep her in her orbit just enough to punish her for sins she didn’t own.

“Sorry.” Lusa leaned back against the unevenly stuffed booth. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s fine.” Kerr said. If she was being honest, this was probably the closest thing to a real conversation she’d had in years. Something beyond my place or yours. How fucked up was it that only yesterday, she wanted to kill her? “We were together at one time. For far too long. It’s not like she was ever faithful, but it got worse after.”

Lusa’s eyes widened. “You stayed with her after she cheated?”

“My autotherapist says she’s the cause of my trust issues.” Giving a snide grin, Kerr downed another shot before continuing.

She took a deep breath. “Piston sent my mum on a pickup. Lydia, her mum, wanted to go. We all thought it strange because she hadn’t recovered from her Chem addiction, hadn’t done the initiation, but my mum thought giving her a purpose would do her good, yeah?”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t?” Lusa sat up straighter.

“It was not.” Kerr clacked the shot glass against the table to make the point. “Lydia betrayed their position to the Styx, who had been supplying her Chem canisters. It was my mum who took her down. No-one walked away from that.”

“Then how do you know what happened?” Lusa asked.

“Opti footage recovered from the bodies.” She tapped her temple. “Piston took me in after that. Probably felt guilty, but Chalice changed. I think she took it out on me because she couldn’t take it out on my mum.” Kerr looked away, her vision blurring. “Even though it was her mum that betrayed mine.”

“So, your girlfriend’s mom betrayed your mom for Chem, then her dad took you in while she took it out on you.” Lusa summarised. “But you still work with her?” Lusa said, incredulous.

“That’s how things are here.” Kerr downed the shot. “You work with the people you have.”

Lusa leaned her head against her fingers. “I guess that makes sense.”

Kerr stood with finality. “We should call it a night.”

Lusa nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then. Same place?”

“What? No, you’re staying with me.” Kerr held on to the table so she didn’t fall. “Unless you have a better idea.”

Lusa looked stunned and the way her lips left a tiny space where they creased was doing things to her. If she had one more shot, she’d do something she’d regret later. Another something, actually. They should go now while she still had some dignity.

Not that she had much left.

“Are you…?” Lusa let the question hang, but Kerr’s brain was too fuzzy to know where it was leading. Lusa would have to spell it out. “…trying to hook up with me?”

“No!” Kerr said, a little too quickly. The alcohol shovelled the rest of the words out of her mouth before she could process them. “You need to stay somewhere and we’re both going to the same place in the morning.” Kerr was pretty sure that made sense.

Lusa’s face didn’t seem to think so. Her hand moved to her knife belt.

“I promise, I won’t kill you.” Kerr threw her hands out. “If I wanted to, I would have done it already. There’s lots of people here who would help me dispose of you after.”

“After you kissed me, you mean?” Lusa’s eyebrow rose very high.