That same morningMillionaires’ Row
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“I see, yes, all that makes sense… Get out.”
The woman who’d introduced herself as Pamela was sitting at a table with Nader Schasschule when she delivered her point-blank reply.
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“No, uh, miss? This isn’t your house, you know,” said Rail, a kid with a scarred-up face.
Behind Rail, another child—Czeslaw Meyer—was watching Nader and Pamela closely.
They were currently in the Genoard family’s second residence, the house Jacuzzi’s group was using as their base of operations.
Jacuzzi and the other delinquents were still asleep, so Rail had smuggled Czes, Nader, and Pamela into a basement that was being used as a storeroom.
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The previous night, Nader had noticed Pamela behaving suspiciously during the casino party, so he had struck up a conversation with her. He’d hoped to form an alliance, but just then, Leeza and Chané had attacked.
Rail and Czes had rescued him just in time, and all four of them had fled.
The smoke screen they’d used in the process had caused a traffic accident. A truck had tipped over, and an enormous grizzly had escaped…but none of them knew about that yet.
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Czes and Rail had been avoiding questions about themselves. All they’d told the two adults was that they were fighting against “all those birds, aka Leeza.”
Something about that statement seemed to have relieved Nader. He’d relaxed noticeably, and then, in fits and starts, he’d begun to tell them about himself.
Not that he’d done so voluntarily. It was more that Czes, Rail, and Pamela had kept asking questions and pried it out of him.
When they heard that Leeza and Chané were after him because he’d sold Huey out way back when, everything seemed to make sense to Rail and Czes. After that, they’d lost interest. However…
Although she was only here because she’d been dragged into this mess, Pamela apparently felt more of a connection to Nader than the children did. She kept up her questions until he’d told her everything from the time he’d left his small town up to the present.
Then, once she’d heard all of it, she’d drawn a deep breath and told him to get out.
Giving the silent Nader a sidelong glance, Pamela turned to Rail. “You’re right; I’m sorry if that came out wrong. I didn’t mean he should leave the house. I mean, if you tell me to go, I’ll get out, too…but that good-for-nothing needs to get out of town.”
That was even harsher than running him out of the house, but Nader couldn’t argue with her.
He did say something, though. “Listen…ma’am. You said your name was Pamela?”
“Yes.”
“So you know Sonia.”
“…Yes.”
Sonia was Nader’s childhood friend, a girl raised in an odd family that worshipped guns.
He’d understood that Pamela was an acquaintance of hers, but he didn’t know any of the details. She’d only told him that they traveled together.
“Tell me about yourself. Then I’ll talk.”
Nader had fulfilled his end of the bargain, but he hadn’t heard anything about Pamela and Sonia’s relationship yet.
“Well, uh…since you know her, I bet you don’t want her meeting me.”
“…You’ve got that right.”
“Is it because I’m the scum of the earth?”
“I wouldn’t say you’re the worst in the world. From what you said, it sounds like you’ve clawed your way out of that situation, so… At best, you’re a small-time crook.”
As he’d related his life story, Nader had become filled with self-loathing. He’d recognized his own depravity many times before, but personally talking about his life had forced him to see that he really had wasted his life.
“You’re not going to argue that?”
“Well…no. If you’re Sonia’s friend, you wouldn’t want her meeting a small-time crook like me. I get that.”
“No matter what sort of lowlife you are, I can’t throw stones. I’m a small-timer myself: I went from breaking casinos to committing petty robberies, and I can’t claim I’ve been a good influence on Sonia. In fact, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to punch me.”
Pamela gave a brief self-deprecating smile. Then, across the table from Nader, her expression turned serious. “But if you’re still… If you’re going to keep on being a small-time crook, then I’m sorry, but I don’t want Sonia seeing you. If it were anybody else, I wouldn’t care. But, Nader Schasschule…as long as you’re a crook, you’re the last person I want her to see.”
“……”
“The thing is, she believes in you. She believes that whatever danger she’s in, you’re the hero who’ll come and save her. She thinks you’ll come galloping back into her life on a white horse… Actually, just for my own curiosity, is that all Sonia projecting her hopes onto you? Or was it…?”
Nader shook his head. “No, it’s not just her. I really did…say that to her. To Sonia.”
Tears at his own wretchedness threatened to spill over, but he went on. He told her about a promise he probably wouldn’t even have remembered when he was Huey’s underling.
“I told her I’d be a hero.”