“Meaning if you screw up, it won’t just be terrorists or the mafia you’re dealing with. You’ll have an enemy in one of the most important people in the U.S. Maybe the country itself will be against you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
His enemy was the nation.
He was struck by the feeling that he’d reverted to being one of Huey’s terrorists, but then something occurred to him:
His situation had been a lot more hopeful then.
Right now, he had no allies who could back him up with brute force.
If he made trouble, he’d end up fighting America all by himself.
MeanwhileAt the Beriam residence
“Pamela never did come home, huh?”
As she cleaned her guns, Sonia looked out the window.
Lana shrugged, busy tidying up the room. “I swear, staying out all night… Must be nice to be her! I bet she drank the night away at a bar somewhere!” She sounded disgusted, but behind her glasses, her eyes were vaguely uneasy.
After all, Pamela had gone to the casino at Ra’s Lance to cheat. Lana believed in her skills, but if someone had managed to catch her at it, she could easily be on the bottom of the East River.
Sonia seemed to have picked up on her worry. She smiled innocently, although she didn’t stop working. “It’s okay, Lana. I’m sure Pamela’s just fine.”
“…Why?”
“Because Nader’s bound to save her.”
“Haaah… Nader again? You think he’d save Pamela when she was just passing through? How convenient is this hero, huh? If he’s saving everybody in the world, he’ll never get a break.”
It’s about time Sonia quit relying on Nader, Lana thought. From what the girl had said, she could only assume that her brain was running on autopilot. However, Sonia’s next words quickly contradicted that assumption.
“Right, so I’m going to do my best, too.”
“Huh?”
“If Nader’s a hero now, he’s probably got it rough. He’s nice, so I bet he’s trying to save all sorts of people. He won’t have any time to rest.”
With a smile that suited her innocent assertion, Sonia held her deadly, perfectly maintained rifle. “So I’ll help him, you see?” she murmured, more to herself than to Lana. “I’ll help lots and lots!”
Her final remark sounded a bit wistful.
✦ ✦ ✦
“And then…I hope Nader tells me I did good.”
MeanwhileMillionaires’ Row
“…It sounds like you two are in a pretty complicated situation.”
Czeslaw Meyer had stuck to watching at first, but now that Pamela and Nader had fallen silent, he spoke. “And? What are you going to do now?”
Czeslaw maintained his innocent child act as he probed the pair, trying to learn what their next move would be. Privately, he was thinking like an immortal who’d lived more than two centuries.
This is getting strange. Who’d have thought that train would be connected to this as well…
Who does Senator Beriam intend to have this girl Sonia shoot? What should I do? Should I pass this information on to Maiza and Firo?
No, it won’t necessarily help us rescue Ennis. It might just muddy the waters. Maybe I’ll watch and wait a little while longer…
Keeping his calculations to himself, Czes observed the pair.
“…Right. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask. Where are we? Whose house is this? Unless my mind’s playing tricks on me, I’m pretty sure we’re smack in the middle of Millionaires’ Row…”
“It’s a second home that belongs to the Genoard family; they’re rich. Due to circumstances I won’t get into now, Rail is apparently mooching off them.”
“Mooching? Aw, come on… Well, I guess you’re not wrong.” Rail shrugged.
Nader’s eyebrows drew together. “Genoard? Genoard… As in Eve Genoard?”
“Oh, that’s right. You said you were Miss Genoard’s proxy gambler, didn’t you? That’s another odd coincidence… For now, are you sure you don’t need to contact Miss Eve?”
“…Maybe I should. Still, if this is the Genoards’ second residence, mind if I stay here as well?” Nader looked around. He probably wanted a base where he could hide from Leeza and Chané.
Czes shook his head regretfully. “Just so you know, Chané comes here, too, sometimes.”
“Wha…?!”
“Chané is friends with the delinquents who are staying here.”
Which is why I’d really rather not stay here too long myself… The face of a red-haired man rose in Czes’s mind. Mgh… I’ll head back to Alveare as soon as I can.
He’d told Firo that Rail had invited him to stay over, so he’d be spending the night with Jacuzzi and the others. Firo had agreed readily, apparently deciding there was safety in numbers.
That said, the Martillo Family was keeping an eye on this house as well. Slipping out and smuggling Nader and Pamela back in hadn’t been easy.
Hearing Chané’s name had clearly rattled Nader, and his eyes darted around nervously. “I—I see… I’ll get myself back to the lodging house somehow, then. I’ll have to disguise myself so Leeza won’t find me…”
“Unless you put a lot of effort into that disguise, Leeza will see right through it. I’d be careful,” Rail commented.
Nader flinched, but he took false whiskers, glasses, and cotton wadding out of his jacket and started to plan his costume.
✦ ✦ ✦
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Agh?!”
A shriek escaped Nader.
Then the individual outside the door spoke, and with a surge of relief, he realized the voice was male.
“Heya. How’s it going? Are Nader and Pamela awake?”
“Oh, Shaft. It’s okay; you can come in,” Czes called.
The door opened, and a man Nader recognized stuck his head in.
The man’s name was Shaft, and he was a friend of Graham Specter, Ladd’s sworn brother. He’d also helped Nader and Pamela escape under cover of that smoke screen earlier.
“It’s you, huh…?”
From what he’d heard, when they reached the mansion, the guy had distracted Czes’s friends who were on guard duty and then headed straight home.
“Yes, Nader. Glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Y-yeah. I’m not doing so great mentally, though.”
“Well, that’s not good. If your nerves are already shot, you won’t last to the evening.”
“?”
That was an odd thing to say. Nader cocked his head, perplexed, and the other man quickly clarified.
“Graham and Ladd are calling. So, um…my condolences.”
“Wh-why…?”
“Who knows? There’s no telling what goes on in their minds. Oh, but there’s one thing I can tell you.”
Gazing at Nader with pity in his eyes, Shaft said something intended to give him a little peace of mind.
“If you’re with those two, they’ll probably beat back both Chané and Leeza for you, whether you ask them to or not.”
Shaft nodded confidently. Then, averting his eyes, he added one more unnecessary comment.