Mateo opened the bag, staring at the glimmering stacks of gold bulls. "What am I gonna do with all of this?"
"Whatever you want, kid. Get a residence in any Haven you want. Buy one of those brand-new floaters. Get you a girlfriend and spoil her. See the world. Start your own business. Whatever you wanna do."
Mateo zipped up the bag and slipped it in his pocket, dropping his eyes. "And what if I want to stay here for a while?"
Cash clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you can do that too, kid. We'll be partners."
"Partners?"
"Yeah."
Mateo grinned. "It's a deal." He paused, turning to Jinx. "Hey — does getting your record expunged mean your bounty is canceled?"
She shook her head. "No. Still got that ax hanging over my head until I figure out a way to get from under it."
Cash looked her direction with a devilish smile. "I've actually been thinking about that."
"You been thinking, Cash? Did it hurt?"
"You're a comedian. Seriously, I think there's a way we can solve your little problem. In fact, the Cat's been on a course to the Everglades ever since we left Los Nuevos."
"What? You said we were going to Texas." She took a defensive step backward. "What are you trying to pull?"
"Relax, Jinx. I count you as one of the crew, and you still don't trust me?"
"Is that a trick question?"
"Okay, fair enough. But you gotta take a leap of faith sometimes. Now, are you gonna take me at my word or not?"
She stared at him, eyes narrowed. Finally, she nodded. "Fine. This one time. What do you have in mind?"
He folded his arms, grinning. "Simple. We turn you in for the bounty."
"Say what?"
The meeting place in the Everglades was the Pinelands section, less swampy than the lower areas. But it was still sweltering, the humidity nearly unbearable. The pinelands were dark and tangled, vines hanging from the trees like webbing. The woods and grasslands were ancient, possessing an arcane atmosphere as if harboring ancient secrets.
Cash wiped sweat from his brow for the hundredth time, peering into the darkness of the surrounding woods. "Can't think of a more miserable place for an exchange than this. We stick around much longer and we'll be bad breath on a crocodile. Wonder why in the world they'd want to meet here."
Jinx shifted, uncomfortable with her wrists being cuffed again. "We're not far from the Florida coast."
"Yeah, so what?"
"So the way to New Haven is somewhere off the coastline."
"How would you know that?"
"Because I've been there, jevo."
He paused, staring at her. "You've been to New Haven?"
She sighed. "How do you think I got the bounty on my head? Of course I've been there."
"But… how? No one knows where it is. And no one who goes there ever comes back."
"That's just what they say. You can get in and get out — if you know the right people. But the way there is a big secret. I was put to sleep, and when I woke up, I was inside New Haven. No idea how far I traveled or how long the trip took."
"Damn. That's wild."
"Yeah, it was wild, all right. Worst mistake I ever made."
Cash took another look around. "Well, looks like this was a waste of time. We did our part, but Ms. Kelly Crimson decided to pull a no-show. Maybe they revoked the bounty or something and it hasn't hit the system yet."
"Yeah. Like I'd be so lucky."
Happy buzzed in over the com. "I'm tracking movement."
He scanned the foliage. "Where?"
"Everywhere."
Figures silently emerged from the woods, covered in hooded camouflage parkas and carrying firearms and bladed weapons. All of them were women. Cash knew them by reputation only. Wildcats, the deadly soldiers of the Gutter Girl organization led by the mysterious Selene. They formed a circle around him, weapons ready.
Kelly Crimson pulled her hood back, exposing her fiery mane of tousled hair. Her eyes flicked from him to Jinx and back again.
"You can tell your sniper to stand down. The boy as well. They've been marked and will be killed if they don't comply."
"You heard the lady," Cash said. He grinned at Kelly as Happy dropped down from a nearby pine tree and Mateo emerged from a thicket a few yards away. "Just a precaution. Have to be careful when you're doing business in the middle of the swamp, after all. Still don't know why we couldn't have done this in a nice restaurant or any other place with air conditioning."
She answered with a flat stare.
Cash shrugged. "All right. Business, then. You wanted Jinx la Fox alive. Well, here she is." He shoved her forward.
Jinx staggered, glaring at Kelly. "I won't let you take me. I'm never going back to New Haven. I can't."
Kelly raised a wry eyebrow. "You're not in a position to make demands. Selene has been waiting a long time to get a face-to-face with you, Jinx la Fox. So to New Haven you go." She motioned to the other Wildcats. "Take her."
Jinx span around as they closed in. "No. You'll never take me alive!"
Cash stepped forward. "What's she doing? Someone stop her!"
"From what?"
Foam bubbled from Jinx's lips. Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, falling to the swampy ground in a convulsing heap.
"She had something in her mouth. A poison pill." Cash dropped down, cradling her head in his hands. "Damn it — don't do this. I haven't been paid yet!"
But it was useless. Jinx went limp in his arms. He gently laid her on the ground, making sure to open her hood so her hair wouldn't get dirty. She'd hate that.
Kelly looked down, looking surprisingly dismayed. "Check her."
One of the Wildcats knelt, felt for a pulse and scanned the body with a handheld device. Looking up, she shook her head.
Kelly sighed. "Pity. Selene was looking forward to making her an offer to join us. This will be hard to explain."
Cash looked up in surprise. "Wait a minute. Selene put the bounty out to make Jinx an offer? I thought she wanted her dead."
Kelly pulled her hood over her head. "Originally, the bounty was posted in rage. But once Selene calmed down, she realized someone like Jinx would be a valuable asset to our organization. We have many spies and soldiers, but few with the skills of Jinx la Fox. Since she's impossible to contact, the bounty was the only way to bring her in. I'm sorry things had to end this way. I have to report to Selene and take responsibility for this tragedy."
She reached into her parka, and pulling out five gold bullion cards, handed them to Cash. "This will cover the cost of a proper burial and the rest for your efforts. Take care of her. Farewell, Nimrod."
He accepted the payment with a frown. "This is a lot less than the bounty you promised."
"The bounty was to bring her in alive. You should have searched her better. That's your fault. Be grateful we're paying you anything at all." She turned, making a distinct motion with her hand. Immediately the Wildcats lowered their weapons and strode away, vanishing into the gloom of the woods.
Happy stepped forward, hand raised. “Wait.”
Kelly paused at the edge of the tree line. “You have a question, assassin?”
“Can you take me to New Haven? I can pay. Whatever the cost.”
Kelly regarded her with an assessing gaze. “I can take you to New Haven. But I’m afraid it would be a waste of time for you.”
“What do you mean? I have business there.”
“You have people you mean to kill there. Your agenda is known to us, Happy. But as I said, your quest is futile. The ones you seek are already dead.”
A series of emotions flashed across Happy’s face. Disbelief. Anger. But mostly she looked stunned at the news. “No. The intel I got was good. You don’t know who I’m looking for.”
“Our organization knows New Haven intimately. Particularly its residents and visitors. And yes, even when the Haven is infiltrated by HSSC operatives. Three of your former comrades came to New Haven. Franklin Newman, Mike Trudo, and Natalie Whitman. None of them left alive. New Haven is an unforgiving place, even more so to spies and assassins employed by the government. We can still take you with us if you wish. But you will not find solace in your mission there. You can thank the Troubleshooter for that.”