Chapter 54

Chapter 54

I left Regina after a few minutes of back and forth about the gig.

I finally had her number as well! So there! I was officially a better than average merc with two fixers hiring me!

But I refocused, because it was time.

I drove the car over to Lizzies, parking in the lot and heading to the front. Thankfully Rita was there and I waved her down. Hey Rita. Can we talk for a minute?

She blinked but nodded without any preamble. Bett, take over for me. She called out to one of the other bouncers as she waved me in.

She took me to the admin room right off the entrance, the same one that Nox had been brought to when he was beat up.

Whats up Motoko. You okay?

Actually yeah I took what you said and I no sorry, but thats not what I needed... So Im gonna be honest. You ever heard of a piece of shit called Jotaro Shobo. The Devil of Kabuki?

Ritas plastic face went from kind and understanding to murderous in an instant. Yeah. She growled a bit. Is he threatening you? Do-

Not exactly. Well I mean he did. But when he realized I worked with the Kamikaze a bit? He backed off I winced a bit and Ritas obvious discomfort at my reveal. Im not actually a member though. I just worked with them because my brother Jun is in the Kamikaze He joined to kill Maelstrom they killed his choom Im just looking out for him to make sure he doesnt go psycho And Im rambling. I quickly threw my hands up to try and move on from that topic.

Rita. I just took a gig to murder Jotaro. I know where he is, and I dont need help. I quickly filled her in. But having an alibi for where I was while it happens would be extremely useful Im gonna take him out tonight, so do you mind if I stick around, make sure everyone sees me here, and help make sure no one notices me leaving for an hour or so later tonight?

Rita looked at me a little dumbstruck.

Motoko The Devil isnt someone you can just

He is just a guy Rita, and I know where he is. He hides in his club all day every day from what I can gather. Trying to lay low, its why so few people know where he is. Ill go in and out, no one will even know I was there if I do my job right. I just need an extra alibi just in case My brother is Tyger Claw and if they catch on that I killed Jotaro they might cause some problems.

I was breathing in ready to get another big breath when Ritas hands grabbed my shoulders.

I dont like the idea of you going after that monster alone But of course well help you. The Mox have a particular bone to pick with that monster.

Great! So I just need to be seen hanging around for a few hours until dark.

I know the perfect thing. She said suddenly smiling and I suddenly wasnt.

I have a bad feeling about this.

--

Welcome to Lizzies. Dont touch anyone, if you like the looks of a girl please check our catalog. I repeated for the umpteenth time.

Yeah. Rita had with an amused smile actually convinced me the best way to make sure everyone knew where I was?

Work the front desk.

It wasnt really hard. I mean, greeting people, walking them through the catalog if they were somehow tech illiterate. Boom. Job done.

I didnt even have to deal with the eddies, another girl Mara did that.

You know as much as I hated the whole retail job, working the front desk of basically a strip club was actually pretty interesting.

The Mox put up with zero shit, and everyone coming in knew it. If you were the type to get drunk, or back talk? Rita threw them out on the street. If they were drunk Rita threw them out on the street.

Rita handled many a problem at Lizzies. But it meant everyone was very polite until they got into the back and started scrolling their BDs and then it wasnt like they were interacting or bothering anyone.

Here Motoko! I finally found it. Mara called out, she had been going into the back of the little reception area over and over to find something.

I glanced over and instantly burst into laughter.

Mara I am not wearing that.

Aww cmon its a Mox jacket, and itll fit!

Mara it says Fuck to live, Kill to Fuck.

Yeah! The Mox words!

Denied. I answered crossing my arms in an X in front of me.

Aww. The girl was a bit of a weird one, nice. But weird. I almost wanted to ask if she had some mental issues. The way she talked had a really slow pace to it, and it seemed to take her a while to do some tasks

But she was a sweetheart, so I wasnt going to make a fuss.

I waited. He was angry. Not paying attention to anything outside the window. He was a man lost in his own thoughts.

I shifted, just a tiny amount as I moved out from the shadows crossing the roof above him without a sound.

He didnt see me.

I walked along the edge of the roof until I was directly above him.

He didnt hear me.

I drew a knife not my usual blade, but it would do.

I fell. Right outside his window was a row of AC units. With them, and the concrete windowsill I landed without any fear of something breaking and making noise.

He didnt speak.

A knife stuck in your throat tended to silence the screams.

I held him. One arm around the back of his head holding his body towards me so he couldnt fall away from me. Our eyes met.

Even if mine were hidden behind the dust mask. I wondered if he could see the crimson of my irises. I wondered if he would remember. The look in these same eyes when he threatened me.

Made me realize what a monster he was.

So I held him. As his body slowly crumpled.

*750 XP Gained.*

*Ninjutsu skill level up!*

Huh. Hadnt seen an upgrade in that in a while. Level 8 Ninjutsu. I shook my head away from the dump of very detailed almost situational pieces of the skill.

I wasnt done.

Regina didnt just want him gone. She wanted a message to be sent to the Tyger Claws.

She had a few ideas of ways to make his death messy enough. I had vetoed most of them, but had agreed to do the job with a knife she had supplied. Apparently it would have meaning to the TC.

The other was to make sure it couldnt be hidden away.

It was unfortunate I wasnt about to record this as a BD. I would have loved to spread around the sight of his eyes going dim as he bled out to the families of the many people this man tortured to death.

But this would have to do.

I left the knife in his throat, and then grabbed him around the collar of his stupid white suit.

It wasnt white anymore.

Then I hip checked the body over the edge of the window.

Once that was done. The loud splat of a falling body echoing around I was moving climbing back up onto the roof thanks to the many easy to find handholds, and I was gone.

Back across the rooftops no one saw me even if the commotion started growing louder behind me.

--

Rita was waiting for me on the roof. From the way she was fidgeting and pacing. I would have expected to see her chain smoking through a pack. But she wasnt smoking. Just pacing like a caged lion.

I landed onto the roof without more than a scuffed noise against the roof.

Hey Rita. I called out gently, making sure I was far enough away not to startle her.

Wha Motoko. Youre back.

I nodded glad for once I was able to approach someone without scaring the fuck out of them.

I started peeling off the borrowed clothes, letting Rita take them and put them into a plastic bag that would be burned just to ensure there were no traces.

With that I dressed back in my own clothes and only when Rita checked me over for any blood stains did she give me the okay.

We headed back down, the bag was given to another Mox to burn and I was back out at the front desk for another few hours.

Alibi complete.

Gig done.