>>5996483"Thanks for agreeing to meet with us," Claire says, unable to keep anxiety out of her voice.
"I was curious," the young woman says. "You and your gang have escalated in notoriety at an impressive pace. I wanted to meet the woman responsible. Claire, is it?"
Claire stammers and looks away, embarassed. "Oh, no, I just keep the books, do a little intel work ... it's not a big deal. Angela's the leader, not me."
Angela looks at the woman with a wry smile, like: you see what I have to deal with?
"I see," the woman says. "In any case, my curiosity is not the only reason I agreed to meet with you. Let's hear this arrangement you wanted to talk about."
"R-right." Claire clears her throat and straightens her posture. "We want to hit the Ura-Yakuza. But not just with brute force. Directed. We need informants. Guys who know things in finance and real estate. Squealers in suits, you know the type. You can get us intel on who we should be targeting, along with where and when we can find them. Oh, and um, we were hoping to get your assistance on a little side thing. Someone we're trying to help out."
"Not an unreasonable request." The woman surveys Claire with a cool gaze for a few moments. "And what do I get in return for all this?"
"We're hitting your biggest rivals in the city," Angela says. "Practically winning your little civil war for you."
"Think of it as an efficient investment," Claire adds. "What do you say? Can we do business?"
The woman looks out to sea, where the reflection of the moon hangs suspended in the dark water. "Something big is coming," she says. "Something bigger even than your ongoing clash with the Syndicate. You were all just a warm-up for the main set. When that time comes ... my intuition tells me that you're the ones I want on my side." She looks back to Angela and Claire, an even stare as she sizes them up. "Yes, we can do business."
"Great." The relief is evident in Claire's voice.
"One more thing," Angela says. "I'm curious, too. Is it true what they say? About you and the Patriot?"
The woman smiles, a polite smile that hides her real face. "That was a long time ago. Well, I suppose it was only a year ago, now, but it feels like another lifetime. Yes, I was ... associated with him, last year during that whole affair. Quite an adventure."
"The way I remember hearing it, the Bratva and Triads put their war on hold, all to go up against one man," Angela says. "And they failed. Seems like you know when to back a dark horse."
"Seems I do." The woman turns and walks back to her car. A man in a suit opens the rear door for her, but before she steps inside, she pauses. "Oh, and send me the details about that favor you wanted. I know just the person for the job."
