“What I need done is something simple and easy...” Reese paused, his steely eyes glinting under the dim light of the bar. “But it will require you to get your hands a bit messy. Let’s just say there is someone I need to take care of... Here, this is where you’ll be heading.” He slid a crumpled piece of paper across the table, the address barely legible but ominous, nonetheless.

  I could see why Max disliked Reese. He was being curt and vague, carefully protecting the details of the job like a secret map to buried treasure. No information about who needed to be handled or what had led us to this point. It boiled down to a straightforward task—go to this place, do the job, and only then would answers be revealed.

  “Look, I’m not sending you on a suicide mission. Just do the gig, and I'll spill everything you want to know about Graves,” he added, his tone laced with an unsettling mix of urgency and confidence.

  With a heavy sigh, I left the shadowy confines of the bar, my mind racing as I mounted my motorcycle. The engine roared to life, its rumble echoing into the cool night air as I sped toward the location Reese had provided. The further I drove, the more the city morphed into a chaotic blend of flickering neon lights and shadowy corners, until I found myself in a dimly lit back alley on Jig-Jig Street.

  As I dismounted and approached the designated spot, the atmosphere shifted, thickening with tension. My instincts were on high alert, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Two figures emerged from the shadows, watching my every move, their postures tense and wary.

  “Excuse me! Are you the person that Reese sent?” one of them called out, stepping forward, his voice gravelly and edged with suspicion.

  “That depends. What exactly are you doing here?” I replied, crossing my arms and steadying my gaze on them, ready for whatever was about to unfold.

  One of them brandished out a gun, “It’s nothing personal miss.”

  In a split second, I cartwheel kicked the gun in the air, with the two men confused by what happened I pulled out my gun that was kept in my leg holster and fired two shots, one hitting one in the head while the other hit them in the knee keeping them alive so I could get some answers.

  “Talk!”

  The man was in pain from the gunshot, “You shot my knee!”

  “Trust me, I can make this a whole lot worse—talk!”

  “Argh! I don’t know what you want from me!” His voice trembled, desperation lacing his words.

  “Does the name Graves ring a bell?” I pressed, leaning closer, my gaze unwavering.

  “No! We were hired by someone who promised us a good number of eddies.” His eyes darted around as if searching for an escape that wasn’t there.

  “Who?” I demanded.

  “I don’t know! They contacted us over holo.”

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  “What about their face? Did you see what they looked like?”

  “Their face was encrypted! I couldn’t see anything.” Panic edged his voice, sweat beading on his forehead.

  “Then what about their voice? What did they sound like?”

  He yelled out in agony, “They used a voice mod! Oh, my fucking knee!”

  “Here’s a bit of advice for you: next time you point a gun at someone, make sure the safety’s off. And find yourself some honest work.” My words hung in the air, heavy with irony.

  “Honest work? Are you kidding?” he scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “You’re better off homeless than working for one of those soulless megacorp fucks.”

  I tossed him a Max Doc, the small vial glinting in the dim light. “That should help with the pain,” I said.

  Leaving the man on his own I got back on my motorcycle and called Reese after all Reese needed to explain himself.

  “That was quick.”

  I cut him off mid-sentence, “What are you playing at?”

  Reese looked confused, “What are you talking about? I asked you to handle a small problem for me that was all.”

  “And is this small problem of yours in the form of two men who were unemployed?”

  A smug grin was on his face, “As a matter of fact yes it was. Those two had a pretty large amount debt that needed paid but of course this is Night City, and no one ever pays back their debts. You've done a good job for me Eva, come back to Afterlife and I’ll tell you what you want to know about Graves.”

  Reese ended the call once he finished talking, there was something about him that suggested that he was lying but I couldn't pinpoint why.

  Back at Afterlife, I spotted him in the same seat, the one he'd claimed as his own long ago.

  “Ah, Eva, would you like a drink?” he asked, his voice smooth yet heavy with an underlying tension.

  I shook my head, the weight of frustration pressing down on me. “Just tell me what you know already. I've had enough of this shit.”

  “Fair enough...” Reese replied, taking a slow sip from his glass, the amber liquid swirling as he set it down. He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “...Nothing.”

  I stared at him, incredulous. “What do you mean nothing? You better know something!”

  “All I know is that he served in the military for a few years, did a tour or two, and that’s it, I’m afraid,” he said, his gaze slipping away as if the burden of information was too heavy to bear.

  Anger began to bubble up inside me, hot and raw. “So not only dif I do all of that for nothing! But you’ve also wasted my time!” I shot back, my voice rising in pitch.

  “Look, if you really want to know more about Graves, then go ask your boyfriend! After all, he’s the one who actually met him,” Reese challenged, his tone carrying an edge of irritation.

  Before I could respond, my phone buzzed urgently in my pocket, jolting me out of the heated moment. I pulled it out, seeing my sister’s name flash across the screen.

  “Eva! Come quick, it’s Max,” Michelle’s frantic voice echoed from the other end, laden with panic and urgency.

  “He can look after himself,” I replied.

  “Eva, please! I think he’s dying. He’s missing an eye, and I don’t think they have much time left!” Her words hit me like a cold wave.

  I stayed on the line as I swiftly left Afterlife. “Where are you?” I demanded,

  “Outside the GIM. We're taking them to my place. You know where I live, right?” she said, her voice trembling.

  “Of course, I know where you live. I’ll be there soon,” I assured her,

  I ended the call and mounted my motorcycle, the engine roaring to life beneath me as I tore off into the night, each turn bringing me closer to the chaos awaiting at my sister’s door.