Leo seed much younger than Jackie, yet he was far more difficult to handle. More importantly, he didn't buy into Dexter's promises.
What Dexter didn't realize was that, compared to the "big bosses" Leo had dealt with in his past life, Dexter's skills at dangling an enticing future paycheck fell far short. Besides, once soone got burned a few tis, no matter how gullible they used to be, they'd stop falling for the sa tricks.
Leo's thinking was simple:
Never mind this so-called "big job" for now. If you want us to head into Maelstrom's den and retrieve that thing for you, fine. But you'd better pay us according to the going rate.
After so deliberation, Dexter agreed. Compared to the lucrative deal on the horizon, this hiring fee was nothing. Plus, if T-Bug's assessnt was correct, Leo's team was the perfect partner for that larger gig.
"In that case, I'll treat it as an investnt. Sure—bring that drone, and I'll pay you the market price."
Both sides ended up satisfied with the arrangent. After driving a loop, the car returned to the spot where they'd started.
Right before Leo got out, Dexter spoke with sober earnestness.
"Mr. Leo, if you pull this off, we'll not only be rolling in eddies, but we'll forge a lasting friendship. Trust —it won't be a bad deal for you. Contact when you've got the drone."
…
When Leo returned to Misty's Esoterica, Jackie and Lucy were already there. Seeing Leo co back eased the tension in Lucy's face.
"See?" Jackie said to her. "I told you it was just a business chat—nothing to worry about."
Then he turned to Leo. "So how about it? Did that big guy offer a fat payday?"
Leo sat on a chair, took the water Misty handed him, and thanked her. "Nope. He didn't share any details."
He recounted all that Dexter had said in the car.
"Damn! That big guy is way too cautious. I figured if he called you in, he'd lay everything out."
Leo didn't bla Dexter for being cautious, though he couldn't say he liked how the man kept so much to himself.
"It's our first ti dealing with Dexter. Sure, T-Bug knows him, but he doesn't really know us—and we're not that close to T-Bug, either."
They'd only worked with T-Bug a few tis. To be honest, she was a puzzle. High-minded folks might describe her style as "unconventional but perfectly at ho in Night City," while plain talkers would say, "She's just not a people person." She never t Leo's team in person, always handling things over the phone. Even during ops, she worked remotely. They hadn't seen her face even once, so calling it a "close friendship" would've been an overstatent.
Jackie nodded. "Makes sense. So do we just head for Maelstrom's base and grab the drone for Dexter?"
Leo shook his head. "Not so fast. Dexter made it sound easy, but snatching the drone won't be simple. I've heard of Royce—he's as dirty as they co."
"For a few small-ti eddies, he'd butcher the golden goose. If we waltz in there expecting to pay once and walk out with the drone, we're dreaming."
Jackie scowled. "Shit! So Dexter probably realized that, which is why he's sending us. These guys are all rotten to the core."
"What do we do, then?" Jackie asked. "If worst cos to worst, we could sneak in and steal the drone."
Leo waved a hand. "Not that easy. Royce may be scum, but he's not stupid. He knows how valuable that drone is—he'd keep it sowhere heavily guarded."
Jackie scratched his head in frustration. Every idea seed like a dead end. Was the mission a lost cause?
Lucy, who had remained quiet, suddenly spoke. "Didn't you say Dexter ntioned a corporate woman also going after Maelstrom? Maybe we can use her."
Jackie's eyes lit up. He smacked his right fist into his left palm. "Yeah! We don't have to march into that hornet's nest ourselves. Let the corpo types pave the way."
They discussed the plan further. Not long after, V arrived at Misty's Esoterica in a Delamain taxi. Having hashed out the details, the four of them decided to check out Jackie's new car first, then contact that corporate woman who had a grudge against Maelstrom.
Jackie's new ride was parked outside on the street. As they approached, they saw so shady-looking guy smoking right in front of it, like he was either picking a fight or trying to figure sothing out.
"The hell's this punk?" Jackie's expression darkened instantly.
He'd only picked up this nearly new, secondhand car last night. It might not have been fresh off the assembly line, but its previous owner had barely driven it, so it was practically mint. Jackie had spent a hefty chunk of his hard-earned eddies on it. Now so rando was loitering by his car, smoking a cigarette so close it could scorch the paint. No way he was going to let that slide.
"Hey, chombatta, what's your deal?!"
The stranger jolted like he'd just woken from a trance. He flicked his cigarette butt aside and hurried off, looking guilty.
"Asshole!" Jackie glared after him until he vanished into the crowd. Then Jackie rushed over to check if the jerk had burned any marks into his precious car.
anwhile, Leo stared after the stranger, seeming thoughtful as he watched him fade into the throng.
"Good thing all he did was smoke," Jackie muttered. "Otherwise, I'd have made him swallow that butt."
Satisfied that his car was unhard, Jackie turned to see Leo's distant expression. "Leo?"
Leo finally looked away from the crowd. "It's nothing. That guy felt…well, never mind. Maybe I'm just overthinking it."
He glanced at Jackie's new ride. "You never said you'd get a sports car."
"What else would I buy? I can't cart Misty around in an old piece of junk, can I? It's about style. I want to show her I'm willing—and able—to give her a good life. She won't regret choosing ."
"Alright, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. You'll choke all us single folks to death."
Jackie snorted. "Single folks? You think I don't know what's up? I'm not just so athead, ya know."
He shot a quick sidelong glance at V and Lucy, then snapped his gaze forward before they noticed. "Anyway," he said, throwing his arms wide in a theatrical pose like a ga-show host unveiling a prize, "go ahead, shower with praise."
"It looks pretty sweet. Must've cost you a ton of eddies, though."
"You're off the mark."
"Oh?"
Jackie cleared his throat, a mysterious grin creeping across his face. "Sure, it might look like I forked over a stack of eddies, but that money didn't really vanish—it just changed how it's keeping company."
Leo stared at him in mock disbelief. "Whoa! Where'd you pick that line up?"
"A friend told it ca from so wise old man in a far-off land."
"You nailed it. Don't ever say it again."
Most sports cars had only two seats, but Jackie's coupe had front and back rows. It could seat five comfortably—or six or seven if they really squeezed in.
Jackie took the driver's seat, Leo settled into the front passenger spot, and Lucy and V climbed in the back. The coupe roared to life and eased onto the road, rging into traffic toward the industrial zone in Northside.
Leo dialed the number Dexter had provided for redith Stout, Militech's senior operations manager. A mont later, the call connected, and a woman's face appeared on his tactical goggles.
"This is Stout," she said tersely. Not one wasted word—classic corporate style. Seeing no point in pleasantries, Leo got straight to the point as well. "I hear you're looking for sothing. Maybe we can talk."
"Stuff a rag in his mouth and throw him in the trunk!" redith barked, not at Leo but at soone else near her. It looked like she was out in so deserted area, definitely not in a bustling corporate tower.
"So you have it already?" she asked.
"I don't."
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