Crack in the Kill Code (AmpCore #2)

47 - Well, if it Isn't More Bad News

"What do you mean she's dead?" Nevay blurted, leaping over to glare daggers at her subordinate.

"I mean dead, boss!" Targe shrugged helplessly. "Look." He extended a hand to show her the data pad he was holding.

Nevay snatched it away from him, eyes wide.

"Who's Scay?" Holly murmured quietly into Kirk's ear.

"She is – was – a Saw," he replied, not taking his eyes off of Nevay as he spoke. "Flesh cutter out on the Saw Cliffs."

"A good one?"

"One of the best, apparently."

Holly sucked a breath through her teeth uneasily. "Then someone did a very stupid thing. Saw Cliffs are a fat crypt vault for a lot of corporations."

"Yeah, didn't need the fucking inside track to know that," Nevay snarled, shooting her an angry glance and twisting the data pad so they could all see.

Kirk's eyes bulged when he took in the screen cap. It was Scay alright, very, very deliberately displayed so that everyone would be in no doubt. And 'displayed' really was the word. Her battered body was hanging from one of the Saw Cliffs' many bridges by a thick loop of industrial chain, with something that looked like a railroad spike protruding from her sternum, and a metal board affixed to it.

He read the words on it, and his stomach sank liked it had been filled with rocks. "Oh, fuckin' Evergrind. Nevay, tell me you didn't..."

"Of course I didn't!" she exploded before he could finish. "How stupid do you actually think I am, Kirk? I know who's tugging her puppet strings. Besides, I've been chasing your dumb ass all over the city. You think I have time to be putting out hits?"

"Then what is this?" He pointed to the screen.

CUTTER LIVES. TAKE A GOOD LOOK.

"Someone who wants the whole world to think I gutted that creepy bitch."

Nevay slapped the data pad back into Targe's hand, her biological eye blazing with anger, the other whirring. One hand strangled the grip of her knife as she started pacing back and forth, nervous energy churning off of her.

"Well, who?" Doser grunted. "You got more enemies I don't know about?"

"No-one who'd be dumb enough to try this."

"It must've been him." Kirk's eyes lit up in realisation and he looked at Holly. "Your friend from across the water? Scay was sending him people like Treysi for the butcher's block, and keeping it quiet."

"Then why kill her?" Holly shook her head. "All that's going to do is piss off the corps."

"And send them after us!" He pointed at the data pad. "He must know Scay talked. So he has her killed, and pins it on Nevay. Two-for-one – he gets rid of a snitch and sets the fucking corps onto our tail instead of his."

"Clever fuckin' snake," Nevay hissed. "And if they go digging, they'll see we were at the Saw Cliffs. Cameras somewhere will put us there. All stitched up nice n' tight."

Holly pinched the bridge of her nose between finger than thumb. "Shit."

"Hell, Nev, as soon as the corps figure that it's us, they'll be coming," Targe said. "We gotta wrap shit up and bug out of this place."

She opened her mouth to reply, but a deep, muffled boom cut her off. The plating beneath Kirk's feet vibrated for a moment, and he swallowed hard, looking up and around nervously.