The Haven Hotel

New Friends and Broken Noses

"I thought you were in Central." Shady says when I walk into the bar at three in the morning. I only realize now, after being in the club in Central, that this place holds the faint odor of vomit and bleach.

"I was." I sit down between Shady and Anton, facing Derrick, whose nose is covered in bandages and whose face is turned to the side of the room as if there's something more interesting over there; he doesn't want to talk to me. 

"The people who shot me are in Central as well." I don't mention that they're actually staying in East because that they have access to Central is the important part. The reaction is confused; they weren't expecting anything to do with actual danger. Derrick finally turns to me, realizing that this conversation got serious very quickly.

"What?" Ironically Anton is the one who breaks the silence.

"The people who did this to me," I point at the space where my arm used to be, "they're in the Haven."

"How do you know?" Derrick's voice is more subdued now and his tone more tentative. It occurs to me that this is the first time I've seen him sober.

"I saw two of them." 

"How many are there?" Shady asks.

"Six. There could be more outside of the Haven."

"Why didn't you tell the people in Central?" Derrick is a full participant in the conversation now.

"Someone had to let them in. There's no way they found this place on their own." I glance around and lean in closer while lowering my voice. "I think it has something to do with the BO's."

Shady smirks and shakes her head. "I don't do conspiracy theories, hey."

"It's not a fucking conspiracy theory." I was expecting that exact response but it still annoys me; I've been thinking about these connections for a while and I don't want my conclusions to be dismissed so quickly. "There's a reason those people left me alone out there and it's not a coincidence that those cunts who shot me are here now."

"So what do we do about the BO's then?" Derrick asks, with the same skeptical tone as Shady. "Do we start a civil war? Fuck the Haven up?"

"No, we go after the people who aren't supposed to be here. It can't be all the BO's who tried to get me killed, like you guys told me, one of them has already been exiled, so that means they'll get the others once we've gotten these guys."

"And we're just gonna walk into Central and get them?" Derrick shakes his head. "That's not how shit works."

"Then how should it work? What have people done before in situations like this? I don't know, and you don't either because this shit has never happened." I tap a finger on my thigh while I talk to punctuate every few words. "This shit is gonna work the way we make it work, and either we get them or we wait for them to get Nadia."

Derrick shakes his head and leans back. "I'm too sober for this shit."

"You know I'm right." I look around at the other two; Shady is staring at the wall in contemplation and Anton's eyes are trained solidly on the ground. "You can keep acting like what I'm saying is ridiculous but you know it's true."

"Do you have a plan?" Shady asks.

"Not right now, no." In fact, my plan was to come here and let my only friends know what was going on so they could help me do something real.

"Then what are you expecting to happen right now?" 

"I don't know, I'd just rather not handle it on my own. The last time I tried that it didn't work out very well." I point at my left side and feel terrible for doing so; it's a blatant guilt trip and I thought I was above that, but this has to be done. I need to get them on my side and if I have to emotionally manipulate them, so be it.