Not only had Leo received a large payment, but he had also been promised that no matter when or where, if he ever ran into trouble, Gustavo and the Valentinos would rush to help without hesitation.
After saying goodbye to Gustavo and the Valentinos, everyone went their separate ways. Since Johnny had nowhere to go, Leo brought him back to his own place.
"So this is your place? Looks like you're living pretty well, though compared to my old home, it's still missing a little something."
"Shut up, Johnny."
"Look at you, can't even take a little comment. The youth of today are so soft! Forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you anyway. I'm going to play on the computer."
Johnny scurried away on his mechanical legs, already well accustomed to the small robot body he was using. He climbed up to the computer, powered it on, then pulled out a cable and plugged himself in, letting him directly access cyberspace, way faster than typing on a keyboard.
Seeing Johnny entertained on his own, Leo didn't bother with him. He went to enjoy a long, hot shower, then ordered some takeout. He didn't want to think about anything, didn't want to do anything—just lay on the sofa watching Tom and Jerry until he drifted off to sleep.
He had no idea how much time had passed when the morning sun woke him. Leo stretched, got up from the sofa, turned off the TV, brushed his teeth, washed his face, showered again, then put on his tactical goggles, ready to head to El Coyote Cojo to meet up with Jackie and the others.
But just then, he finally noticed the missed calls from last night. Every single one was from Judy. His heart tightened as he immediately called her back.
The phone only rang a few times before it was picked up.
"Leo, thank God, you finally called back."
"Hey, Judy, what's going on? You okay?"
"No, I'm really not okay... Evelyn... she's missing."
Inside the VIP room at Lizzie's Bar, Judy turned off the holographic dancer on the table and switched on the lights, instantly brightening up the dim room.
"Come in. Want anything to drink?"
Leo, V, Lucy, and Jackie walked into the room. Johnny had wanted to come too, but Leo had told him to stay back at the apartment.
"No need."
"Alright." Judy closed the door, shutting out the noise and chaos of the dance floor outside. She nervously lit a cigarette and sat on the couch, then suddenly seemed to remember something. She looked up at Leo and stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray.
"Sorry, I forgot you hate the smell of smoke."
"It's fine. I understand... I didn't know you smoked."
"I used to. Quit a long time ago." Judy's body trembled slightly, though the room had no air conditioning running.
"Judy, on the phone you said Evelyn's missing. Does that mean you saw her recently?"
Judy nodded. V, Jackie, and Lucy exchanged surprised glances—they could all see the shock on each other's faces. After the Konpeki disaster, they'd tried to contact Evelyn, but her phone never connected. Leo had assumed she'd gone into hiding back then. But judging from Judy's reaction, it wasn't that simple.
"Evy stayed at Lizzie's for two days, and then..."
"And then where did she go?!"
Among the group, the one with the most intense feelings about Evelyn was Jackie. She had given them this job; they were all tied to the same rope. But when things went south, Evelyn vanished, not answering calls—not as murderous as Dexter, sure, but it was still a kind of betrayal. No wonder Jackie was so fired up.
"I don't know! And with that attitude of yours, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!"
Judy didn't know all the details about the gig, but it was obvious Leo's crew had gone through hell. Still, with Jackie looking ready to tear someone apart, Judy couldn't help but worry what he might do to Evelyn.
"Jackie, go get a drink at the bar, on me. Leave the rest to me." Leo gestured and gave him a look. Jackie realized he'd gotten a bit too worked up, nodded, and left the room.
Once he was gone, Leo turned to Judy. "Don't take it to heart. He wouldn't really hurt Evelyn. It's just that job nearly killed us—hope you understand."
"I... I understand."
"Back to the point. Evelyn stayed at Lizzie's for two days. Then where did she go? Why didn't she keep hiding here?"
Judy shook her head. "I don't know. She didn't say anything... but she looked really off."
"What do you mean, off?"
"She was scared—I could tell. Even though she kept telling me it was fine, I'm not an idiot or blind."
"Scared of Arasaka?"
"Not Arasaka. Or... not just Arasaka."
Leo frowned, an uneasy suspicion forming in his mind. Lucy asked, "Leo, you've thought of something, haven't you?"
"I suspect Evelyn getting us to steal the relic at Konpeki... she was probably working for someone else."
Judy's eyes widened. "You're saying... Evy went back to Clouds to hide from those people?"
"Something like that. Clouds? That dollhouse in Japantown, right?"
Judy nodded.
"But now you're saying she's missing."
"Yeah, a few days after she went back to Clouds, I couldn't reach her anymore."
V raised an eyebrow. "You didn't go to Clouds to look for her?"
Anyone could see Judy and Evelyn had a special bond. Judy's hands twisted together nervously.
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