Page 305 of Allegiance

Like now.

“Come in.”

When Merla peeked around the corner, she was smiling.

“Guess who got her contract back from Cruz, and sold-out Mikey O’?” she asked, joking and jovial.

Calyx stayed neutral.

On the outside.

“I’m going to say you.”

Merla grinned like the cat who swallowed the whole cage of canaries.

Well, she was in for a surprise.

“Yep. Now, I’m here for my money.”

Calyx pointed toward the duffle bag and said nothing else.

“It’s been fun, Calyx. I’ll send you a postcard from my new life.”

Calyx laughed.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Merla stopped dead in her tracks.

“What does that mean?” she asked when she turned suddenly.

Her paranoia was flaring, and Merla had that bad feeling that this wasn’t going to go as well as she had hoped after all.

How did she know?

On the table, right beside her, there was a different duffel bag.

“Because I work for Mikey O’, and you betrayed him. That’s slimy.”

Merla laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

“What do you care?” she asked. “He’s a thug. Let them all take the town apart. I never took you for a sympathetic man-sap.”

Calyx pulled the gun from her lap, and pointed it at the woman.

“I care because I do. That’s not your business, but let me say this. You should care. It’s what got you killed.”

She pulled the trigger, hitting the woman in the head, killing her.

As the door opened, she pointed it at whoever was coming in.

Remmy stopped in his tracks.

“Woah! It’s me!”