Chapter 23

A single shot shattered the shoe, and the Glitter hidden inside rained down onto the truck's cargo hold.

Startled by the gunshot, the driver slammed down on the accelerator, hastily speeding off, certain some firefight was erupting nearby. Only when the truck had vanished from sight did Leo finally stand and sling the Ice Storm sniper rifle over his shoulder. He gestured to Jackie and V.

"All right, we're done. Let's go."

"Huh?" Jackie blinked in confusion. "That's…that's it? No emptying a few mags or dropping any bodies? That's all?"

He looked utterly baffled, while V seemed lost in thought, as though she had an inkling of what was coming next.

…

The driver reached the border checkpoint and waited to cross. He checked himself over—no missing limbs, no new bullet holes. He breathed a massive sigh of relief. Sitting there, he thought about how many times he had run this route from All Foods to the Badlands. He knew the process inside and out. Nothing should go wrong.

Suddenly, alarms began shrieking.

"Dee-dee-dee! Dee-dee-dee!"

Border guards, on high alert, snapped their rifles to aim at the truck.

"Out of the vehicle, now!"

"Stay where I can see you—hands up!"

"No sudden moves!"

The driver, utterly confused, found himself dragged out of the cab and forced to the ground.

"Search it—every inch!"

The guards tore open the cargo hold and meticulously combed through everything. All they found at first glance was the usual All Foods stuff.

It looked normal.

But a veteran guard had a hunch. He drew his knife and cut open the truck tires. Sure enough, out tumbled packet after packet of Glitter.

Seeing his well-guarded secret spill everywhere, the driver paled. He was done for. Even if prison weren't in his future, Maelstrom certainly wouldn't let him off easy for botching this job.

Naturally, the guards didn't care about his fate. As far as they were concerned, this was a huge bust. One of them, thrilled at the find, was about to phone the corporation, but the checkpoint chief stopped him.

"Hold on. Don't report it yet."

"Huh? Chief?"

The underling looked both surprised and perplexed.

The chief, however, had other plans. He knew the truck bore the All Foods logo, which belonged to a Maelstrom faction under a guy named Brick. Maelstrom had many leaders, and Brick was just one of them.

If the chief reported this to the corp right away, the best he could hope for was a pat on the back—no real reward for him. So he had a better idea: blackmail Brick for a cut of the profits.

"You head out," he told his subordinate. "Guard the suspect and keep that stash safe. Once I get this settled, you'll get a taste of the reward."

The guard nodded, still unsure of the details but excited by the promise of a payoff. Once he was gone, the chief stayed behind, mentally rehearsing how to strong-arm Brick.

Just as he was about to make the call, his phone rang. The display told him it was Mayor Rhyne.

The chief's face tensed. He had a bad feeling.

He was right to worry. Rhyne's first words were:

"I hear you found a truck of All Foods products being used to smuggle Glitter. Is that true?"

The chief's stomach sank—there must be a mayor's informant among the border guards. He had no choice but to confirm.

In Night City, there was no standing army, but the NCPD and the anti-terror units fell under the mayor's office. Everything else was outsourced to the megacorps—like this very border checkpoint, run by Militech.

The chief was a Militech man himself, not on the city's payroll. Normally, that gave him little reason to fear the mayor, but if Rhyne escalated this to the corp, his carefully laid plan to shake down Brick would blow up in his face.

"You all did a fine job," Rhyne said. "It must have been tough. But from here on, you don't need to worry about it. I'll dispatch the NCPD to handle the rest. You should take it easy. In fact, take the day off!"

"You don't pay me, dumbass!"

The checkpoint chief wanted to puke blood and repute but he didn't dare to say that part out loud.

This was exactly what he'd been trying to avoid. He hadn't alerted Militech because he didn't want corporate involvement. Instead, he got the mayor—but the outcome was the same. His get-rich-quick scheme was crashing.

If he did nothing now, he'd lose not just the chance to cash in, but also any credit for the bust. Then, a spark of inspiration:

"Wait, Mayor Rhyne, maybe there's another option…"

"Oh?" Rhyne said. "Do tell."

"All Foods has always provided cheap products for Night City's poorest. With their margins, they really didn't need to risk smuggling. This might just be a few rotten eggs under Brick, acting on their own without his knowledge."

"And your point?"

"No need for a full-blown raid. We can call Brick in, sit down, and straighten this out. If his men are responsible, he can clean his own house. Of course, they'll pay a hefty fine to set an example."

It sounded like the chief was pleading on Brick's behalf, but anyone who had spent any time in Night City's power circles would know a border checkpoint chief wouldn't really be trying to help a gang boss. He was dropping a hint to the mayor: going in guns blazing would only ruin the chance for any payoff.

Of course, if Rhyne joined in, the mayor would take the lion's share, leaving the chief with some crumbs. But crumbs were better than nothing.

You eat the steak, I nibble the bone, Brick drinks the soup—everyone's happy.

Rhyne's voice came back calm and measured:

"I see what you're after."

The chief's heart leapt. "So, Mr. Mayor, you—"

"But I refuse!" Rhyne thundered. "I'm the mayor of Night City. I will never make peace with evil or stoop to corruption!"

He sounded as though righteous fury would explode out of every pore.

"You did an excellent job nabbing all that Glitter and providing leads, so I'll pretend I didn't hear your suggestion. But there won't be a next time," Rhyne said, then ended the call.

The chief scoffed. No deals with evil? Please. He'd climbed the Militech ladder through brutal corporate power struggles; he knew Rhyne's reputation all too well.

As mayor, Rhyne had held office for quite some time, dogged repeatedly by accusations of pocketing corp money. He had nearly lost the last election—public trust in him had cratered. The only reason he kept his seat was because, back then, the New USA "helped." That election took place in the middle of the Unification War…