Cutthroat Trout's, as it turned out, was well beyond the outskirts of Bellerae, deep within a windy stretch of a canyon that felt incredibly inviting. Especially after Cole insisted we hide the car and walk the last mile. It was late enough that the sun was setting, staining the walls of the canyon with a warm red.
"How far is this place?" she said finally.
"Almost there," Cole tries to assure her.
As soon as he'd spoken, a low rumbling appeared from behind us. I glance over my shoulder to find the source of it as I spot them making their way towards us.
Suddenly, B.O.B. grabbed Ashe's shoulder and pulled her back, right as a trio of hoverbikes sped by, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"See?" said Cole as Ashe coughed.
We walked round the bend and stumbled upon a cave mouth. I say stumbled because it doesn't feel like we are knowing where we were headed. If I knew a place like this existed I'd have been here probably ages ago.
A handful of people lingered outside of it, including the hoverbikes that had passed them. There were other vehicles as well, weathered trucks and a van with no back door.
Was a good idea to leave the car behind; it would have stuck out like a panther in a pigsty here. No one is paying any attention to us, but I am pretty sure Ashe was sure they were being watched, and closely. Cutthroat Trout's clientele seemed to be a mixture of drifters, punks, and gang members.
I'd really have fit in perfectly.
"All in all, about as welcoming as a snakes' nest," Ashe whispers next to me.
B.O.B. must have agreed, because he stops Ashe again, keeping her from going any farther.
"Don't fuss," she snapped, shoving his hand off her. "You'll give us away."
B.O.B. had a new look about him. Gone was his butler attire. It had been replaced with simple street clothes and a jaunty little bowler hat. It was all part of their "disguise."
"You know, you're a tad too recognizable, Miss Elizabeth Caledonia whatever whatever," Cole had said. "Not that I expect the folks at Cutthroat Trout's to spend a lot of time keeping up on the local elites, but plenty are from around Bellerae. And if you're spotted, there's going to be some questions."
So B.O.B. wasn't the only one who got a makeover. Ashe had traded her fine clothes for black pants and a short crimson coat, nearly the same shade as the wig she wore under a black cowboy hat. It was a tad dramatic, but Cole swore she'd blend in.
Me? I just wore what I usually wore.
"Don't worry, big guy," Cole said to B.O.B. "It looks rough around the edges, but this here is a semi-legitimate business. They don't like trouble any more than we do."
We enter the cave. It is wide at the front but shrunk quickly into a corridor, a perfect kill zone for the gun turrets mounted around the ceiling. No one stopped us or fill us with lead as we proceeded to the rear.
Must mean we are welcome considering we aren't dead yet.
About fifty yards in, the tunnel widened again, meeting a woman sitting behind a rounded desk at the centre of a low throne, flanked by a squad of bouncers, some of whom are nearly as big as B.O.B. She has dark hair and a tawny brown complexion stained neon pink from the vibrant holo-glasses she was wearing.
"Cole Cassidy," she chirped, without looking up from her tablet. "Welcome back! I heard about your trouble over at Ace Valentine's. My condolences, cutie."
"Thanks, Jaya." Cole tipped his hat to her. "These are my friends. It's their first time here."
"Well, that's a treat! Hope you enjoy yourselves." Jaya nods to direct them inside. "Julian is waiting for you."
Beyond the low throne, the tunnel opened up abruptly, revealing a massive, dimly lit cavern, filled with a thick haze of smoke and a cacophony of laughter, shouting, and engines revving somewhere below.
On the platform were folks of every size, shape, gender, and hue. Half were wearing tech that I'd rather steal than pay for. The rest felt like they were one bad day from stealing everything I had on me.
I felt the need to stick close to Ashe but there is nothing that B.O.B. won't do to protect her above all else.
I follow Ashe's gaze which is locked on a cheering crowd pressed up against a rail of the platform.
Circling the base of the platform was Cutthroat Trout's own hovercycle track, a harrowing-looking loop filled with the sort of obstacles that definitely were not allowed in regulation races.
Watching on a holo screen as the current racers speed around the track, the two leaders barely a length apart as they approached the finish line. The second-place racer, unable to advance, swerved suddenly onto a narrow, curved ramp. The second flew off the edge and through the air—only to land hard.
"And that's another win for the unstoppable Dezba!" Jaya's voice boomed through the cavern. "Tough luck to a hopeful Fee, who wiped out on everyone's favourite obstacle, the Neckbreaker! But nothing ventured, nothing gained. Maybe next time, buddy!"
"My whole life I've lived in Bellerae," Ashe said. "And I didn't know about this place."
"I don't think they usually cater to your type," Cole quipped. He pointed across the room to a young man sitting alone at a table. "There's Julian."
"Cole!" Julian's face lit up with a bright smile as we approached. He is shorter than Jesse, and slighter, with red hair and a thick spray of freckles across his face—except on the left side, which was shiny pink with scarring that ran over his cheek and down his neck into the threadbare work shirt he wore. "You're a sight for sore eyes. Thought the sheriff had run you right out of town until I got your message."
"Not yet." Cole sat, as did Ashe, though B.O.B. remained standing. "These are the friends I told you about."
I also opt for taking a seat, saving my energy in case I do need it.
"Ah, yes, the mysterious unnamed friends." Julian held out a hand to Ashe. "Nice to meet you, miss—"
" 'Unnamed friend' is fine for now," she shakes his hand.
Julian only smiled wider. "Well, you've got my attention, Cassidy. What's this about?"
"A job," said Jesse. "Well, jobs. But I'll let my friend here tell you more. She's the brains."
"You say that as if I'd ever think you held that role." Julian waves at a stray fly as he picks at the bar nuts on the table.
Cole's face scrunched with disgust. "Are you seriously eating those? They're probably older than you are."
"Hey, free food is free food." Julian popped another nut in his mouth. "So, let's hear it."
