Dragon

"No," she answered simply. @Morrigan

Her gaze lingered on the woman's hand as the blood started to drip, "He was threatening to call in the cops looking for me," she answered, forcing herself to look up, "dropping names didn't seem like the smart choice so I told him I was transporting a package for the Mojave Express." @Morrigan

Kae stumbled a little as Anoco stopped so abruptly, "I'm positive." @Morrigan

"It was Redford Auto... Works or Body, something like that." @Morrigan

"I didn't get a name. I was in the autobody shop off of 23rd and Legion," Kae answered. She wasn't a snitch, and she never spoke with the cops; but this was different. The prick had thrown her under the bus first. As far as the street codes went, she was justified in dragging him along, "It was barely four in the morning so he either owns it or manages it." @Morrigan

"I figured as much." Screw that self righteous bastard that had put her in this situation. If he'd just looked the other way for ten seconds this wouldn't be a problem. @Morrigan

"I'd say I have a healthy respect for the food chain in this city," she countered. She was terrified but she wasn't going to go down sniveling. @Morrigan

Kae had figured as much, seeing how much pay had been offered to bring it to them. Five thousand was a lot of money to hand over to a courier. Honestly, she hadn't even expected to see the full payout - but for her even a fraction of that was a lot of money. "They're alright, I guess," she answered hesitantly. @Morrigan

"I lost it," she admitted meekly, "some guy took it while I was ducking the cops." @Morrigan

"Yes." @Morrigan

Of course she had hesitated to enter the vehicle. But this was a part of town where people looked the other way. So no one paid any attention when she was bodily dragged inside. Kae gnawed anxiously on her tongue during the ride. She didn't know what was coming. Just that bad things happened to people who pissed off the Syndicate. She was sure she was either going to die, or wish she was dead. Her hear thumped loudly in her chest the whole ride until they reached the mansion. As soon as she was out of the vehicle Kae looked for a chance to run, then immediately put it out of mind -

She cast a last look at the box, feeling her stomach churn. As soon as the door was half open she darted out and started a fast pace down the alley. The panic built as she moved. Now the cops were the least of her concerns. Now she owed a shit load of money to one of the most notorious crime families in the city. "Oh fuck," Kae breathed aloud to herself as she searched her mind for somewhere she could go and just catch her breath for a moment. @Morrigan

Kae glared at him, tightening her jaw as she pulled her pack back on, "Open the door then." @Morrigan

"They'll cut off my gig claim, this is the only work I've got," she protested. @Morrigan

"What? No! I have to finish the delivery," she protested. @Morrigan

"What the fuck could I have stolen, you've just rifled through everything I've got," she scowled, "I didn't mean any harm being here. Just give me my stuff and let me go. You can have the cash in my wallet or whatever. I just want to finish my job." @Morrigan

He wasn't wrong. The whole cash-or-crypto based pay system was meant to facilitate moving items without leaving a paper trail. It created a system where honest people could have packages carried dirt cheap. Others... well, it made for expensive transport while giving them a scapegoat if the authorities intervened. The courier always took the fall in those instances. Granted, Kae wasn't technically doing a job for the Mojave Express. She was specifically doing this for the Nakado Syndicate. If she lost that box there was a lot more than a chunk of cash and a job at stake. "It'

"You've never used the M.E. have you?" Kae asked, watching intently as he rifled through her bag. Nothing in there was really worth a damn, save her documents, but it was all she had to live on, "Anonymity is the cornerstone of the platform. No P.I.I. involved in transactions." @Morrigan

"How would I know? It's gig work. Like Lyft or Doordash." @Morrigan

Oh what the hell did he care anyway? Kae thought as she huffed softly. "Mojave Express." @Morrigan

Her natural impulse was sarcasm, but that didn't seem serving in the moment, "I'm just getting paid to courier it. I don't know what's in it." @Morrigan

She watched anxiously as he lifted the box out. "I'm not sure, exactly," she answered. Which was true. She didn't know exactly what it was. @Morrigan

Kae was a little hesitant as she shrugged it off. But the transport container wasn't actually anything that stood out, and it was locked securely. Other than that the pack had the bare necessities - spare clothes (pretty much all dirty), toiletries, frayed charger to her equally battered phone, a plastic baggie with her social security card and a copy of her birth certificate that was effectively worthless because it didn't have the seal imprinted into it, and a small bag of a recreational substance she'd gotten as a bonus on a different job. Maybe he wouldn't find that, though. @Morrig

"You can check my bag. I didn't take anything." @Morrigan

"I'll be lucky if I even make it to the jail with the cops in this city," she answered, "I haven't done anything to you just let me leave." @Morrigan