“Sorry, Zoe. I haven’t heard anything about Jimmy, nor do I want to risk my neck looking into what happened,” Vee said. She exchanged a look with her friend and fellow Cartier Transport employee.

“Same for me,” Newt said turning from Vee to Zoe. “I’m just a courier. Sorry Zoe.”

“It’s alright,” Zoe said shaking her head. She was disappointed but understood their desire to just live their lives. Zoe turned to the Hayabusa contingent. “What about you two?”

“We haven’t heard anything about your cousin’s murder,” Akari said. “Neither have other couriers we quietly asked about it.”

“But I’ll ask someone that might have,” Haru said referring to his uncle. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll get the ball going.”

He stood and left the women at the table. They watched him go.

“Does he always leave to make a call?” Zoe asked Akari.

“Whenever he deals with family he does,” Akari answered as she kept watching Haru pace outside the restaurant.

“So, when are you going to hook up with him?” Vee asked.

“Or have you already?” Newt added. She gestured to herself and Vee. “We see the way you look at him.”

“I’ve known Haru for years. It’ll probably never happen,” Akari wistfully replied turning her attention to her table mates. She then sat up straighter and looked from Zoe to the other two women. “What about you two?”

“Huh?” Zoe muttered as Vee and Newt smiled at each other.

“We already have,” Vee said as Newt took her hand. Zoe looked shocked.

“Zoe, you never noticed the way they look at each other?” Akari asked.

“No,” Zoe answered shaking her head. She looked at her two friends and waved at their hands. “When did this happen?”

“Zoe seems to be oblivious to things that don’t make her money or involve coding,” Newt said giving Zoe a smile to take the sting out of her comment. “We started dating last month after two years of flirting.”

Vee blushed and smiled. “I was playing hard to get.”

“Somehow I doubt that” Zoe said making the others laugh.

“Maybe. Anyway, to be fair, Zoe is only oblivious to people’s amorous intentions and desires, not anything that doesn’t involve money or coding,” Vee said. “And that’s probably due to her upbringing in that small town and church.”

“Don’t get me started on the church,” Zoe muttered while ignoring the talk of her flaw. “And don’t get me started on how I get creeped on by some people.”

“But that could be fun,” Newt said with a mischievous grin on her face.

“Behave,” Vee said giving Newt’s hand a squeeze.

“Alright,” Newt replied.

“Never thought I would see Newt cowed so easily,” Haru said walking back to their table. He noticed the two women holding hands. “Congrats you two.”

“Thanks,” the happy couple replied at the same time.

“Did your uncle have any news that Zoe might be interested in?” Akari asked Haru as he took his seat again.

“Only that the yakuza and triads didn’t do it,” Haru answered. “Sorry Zoe.”

“That’s alright. Thanks for trying,” Zoe replied. “Hold up. Your uncle is in the yakuza?”

“He’s an oyabun,” Haru admitted.

“Is that the same thing as a mafia don?” Newt asked.

“Basically,” Akari answered.

“Interesting,” Zoe said. “Anyway, I sliced the Bratva’s network last week and they don’t have any information about the murder either.”

“You what?” Vee asked stunned. She knew Zoe was a coder, but not a slicer.

“Zoe, you know they’re not a group you want to mess with,” Newt added.

“It’s fine and their security is crap. I just used the same exploit I used when I first had a run in with them,” Zoe replied. “I was in and out without their ICE noticing.”

“If you think their security is crap, just how much slicing experience do you have?” Akari asked.

“Uh…” Zoe replied realizing she had said more than she wanted to. “Let’s just say church wasn’t just time spent in fellowship and praying.”

“That doesn’t sound like any church I’ve ever seen,” Akari replied.

“What church was this?” Haru asked.

“The Purity Church,” Zoe answered.

“Oh. That makes sense then,” Akari replied. “They’re viewed a possible terrorist organization by some countries.”

“Zoe, my uncle would offer you a job if you were Japanese,” Haru said changing the subject. “His guys haven’t had as much luck slicing that particular network”

“He might be willing to buy her knowledge and whatever she used to slice the Bratva anyway,” Akari said.

“True,” Haru agreed. “Zoe, I can ask him at dinner tonight if you want me to.”

“I have a couple more avenues I can try to get the information I want,” Zoe said after a moment. “Haru, tell your uncle I want at least 20 grand for the exploit. I’ll even do the work and slice the Bratva network for him and turn it over to his people if he’ll agree to my price.”

“Isn’t that being a bit greedy?” Vee asked while the others nodding in agreement.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Zoe replied shrugging her shoulders. “But he’ll stand to make a lot of money off his competitor or eliminating them with the knowledge he’ll gain from their network.”

“What are these other avenues?” Akari inquired and changed the subject as Newt and Vee nodded in agreement to the question.

“Two of the older or more established mafia dons,” Zoe answered. “I would never ask that creep Tommy for anything.”

“That’s playing with fire,” Vee warned. “If the mafia… did what happened to Jimmy, you’ll be exposing yourself to them.”

“I know,” Zoe replied. “But it’s the only choice left to me.”