The Glen, Heywood.
Across the street from El Coyote Cojo, Kai stood waiting to cross, carrying a small flower basket in one hand.
Inside were sixteen artificial carnations, arranged neatly, with a humidifying spray at the base that gave off a faint, fresh fragrance. He had prepared it specifically for Mama Welles.
Ever since getting to know Jack, Kai had received no small amount of care from her.
Especially after that ofrenda she had once held, he had come to feel a little more respect for her, along with a quiet sense of guilt.
When Jack had gone out, he had been full of life, dressed in a suit and looking ready to take on the world.
When he came back, he was a cold corpse.
The face and voice from the day before were gone.
Kai could not imagine how heartbroken Mama Welles must have been, and yet she had still insisted on calling to check on him.
He had always remembered that kindness and concern.
The main reason he had come to El Coyote Cojo tonight was because Jack had just called him and said he needed a favor.
So the two of them had arranged to meet here.
Naturally, Kai had picked the place. Jack had originally wanted to meet at Lizzie's, but after some resistance, he had reluctantly accepted this instead.
Kai looked at the bar's sign, the big golden letters spelling out "El Coyote Cojo."
The walls on both sides had been painted a vivid red and covered with all kinds of Spanish graffiti and lettering.
There was some trash piled up near the entrance, and a giant bull skull hung above the doorway.
Seeing that no cars were coming from either direction, Kai crossed the street and headed for the bar.
The black mechanical door slid open automatically, and Spanish rock music came rolling into his ears.
From the first floor, the layout of the bar was clear at a glance. The ceiling lights glowed a dark red, while the lights along the bar counter gave off a fluorescent green.
The bartender, Pepe, looked just the same as always, with his thick beard and heavy gold chain, standing there with nothing better to do than polish and rearrange the barware.
Kai walked over to the counter and asked,
"Pepe, where's Mama Welles?"
Pepe had been facing away while arranging bottles and glasses, but as soon as he heard the voice, he turned around. The moment he saw a young man in a suit, his expression turned a little strange.
"You're looking for Mama Welles?"
"She's upstairs talking business with a few old friends."
Kai thanked him, then crossed the bowling area and headed upstairs.
Watching him leave, Pepe muttered under his breath,
"What do you mean 'Pepe'? My name's Pepe, all right?"
El Coyote Cojo was meant to be a bar for ordinary people, so even the second floor did not have private rooms. Instead, it was arranged with open booths.
That had a lot to do with the local culture. Men raised in Heywood tended to be straightforward and open.
Even when handling commissions or business, they were not overly secretive about it.
As soon as he went upstairs, Kai spotted Mama Welles at a glance. She was talking with a few other people.
Not wanting to interrupt her while she was doing business, he found an empty booth and sat down to wait for Jack.
Very soon, a pretty waitress came over and asked what he wanted.
Kai ordered a drink and casually sent her a small tip.
Looking down at the first-floor hall from where he sat on the second floor, the familiar sight of the bar brought a lot of memories back to him.
He remembered that V used to like coming here for drinks and picking up some work, and that the two of them had even once helped Pepe catch his wife cheating.
The man looked rough and fierce, but inside he was actually ridiculously timid and sensitive.
After sitting there for a short while, Mama Welles seemed to notice Kai sitting alone. She got up from her booth and walked over to him.
"Kai, why didn't you say hello when you got here?"
"Jack said you've been back in Night City for a while now."
Kai had been staring into the hall below and only turned when he heard her voice. Seeing that it was Mama Welles, he stood up and explained,
"I saw you were in the middle of talking business with your friends, so I didn't want to interrupt."
As he spoke, he picked up the flower basket from the table and handed it to her.
Mama Welles took it, and she seemed genuinely pleased and surprised.
"Thank you. It's a beautiful basket."
"I raised Jack all these years and never once saw him put this much thought into something."
"If he were even half as sensible as you, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
A thought flashed through Kai's mind, and he answered seriously,
"Big boys become men once they get married. Then they naturally start acting a little more grown up."
He had originally wanted to mention Jack and Misty, but since Mama Welles did not seem to like Misty very much, he decided not to say it for now.
Mama Welles shook her head helplessly and smiled.
"I'd be happy enough if he just found a good woman. I can't control him anymore."
"You're waiting for Jack, right? I'll call him. That brat's probably off fooling around somewhere again."
"Oh, and while you're here, order whatever food or drinks you want. Don't be shy, it's on me. Come by anytime."
"Treat this place like your own home, understand, mijo?"
Kai politely declined and told her he had already arranged to meet Jack here, he had just arrived early.
The two of them chatted briefly about how things had been going lately.
Only after learning that he was doing reasonably well did Mama Welles slowly return to her booth.
No sooner had she left than Jack came rushing upstairs and dropped into the seat across from Kai.
"Choom, let's talk somewhere else. There's something I need to discuss, and it's not convenient with my mom around."
Kai looked at Jack's shifty expression and found it a little strange.
"What kind of thing needs to be hidden?"
Jack lowered his voice as much as possible.
"It's about the Valentinos."
After saying that, he quickly glanced back toward Mama Welles. Seeing that his mother was still busy talking business and not paying attention to him, he relaxed a little and turned back again.
"A friend from the Valentinos asked me for help finding someone. I thought it over, and I figure you're probably the only one who can really deal with it."
"You know how my mom feels. She hates me getting involved in gang stuff, especially anything tied to the Valentinos."
"I left years ago, but some things don't leave you."
Kai knew exactly what Jack meant.
Loyalty.
When Jack was younger, he had joined the Valentinos and built real bonds with a lot of people in the gang.
Later, during a vicious street fight, he had nearly gotten half his skull peeled open.
He survived by sheer luck.
In the end, thanks to Mama Welles pushing hard for it, Jack managed to leave the Valentinos.
There had been bitterness and helplessness in it, but because of Jack's guts and loyalty, he had still earned the gang's respect.
Now that Jack had explained it, along with the fact that it involved finding someone connected to the Valentinos, it really was not the kind of thing Mama Welles should hear about.
The two of them got up from the booth, said a simple goodbye to Mama Welles, and left El Coyote Cojo together.
Once outside the bar, Jack let out a deep breath like he had just escaped a cage.
Kai glanced at him.
"Seriously? This is your family's place."
Jack shrugged helplessly.
"Don't make fun of me. Let's talk about the real issue first, all right?"
So Kai patiently listened while Jack explained what his friend needed.
"What you're saying is that a Valentinos member went missing. Young guy. They've been looking for days and still can't find him."
Jack nodded.
"That's exactly it. The Valentinos already did what they could, but it's obvious the guy isn't in Heywood anymore. And before he disappeared, he supposedly went to Watson the night before."
As he spoke, he pulled a tiny chip from his pocket and handed it over. It contained the missing person's detailed information.
Watson?
Kai thought it over for a moment.
It was not a difficult job, but it would definitely involve gangs, and it crossed both Heywood and Watson.
"All right."
"I'll handle it."
After agreeing to help Jack, Kai already knew the first step.
He needed to find someone first.
A fixer who had only recently started making a name for himself.
(End of Chapter)
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