Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Raif followed the signs for Megaton running the whole way. Her heart was pounding in her chest, breath puffing through her dry lips, and she had tears streaming through the dust and blood on her face. Her dad was gone, he just up and left her in the middle of the night. Jonas... Jonas was gone and never coming back, and that- that hurt more than she could contemplate right now. 

She was out in the wastes for the first time in her life and she needed to stay alert. She hadn’t the faintest idea what could be out here with her. The most she had ever dealt with down in the vault was radroaches. There was bound to be much worse things out here, and Raif didn’t have much in the way of defending herself. Not much being a 10mm handgun, the vault suit on her back, and a helmet she’d stolen from a guard.

A dead guard- 

A guard she’d killed.

God, there had been so much blood... 

The guard's blood, Jonas' blood. So much spilled unnecessarily. Why hadn't they just let her leave? If they had just let her go, she would have gone without a fight. So why? It was clear from the info she found that Jonas was helping her dad leave the vault, so they killed him. Then they came after her. She knew nothing. They had both left her completely in the dark.

She had just wanted to get the fuck out of there and find her dad but the guards kept getting in her way. She shot several of them on the way out, killed at least two, and she was almost more horrified by how little regret she felt than anything else. Most of them had been power abusing assholes, but If they had just gotten out of the damn way- but they hadn’t. They shot first; they shot to maim her, to stop her. 

She had shot to kill. 

She felt that her panic rising again so she tore her mind away from the topic. She tried to focus on her breathing and the impact her feet made on the ground, but adrenalin still filled her body and the panic was hard to fight. The running was helping, but not by much. 

“Keep it together Raif,” she puffed. She would feel better when she wasn’t out in the open anymore. There was too much space around her. It was overwhelming, but she was almost there. She could see a large structure rising before her at the top of an incline. She just hoped she could find a place to rest and breakdown in private once she got inside. 

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  She stared in awe at the giant metal doors swinging aside to allow her entry to the city and even more so at the ramshackle metropolis inside. They had built everything in layers, walkways and structures winding around the sides of the great metal walls, buildings practically on top of each other. It was a marvel of human ingenuity and the will to survive in this barren hellscape. She was still taking it all in when a man in a hat and duster straight out of some old cowboy comic interrupted her.

"I'll be damned, you're from that vault, Vault 101," he paused and chuckled, "I ain't seen one of those jumpsuits in a looong time." 

The man had dark skin and a full beard that had gone mostly grey. He was covered in wasteland dust, but so was everything else (including her at this point). His voice was warm and gravelly, and her shoulders relaxed from her surprise at being confronted by a stranger. 

He continued on when she said nothing in response, "The name's Lucas Simms, town sheriff; and mayor too when the need arises." 

She cleared her dry throat to respond, but her voice still came out in a weak rasp, "Nice town you got here sheriff, I'm Raif. I need to know if a man came through here, and a place to stay for a few nights."

"Friendly and well mannered? Well, I'll be. I think we're gonna get along fine, Raif. Unfortunately, as far as information goes, I got enough fires to put out in this place that I don't have time to keep tabs on every visitor. You’ll have to ask around town, kid. I'm sure someone noticed if he came through here. For a bed, go on up to Moriarty's saloon and talk to Nova, she will hook you up with a room for rent."

Raif’s shoulders slumped and she stared down at her feet uncomfortably; scuffing the ground with her shoe. "I uh- don't have any money," she mumbled out, embarrassed. "Is there any work available that you know of? Or someplace I can just crash for a night?" 

"Well, if you don't have the caps then don't go trying to make a deal up at Moriarty's. The man's trouble and who knows what kind of work he would ask of you. Likely something unsavory that would curdle the stomach of a kid fresh out of the vault. Try talking to Moira at Craterside Supply. She might have some tasks for pay or even let you stay for the night. Head up to the second level there and you’ll find it."

"Thank you, sheriff. I've had a long day. I really appreciate it," she responded smiling warmly at the man. It relieved her that there were at least a few relatively friendly people here and that she would be able to work things out while she was in the city. At least until she figured out her next step.

 "No problem kid, see you around," the sheriff ended with a wave as he walked off. 

Raif wandered up the side path to find the shop the sheriff spoke of while getting lost in her thoughts. She hadn't met this Moriarty guy, but she had an idea of the kind of work the sheriff was alluding to. She felt lost and like shit, but she wasn't that desperate yet. Hopefully, she wouldn't get to that point. Seeing the state of things out here, though, it seemed too optimistic to think she wouldn't eventually have to resort to those kinds of tactics. It's not like it would be the first time she had used her body to get things she needed. 

In the vault, corruption was rampant. The overseer held everyone under tight control, and oftentimes the guards had to be bribed to prevent them from turning people in for petty crimes. She was just lucky they saw her figure as undesirable. It meant that at most the guards only ever wanted her fully clothed and on her knees. Others in the vault were not so lucky. 

Raif stood at around 5'10". She was leanly muscled with broad shoulders and no curves to speak of. It was a mix of weird genetics and working as a vault mechanic; she assumed. Her square jaw and dark thick brows hadn't helped anything. The other kids in the vault joked and teased that she was basically just one of the guys, and secretly she hadn't minded. It was the less nice jokes from bullies that had really gotten to her. The ones about being a freak, a mutant, and worse, the explicit comments about finding out what was beneath her suit so they would know once and for all. 

When she was young, it had bothered her that she stood out from the other girls and didn't look like she, "should", but soon she realized she really appreciated her masculine features. She liked her body, and if she had been small and curvy, it would probably just mess with her head since that just didn't match up with the image of herself in her head. Frankly, she could barely even imagine herself that way. She liked her wide green eyes, full feminine lips, and dark glossy hair, but she also liked her harder features, muscles, and the overall intensity they gave off. It was confusing. She was fine with her body and fine with being female, but she had just never really felt like a woman. It was hard to explain in words, and she had never tried to talk to anyone about it. She had already been enough of a freak in the vault as it was. How do you explain to people that you know you are technically a girl, but you don't feel like the label fits?

Raif's internal tangent was cut off when she noticed the large sign informing her she had found Craterside Supply. She entered the building and immediately regretted it when she was accosted by a woman with an obnoxious voice speaking a mile a minute.

"Hey! Holy brahmin! You're a stray from the vault! I haven't seen one of you for years. It's so good to meet you. I'm Moira Brown and I run Craterside Supply, but I'm mainly interested in tinkering and research! I'm actually working on a book about the wasteland and it would be great to get input from a vault dweller to put in the foreword. So what do you say?" The woman, Moira, finished her verbal assault and stood blinking expectantly at Raif with a huge grin on her face.

"Uh… If I say yes could I crash here for the night?" 

"Oh, of course you can! How rude of me, I suppose you very well wouldn't have anywhere to stay yet since you just got here and came from a vault. You probably don't even have any money and oh dear your equipment looks terrible. That suit will not protect you from anything out there in the wastes. Here, come in! I'll get you something to drink and you're welcome to stay on my couch tonight. I'll also pay you caps for any useful information you can give me for my book if you do some fieldwork. You must be exhausted, you poor thing! Look at you, and here I am talking on and on the moment you walk in my door." 

Raif was a bit stunned by this woman's immediate friendliness and invitation to stay in her shop but she also wasn't going to go rejecting the offer when she didn't have any others at the moment. She smiled graciously at her exuberant host and let herself be ushered up the stairs. Raif went to rest on the couch as the woman bustled off; presumably to get her a drink. Moira continued chattering unintelligibly all the while as she was off in the other room, and Raif was pretty impressed by the woman's lung capacity. How the hell was she still going? Did she not need to breathe? 

She had noticed Moira had mentioned, ‘ caps ’ amidst her jumble of words. Sheriff Simms had mentioned them earlier too. Raif wasn’t sure what caps were but assumed it was something used for bartering between people. It wasn’t really something she had worried about down in the vault since almost everything was rationed based on family size. You got a few credits for working to spend on treats and leisure items, but necessities and living quarters were given to every citizen in the vault. Having to fend for herself out here was going to be a big adjustment. 

Raif felt eyes on her and looked to see a man had followed them up the stairs. He stood against the wall, watching her silently. His stare was intense, but it was clear he was a bodyguard of some sort and Raif didn't plan on doing anything to get him worked up.

Moira came back into the room holding two dripping bottles of Nuka Cola and set them down on the coffee table. Raif thanked the woman and took a sip from her bottle. It was ice cold and extremely refreshing after running through the wasteland (and losing so much fluid from crying).

"So... you wanted to know about the vault?" Raif asked, interrupting the woman's nonstop ramblings.

"Oo! Yes! Tell me, what is it like to live underground your whole life? Or! What was it like to step outside for the first time? Or, well, tell me anything!" 

"Well, I was just thinking about the fact that we had little to worry about as far as survival. We just had our job to do and then it was assured that all of our needs would be met. Food, shelter, medical care, everything was allotted to citizens as long as you did your part. It was dark and cramped, and it was in no way perfect, but it was safe,” she said, feeling a little homesick in Moira’s ramshackle living room that was so unlike her clean living quarters in the vault.

  Moira asked a few more basic questions about vault life, but then decided she had enough for her book. She gave Raif a clean and armored vault suit then asked her if she was willing to help with the field research she had mentioned before. Raif had no other source of income, and it didn't seem too bad of an option, so she agreed. Moira seemed to re-notice how wiped Raif was and told her she should take a nap and then come downstairs to talk when she woke up. The nap really did sound nice. She thanked the woman and Moira headed back down the stairs with her bodyguard trailing behind her.

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Raif didn't sleep soundly. She dreamt she was in the doctor’s office with Jonas. She was sitting on the edge of the exam table with him standing between her legs. His hands at her lower back were pulling her close as he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. His grip tightened as she quickly turned the light peck into a feverish kiss and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. Her hands roamed up and down his back and she felt a wet heat sweep across her lower lip. Raif parted her lips to allow Jonas's tongue entrance to her mouth. Their hot breath mingled as they pressed as close as they could get. One of her hands roamed down his back to rest on his soft rear. She squeezed as she rolled her hips against the firmness growing in his pants. He groaned into her mouth and pulled away so he could slide the zipper of her vault suit painfully slow down to her groin, exposing her torso to the cold air. She felt her nipples tingle and harden in response as Jonas tugged the suit down off her shoulders, fully exposing her from the waist up. 

He looked over her hungrily and leaned in capturing a nipple in his mouth while he rolled his trapped erection upwards against her rhythmically. She gasped loudly at the jolt of pleasure and arched against him. She dug her fingers into his back and began down stroking with her own hips to match his tempo. She felt him smile into her chest, pleased with the small noises she made each time they ground together. Two could play at that game. She pulled back, making space she reached between them, and then unbuttoning his pants and freeing his throbbing penis in one swift movement. She grasped it gently and ran her hand down the length of silky skin. Jonas spasmed beneath her touch and bit lightly into her flesh to keep quiet. She began stroking him leisurely, and he moved his mouth across her shoulders skin, nipping and sucking as she worked. He littered her with kisses and imprinted marks onto her flesh while his fingers moved up to circle her firm nipples; the attention causing hot moisture to leak between her labia. 

She was slow and gentle until it must have been driving him mad because he began thrusting into her hand. His movements steadily became more frenzied, so she tightened her grasp and his moans grew louder and louder against her. She sped up her movements and then his whole body spasmed, going rigid against her. His yell of pleasure suddenly becoming a scream of agony. She pulled away in shock and looked down, horrified to see blood spreading across the material of his shirt, her own naked torso splattered in red. He crumpled to the ground, his blood pooling below him on the floor. She looked back up, her face frozen in a mask of horror, and saw a vault guard with his gun aimed at her head. The gun fired, and she shot bolt upright from the couch with a scream trapped in her throat. She looked around wildly, not recognizing her surroundings. 

Clutching a rough blanket to her heaving chest, everything from that day started filtering back to her and the dream came into sharp focus in her mind. She curled up into herself as tears pooled down her face. She muffled her sobs against a coarse blanket and bit down as she silently screamed with all the emotions she had trapped inside herself since that morning.

Chapter Text

That wasn't what had happened, of course. She knew that. Now that she had calmed down and sorted through the day and the dream, the events were once again clear in her mind. Jonas had died helping James escape the vault. She had been asleep in her bed when on the other side of the vault when it happened. The rest of the dream was a mix of memory and fantasy based on the time her dad had been busy in his study and she had snuck off during her lunch break to surprise Jonas in the medical bay. 

The real thing had been a lot more clumsy and awkward. It was good, but there had been a lot more laughing and fumbling involved than sensual groaning. Jonas was inexperienced before her, and she was so nervous that she would mess up or he would realize she DID have experience. She hadn’t wanted him to know about the way the guards used their positions…

She had previous experience out of necessity to survive in the vault… but fooling around with Jonas was the first time she had ever cared about the other party and wanted to be touched in return. Jonas was the first, and the only, person to ever touch below her below the waist or see that much of her skin in an intimate setting. He was a fast learner, attentive. And if he noticed she was more experienced than she claimed, he never asked about it.

She had wanted more. She wanted to give him all of her. But Jonas said he didn't feel right going further or even letting her give him a blow job until they went public. The vault gave birth control shots to every sexually mature female for population control, so that wasn't the problem. He said it felt wrong since they were doing everything in secret. It didn’t help that he was so close to her dad. She knew it caused him a lot of guilt because he felt like he was betraying James’s trust. 

He wanted to give it some time, and then he would talk to her father and the overseer about marriage. He just wanted her to be absolutely certain that she didn't want any of the guys in her age group. 

“As if,” she scoffed through her tears. There had been no one else. Jonas had been the only one she wanted. He was just too noble for his own damn good.

Had been.

He was gone now.

If he hadn't made her wait, they would be married and he would still be alive right now. Her father wouldn't have risked Jonas if he had known what losing him would mean to her. The two of them were both fucking idiots. They should have let her in on whatever was going on. They all could have left the vault together. Now she would never see Jonas smile again, or rub at the stupid wrinkles between his brow when he was working. She wouldn't ever hear him say he loved her, moan her name in ecstasy, scold her playfully, or growl in irritation. She had nothing but her own memories to remember him by and they would have to last her what should have been a lifetime together.  

The terror from the dream had faded away, leaving only the sorrow of loss. She sobbed into the blanket Moira had left her while she slept, mourning the only home she had ever known and the man she had loved. Her dad was another issue entirely. Who knew if she would see James again, or if she wanted to. But; he was her dad. She had to make sure he was safe. But if she found him soon, and he was well? It might take time before she had the will to approach him.

Jonas was dead because of him. Because of whatever this stupid “project purity” was. Because of her father's selfish choices, she had lost everything . Anger and betrayal wound into her heart, only increasing when she thought of her so-called best friend. Amata had rejected her. Best friends for their whole lives and yet she wasn't willing to leave the vault, or her dick of a father, to follow Raif into the wastes. Sure, Amata had helped her escape, but in the end, the vault was more important to her than staying together. 

As Raif gradually ran out of tears to cry, she collected herself. Her breathing leveled out as her nervous system calmed. She couldn't just fall wallowing into a pit of sorrow. She had to keep it together and get her bearings. Otherwise, she would just waste away or get herself killed out here. 

She knew that she needed to grieve; that she needed time. But she couldn’t afford that luxury. She would let the pain out in small bursts when she was alone and safe, but she had to keep going. Then when she found James she could shove it in his face that she didn't need his damn protection, or the stupid twisted vault he had abandoned her in.

She just had to focus on these feelings instead. Focusing on the loss only tore her apart. Anger on the other hand? She could use anger. 

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Raif found Moira downstairs at a workbench strewn with wires. The woman was building something, but at the moment it just looked like she had her hands buried in a pile of junk.

"Hey Moira, what's the deal with that research task you mentioned?" She inquired wearily, wiping gunk and tears from her eyes. 

"Oh, hi there! I have three tasks for the first chapter." There was a loud pop and a puff of gas floated up from Moira's project. She turned back, swearing at the device and slamming her fist against it. Then, standing in front of it to shield it from sight, she returned her attention to Raif with a slightly manic gleam in her eyes. "Don't mind that smoke. It's perfectly safe to breathe. Really!" She said laughing nervously.

"Uh… yeah, sure. Anyway… the tasks?" Raif said, trying to keep the woman on topic. 

"Well. The first chapter will be about day-to-day survival in the wasteland. Things like where to find food, the dangers of radiation, and how to avoid and even profit from dangerous landmines. So where do you want to start?" Moira asked, rubbing her hands together in an excellent impersonation of a mad scientist. 

"Well… I guess I can start with the food since it will be good for me to know too. I don't know that much about how you all get by out here, myself."

"Great! There's a Super-Duper Mart nearby. I need to know if places like that still have any food or medicine left in them, or if they got emptied years ago. Here, I'll mark it on your map you got on that fancy wrist gadget." Moira grabbed Raif's wrist, yanking her forward and fiddling with her Pip-Boy. "There!" Moira released Raif, who immediately backed a few steps away from the lunatic.  

"Thanks..." she said, rubbing at her wrist in consternation.

"Sorry, sometimes I get caught up in my own head. That was rude of me, wasn't it?" Moira looked a bit sheepish at this and fiddled with a wrench, "Next time I'll ask before touching, I promise. Anyway, just head on up there and tell me what you find."

"Will do, and yeah, asking would be nice next time." Raif paused for a moment, sorting her thoughts. "I'm looking for my Dad. Do you know if any newcomers have come through here? Older white guy with gray hair?" 

"Hmmm…" Moira tapped her finger against her chin. "I think I saw a man like that head up to Moriarty's this morning." 

This Moriarty fellow just keeps coming up. It was definitely time to pay the man a visit. 

Moira gave Raif directions to the saloon and even gifted her an old backpack she had lying around. Hopefully, she would find something edible in the Super-Duper Mart or on the way because her stomach was twisting in knots. She’d had nothing but that Nuka Cola from Moira since dinner in the vault last night. 

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She wound her way up the side of the city, following Moira's directions to the Saloon. The building itself was the same amalgamation of materials they built the rest of the city from, but the huge sign let her know she had come to the right place. Chatter and activity filled the space. People who worked during the day must have been off for the night. The tables and barstools were full up, leaving others standing and talking in the middle of the walkway with their drinks. 

Raif was about to head for the bar when she noticed a man in the corner flagging her down. She didn't recognize him, but he had her curiosity piqued, so she changed course. Raif wove her way through the crowd of patrons, joining the man in his dark smokey alcove.

"My my! Just when I had given up hope. I'm very pleased to meet you. My name is Mr. Burke,” he said in a rolling, husky tone. He stared pointedly at her vault suit as he continued. “You clearly aren't from around here. That makes you highly valuable to me.“ He had drawn out the word ‘highly,’ emphasizing her supposed value. His eyes roamed up and down her body, interested in more than just her outsider status. 

She decided to roll with it and use his interest to her advantage until she knew more. "I'm listening,” she said sidling up next to his chair. 

"You see, I represent a certain individual. That individual sees this place as a nuisance on his sightline. He would like the nuisance dealt with and they have tasked me with making it happen.” He paused, reaching out to take one of her hands, rubbing his thumb across her skin. “I'm sure you noticed the bomb in the center of the city?"

"I did, what about it?" Raif had a sinking feeling that she knew where this conversation was going.

"Well, that bomb is very much active my dear. All it needs is a little push and this town will be wiped from the map.” 

Raif felt her stomach drop out of her body. She couldn't let the bastard do this, so far, this city was her only safe place in the wasteland. She had to stop him. Luckily, she had at least one trick up her sleeve to keep the town safe. Raif moved up closer, leaning into Burke's personal space, and the bob of his Adam's Apple cemented her plan. 

He continued, his voice less smooth than before, "I have a fusion pulse charge in my possession, its purpose is to give that bomb the motivation it needs to rid the wastes of this cesspool.” Raif laid a hand on his chest as she lowered herself to sit across his lap. He groaned and his arms came up reflexively to hold her against him. “You put the charge on the bomb, we detonate from a distance, and you will be rewarded handsomely,” he finished by burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"You see Mr. Burke, there's a problem with that plan," she said, tugging him roughly back by the hair to press her own lips against his throat.

"Oh?" He asked, voice choked.

"Yes. I quite like this town. There are people here who have been good to me. You wouldn't want to make me upset now would you?" she crooned.

“No, I wouldn't want to do that,” Burke responded slowly. He was clearly finding it difficult to form coherent thoughts while she sucked marks along his jawline. “But, I have my orders dear. What do you expect me to do?" 

She could feel a growing bulge in his pants press into her thigh. She leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I have a proposition of my own. The town stays safe, and you, well you get to…" She bit the lobe of his ear and ground into his lap. Burke’s head fell back and he let out a low moan; right as she put three 10mm rounds into his skull. 

“Jackass,” Raif said as she stood, carelessly wiping her bloody gun onto his suit. Half of the bar had gone silent to stare; stunned. The other half continued on with their conversations as if this was an everyday occurrence. 

Hey, maybe it was, how the hell would she know? 

She nabbed Burke's handkerchief from his pocket and attempted to wipe his blood and grey matter from her face. You would think someone tasked with destroying an entire city would know better than to let his guard down around and the armed person he was trying to hire to blow up said city, but in her experience, the offer of pleasure tends to make people stupid.

As Raif rifled through Burk's pockets another man approached her through the crowd. "Do you want to tell me what you're doing, killing people in my bar? It's bad for business," he said in a comical put-on, accent.

She didn’t even bother to look at him, only continued looting through Burke’s things as she talked. "You should thank me. If this man had gotten what he wanted, then you wouldn't have a town, let alone a bar." Raif tossed the Pulse Mine in the air to emphasize her point, before dropping it into her pack to join everything else she had found on Burke. She would look through it all later and she could sell the stuff she didn’t need. She was most excited about the new handgun she now held at her side as she turned to lock gazes with the infamous Moriarty.

The man didn’t question further or miss a beat. “I like your spirit. I guess that means a thanks for saving our hides is in order. You can have a drink on me up at the bar. I’m always pleased to see a new face. You and I, oh I can see we're going to be fast friends, fast friends indeed.” 

“Thanks, I’ll take you up on that drink. It’s been a hell of a day. But first, I need information. I came here to find my dad and I have reason to believe he spoke to you. Middle-aged man with light eyes, grey hair and beard; not from around here.”

“My god, It’s you!” He exclaimed. “The little baby, all grown up. You sure are a persistent little bastard, but I guess you always were. It’s been a long time kid,” Moriarty said looking shocked. “Yeah your daddy came through here. He got what he needed and went on his way. And I assume you’ll be doing the same.” 

The man wasn’t making any sense. She had never been here before. “What… are you talking about? My dad and I were born in vault 101.”

Moriarty started laughing uproariously. “Is that what he told you? That you were born in that hole? He was born there as well? Ha! The lies we tell people we love. No kid you were born out here in the wastes and your daddy too. He came through here and stayed in the saloon when you were just a few weeks old. He was headed to the vault. To keep you safe you see. Came through here with you and his Brotherhood of Steel friend.” Moriarty paused considering her, and she was too stunned to say anything. “But life goes on, you're here now. Your daddy lied and now you're wondering where he’s gone…”

She could only get out a few words while she processed the information. “He told me- he told me I was born in the vault.”

“Yes, well I’ve heard about the brainwashing shit that goes on down there. Born in the vault, we die in the vault. All hail the overseer and yada yada. You best wise up quick kid. We wouldn’t want anyone... taking advantage of you now would we?” he concluded with a predatory glint in his eye.

The anger at discovering more things her dad had hidden, mixed with the objectification from the man in front of her and the leftover adrenalin from dealing with Burke helped Raif return to her senses. She had been taken advantage of in the vault frequently, and she wasn’t glad of the reminder. Her hand tightened around the gun at her side. 

“You saw what happened to the last guy who tried to fuck with me. I can take care of myself,” she growled out. “All I need is to know what my dad was doing here and where he went next.”

Moriarty held his hands up in supplication. “Woah, woah kid, no harm meant! I have the information you need and I’ll tell you where your dad went. I’ll even cut you a deal, 100 caps and daddy’s trail is yours to follow.”

Raif let a malicious grin spread across her face. “Maybe if you hadn’t made that wisecrack about people taking advantage of me that offer would have slid by, but now you’ve pissed me off. You will give me the information I need, and I will abstain from shooting you in the fucking knee. Then I will go over to that bar and have something to eat and drink. Undisturbed.” 

Moriarty was unmoved, but he seemed to mull the offer over. Then his face cracked, and he started to laugh. “Lass, if you shoot me you will be dead within seconds. I have guards all over this saloon for a reason. I am not a well-liked man. Just hand over the 100 caps. You will get your information and you can have your meal for free.”

Raif felt her jaw clench hard enough to crack a tooth. She was stuck. As much as she wanted to shoot the man for his snide remarks, he was right; she needed the information. From her location she could see at least two armed guards spaced along the walls of the establishment. 

“Nice way to treat the person who just saved all your asses,“ she grumbled as she pulled out the small bag of caps she’d found on Mr. Burke. She counted out 100 and slapped the coins into the gleeful man’s open palm.