We Are Both In The Dirt Ch. 17

"When you stop and think about it, she's not that great of a liar. She told us that Montana took all the money we stole because we left him high and dry on the job. How could that be? She knows we didn't leave him high and dry on the job. The only person left high and dry was you. She said that Montana took all the money, but yet, all the money was right where you left it. None of it makes sense. We shouldn't have believed a word of it," Mandrake says as he chews on a mouthful of sunflower seeds.

"No, she's a perfect liar. She had a captive audience. She knows that we wanted to believe her, that's all a liar needs," Mint says. "She said things and we believed it because, well, what reason would she have to lie? She's our Mira, right? She's loved me for ages, why would she lie to me, right? Why would she try to trick us? She's all about the Murder Twins, she would never play us, right? Wrong."

"Wrong indeed," Mandrake mumbles.

"That's why we listened to things that didn't make sense. That's why we didn't second guess her. She's mystifying, Mandrake. There are women like that, the types that fuck your brain the moment their mouths open. That's Mira," Mint says as he maneuvers Mandrake's car, his posture relaxed. "It's okay though, I've learned my lesson. Trust me on that."

"I learned my lesson as well. I'm disappointed in her, " Mandrake says.

"Yeah well, to be honest I'm a little disappointed in you. You told your share of lies, pulled the wool over my eyes. I'm your brother, Mandrake."

"I figured you were still mad about Mikowski. I know it was wrong, she had me mystified like you said, Mint. I'd do whatever she told me to. Probably still would," Mandrake says as he dodges a swat from Mint. "I knew she'd hired him to take care of Montana, but when we started getting chased by his goons I figured that the job had gone bad. She wouldn't ever talk to me about it, really. And trust me, I had no clue she really knew him, knew him. I thought she just grabbed him to do the job."

"Well you should have told me that she'd hired him. He's a fucking psychopath. The type you can't figure out," Mint holds out his hand and Mandrake drops a pile of seeds into his hand. He chews and slows the car as he checks his GPS. "By the time Mira realizes who she's attached herself to it'll be too late. Looks like we're here," Mint says.

Delray has a place in the part of Vegas Mint had always dreamt of, where sage brush rolls and cacti cluster in the space between where his property ends and unbridled desert land begins. His house is expansive and stucco and has a courtyard with a fountain. Delray is a symbol of what they'd all dreamed of when they started all this in the first place. Living lavishly, relaxing pool side and throwing parties well stocked with every substance, liquid and warm body any person could desire.

Instead, they are living in hotel rooms, penthouse suites, but hotel rooms all the same. While fucking in down feather beds beneath heavy, ornate mirrors or before some priceless view of a sparkling city scape can sate the appetite of those craving a quiet life of leisure for a while, eventually the desire to sit down and actually enjoy the fruits of anxiety ridden acts of crime becomes all encompassing.

Right now, however, Mint is confident he is placing one foot fimly in the direction of self improvement. He's decided to trust Delray's word and try to go straight.

They take a seat in Delray's back patio with a woman he introduces as Mecca. She pours them drinks and they sip them as Delray moves about, chopping fruit and giving orders to his house staff. The chef remains in the sitting area with them. She is olive skinned and big breasted. She is sipping from a garish flask and staring openly at Mandrake, something on the tip of her tongue.

"You two need me to refresh your drinks?" Delray calls from the pool side bar. He is wearing day glow swimming trunks and a matching visor.

"I could use some more vodka in this tonic," Mandrake says rising to his feet and joining Delray at the bar. Mint watches the two men for a moment as Delray presents his selection of liquor and then he turns back to Mecca who uncrosses her legs and presents him with a view up her dress.

"Delray tells me you're really smart, that you have a degree."

"Oh, Delray told you that, huh?" Mint replies. He takes a sip of his drink which has plenty of vodka and casts Mecca a smile that he hopes is warm. "What else did Delray tell you about me?"

"Not much else, except that you were in jail not too long ago."

"Yo Delray, you tell Mecca all of my business or just the most important parts?" Mint asks. Delray barks a laugh.

"I know you and your brother are sharing that wild Mira chick. I met her once, actually," Mecca says.

"Oh yeah?" Mint says. He suddenly wants to leave, but knows that he must at least see where this is all going and doesn't want to let a chatty woman throw him off.

"He said that he shared a suite with you guys. Says the three of you kept him up all night long," Mecca says. She uses her teeth to pluck a cherry from its stem and spreads her legs wider.

"Delray, I really hope Mecca is just a friend, because if she's anything else you might want to know a few things," Mint says with his eyes on Mecca. She makes no move to shut her legs and crosses them only when Delray has settled himself into the couch beside Mint.

"Is Mecca not behaving herself?" Delray asks with a wink. "I have to admit I did tell her millions of stories about life under the employ of Montana Jones. She likes hearing all of those stories. Where is Mira, by the way?" Delray asks.

"Who the hell knows? She didn't come home last night and she's not answering her phone," Mint says. He stands and finds that he is not very steady on his feet. He pours himself another drink anyway, and lets his mind wander as he looks out over the sparkling blue water of Delray's pool. His mind doesn't wander far, however, and lands where it always does, on Mira.

"Man, that's a bummer. Hope she's alright. Should we go find her?" Delray asks.

"I know with every fiber of my being that at this moment she doesn't want to be found," Mint says. "Besides, we have slightly more pressing issues to address. Be straight with me, can you really help me out?"

Mecca pulls a crystal flask from her purse, retrieves shot glasses from the bar and pours each of them a shot of whatever the flask contains. "We can do what you need," Mecca says.

"She have something to do with this?" Mandrake asks as he picks up his shot glass and sniffs it.

"I should say so, she's going to be doing all the legwork for this little project. She is sleeping with the man who manages the FBI's Master Criminal Database."

"Is that so?" Mandrake says.

"It is so. A toast?" Mecca says. She holds up her glass, the three men follow suit. "To new friends," Mecca says. They all down the shot and Mandrake whoops loudly before he picks Mecca up and spins her around. She laughs and straddles him, tosses her hair around.

"Mandrake, please," Mint says, "business first."

"And play later, right?" Mecca says as Mandrake places her back on her feet, her eyes taking him in. "I like these guys, Scott," she says.

"I knew you would. So Mint, we say the word, Mecca cleans you up. Easy breezy."

"Just like that?" Mint asks. His glass is empty again and he stands and returns to the bar, pours himself a shot of brandy even though Mecca's shot still burns in his stomach. It still seems to good to be true.

"Listen, it takes a bit more work than Scott's letting on as well as a bit of research-but I won't bore you with too many details. Essentially, what I do is tamper with all of your all of your active warrants and past felonies and make the charges invalid. It'd be ideal, of course, to remove you from the database altogether, however, the database regularly runs a series of checks that ensures that nothing fishy is going on. If I were to say, remove you from the database completely it would ping the big guys and they start combing all access points for a breach.

"It's dangerous shit because I don't have any clue of when the database check engages, it's not constant but it's damn near. I've got a pretty good idea of the access windows, however it's a big risk. If I'm in the system making changes when one of the checks engages, I'm fucked. I also have to get Reynolds on board and he does take a little coaxing-he's an integral part and he only accepts half his payment in pussy-hence the fee. However, if everything goes as planned and it always has in the past, your name will be as pure as the driven snow."

"Mint, sounds like a plan. He's clean and good, just like that?" Mandrake asks.

"More or less, it's a bit more complex than a series of keystrokes, and I do as much-or more work-outside the database as I do within it-but yeah, he'll be clean. He's still a wanted man, though. The media had already reported his escape and local police are still going to be looking since he escaped prison. The riskiest part, however, will be when Delray takes you in."

"When he takes me in?" Mint asks.

"Yes. We have to get eyes on the errors I produce in either in your procedural or substantive processing. The best way is to get picked up. They'll run you through processing. Your lawyer will take another look at your past arrests and at your trial proceedings, and suddenly the ineptitude of the justice system will, for the millionth time, be revealed. Then, you're free and clear. All charges dropped."

"You pay the 2 mil, me and Mecca will make sure you're untouchable in Nevada and beyond," Delray says as he plugs his IPod into a device that that sends Mexican language rap through the speakers mounted around the patio. He dances around, his eyes closed.

"And then that's when the real fun starts," Mecca says. She wastes no time finding her way to Mandrake's lap. Mint watches through a haze of increasing drunkenness as Mandrake palms her breasts and pulls her dress down until they spring free. She giggles and makes no move to cover herself. Mandrake picks her up and she squeals as he leaps into the pool with her in his arms.

"You gonna join them?" Delray asks.

"Are you kidding?" Mint says.

"What? I thought you were into sharing."

"I'm not into it, actually. I have a thing-as all people should-about having sex with a person who's currently sleeping with someone else. I don't dip in other men's containers."

"Could have fooled me."

"Well thank God I'm not trying to fool you. It's complicated."

"That I can believe," Delray says. "Look, I know you don't owe me anything and I know that some of this is none of my business, but, I was hoping that you could tell me a little bit about what happened the night Sela died-that is if you know anything about it."

"I know the whole story," Mint says. He plants his feet and leans forward. He averts his gaze from the display going on in the pool which is getting more X-rated by the moment. "It happened the night I met Mira. It was a messy night."

"Did you know Sela?"

"No, Montana talked about her, though. Come to think of it, everything I know about that night pretty much came from Montana. Mira is weird about talking about it, for good reason. She never quite recovered if you ask me and I didn't even know her before hand. I just know that she was affected drastically.

I wasn't around during the era where Montana and Mira were in love, but I hear it existed. Whatever bits of love that remained between them was destroyed that night. Mira maintained this simmering hate for him that everyone could feel, could see. Montana was brave to keep someone who hated him so much so close."

"Love makes you do crazy things," Delray says. He puts his feet up on the glass table in front of them, stares out over the sandy landscape that surrounds them. Mint follows his gaze and a peace settles over him that he fears may be premature.

"Are you yanking my chain about this shit? About cleaning my record? Because if you are-" Mint begins.

"I can't promise that nothing will go wrong, this is a very high-risk thing we're doing, but Mecca has done this for a few other people and it has worked without a hitch. She's good and that FBI idiot Reynolds is a chump and completely pussy-whipped, thankfully. If it makes you feel better, you can hold onto the cash until it's all complete. Mecca won't touch it without the cash so I'll front it, once it's done you can pay me."

"You serious? How about a down payment? I wouldn't feel comfortable without having put some money on it."

"I won't argue," Delray says with a chuckle.

"Agreed, then," Mint says. He gets up and nearly stumbles. Delray catches his elbow and helps steady him. "I just want one more," Mint says.

"I'll get it for you, sit tight," Delray says. Mint watches him walk away, then checks his phone. He hadn't felt it vibrate, hadn't heard it ring, but he has a text message from Mira. He doesn't read it.

"Here you go, brandy just like you like," Delray says.

Mint throws the drink back. "Were you and Sela close growing up?"

"Yes and no. She was a bitch, actually. A lovable one though. We had some good moments and I always made sure to watch out for her when I could but we didn't get along that well. We used to fight! Man she had a left hook."

"Funny. Women are so strong and you forget. Mira makes me remember that. She walks around looking all delicate and delectable, and then she'll do something so-hard-so-bad-ass and I remember why I've loved her since the first moment I met her. That night was shit, otherwise. You sure you want to know about what happened?"

"Yes, of course. I've wondered for years. I've tortured myself with wanting to know. You have to know how that is."

"I know how it is, believe me. Well, the night Sela died Mira was coked out of her mind and inconsolable. She'd been trying to get ahold of Sela for days with no luck, so she forced Montana to take her to see her-see Mira didn't know how to drive up until two years ago-a funny little tidbit. So Montana takes her there and they find Sela out of it-."

"And pregnant," Delray says.

"Yes, with Montana's baby. Montana told me that he and Sela had slept together for the first time a year or so earlier-Sela had been drugged up at the time and regretted it-and then Montana told her that if she didn't keep doing it he would tell Mira. So she kept doing it. She got pregnant. When Montana and Mira showed up at Sela's place, she couldn't take it anymore and came clean. Montana had left a gun there at her place and Sela shot herself with it right in front of them. She couldn't take it any more."

"God that's awful," Delray says. He begins to cry, and Mint watches for a moment at a loss for what to do. He watches Mandrake and Mecca frolicking naked in the water, passing her flask back and forth.

"It was a quick death, Delray-that's one thing Mira told me-that she was gone just like that."

"Good," Delray says. He stands and walks to the bar, begins drinking directly from a bottle of Patron. "We wondered whose gun it was," Delray said when he'd returned, the bottle still in his hands. "No prints but Sela's."

"Well Montana was smart about some things. He never let his skin touch anything incriminating. He counted his money with gloves on for shit's sake. Got all his weapons on the black market."

"Yeah, he definitely had his moments. Thank you, Mint" Delray says. "I knew the details and the how, of course, but not knowing why-it was eating me up."

"I understand," Mint says. He thinks of Mira's text for the millionth time but still doesn't make the move to read it. "No problem."

"You guys should stay," Delray says after a long pause. "You aren't doing anything but scoot-assing around Vegas, spending money you don't have to. I'll put you up here and you can lay low until everything goes through. I won't be in your hair, and I am a great host. Plus, I'm throwing a birthday party for my nephew this weekend-a party to end all parties, man. Gonna be the type of shit celebrities attend, man, women in intricate gold headdresses and diamond swimsuit cover-ups."

"You know a lot about women's fashion," Mint says.

"I'm serious man," Delray says as he pops open the bag of white cheddar popcorn. "You should stay, let loose and party a bit. I got security, armed guards at the party, some highfalutin shit!"

"Is that what you intend?"

"Yes college boy, it is," Delray says. Mint accepts the offer after pondering the thought for a bit. He appreciates Delray's help and hopes that this probable lapse in judgment might beat the odds. He wants to rest, needs to rest. He aches for stability and a moment to breath. The constant stream of murderous cronies appears to have slowed, at least.

"I invited Mira to the party. I told her about it the day before yesterday," Delray says.

"I'd be surprised if she showed up, and if she does she'll probably bring a date," Mint says. Deep down he knows she is with Mikowski. He can feel it in his bones. Her inability to commit, he is sure, will be her undoing. He cannot blame her, however, it was his failure to commit that created all of this in the first place.

"A date?" Delray asks.

Mint shakes his head and Delray doesn't push, instead he leaps into the pool as Mecca and Mandrake cheer and whoop. Mint watches a rabbit dart from a cluster of greenery to the edge of the pool where it loses it's footing and slides in.

"Did you just see this little fucker?" Mandrake says. He plucks the rabbit from the water and holds it by its hind legs, then places it back on dry land. It hops off back where it came from.

"I bet that's an omen of some sort," Mecca says as she tips the flask to her lips.

"I don't believe in omens," Mandrake says.

Mint does believe in omens, however, and that was one if he'd ever saw one. He lies back in his seat and stares at the stars, then without thinking, he pulls out his phone and finally reads Mira's text. 'It is always when I need you most that you are the farthest away,' it says. His eyes sting for a moment as the reality of how much he misses her sets in.

It feels wrong to want her, to want to be with her and be normal and happy. He doesn't deserve happiness, after all. He has made so many mistakes that he's lost count, and while most nights his dark inclinations barely give him pause, tonight he wishes only to have remained straight.

He'd gotten into this muck because he didn't mind getting his hands dirty and wanted easy money. It is only now that he sees the irony of spending millions of his ill-gotten loot to gain the peace of mind he'd shattered to gain the money in the first place. He chuckles at the thought that none of the money had been procured easily. Hasn't even been easy to spend.

He re-reads the text and aches for her. He knows that she is somewhere aching for him, too.