Chapter 27 - Kane
“Thanks for taking the time to meet with me, Baron,” Mrs. Gibson greets with a smile, yet Kane’s overlay tells the truth.
>ID: MAGGIE GIBSON - SHV RES
She stands at her shop counter, waiter drones buzzing back and forth in the space behind her.
Kane crosses his arms, glances back at Echo, observing from another stall. Dealing with civilian concerns is usually her job, but the shopkeeper asked for him personally. “Cut to the chase,” he says, checking his wristlink.
Ten minutes until his V-link date with Rafael. Their first real chance to connect after the rooftop five days ago. They’d planned to meet in person today—until Natural Order started probing the borders again. Now Kane can’t afford to step away.
Mrs. Gibson wrings her hands. “We haven’t missed a payment in nineteen years.
Not since your uncle first offered us protection.
” Her gaze flicks to a young man repairing the “Meat Pies” sign beside her stand.
“VitaCorp raised the cost of my grandson’s medicine this month.
I only have a partial payment right now.
So I’m asking for two weeks. Just two weeks to make up the difference. ”
His jaw tightens. This is what Kane expected, not what he wanted. Payments from civilians keep the crew running and their streets safe. They have to stand in where the corps and NCPD won’t.
But if Kane lets this slide, how long before everyone stops paying?
“You want two weeks, then you owe me.” Kane gestures to the man fixing the sign. Likely her grandson. “Have him report to Echo. He’ll work with our tech crew after his shift at VitaCorp until the debt’s cleared. No pay, no combat. Simply extra hands where we need them.”
Shoulder sagging, she nods. “Thank you, Baron. That’s…fair.” Kane moves to leave when she leans in, tone shifting. “But there’s something else…” His gaze snaps back to her.
“Been seeing some new faces around lately. Asking odd questions. Probably nothing, but thought you should know.”
This isn’t the news he wants to hear. “New faces? What kind of questions?” Kane jerks his chin toward Echo at the next stall. She’s at his side in seconds. He turns back to Mrs. Gibson. “Go on.”
The shopkeeper’s eyes flick between them. “I don’t want to cause trouble, Baron.”
Echo offers a smile. “It’s no trouble, Mrs. Gibson.” She rests a hand on Kane’s shoulder, making him stiffen. “Boss man just likes to know who’s sniffing around the neighborhood and what they’re saying. Helps us keep the peace.”
“Okay…” Mrs. Gibson exhales slowly. “I didn’t meet them myself, not directly. But folks say they’ve been asking questions—about how your crew recruits around here. What happens to the ones you take in…And about the past. How you ended up in charge. It’s got people talking.”
Kane’s jaw clenches. Not much to work with. Could be curious newcomers or locals hoping to join up. Could be NCPD or corpo enforcers fishing for leverage.
Or worse—Athena’s crew feeding her intel. Though she should already know most of this, unless she’s been gone longer than he realized or forgotten everything.
“Look into this,” he tells Echo, checking the time again. Five minutes left. “Mrs. Gibson’s grandson will be working with Coda for the next two weeks. Maybe longer. Get with him and work out the details.”
Echo nods. “Got it.” She sets a hand on Mrs. Gibson’s shoulder. “Let’s meet this grandson then, shall we?”
While Mrs. Gibson leads Echo over, Kane turns and heads for the exit. If he keeps up the pace, he can return home with just enough time.
As he strides through the market, a few residents track his movements.
His overlay tags some as locals he recognizes at a glance, but others flash ID: UNKNOWN.
He nods to the ones who meet his eye, but their reactions set him on edge.
Some turn away too quickly. A few stare him down.
Most offer expressions he can’t quite read.
The tension follows the rest of his walk home.
A family he’s known for years shuffles out of his path in silence. At the corner, an HOV biker slows to watch him before peeling out.
When Kane pushes through the doors of Dragoon’s Rest, conversation inside cuts off in an instant.
His gut coils tight.
Something’s off in Shreveport.
The thought sticks from the bar to the stairs.
By the time he reaches his quarters, it’s coiled enough to snap. He shuts the door, opens his wristlink, and sends a single encrypted ping to Coda.
Then he drops onto the edge of the bed, dragging a hand down his face.
Rafael.
Even the name steadies him. The unease doesn’t vanish, but he forces the feeling aside for later.
If there’s a threat, he’ll deal with it.
For the next few hours, there’s no Chrome Baron. Only Kane.
He grabs the V-link headset off the table, strips off his visor, and sets both devices side by side on his bed. They sync instantly, Coda’s mod routing his connection through the Veil.
That extra layer of security is the only reason he can risk this at all. Without it, his assigned V-link ID would light up every corpo board in Midtown.
“Connect to V-link.”
The dim apartment dissolves, replaced by an empty purple chamber. No VitaCorp tag hovering in his periphery. No session ads crawling across the floor. Just a stripped-down menu and a handful of Veil notifications from the few stories he follows.
“Start chat with dulcechef2186, room 4256.”
The air hums as the world around him flashes and reshapes.
In seconds, the void transforms into a bustling city street from the late 1900s. Antique shops and vintage cafés line cobbled streets while an accordion player collects tips from simulated spectators on the corner. Old cars drive past, rendered in typical VitaCorp perfect detail.
One of the pedestrians nearly brushes Kane’s shoulder. He sidesteps and heads for a café at the end of the street. Inside, he requests a table from the sim host, who seats him on the patio.
As the hostess steps away, a flicker of light catches his attention. Rafael—or rather, a perfect virtual version of him—materializes a few feet from the café. Kane is on his feet in an instant.
“Kane, this is—” He cut Rafael off, pulling him into a kiss. As firm and real as V-link allows.
When he breaks the kiss, they’re both breathless. Rafael’s grin tugs a crooked one out of him.
“Didn’t realize how much I needed that,” Kane murmurs, the words slipping out easier than expected.
“Me too.” Rafael’s still catching his breath, but his gaze sweeps their surroundings. “What is this place? Are we in the…1900s?”
Kane chuckles and loops an arm through his. “You got it.” He guides them down the street to the café. As they pass the front of the shop, he pauses, nodding at customers in vintage coats and dresses lined up at a counter inside.
“Yes, this is Café Flora. Famous for its macarons, soufflés, croissants…” He trails off as a waitress walks by with a tower of cream puffs glistening with caramelized sugar. “And croquembouche.”
Rafael stares wide-eyed. “Wow. That looks incredible.” His focus stays locked on the dessert even as Kane leads him to their table.
Once they’re seated, Kane leans in with a smirk. “Good—because I already ordered us one.”
Before Rafael can reply, a server approaches and places the dessert between them. “Bon appétit,” she says, then disappears inside the café.
A gasp slips from Rafael. “This looks amazing! I really hope V-link’s taste simulation isn’t too off. It gets close…but it’s nothing like the 4D theater.” His hand darts out, fingers hovering over the pastry, then pulls back. “Wait—did you want the first bite?”
“Nope.” Kane winks. “All yours.”
He doesn’t hesitate. Rafael rips off a piece and pops the puff into his mouth. After a beat, a satisfied hum escapes his lips.
Kane’s unable to resist himself, taking one from the top. “That good, huh?”
Rafael nods, chewing.
“We’ll see about that,” he mutters and finally samples the pastry.
The second the treat hits his tongue, the sweet cream and caramel are so vivid his brows lift. Maybe Coda upgraded his headset, or VitaCorp pushed some new upgrade through.
“Anything like the real deal?” Rafael asks, mouth now empty.
After a final bite, Kane leans back in his chair. “Decent. But I wish you could experience them here with me.”
Rafael’s expression softens. “You’ve already come to me so many times, risking yourself in Midtown. Making time for me like this is enough.”
Warmth stirs in Kane’s chest. He reaches across the table. Rafael meets him halfway, their fingers slotting together. “You make me so happy.” His voice is soft but certain.
The declaration hits harder than expected. It’s not like Rafael hasn’t complimented him before or expressed his feelings. But this is something different, something bigger.
Kane’s instinct is to look away and let it roll off. Except not when it comes from Rafael.
He studies their hands instead, the chrome against tan skin.
When he finally lifts his gaze, Rafael is watching him with a smile that tightens his chest all over again. Despite everything, he looks at Kane as if there’s nothing to question. Nothing to fear.
It’s still jarring.
From the first night, this man caught his attention without trying. Now Kane’s here—in V-link via the Veil—when he should be calling shots downstairs.
Nights that used to be spent planning raids have shifted to mapping the safest routes to Rafael’s door.
Letting someone matter like this should terrify him. This weakness is what got his uncle killed.
But as Rafael’s thumb traces his palm, Kane knows it’s too late.
He’s in love with Rafael.
His shoulders stiffen. Kane has never been in love before. There have been lovers, sure. Only those were simple and easy to leave behind.
Nothing that could shatter his world or everything he’s built.
But Kane’s never backed down from a challenge. Never hesitated to take what he wants. And right now, what he wants is Rafael.
He opens his mouth. No words come out.
This isn’t like him. Under the table, his fingers curl into a fist.
The Chrome Baron, who’s stared down enemies without blinking, woken to gunfire before he could read, faced death more times than he can count.
But there’s no strategy for this.
What if it’s too much? What if Rafael doesn’t feel the same way? They’ve barely known each other for two months. Maybe Rafael means he’s happy in the moment.
A hand squeezes his. “Everything okay?” Rafael’s brows knit together.
Kane’s gut twists. Rafael deserves to know someone loves him.
“Rafael.” Kane’s pulse hammers as he clears his throat. “I—”
Rafael’s expression freezes.
“Rafael?”
His form shimmers, and in a burst of light, he disappears.
Kane’s stomach drops. He launches from his seat, already reaching for the option to ping Coda in his overlay—
An alert flashes.
>PM FROM: DULCECHEF2186.
“Open message.”
Text materializes in his vision.
[SORRY! MY ROOMMATE CAME HOME AND NEEDS TO CHAT. TALK TO YOU AFTER WORK!]
A cascade of hearts follows—ridiculous, but it draws a smile from him.
These words aren’t meant for V-link, anyway. Kane will say them when he can pull Rafael close and look into his eyes.