‘Me and the Sethster set up a lab for Juno to work in,’ Mikey explained. ‘Seth borrowed money from some Janssen associates to buy new lab equipment. Then he lost a bunch gambling and when you don’t pay the Janssens back …’

Juno looked upset as Mikey made a throat-cutting gesture.

‘You know Fawn’s nothing to do with me,’ Charlie said, ‘but I’d heard the Janssens muscled in on modding labs when z-mods killed most of the narcotics trade.’

Juno sucked air between her teeth before telling the story. ‘In olden days, you paid a lab for a z-mod. Zombie staggered around for a year or two, until they picked up an infection or something. They’d die blissfully happy, barely aware they’re covered in tumours and caked in their own shit.

‘Now the cops send zombies to a reversal clinic to set their DNA back to normal. But there’s no psychiatric care. Going back to normal emotions feels like hell once you’ve lived high. They get depressed, steal a bunch of money and use it to buy the latest z-mod. The government reversing zombie mods just generates repeat business for the modders.

‘And the Janssens own the cops in this town, like they’ve always done. So, if you wanna run a lab in Vegas, you pay tax to the Janssens. Else cops be tearing down your lab.’

‘Fawn runs everything now,’ Mikey added. ‘Old man Jay is dead, along with JJ and his older brother.’

‘Life expectancy plummets if you rub Fawn Janssen the wrong way,’ Juno noted. ‘Your sis is queen of the Vegas underworld.’

‘I’d heard she’d been busy,’ Charlie said warily. ‘It’s why I live out of town. I use precautions when I travel and nobody knows my real address. It’s also why I don’t appreciate people following me.’

‘Why your sister got no love for you?’ Mikey interrupted.

‘I offended Fawn by being born, and it’s been downhill ever since,’ Charlie sighed. ‘I guess some people are just born bad.’

‘Bad to the bone,’ Juno agreed. ‘Sadistic.’

Talk of Fawn reminded Charlie of a childhood she preferred to forget. She changed the subject.

‘So, how’d you find me?’

‘Cole spotted you,’ Juno said.

‘Cole who?’ Charlie asked.

‘He was at OIL with us, but I mostly got to know him after you left,’ Juno explained. ‘Told me you were reopening a coffee shop under some fake name. Cole helped his uncle do painting and electrical work for you.’

‘What was your plan?’ Charlie asked. ‘Kidnap me? Follow me home and rob me?’

‘We’re reasonable people,’ Mikey said unconvincingly. ‘You and Juno were tight for a long time. Patrick is your godson and we need help.’

‘So why the cloak and dagger? Why not just come by and say, Hey, Charlie, long time no see.’