Jorge entered Sharon's room after Raizel. So that was her, Gabe, Black Skull, Zaggit, Zhang. Looked to be everyone, so Jorge shut the door. Locked it.
"Sharon. Raizel, Zhang," he said, pointing to each. "They're here for the job too."
Sharon nodded when Jorge said the names of the last two mercs to join in. Good. At least Jorge managed to scrape up some actual human beings and not more orcs or god-knows-what else. Both were armed with a sword and/or a pistol, so they probably weren't mages. Well, Jorge got the recruiting job mostly right, but it just wouldn't be Jorge if he didn't fuck some part of it up.
And the woman, Raizel, had a question almost as soon as Jorge had closed the door.
Seemed Sharon, Raizel, and Black Skull were all birds of a feather. Raizel's face mirrored Sharon's own when the Zag thing had started its childish rampage through her room; a job for the service workers in the inn to fix. Also, new sheets. New pillows. New every-fucking-thing Sharon's body would have to touch tonight that the green creature had the gall to put its filthy paws on.
"Everyone here has their place," Sharon said with a forced smile. As useful as the orc might be in the assault, if push came to shove and either Raizel or Black Skull had any further objection to working with the foul creatures, then she'd cut the greenskins out of the job immediately in favor of fellow humans.
Then Gabe pulled the low table forward and hopped onto it and kicked the meeting off. Sharon appreciated his initiative, but it seemed that only the stupid little Zag thing bothered with an introduction. The true professionals, as Sharon expected, weren't so keen on—
"'Ey there, mates," said Jorge. "Name's Jorge, but you all probably know that by now. I got two pistols, and I miss 'bout half of my shots, so there's that. You lookin' for somebody to drink with after this, though, then I'm your guy."
Sharon closed her eyes for a moment. An annoyed exhale through her nose. Of course it would be Jorge. Of course.
"Thank you, Gabe," she said. Added grudgingly, "Jorge."
"Anytime, love."
Sharon walked over to the center of the room, near where Gabe had dragged the low table. Glanced over all assembled.
Time to get started.
"Greetings," she said. "I represent the interests of The Maitri. He wants a local underboss, named Reese, dead. And I'm here to ensure that happens."
Maitri. An ancient word from a dead language. One Sharon had remembered from the old, dusty, and worn out books that her father absentmindedly tossed to her to keep her occupied when she was a child, the books she had slowly taught herself to read with. It meant a number of similar things, but above all: Order. That which brought peace and benevolence.
And it was just as important for Sharon's hired help to hear of The Maitri—this fabricated and enigmatic figure of Sharon's own making behind which she would operate—as it was for any survivors at Reese's compound that Sharon would intentionally let go. The legend needed to grow. Spread. And this was just the first seed she would plant.
"The job is simple. Straightforward. I don't know where exactly Reese's hideout is, but I know who does. His right-hand man, Halis Durandan, lives here in Twin Rivers. Pretends to be a normal member of the town. Handles Reese's business here. We get Durandan, and we get Reese.
"Tomorrow morning, before sunrise and while the town is mostly asleep, we'll go and get Durandan. Gabe, Black Skull, you'll be with me. We'll get Durandan to talk. Zhang, Raizel, you'll be the lookouts on the outside."
Zhang and Raizel looked to Sharon to be the best candidates for blending in. They could even come up with a husband-and-wife routine in the unlikely event that an early morning guard patrol or other nosy people happened upon them. Gabe and Black Skull were better suited inside Durandan's house.
"So Durandan talks," Sharon continued, "we get him to lead us directly to Reese's hideout, we ambush his men while most of them are probably still sleeping as well, and then we get Reese. I don't have any intel on the amount of men he's got, so be ready for anything. Spoils inside Reese's hideout are free-for-all. Grab whatever you like. The important thing is that Reese dies."
Sharon looked down to Zaggit. Unable to keep the condescending tone from her voice. "Now, I've got an important job for you. A very important one. Are you ready? I need you...to get..."
She glanced at Jorge again.
"Ugdanak," he said.
"Ugdanak. I need you to get Ugdanak...tomorrow morning before sunrise...and go to the east end of town, the one with the sign that says 'Twin Rivers'...and wait. Don't do anything else. Just wait. We'll come and get you. And then you'll have that fight you want at Reese's hideout. Got that?"
Sharon paused. Glanced over the group again.
Her tone back to normal. "Make yourselves comfortable until tomorrow morning. Jorge can handle your payments. Half now, half when the job is done, if that's how you prefer it."
Jorge opened the room door. Stood by it.
Then Sharon looked to Gabe. "Gabe, can I speak to you privately, please?"
Zhang listened to the briefing intently. Two major items of note.
One, the Contact's suspicions were confirmed. Sharon was targeting Reese.
And two, the Contact had wondered if Sharon was working for someone. It would seem this man known as "The Maitri" was it.
Zhang was glad that this was the case. Had Sharon been acting alone in targeting Reese, the Contact's orders were for her to be terminated. A simple track and observe job turned assassination. For today, at least, Zhang's hands could remain clean.
In this case, with the identity of Sharon's employer unknown, the Contact's orders were quite...different. Hard to discern. Now, Zhang's orders were to warn Reese and his men, giving them ample time to prepare a strong defense. But Zhang was to remain close to Sharon. Even participate in the attack, but he was to flee if the battle turned against them. The Contact had said that Reese was ultimately expendable, if necessary.
Zhang stood up from his seat. Walked out the door that Jorge held open.
He would warn Reese, as ordered. But not yet. It was too soon.
Zhang walked to the staircase leading down to the first floor. Intent on heading to The Overlook's bar.