Previous Story: 87. Settling Affairs - “Do-Gooders” - Sugar and Strife
Rhino had taken over the VIP area of the nightclub and had spent half an hour cleaning and oiling his trusty CK 75B pistol. He was supposed to have moved onto his other guns by now, but was in fact reading his parents’ text messages once again. Though they had mostly discussed everyday topics — food, baseball, his mother’s ailments — the messages made Rhino feel strangely happy and reassured, at least temporarily.
Yet they provoked other emotions, too: fear, anxiety, helplessness. A guy like him was well-equipped to deal with the crisis; Mom and Dad weren’t. He just hoped that the situation in Los Diablos wasn’t as bad as San Lazaro — how could it be? — and that he would be able to help them soon. For that to happen, this escape had to work. Though he and the Red Dragons had greatly benefitted from the crisis, Rhino knew that, sooner or later, his luck would run out. And then he couldn’t help his parents at all.
He never mentioned his concerns to his fellow Dragons. They were all tough — physically and emotionally. Rhino always felt like he was in competition with them, even Lady Rose, and he wasn’t about to admit a weakness.
As he grabbed his assault rifle and began stripping it down, Rhino made a pledge to himself: I’m getting out of SL, and no one’s going to stop me — friend or foe.
