Owned by the Yakuza: A Japanese Mafia Bad Boy Romance (11 page)

“Busy night for you again, huh?” Hide said.

“Ugh, I’m going to have to spend the whole night making up stories about where I was last night.”

“Yeah, they weren’t too happy about that. A couple of new regulars came in looking for you, but once they found out you were gone, they just ran off.”

“That’s weird.” I looked across the empty lounge. “You’d think that they’d just choose someone else. I’m not that special.”

The manager unlocked the door.

I stood straight, readying myself for the stream of businessmen looking for drunken company.

Three men in black burst through the doors, wielding automatic weapons. Their faces were covered with black masks. A spray of bullets hit the ceiling, sending glass raining down on the floor.

“Everybody down!”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Tadao
忠夫

“She said her parents died in a car crash. What if it wasn’t an accident?”

Masaru turned around and started pounding away on the keyboard. Within minutes he had the police accident report and the coroner’s report up on the screen. “Says here they lost control, fell over a ridge. It was treated as an accident, nothing suspicious to indicate foul play.”

Tatsuya clicked his tongue. “He could have offed himself to avoid paying money, killed his wife and left his daughter alone.”

The room was silent. Stranger things had happened. Japanese culture was no stranger to suicide.

“No, I don’t think that’s it.” I paced back and forth, feeling the eyes of the other kyodai on me. “I think that maybe, it was the Shimazu-kai.”

“If that’s the case, why didn’t they kill Oriana?”

My stomach turned at the thought. “Maybe they just haven’t had a chance yet.” I seized my phone and sent her a text.

Are you at the club?

Yes.
She replied a few minutes later.

Ok. Whatever you do, don’t leave. I’m coming to get you. Just carry on as usual. I’ll be there soon.

I shouldn’t have let her go back to the hostess club. If someone had been feeding the Shimazu-kai information, then they would already know where she was. I pocketed my phone and began opening the safe.

“What are you doing?” Tatsuya blew out a cloud of smoke.

“I’m going to get her,” I swung open the safe and grabbed two guns. “You guys are welcome to come along.”

“So the love bug has bitten you too, huh?” Kaoru laughed.

I concealed the guns in my jacket and zipped it up. “If you don’t want to do it for her, do it for the hostess club. If the Shimazu-kai are after Oriana, that puts all of the other girls in danger too.”

Kaoru’s expression sobered. “Alright. What’s the plan?”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Oriana
オリアナ

Three men in black burst through the doors, wielding automatic weapons. Their faces were covered with black masks. A spray of bullets hit the ceiling, sending glass raining down on the floor.

“Everybody down!”

The doors swung shut behind them. One of the men threw the manager to the ground and locked the door. He pushed a broom through the handle and shook it to make sure it wouldn’t give. More gun shots. Girls screamed, ducking down behind tables with their hands over their heads.

I hit the ground, hearing the men stomp around.

“Ok, where is she?”

Girls squealed and whispered.

She? Who was she? They would need to use a name if they were going to track down a girl who worked at a hostess club.

“Shut up!” The leader, I recognized his deep voice, shouted. More shots to the ceiling and more screams followed. “McMillian Oriana.”

My heart froze and my breath caught in my throat.

The room went quiet. I had about three seconds before someone sold me out.

“Psst.” It was Hide. He was kneeling behind the bar. Ice was scattered all over the floor. He motioned to me. “Come on,” He whispered.

I scooted backward, slipping behind the bar with him.

Hide was panting and mopping sweat from his forehead. “Damn yakuza.”

I curled up with my knees to my chest. I could hear the men’s shoes clicking on the floor.

“Well, where is she?” The leader shouted.

Sora would be the one to sell me out, I’d bet my life on it. I had to get out of there before it was too late.

Apparently, Hide was thinking the same thing. He carefully opened one of the cabinets, which was half filled with bottles of liquor. He gingerly picked them up one at a time and lined them up on the floor. He nudged his head towards the empty cabinet. “It’s a tight fit, but it will buy you time.”

I nodded, squeezing myself into the small space. I was tucked up in a fetal position.

“This club is old. It was made in the late seventies. Shootouts were prepared for.” Hide whispered and tapped the inside of the bar. It was solid steel.

I wished he’d stop talking, the men would hear him.

Hide shut the door. I heard him rummaging around in a drawer and the sound of a gun being cocked.

I struggled to breathe. This old cabinet smelled like sour wine. The bottom was sticky. I cringed. Gross. But then again, this was better than being shot by the yakuza.

There was more muffled shouting and gunshots. It was hard to hear through the reinforced hiding place that I had shoved myself in.

“I know she’s here!” The man’s voice was louder now.

My heart was pounding in my chest. I covered my mouth with my hand, just in case he could hear my frantic panting. They would find nothing and leave. They won’t find me in here. I repeated it over and over in my head, the mantra of my safety.

Had someone called the police yet? Not that the cops were any good when it came to dealing with the yakuza. They all had pockets lined with dirty money or were too scared to even confront them.

The phone on the bar started ringing, but no one dared pick it up. Then silence.

Gunshots echoed in the silence. I heard Hide pull himself to his feet. “Hey, yakuza!” He shouted.

The man said something, but my ears missed it. I held my breath, trying to catch their conversation.

“That white girl? She’s not here,” Hide said.

“Why should I believe you, fat pig?” The man snarled.

Hide chuckled. “Because the Himura-gumi own this club. You’d better get out before they come to see why their clients are locked outside.”

“Fuck the Himura-gumi!” The man shouted. “I know she’s here.”

“She’s not. She got fired last night, ask the manager.”

There was silence. A girl cried out. “He’s dead.”

The manager had been shot when they walked in. I had seen it with my own eyes, but it hadn’t registered until just now. I choked back a sob.

The lead man was closer to the bar now. His voice was clear and strong. “Tell me where she is, pig, or you’re dead too.”

Hide chuckled. His voice was dark and thick. “You think a bunch of yakuza punks is enough to scare me? See you in hell, you piece of shit.”

Shots were exchanged, loud bangs from Hide's revolver were overcome. There was a thud as something heavy hit the tile.

I held my breath, taking a chance as I nudged the cabinet open to take a peek outside.

Hide was lying on the floor, bleeding and still. His eyes were glassy, but he blinked when he saw me. He frowned, blood trickling from his mouth. He took his last shuddering breath. “Trap… door.” He sighed and the light left his eyes.

I sobbed, biting down on my knuckle. I had two options: pray that they would give up and leave or pray that Tadao got here before they found me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Tadao
忠夫

I pushed the Mercedes to its limit. Yuji was sitting beside me, calling the club on his cell. No answer. He tried again. No answer.

“Try the bar phone,” Masaru said from the back seat. He was busy making his own calls, gathering every shatei within a ten-kilometre radius.

Yuji tried that number. No answer. “Something isn’t right,” He said.

“No kidding.” I ran a red light.

Kaoru and Tatsuya flanked my car on their motorcycles, weaving in and out of the traffic. The streets were busy with people who were leaving work.

The ten-minute drive to the hostess club seemed to last an eternity. Finally, the neon lights came into view. As per the plan, we cut into an alleyway about a block away from the club. If something was going on, we weren’t going to risk running head first into a trap.

I killed the engine and hopped out, barely taking a breath before barking orders. “Yuji, you’re wounded. Stay here and monitor the police scanners. Take over calling the shatei.”

Yuji adjusted his arm in the sling and took Masaru’s phone. “Yes, sir.”

“Our foot soldiers will be here any minute,” Masaru said with complete confidence. He was the best at managing our junior members.

Tatsuya popped the trunk, unloading various weapons from the back of my car.

“I thought we weren’t keeping any of those T91s.” I eyed the assault rifle in his hand.

“Aren’t you glad I convinced Kenichi to let me have a few?” Tatsuya’s eyes glittered with glee. He threw one to Kaoru.

“Ok, anyways,” I sighed and pointed at Masaru. “We need you to stay outside the club in case any cops show up.”

“Appease the powers that be, yes I know.” Masaru gave me a pointed look. “We’ve already gone over this, stop being so anal and get out there.”

I was a planner, a financial manager, not a gun-toting fighter like the others. Now was my chance. I had to save Oriana, even if I gave up my past self in the process. “Alright.” No more wasting time.

Tatsuya, Kaoru and I snuck around the alley towards the club.

The street was quiet and empty. I glanced around the corner. The windows inside the club were dark, carefully censored with two-way mirrors to guard the clients’ privacy. Outside the front door, there were two men dressed in long coats, their faces were hidden by sunglasses and black scarves.

“Well, that has suspicious written all over it,” Kaoru muttered.

There was an echo of automatic gunfire from within the club.

I made to lunge forward but Kaoru held onto my arm tightly. “Don’t go rushing in. Those guys are armed to the teeth.” He shot a glance at Tatsuya. “Tat and I will go and take them out, then we’ll sneak around the back.”

I nodded. The gun in my hand was heavy and cold. They knew better than to let me use it. I gritted my teeth.

We slinked around to the side of the building.

Tatsuya did what he did best, slipping a stiletto knife out of his sleeve and sneaking up behind the guards. Two firm slashes and they were dead. The men crumpled to the ground, bleeding out on the pavement. Tatsuya returned with two more T91s.

“Shimazu-kai,” I hissed.

“If this is any indication, yes.” Kaoru released the magazines from the guns and threw one at Tatsuya. He pocketed the other and then chucked the empty weapons into the dumpster. They banged the metal loudly.

We all winced.

“Everything ok over there?” A voice came from the back end of the club.

“Shit,” I breathed and we all hid behind the dumpster.

Footsteps were approaching.

Tatsuya wiped the blood on his knife onto his pant leg and waited. Kaoru drew the handgun from his jacket.

When the men came into view, it happened in a flash. One fell with a blade in his throat and the other shot through the head.

I closed my eyes. So much death. And I was sitting here uselessly.

“I’m going to check the back door.” Tatsuya retrieved his knife with a sickening sound and ran down to the back of the club.

I was breathing hard.

Kaoru patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, kid. We’ll save your princess from the dragon.”

I gritted my teeth. Kaoru was my brother’s age, so I was hardly a child when compared to him. Unless you compared our willingness to kill. It didn’t need to be this way. I glanced at the dead bodies as Kaoru hauled them out of the way. Was it really so bad to have compassion for life, even when your opponents would kill you in a heartbeat?

“No one,” Tatsuya said upon return.

Kaoru nodded and stripped one of the men of his long jacket. He threw it on. “Ok, you two go in from the back. I’ll stand here at the door in case anyone shows up.” He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the front entrance. “Masaru is standing by out front.”

“If there’s more of them in there, we stand a better chance of sneaking in through the kitchen,” I added. My memory was perfect and I could visualize the entire club in my head.

Tatsuya grinned. He lived for battle and I was grateful that he was on our side. “Come on, let’s go save your woman.”