Owned by the Yakuza: A Japanese Mafia Bad Boy Romance (13 page)

“Who are you?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“You may call me Ugaki-san. Or
sama
if you prefer.” The man grinned.

“Fuck you!” I spat.

Ugaki chuckled. There was a brief pause and then he struck me across the face.

I reeled, seeing stars, and my head was pushed against the back of the chair.

Somewhere on the ground floor gunfire was going off. I heard muffled shouting and screaming through the walls.

Ugaki held my forehead, speaking very slowly and softly. “Don’t test me, fire girl.” He released me and took a step back. “Do you know why I’m here?”

“Should I?”

“I work for the Shimazu-kai,” He paused with a wicked smile, studying me. “And based on the reaction that you just tried to hide, you know who we are. So then, do you know why I’m here?”

“Of course not!” I shouted. The Shimazu-kai were the Himura-gumi’s rivals. Had I gotten caught up in the middle of a feud, just for sleeping with Tadao?

Ugaki continued. He drawled on and on like a Bond villain revealing his plot. How unoriginal. “I guess your father was better at covering his tracks than we thought then. He’s owed us money for years, you see. Fifty million yen, including interest.”

I sucked in a breath. Strange to think that only a week ago I was complaining about a million yen. “Well, sorry to tell you, but he died last month.”

“I know that,” Ugaki snickered. “Because I was the one who killed him.”

The man’s confession hit me like a tonne of bricks. The air was pushed out of my lungs. My skin prickled with dread, my heart stopping mid-beat. “What?” I gasped. My eyes were burning, threatening to spill over with hot tears.

“Chased them right off the road,” He snickered. “No one would think twice, two people losing control on a rainy night and shooting off the side of a cliff.”

I felt frozen. My parents had been murdered. Over a debt. The yakuza had killed them, just because my father owed them money. Were their lives that worthless? A fifty-million-yen price tag on their souls. I gritted my teeth. I could not cry in front of this monster.

“Made it look like an accident, of course, that is my specialty.” Ugaki went on. He leaned in close, running a finger along my cheek. “Just like I’ll do with you.”

I winced, the pressure from his finger was making my cheek ache where he had slapped me.

“I think I’ll make it look like a suicide. Those are always fun.” He patted his side where his gun was strapped. “But first,” His hand moved down to my thigh. “I think we should have a little fun.”

“Touch her again, and I’ll blow your brains out.”

Ugaki jerked away from my face.

“Tadao!” I cried. My heart burst with emotion when I saw him standing there in the doorway. My tears flowed freely.

“Ah, I see the Himuras are already here.” Ugaki frowned and stood straight. He shook his head and let out a loud, disappointed sigh. “Sorry Kitten, I guess we won’t have time to play after all.” In a flash, he pulled his revolver from its holster and pointed it at my forehead. “Say goodnight.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Tadao
忠夫

I wasn’t sure if it was the bruise blossoming on her cheek or the sight of his hand on her thigh, but I knew that I would be the one to kill that man.

“Touch her again, and I’ll blow your brains out.” I held the Glock up, aiming it at him.

The man pushed away from Oriana. I knew his face from somewhere before. His name was Ugaki and he was one of the Shimazu-kai’s most notorious hitmen. He was thin, shifty, and as slick as an eel.

“Tadao!” Oriana cried.

Oriana looked exhausted and miserable. Her skin was pale and shiny with sweat. Her hair had fallen down from the updo and her dress was dirty and ripped. Whatever he had put her through, he was going to pay.

“Ah, I see the Himuras are already here.” Ugaki frowned and stood straight. He shook his head and let out a loud, disappointed sigh. “Sorry Kitten, I guess we won’t have time to play after all.” In a flash, he pulled his revolver from its holster and pointed it at Oriana’s forehead. “Say goodnight.”

I squeezed off a round, striking him in the shoulder.

Ugaki shouted and dropped his gun, clutching the wound. He whirled around at me. “Not a smart move, boy. Do you know who I am?”

“Yes,” I said as I took a step towards him. “You’re Ugaki, the Shimazu-kai’s best hitman. And let me tell you, if that’s the best they have to offer, I’m not impressed.”

“You little jerk,” Ugaki spat. He pulled a knife from his sleeve.

I kept the Glock trained on him. “
I wasn’t finished
,” I kept my voice calm and even. I wouldn’t let his petty insults get under my skin. There was nothing he could do now that would make me madder. He had already threatened the woman that I loved. There was nothing worse. “You’re the Shimazu-kai’s best hitman,” I repeated. “You’re the man who led this attack on innocent women working in my club. You killed our bartender. You killed our manager. You ransacked every room looking for Oriana. You brought her up here, threatening her life in front of me.” I took a deep breath. “I know who you are, Ugaki. You are the first man I killed.”

I didn’t let him respond. I shot three rounds from the Glock hitting him in the chest, throat and head.

Ugaki didn’t make a sound, dead before his body crumpled into the carpet.

I stepped over his body, throwing the gun down to the desk and untying Oriana.

Oriana was crying uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight to me. I breathed in her scent, kissing her lips and wiping the wet streams of tears from her cheeks. “It’s ok,” I whispered.

“Tadao, I was so scared,” Oriana sobbed. She was trembling.

I pressed our bodies together, rubbing her back. Slowly, she stopped shaking and her breathing became steady. “You never need to be scared again, Oriana,” I said. “I promise, nothing will ever happen to you again. You are mine. I won’t let anyone try to hurt you. Ever.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Oriana
オリアナ

I sat in an armchair wrapped in a blanket while the others got to work cleaning the mess that had been left behind.

The police came and left with very few words. Coroners collected the bodies of the dead Shimazu-kai, our wounded were taken to the hospital and the news trucks had managed to snap a few pictures while we weren’t looking. The rest was up to the Himura-gumi now. The authorities turned a blind eye to the yakuza activity again.

My parents had been murdered by the yakuza, but in the official reports it was listed as an accident. Had they known that it was the Shimazu-kai all along? I felt hot tears forming behind my eyes and pulled the blanket tighter.

“Oriana,” Tadao sat down beside me.

I looked up. He was dirty, sweaty, bloody and tired. His usual crisp white shirt was a mess. He had blood smeared across his cheek and I was pretty sure that it wasn’t his. His black hair had been swept back and off to the side to keep it out of his eyes.

Tadao touched my hand gently. “Are you ok? Did you want to go to the hospital with the others?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not hurt… on the outside.”

“Do you need to talk about it?” Tadao asked gently.

I tried to stay strong, but failed. I let out a sob and wiped my face with the blanket. “Ugaki killed my parents.”

Tadao gasped. He was silent for a moment. “I was hoping that it wasn’t true,” He said softly.

“What do you mean?”

“When I texted you last night,” He glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was five in the morning. “Wow, it seems like an eternity ago,” He muttered and then shrugged. “Anyways, when I texted you last night it was because Masaru, one of our best men, did some research and found out that your father didn’t only owe money to the Himura-gumi. He owed money to other yakuza groups too, but had escaped them all when he moved and started going by a different name five years ago.”

“That’s why I couldn’t find any documents from before the move,” I whispered.

Tadao nodded. “Yeah,” He went on. “So the Shimazu-kai must have finally tracked him down…” He trailed off. “And well, you know the rest.” He clenched his fists. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in this.”

We were cut off as a young shatei approached. “Himura-san,” He said with a stiff bow. “I’ve checked the entire club, there’s no sign of Sora or any other Shimazu-kai.”

Tadao frowned. “I see. Thank you.” He waved the boy off.

Like a jealous school girl, Sora had betrayed us all and she had gotten away. But, if I knew anything about the yakuza I knew that you couldn’t hide from them forever.

I looked down at my hands. They were scraped from trying to open the trapdoor.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her,” Tadao said. “I don’t understand why she would betray us like that.” He ran his fingers through his hair. Now I knew why it was sticking up like that.

I couldn’t help but smile. My smile turned into a giggle and then into a laugh. I turned my face away, lost in a fit of laughter. It felt good to laugh, I couldn’t remember the last time that I did.

The corners of Tadao’s mouth twitched as he tried to contain a chuckle. “What is it?”

“Your hair,” I said after regaining my composure. I wiped a tear away from my eye. “It’s all sticking up.”

“Oh,” Tadao made a fruitless attempt to flatten it. He shrugged. “Maybe it’s time to go home and clean up.” He leaned towards me and kissed my cheek. “We should have a shower before we get all dirty with each other.”

I shiver ran through me. He was right. What was done was done. There was only one thing I could do now. I had to move forward. I had to keep going to school. I had to keep living my life.

I turned my head and pressed my lips against his. Even after all of this sadness, my heart was bursting with love. I found him. My other half. I was the Yin to his Yang. I grasped his hand.

Tadao helped me up and we walked through the lobby. It looked like a warzone. Glass and bullets were scattered over the floor. Blood was soaked into the carpet. A clean up crew had just arrived and was unloading their supplies.

The crisp morning air filled my lungs. The sun was rising, tinting the sky with a pale pink. Tadao held my hand tightly once we were outside. He looked at me straight. “I need to know something.”

“Anything,” I said.

“Do you want to be with me?” He asked. “After everything that happened tonight, I’ll understand if you need some space.” His grip was so tight. It pained him to ask me this, especially after swearing to never let me go again.

I couldn’t find the words to express the feelings inside me. Instead, I kissed him. “I’m yours,” I promised. “Now, let’s go home.”

EPILOGUE

Tatsuya
竜也

Kenichi’s condo was full. All of the kyodai had come together to visit and hear the stories of his western style wedding in Oregon and the honeymoon in California. He came back with a bit of a tan. Cassandra was even more bronzed. They had brought back gifts for everyone.

“And this is for you, Tadao,” Cassandra handed him the last gift. Every omiyage had been meticulously wrapped. She must have spent hours putting everything together.

Tadao looked at Oriana. They were sitting squeezed into one arm chair, she was practically sitting in his lap. They exchanged smiles, their eyes were glowing with affection.

As usual, I was sitting wedged in the corner of the couch, watching the others laughing as they opened their gifts that Kenichi and Cassandra had brought back from their honeymoon in California. So many bottles of wine. Whenever a comment was sent my way, I replied sarcastically or with a joke, depending on what was required of me.

On the surface, I was happy for Tadao and Oriana, who had made it official after the fiasco in the hostess club. A life and death situation like that could make anyone fall in love. Inside, I was more than a little envious.

I sighed and stood up.

“What’s wrong, Tatsuya?” Kenichi said as I turned for the door.

I gestured to my side, where I had been hit during the shootout with the Shimazu-kai. “Feeling tired,” I lied. “I think I’m just going to go home for the night.”

“Don’t forget your wine!” Cassandra chirped.

I held it up with the other hand. “Got it. Thanks again.”

“Take it easy,” Tadao said with a smile.

“Sure,” I waved and left without another word. I couldn’t stand all the cheerfulness in one room. Truth was, I was exhausted. Not of the fight that happened only two nights ago, but I was exhausted from everything that had happened since the late Himura-sama had been killed. Ever since then, we had been fighting an uphill battle with no time to repose.

I could feel the exhaustion in my bones. I sat on my motorcycle, revving the engine and feeling its power beneath me. I lit a cigarette.