Page 30 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?
“I didn’t need to. You went as far as to dig up stuff I’d rather keep to myself.” Huffing, I nudge the envelope toward him. “I’ve not told anyone about my dealing with the gang. Or the jobs they had me do.” If only I hadn’t ignored the alarms going off in my head. I will always regret letting Cindy drag me into that shit. “I don’t know how you did it, but this is some serious breach of my privacy, not to mention illegal. On top of that, Naomi was with me and almost found out…”
His frown eases, an apologetic expression sliding in place instead of it. “I… It’s necessary given the position I’m offering. I’m sure you understand that.”
I do now, I suppose. If a yakuza boss’ son wants me as his bodyguard, he better be sure I’m not someone who might want to off him.
“Look. I really don’t get it. Why does it have to be me? If you already found out about the shit I got involved in, you know that this is the last thing I need on my plate.”
Do they even care though? But it could be a pain in the ass for them too if someone came looking for me and found me with the boss’ son.
Chai takes out the contract and flips through it until he gets to the last two pages. He hands it to me. “We know that you were used as a mule. We also know that they arecurrently very unhappy with your failure to complete the last job you were given.”
I grit my teeth, suppressing a tremble down my spine. The bad feeling I had was just too strong when they gave me the instructions. All the extra steps, the higher pay. Something was off from the get-go. The job this time was different than the drug runs I’d done for them so far. And, god, I hated those. I can’t believe I let Cindy convince me to do it that first time, thinking it won’t happen again. But I really wanted to make it work with her back then.
“Honestly, I wanted to quit, but had no choice after the last guy who tried to do it was found dead. They would’ve killed me.”
Chai’s sympathetic eyes find mine. “So, you screwed them over and ran away?” he asks with a hint of awe in his voice.
“More or less?” I roll my shoulders. “Which was extremely stupid of me, I realize in hindsight, but I really wanted to be done with that shit. It was a bit too grey, even for my flexible moral compass.”
Black is probably more accurate color for the kind of job it was, but then again, we’d really needed the money and the first few runs had been less hardcore. After Cindy left though, things got progressively bad and fast.
He hesitates. “We have some gaps in our intel. If you feel like filling them.”
Interesting. I bet I know exactly what he is referring to as well. But do I want to tell him? I don’t even know him. “Maybe some other time. Let’s just say that there was some new drug, and they were going to test it on unsuspecting addicts without even telling them.”
I omit the part about the questionable way in which I got that information. I’d found out by using a combinationof stalking and spying on a bunch of people and I’m sure that the gang has figured that out by now and enforced stricter rules.
He frowns, eyes clouding in disapproval. “We don’t deal in drugs, known or unknown. Or human trafficking. My father prohibits it, and I will do the same when I succeed him.”
I blink at him, slightly impressed and secretly a little glad. I don’t think he’s lying, which means that the Akiyama Group must be one of those weird organizations with some semblance of morals. “Right, okay. But I’m still not interested in your job offer.”
He shakes his head lightly, a sliver of a smile tilting his lips up. “If you agree to work for me, the Akiyama Group will arrange for a permanent residency permit as soon as your trial period of six months ends. If you are in Japan, we can protect you from the people you are running away from. We can also arrange for a new ID.”
My stomach flips, twisting and coiling as I try to comprehend what he’s just said. I am not naïve. This is all a huge gray area, but did he just say residence was on the table? “You can grant mepermanent residencyjust like that if I agree to work for you?”
“Not me personally, but my father knows people. You will also be compensated accordingly and granted an extended package of benefits, an apartment and a personal vehicle…”
I lose him as he carries on listing things, my mind still reeling from the permit announcement.
This is too good to be true. It has to be, because what reason does Chai have to just hand me the solution to the one problem I feared might be impossible to solve?
Chapter 16
Leo still looks shockedwhen I finish explaining the many reasons why he should accept the bodyguard job.
I know exactly what kind of things he’s been involved with, but it’s probably not what he’s thinking. Or not exactly anyway, since Aran did perform an extensive background check. The people Leo worked for have a bit of a reputation going on even here in Japan. I’ve never met them, I don’t think they do business in this part of the world, and if I’m being honest, I’d rather it stayed that way.
Leo’s ex is the one responsible for his current less-than-ideal circumstances. His decision to do a year abroad here was very last minute, but it makes sense now with what he told me about this new drug. I’m positive that there is a bit more to it, and his motivations to run away, but I’ll prod him some other time.
After a few more minutes of Leo looking like he’s fighting a brain aneurysm while trying to solve the mystery of our universe’s origin, he takes a deep breath andlooks me in the eye. My stomach does a swoop, my abs tightening as the piercing blue focuses on me like laser sights.
“Look, if this is some kind of joke, it’s really not funny. I don’t know why you are so insistent about me, or why you are going to such lengths to get me to agree, but I’m at the end of my rope here, and you are practically offering me a fucking ladder.”
I don’t really get what he’s saying. But either way, I’m serious about this. I’ve mulled over why it has to be him since I met him. He saved me, so that’s part of it, sure, but it goes beyond it.
I look around, realizing that it’s just the two of us. I left Aran in the car and my bodyguards at the base of the hill. Obviously, they are on the lookout for anything suspicious, but there are a ton of ways someone can sneak by them and come for me.
Yet, I feel safe with Leo around. Too much was going on when we first met, but I’ve revisited that encounter a lot of times, so I know I felt it then, too. Something about his presence just puts me at ease. I also like to observe him, to watch his reactions when I tease him, though this is more of a side-effect rather than a reason for my initial interest in him.
