Page 75 of Who Said Mobsters Were Scary?
As carefully as we can, we make our way to it. They haven’t left even a single guard there, giving us an easy way out. The same is true for the gloomy corridor, thoughwe pause when we reach the corner, crouching down and scoping the hall leading to the lounge and the way out.
Leo gestures forward with his hand. “Clear.”
The silence lasts until we approach the room with the bar. The glass above the solid part of the wall near the door lies broken all over the floor. Goro and Minister Kesam are talking heatedly over the radio, demanding updates from the teams. When the guys we took down fail to report, they’ll know something is up.
We crawl closer to the door, using the solid bit of wall to remain hidden. I peek inside. Apart from Goro and the Minister, there are four guards. The Americans and the women who were there earlier must’ve been led out or taken to a different room.
Leo holds up his two guns and looks at me. “What do you want to do?”
I let my eyes bounce from him to the way out. Now is our chance to escape, but if we do, we might not have another chance to get to the bottom of this. I eye the door on the other end of the room. If we mess up here, Goro and the Ministerwillget away with it.
“I’ll distract them. You wait until I’m close to Goro and the Minister. When I say ‘Daichi’, take out the guards.”
“Ooh, you’ll be the bait since they want you alive. Smart. But also? Incredibly stupid. Not a word of that to your dad, got it? He’s going to want my head on a stick if he hears I not only let you fight, but used you as bait.”
“He better not hear about it then.” I peck Leo on the cheek. “You ready?”
He wiggles his eyebrows, hollowing and pushing out one cheek. “Always for you, baby.”
Huffing a laugh to myself, I stand up and walk through the door. It takes everyone a heartbeat to noticeme, the guards pointing their guns the moment they do. I raise my hands, stopping by the empty plinth where the porcelain vase was.
“I’m here to talk.”
Goro waves the guards to lower their guns. They follow his instructions and two of them move behind me while the other two escort me to the bar.
“See, I knew you’d come to your senses,” Goro says, crossing his arms as his gaze focuses behind me. “Where’s your rabid dog?”
Hopefully being obedient for five minutes.
“Dead.”
“Really?” He waves a hand and the two guards by the door run outside, guns pointed where Leo and I were hiding.
My heart lurches, getting stuck in my throat. Breathing suddenly becomes a little difficult and I feel like my lungs are being squeezed by merciless hands.It’s okay. Leo isn’t stupid; he’d have known they would check.
“Clear!” the two men shout a painfully long second later.
Relief floods me. He’s got this. We got this.
“All teams,” the Minister says into the radio, “confirm when you locate Leon Caruso. If he’s not dead, shoot him.”
“You wanted to talk?” I rush out, not giving the two of them the chance to notice one team’s lack of response. “What’s going on?”
Goro smirks. He picks up his glass and takes a slow sip, savoring the taste of whatever he’s drinking. Going off the color and the faint fruity scent, it’s sake. “It’s a new business venture. A way for the Akiyama Group to expand its horizons and reach its true potential.”
“Who were the Americans?” I stare Minister Kesam down, but his expression remains calm.
“Our new business partner, hopefully. They are… particularly experienced in this line of work,” my father’s lieutenant says with glee.
“You know my father won’t agree to it. Drugs and human-trafficking is off-limits.”
“For now, yes. But I was hoping you could help tip the scales to a more favorable outlook. You see, what these guys are offering will triple, no, quadruple our profits. I know the Kumicho is a very traditional man and I respect that, we all do, but when such beliefs start getting in the way of growth, it’s time to leave them behind. Don’t you think?”
In principle. But I fully support my father’s stance on drugs and traffic. The Akiyama Group has grown and will continue to do so without the need to rely on such dirty approaches.
“What is your part in this?” I ask the Minister, still not entirely clear on that.
“That is not important. Let’s just say I have friends in the right places who are very invested in the potential of such a deal.”
