part0019

I run toward the group directly ahead of me. Three or four steps into my sprint, my right arm is up, pointing sideways. As I draw level with the other group by the north doors, I open fire. Four rounds in quick succession.

No one’s reacted yet. I gambled on nobody considering I would be stupid or crazy enough to run at them.

The group was huddled together in the small space by the doors, so they were sitting ducks. I didn’t commit more than a glance in their direction as I fired. I know I dropped two of them for sure. Maybe a third, but he could’ve just been reacting to the gunfire. I’ll check in a moment.

As the hammer thumps onto an empty chamber, I discard the weapon and jump. I’m moving at a good speed and get significant height as I push off. Bracing for the impact, I bring both feet up, dropkicking the closest guy to me in the group by the west doors. I make a solid connection with his chest, and he flies back into his colleagues.

I hit the floor hard. I force myself down and take the brunt of the impact on my shoulders. The air is temporarily jolted from my lungs, but I don’t have time to worry about trivial things like breathing. I roll toward the oval stage, onto my front, and push myself upright as quickly as I can.

The group by the west doors are scattered across the floor. The guy I hit dropped his gun. I scoop it up and take aim at the north doors, taking a valuable second to catch my breath and reassess the situation.

I hit three of them. The fourth is about to shoot at me.

I put two in his chest. He collapses lifelessly to the floor.

I spin to face the remaining group. The guy whose gun I’m holding is almost vertical again. I step toward him and slam my elbow into his temple. It’s a solid connection, and his legs buckle as consciousness rushes from him. As he falls away to the floor, I take aim and fire another two rounds, putting a bullet in each of the chests of the next two guys in the group.

They tumble to the floor and sprawl awkwardly over one another, restricting the movement of the fourth guy. He manages to get a couple of shots off. Thankfully, despite such close quarters, the bullets whizz a few inches over my head.

Still, that was pretty close…

I fire two more rounds, aiming first at his legs, then at his shoulder. The first round shatters his kneecap, and he drops to the floor. The second clipped his collarbone—a clean hit, through and through. Neither is life-threatening, although that one in his knee is going to hurt like a bitch for a long time.

I think that’s everyone.

I turn a slow circle, checking for survivors. No one’s moving. I walk over to my discarded 1911 and retrieve it.

I straighten and look at the east doors ahead of me.

The driver from last night is standing there, flanked by the same two ballsacks he had with him at the race meet. Ruby is next to him. Her dress is dirty and torn. Her face is bruised. The driver has a knife to her throat.

The world freezes. I stare at Ruby, forgetting everything else around me. Her legs are shaking. Not through fear, but through the effort of being upright. Someone’s done a real number on her. When I find out which one of these pricks it was, I’m going to make them wish they were never born.

“So, it’s true. The man himself is here.”

I look to my right, back over at the doors I kicked open with…

Another man has appeared there, wearing a dark suit, a shirt, and no tie. His black hair is spiked. He has three men with him. All dressed casually. All holding handguns.

I recognize him immediately.

He’s standing behind Mia, who’s hugging herself and whimpering. His hand is on her neck, keeping her firmly in place. He’s tall, maybe an inch shorter than me. His broad frame is detailed by sinewy muscle, visible through the dark, fitted outfit he’s wearing. The unblemished skin on his face is covered by the makings of an equally dark beard. His mouth forms a perpetual smirk, borne of arrogance and privilege.

I glance back at Ruby before stepping toward Kazawa. I make it two paces before he produces his own gun and aims it at me.

“That’s far enough, Adrian Hell.”

I stop. Hold my hands out to the sides. I look at Mia, desperate to make eye contact with her. To reassure her she’ll be okay. But her eyes are closed. She’s crying.

“Drop your weapons,” orders Kazawa.

With little choice, I do.

“This is turning into a very profitable day, isn’t it?” he continues, laughing to himself.

I shrug. “I think that depends which side of the gun you’re standing on.”

“Ko is a bright young man. Ambitious. Driven. When he brought your lady friend here last night, he saw potential. She is a… fine specimen, wouldn’t you agree?” He pauses to chuckle to himself. “She will attract many buyers for her beautiful parts.”

I look back at Ruby. Then at the driver. Now I know his name.

“It’s Ko, right?” I ask him. “Did you do this to her? Did you lay a beating on her? Or did you get someone else to do it for you?”

Ko laughs, turns his head slightly, revealing an impressive bruise just below his ear.

“This bitch put up a hell of a fight… it took all three of us to put her in her place!”

I look at Ruby again. She smiles weakly. I nod to her.

Good for you, kiddo.

“That’s good to know,” I say to Ko. “Now, when I kill all three of you, at least you’ll fully understand why.”

Ko and his friends laugh. Then he buries his fist in Ruby’s stomach. She keels over, coughing, but the other two guys hoist her upright without a moment’s reprieve.

She looks at me. “Would you please… not antagonize… the Yakuza?”

“Sorry,” I say, shrugging. Then I look back over at Kazawa. “And as for you, you should let the girl go before you get hurt.”

Kazawa laughs. “You know who I am, right?”

“I do. Believe it or not, yesterday, somebody tried to hire me to kill you.”

His expression changes. It’s subtle, but he fails to mask his concern.

“Relax. I killed him.”

He lowers his gun. Smiles. “How kind.”

“Yeah, I’m a real saint. Listen, seeing as you technically owe me one, how about you let the two ladies go? Keep me instead? What do you say?”

Kazawa pauses. His eyes narrow.

Is he… is he considering it? That would be a stroke of good fortune. Sort of.

He thrusts Mia away from him, sending her stumbling forward. I step to catch her. She collapses into my arms. I hold her up, place a hand on her cheek, and tilt her face toward mine.

“You’re safe now, Mia. I promise.”

I drag her behind me, making sure my body is between her and the two groups of men at my ten and two respectively.

Kazawa gestures to Mia. “I let her go. Your other friend, she’s mine. I already have buyers lined up. She will perform. Then she will be dissected.”

“You want her, you gotta go through me.”

He smiles. “Oh, I intend to. You see, the only reason she is still alive is because I knew you would come after her. Your dear Ruby was kind enough to confirm Ko’s suspicions about who you were. Your reputation and predictability precede you. He proposed we use her as bait. Like I said—smart boy.”

Behind me, Mia grips my arm. She moves to my side.

“Adrian… what’s he talking about? Why would these people recognize you?”

I curse silently to myself. “It’s nothing, Mia. A case of mistaken identity. Nothing we can’t resolve.”

Kazawa steps theatrically toward me, gesturing with his gun like a conductor heading an orchestra.

“Oh! Oh! This is too good!” He points the barrel at Mia. I step back in front of her. “Your little friend… she doesn’t know who you are, does she?”

He moves the gun, so it’s resting against my forehead. I stand my ground. Stand tall. Fuck him.

“Tell her,” he says.

Christ, that hurt…

Kazawa just jabbed the butt of his gun into my temple. The movement was fast. I barely saw it.

The gun’s back against my head.

“Fine.” I turn to Mia. “The truth is… this guy right here? Smallest dick in Tokyo. I swear to God, it’s like a thumbtack.”

I drop to one knee as Kazawa smashes his gun into the back of my head.

“You think you’re funny, Adrian?” he asks.

I look up at him. “Well, it made me laugh…”

He drags me up by my collar. Holds me so I’m facing Mia. Puts the gun to my head.

“Tell her who you are, or I’ll kill you where you stand,” he says. “Fuck the profits.”

I look at Mia. I stare into her innocent eyes, full of youth and promise. And fear. I take a deep breath. I don’t know why, but her finding out who I really am is harder to deal with than I imagined it could be.

“Mia, I… I’m not who you think I am.”

She frowns. Her gaze shifts to Kazawa, then back to me. “W-what do you mean? Adrian, what’s going on? Who are you?”

I sigh. “The truth is, I’m out here in Tokyo trying to retire. I’m an assassin. Or, I was .”

Behind me, Kazawa laughs. “But not just any assassin. He is the world’s greatest assassin. Tell her, Adrian. Tell her what you did!”

I grind my teeth with frustration. Man, I want to knock this asshole’s head clean off right now.

“You remember when President Cunningham was killed?”

Mia shrugs. “Of course. Everyone does…”

“Well, it was me who killed him.”

She steps back, recoiling from me. “W-why would you even say that? I don’t like this, Adrian. I want to leave!”

“I’m sorry, Mia, but it’s true. The guy was the mastermind behind 4/17. He needed to be stopped. I’m the best killer this world has ever seen. It was my responsibility.”

She sinks to her knees, covering her mouth with both hands. Her eyes bulge in their sockets. I think she might be hyperventilating.

I look back at Kazawa. “You happy now?”

I take a step toward Mia. “Are you okay? I’m sorry if you—”

“Who else have you killed?” she asks.

The question takes me by surprise.

“Come on. Tell me! If you’re supposedly this great assassin, or hitman—whatever you call yourself, who else have you killed? How many lives have you ended?”

“Honestly? I’ve killed a lot of people, Mia. I’m not proud of it, but I’m not ashamed of it either. It’s who I am. Everyone I’ve killed had it coming, for one reason or another.”

She gets to her feet and walks toward me. “Says who? You? Who are you to decide who should live or die? You’re a fucking murderer!”

There’s genuine, heartfelt anger in her voice. Her eyes are alive with venom. She’s almost hysterical. And I can’t say I blame her. She’s young, and this is a lot to process, especially under these circumstances. She must be terrified. Adrenaline will carry her through this. At least she’s forgotten the danger she’s in right now, which is a blessing. But thanks to Kazawa, she now knows the real me…

And she hates me for it.

Still, I guess I’d rather have her hate me than try to deal with this shit.

I turn away from her and stare at Kazawa. Over his shoulder, I see Ruby. Her face is contorted with sympathy.

“I did what you asked,” I say to him. “Now let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

He smiles. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

I look back at Mia. She’s—

“Ah! A-a-a-a-ah! Uh! Shit!”

Oh my God! I’m flat on my back… I’m—

My muscles… all of them… spasming…

I flail involuntarily on the floor. I have no control of my limbs. The pain is excruciating… every inch of my body is in shock.

What the hell was that?

The sensation subsides, replaced by a throbbing ache. I look up. Mia’s standing over me. She’s holding a… a… what is that? A taser?

“M-Mia…? What are you… what are you doing?”

She’s glaring down at me. The hatred is still there, but the fear has gone. Her eyes are dead, yet somehow alive at the same time.

I really don’t understand what’s happening right now.

Christ, even the voices in my head were shocked silent by that.

Mia steps over me. I fight against the leftover feeling of pins and needles and roll over. Push myself up to one knee. I look up at her as she…

She’s kissing Kazawa!

And I mean, they’re really going at it.

I look over at Ruby. Her expression mirrors my sentiments. She’s frowning, possibly vomiting in her mouth, unable to believe what she’s seeing.

After what seems like an eternity, they part and turn to face me. Mia crouches in front of me. Grips my chin with one hand and lifts my head, so I’m staring at her. There’s something in her eyes. Something… primordial, burning within them. A malice of such intensity, I honestly don’t recall ever having seen it before. Even in myself.

She spits in my face.

I see the punch coming but can do nothing to stop it. She lashes a left hook into the side of my head.

I eat every bit of it. It hit me so hard, I didn’t even register the impact. I just opened my eyes and found myself flat on the floor again.

I push myself up on all fours. Try to gather my senses. Try to figure out what’s going on.

I hear shouting. I look up to see Ko and his two sidekicks dragging Ruby into the center of the room. They’re tying her to the pole, her arms above her head.

“I’m gonna rip your balls off, you little prick!” she yells.

Ko laughs and slashes the back of his hand across her face. The crack is loud and hollow. It echoes around me. The three of them check her restraints and step away, moving to Kazawa’s side.

I bring one knee up, trying to stand, testing my balance. Kazawa, Ko, and his men are laughing among themselves. Laughing at me. If I could get my ears to stop ringing, my vision to unblur, and my muscles to stop twitching for long enough, I’d beat the shit out of each one of them.

I turn to look behind me.

Jesus! That felt like…

She crouches in front of me again. Bangs her fists together menacingly. She’s wearing a set of brass knuckles on each hand.

Yeah, that’s what that felt like.

“I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this, Adrian,” she says.

She kicks me hard in the side. My ribs feel intact, but they’re not happy. I roll away from her, hitting the side of the stage where Ruby’s tied up.

Mia’s on me in a heartbeat. She grabs my collar with both hands and props me up against the stage by Ruby’s feet. She’s deceptively strong. My head lolls back as I struggle to stay conscious. I look up at Ruby. She’s talking. Probably yelling. But I can’t hear her. It’s as if someone hit the mute button on the world. She’s staring at me. There’s panic in her eyes.

I manage to lift my head. Mia’s mounted me, kneeling across my stomach. Her hand wraps around my throat.

“You’ve had this coming for five… fucking … years!” she screams. Her words sound distant and shallow.

I try to protect myself, but my arms are numb and heavy. She rains down lethal blows, one after the other. My body, my chest, my face…

I felt the first couple.

The world keeps blinking out of existence and back again.

I see flashes of her face, twisted with primal rage. I see spurts of blood fly after each punch. I assume it’s mine.

I’m… I’m done.

“Wake up, you bastard!”

My eye snap open. I lurch to the side, coughing. I spit blood out. A lot of blood. The bitter taste of copper lines my mouth. I feel my face, wondering why I can’t open one of my eyes. Given how swollen it is to touch, I’m guessing it’s been punched shut.

I take a deep breath, which instantly makes me yell out with pain.

Maybe my ribs took more damage from that kick than I thought.

I rest back against the stage again. My good eye is only half open. I can just about see Ruby. She’s crying. And shouting.

Groggily, I roll my head around, so I’m staring at Kazawa. Mia is beside him. She’s smiling. But it’s not a happy smile. It’s a sadistic smile. I’ve seen the same look before in the eyes of soldiers on a battlefield. A bloodlust that can’t be satisfied.

That young girl—the one I saved from two assholes in a bar… the one I nearly slept with last night—has just laid a beating on me that was borderline inhuman. I’ve never been taken apart this badly in my life. I’m convinced I’m about to die.

Mia walks toward me. She leans over with her hands on her knees, as if she’s addressing a child.

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember,” she says. “You’ve been through a lot these last few years. But what’s about to happen to you has been a long time coming, Adrian. All those nameless faces of the people you’ve killed… they might mean nothing to you. But one of them meant a great deal to me. You reap what you sow, you sonofabitch.”

I try to speak but just cough up more blood.

Ugh! I wipe my mouth. Stare at the thick, dark stain on my hand.

I relax back against the stage. Stare blankly into Mia’s eyes.

“I don’t… I don’t remember. I’m sorry. Mia…”

She buries a fist into my gut. Pain explodes across my entire midsection, but my body’s too broken and tired to react.

“My name isn’t Mia. It’s Miley.” She pauses, as if waiting for me to suddenly figure out what all this is about. “Miley Tevani . Five years ago, almost to the day, you killed my mother. And now, I’m going to destroy your legacy, your name, your reputation, your body… and then I’m going to kill you.”

She straightens. Winds up a right hand. I see the lights reflect off the brass knuckles as her fist flies toward my—