part0038

I frown, mostly because I’m confused, but also to squint against the bright light assaulting my eyelids.

What the hell is happening right now?

If I am, Heaven sounds a lot like Ray Collins.

I tentatively open my eyes, keeping them screwed narrow until I’m sure they won’t be singed out of their sockets by the light.

My head’s resting to the right. The first thing I see is Collins’s face, smiling down on me.

I swallow hard, trying to get enough moisture to allow my mouth to work, but it feels like someone’s scraping razorblades around my throat.

“Please tell me I’m not dead,” I say to him.

He laughs. “Far from it, my friend. I mean, ya look like shit, but you’re definitely alive.”

I breathe a sigh of relief.

“Because your friend here is almost as bat-shit crazy as you are,” answers another familiar voice. This one sounds softer, more comforting. Better looking.

I turn my head to the left and see Ruby. Her eyes are like jewels, wide and happy and glistening, but I see the concern behind them. Her smile is as much out of relief than anything else.

I move my hand up to her face. As I hold her cheek, she places her own hand on mine and leans into my palm slightly.

“Where am I?” I ask her.

“In a private medical facility just outside Tokyo,” she says.

I look around. Everything’s white and clean. Lots of technology. A couple of nurses at the opposite end of the large room.

She nods and gestures to the room. “Who else?”

I smile. “Yeah. So, are you okay?”

She shakes her head. Her smile broadens. “I’m fine, you idiot.”

“W-what happened?”

“Hey, all in good time, fella,” says Collins. “I think ya need to rest up some more. Ya went through a hell of a thing.”

He steps away, but I reach out to make him stop.

“No, wait. I need to know.” I shuffle up the bed, ignoring the massive amount of discomfort as I prop myself semi-upright against the pillows. “What happened to the boat? To Miley? How did I get here?”

Collins chuckles. “All right, slow down, partner. One thing at a time.”

He nods to Ruby. I turn to her expectantly.

She takes a deep breath. “After you took off from the warzone outside Kazawa’s building, more cops showed up. Actual cops, by all accounts. A lot of Kazawa’s men were arrested. Some of Akuma’s people were too.”

“And Akuma?” I ask.

“He took off in the chaos. I think Ichiro went to see him yesterday.”

“Yesterday? How long have I been out?”

“About thirty-six hours,” says Collins.

Ruby continues. “So, as the scene was diffused, Colin Farrell over here made a call to his GlobaTech friends and got a chopper to come and pick us up. Figured it was the fastest way to find you.”

Collins laughs. “Farrell? I’ll take that! Thanks, sweetheart.”

She sighs. “Ray, I swear to God…”

I roll my eyes. “All right, the pair of you, quit flirting. I’m awake now.”

We all share a moment of laughter and respite.

“What happened with you?” Ruby asks me.

“I made it to the docks, where Kazawa’s chopper was landing on the biggest yacht I’ve ever seen. I managed to jump aboard as it was pulling away. I swept through it and took out his security detail.”

“How many?” asks Collins.

I think for a moment. “Um… thirteen, plus Kazawa and Miley.”

I shrug. “It was them or me. What can I say? So, how did you find me?”

Ruby laughs. “Adrian, sweetie, when you blow up a two-hundred-foot luxury yacht, it’s kinda hard to miss.”

“Ah. Right. Got you.”

“How exactly did you do that, by the way?”

“On my way through, I created a small gas leak in the kitchen, which was right by the engine room. After I finished Miley off, two boatloads of back-up arrived. I figured I couldn’t take them all out as well, so I ran back through the boat and threw a belt of grenades I borrowed from their armory into the engine room on my way past. It seemed to get the job done.”

“Bloody hell… I’ll say!” laughs Collins.

I look into Ruby’s eyes. “I thought I was finished. When I hit the water… I just knew I was done for. It felt even more real to me than in the club. I felt at peace. I’m sorry.”

She frowns. “What are you sorry for?”

“For giving up. For leaving you.”

“Honey, you didn’t give up. You were blown up—there’s a difference. And you didn’t leave me. I’m right here.”

“Can I ask…” says Collins. “What was it like? Ya know, feeling that… peaceful. Thinking it was the end an’ all.”

“It was surreal. I saw the bright light and everything.” I look over at Ruby. “I saw you, clear as anything, right in front of me. It put me at ease. Helped me accept it.”

Her eyes mist over, and she squeezes my hand tightly.

“You thought that was you dying?” she asks.

“Well, yeah… I did.”

She smiles as a tear escapes down her cheek. She leans over and kisses me. Soft and passionate. It floods my body with warmth and joy and comfort.

She moves away, still smiling.

Collins clears his throat. “So… I’m getting the impression ya not interested in a bit o’ the Irish, babydoll?”

I fail to suppress a laugh. Ruby throws him an evil glare that lasts a few seconds before giving way to a smile. We share another moment of reprieve before Collins claps his hands together.

“Right, I’m gonna leave the pair of ya to it. Honestly, watching the two of ya is kinda makin’ me sick anyway.”

I smile and extend a hand, which he shakes firmly.

“I can’t thank you enough for your help,” I say to him. “You heading back to the States?”

“Tomorrow, maybe. Need to head over to the local branch here, fill out some paperwork, and write up a report for Mr. Buchanan. Who, I imagine, will want a chat with ya at some point.”

I nod. “Of course. I owe him. Twice.”

He looks over at Ruby. “And you… look after our fella here, all right?”

She smiles and moves around the bed toward him. She puts her arms around his neck and gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re an asshole,” she says. “But you’re my kind of asshole. Look after yourself, partner.”

He smiles and nods. “Always.”

He gives us both a casual salute before leaving the room.

Ruby sits down on the edge of the bed and takes my hand again.

“Just so you know,” she says. “That bright light you saw, it wasn’t the afterlife. It was the floodlight of the GlobaTech chopper Collins borrowed. And the image of me giving you peace at the end… that was actually me pulling your dumb ass out of the water.”

I laugh, mostly from the relief of discovering I wasn’t quite as finished as I thought. “Really? Damn, that’s… that’s amazing. I owe you my life.”

She rolls her eyes. “Are you kidding me? That doesn’t even bring us close to being square. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

We share a moment of comfortable silence.

“So, what now?” I ask her.

“Now, you stay here and rest. Your body has a lot of healing to do. It’ll take time. And for once, time is what you got.”

“Yeah, I guess so. What happened to Kazawa’s yacht?”

“Local authorities are still investigating the wreckage, with a helping hand from GlobaTech.”

“I thought they can’t get involved?”

“Usually, they can’t. But given the evidence we provided to Collins, they had a way to justify offering their assistance.”

I think for a moment, almost afraid to ask.

“Is there any sign…”

“…of Miley? No. They’re still recovering bodies. Collins gave me a de-brief earlier, while you were still out. Said they’ve found Kazawa and a handful of others, but there’s a lot of debris to sift through. They confirmed additional wreckage of a chopper and two speedboats though, which ties in with what you were saying about the back-up.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Adrian, it’s fine. Honestly. It’s over.”

I smile. “Guess I’m just not used to having no war to fight.”

“Well, you don’t. Not anymore. Neither of us do. And if you ask me, once you’re back on your feet, we should leave Tokyo and settle down somewhere else. Somewhere new.”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

“And let’s both try and leave the business behind this time, yeah? Actually retire and just… rest.”

I go to speak, but a phone ringing stops me.

I look around, confused. “Is that you?”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s not my ringtone.” She looks over at a bag resting on a nearby chair. “Wait, it might be yours. I brought some things from the apartment yesterday, for when you wake up.”

She moves over it and rummages inside, producing a ringing cell phone a second or two later. As she hands it to me, I look at the screen. See the caller ID.

I close my eyes as I feel my heart sink.

“What is it?” she asks, seeing my reaction.

“You know that whole retirement plan of yours?”

I show her the screen of the phone. I watch as her heart sinks to meet mine.

“I have a feeling that’s not gonna happen.” I answer the call and place the phone to my ear. “What can I do for you, Mr. President?”