Seventeen:

“Shen san would prefer if you stayed here until we discuss his case.”

Tomoki told me in a stern tone, and I crossed my arms over my chest and defiantly said, “I am not one of his geisha girls. Tell Shen san that this little Philly must go out. She has other lines of inquiry to follow. Also, tell him about my desire to surveil your next shipment, which is in two days, in case you forgot. You two have plenty to arrange in a short about of time without drawing any suspicion from the other members of the Triad.”

Tomoki seemed to stand there as if holding the proverbial bag. He knew that Shen expected to keep us in the pocket by moving us here. That did not sit well with me. I had to start looking deeper into Sally Anne’s husband, and I had to suss the street out to see where I stood in the hit list. Not to mention, I had a detective to visit.

“Fine, go, but return before you are missed. Shen san is being more generous to you than he is to most.”

My grin was feral as a wild bobcat. Tomoki sensed the danger quickly.

“You remind Shen san that I could just as easily unload a clip on anyone he sends after me, as I could on the Irishmen currently chasing their tails. Make no mistake, I am no one’s bitch. You will respect my independence, and you will get results when I close out this case and I will stop your money hemorrhage. But, trying to put me into a gilded cage, that’s just rude.”

He bobbed his head stiffly, and he could read the violence that permeated my every iota. While it was more common for men to be considered savage and dangerous, I tended to pull this effect off masterfully, even considering I was only an average-height female.

“I will be sure to pass along your sentiments, and your veiled threats.”

Tomoki told me, and I prowled over closer to him and gently pat his cheek, not mockingly, but more a display of how comfortable I was stepping into his personal space. Most yakuza raised enforcers were accustomed to being treated as monsters and demons by the layperson. They were used to being feared and obeyed. I was a wild mare unbroken, and indomitable, and this was something I knew I had to always display, lest one of these skells begin to push back and beg for a bullet between the eyes.

It’s not that I wished to be menacing or obstinate. The truth is, I simply wished to have a nice cold beer, a lady underneath me and a few very steamy orgasms shared between us. Life is rarely kind enough to give us what we wish for, so I am forced to play the tough girl for these guys.

“Please do and add on a very reluctant thanks for the digs and a side-note of, this will not buy me off.”

Tomoki laughed in earnest, as he shook his head slowly in disbelief.

“You still believe the boss is trying to recruit you?”

He asked me, and I nodded in confirmation.

“Always, since he is only left three basic options, allow me to eventually bust him, kill me, or recruit me to his organization.”

Tomoki did not insult my intellect by denying the claim. He simply shrugged and said, “You’re a strong woman, I trust you will figure out what is best for you when the time is right.”

With that, he walked out of the hall and took the furthest bedroom to the back of the house. I finished pacing over to the bedroom next to Sally Anne. Until her husband was served with divorce papers and incarcerated, I was not going to allow her outside my sight if I could help it. While I trusted Henry to help her, I only trusted myself with her defense. Henry could think like a reporter and investigate with the best of them, but he did not do cop impersonations very well. Being able to dig for the truth is not exclusively a cop thing. However, Henry was also a licensed PI, the same as me. His office skills were just superior to mine and he preferred to have a controlled workspace.

I laid my head down, and I could not sleep at first. My paranoia clawed at my mind like spectral beings haunting me from beyond the graves. My life was filled with riddles, mysteries, and open cases. This was the first time I felt some trepidation about my chosen vocation. Mainly, I felt trepidation about the entire fiasco surrounding Penny’s little shooting gallery. Part of me wanted to be angry with the young cop, but mostly I was impressed with her tenacity and her fervent desire to do the work right. Her determination and her by-the-book mentality are lost on the modern Peckford PD. Unless Penny finds a unit that will transfer her out of Peckford once she is cut loose from her training period—assuming she survives that long—she is going to eventually hit the same walls I hit. Hopefully, she avoids some of the snags and snares which mortally injured my career.

After about forty-minutes of staring at the ceiling, I finally managed to keep my eyes closed without feeling like some dark monstrosity was going to leap from the corner of the room and lash out at me.

(I have a very vivid imagination, so don’t judge!)

Rest was a welcome visitor upon my usually sleep-deprived and overly caffeinated body. Everything seemed to be fine, if only for an instant. At least that was the lie I wanted to believe until my eyes fluttered open once more and I raced back into the darkness of this world.

***

“Wakey, wakey, I gots the bac-ey!”

Henry’s soothing high-pitched tone sounded, and I managed not to go for the jugular as my instincts homed in foster care were screaming at me. (I am not a particularly good date to wake up to the next morning if I don’t really know you!)

“Henry, you’re lucky I didn’t spear-hand you in the throat.”

I said factually, and he waved me off.

“Please, you’ve been broken of doing that to me since you were fifteen!”

He told me, and I grumbled incoherently as I began to move myself and rub the sleep from my eyes. Henry was not wrong, I trusted him with my vulnerable exposed self. That is a feat no other person could claim. He was my one human person, my single-family connection. Even if we were not even the same color on the outside. He was my soul-brother internally.

“There had better be coffee and a reason for waking me at this unholy hour.”

I complained and demanded simultaneously. As if by magic, Henry produced a steaming mug in front of my face close enough for the hot vapors and aroma to collide with my cheek and up my nose.

“That smells like French vanilla, is that French vanilla?”

I asked him, and he chortled in amusement, and I accepted the mug as I finished sitting up in the bed. I noticed Sally Anne was not in the room, but Penny had invited herself to my door. I eyed her around my mug of sweet coffee, and I felt the twist of flavor infuse my tastebuds, confirming my initial sensation to be correct. The milky deliciousness was indeed French vanilla.

“Wow, that’s better than my last girlfriend’s performance in bed any night ever!”

I said factually, and boldly, not at all worried about how this information might impact those around me.

“I just never hear enough deets about your last horrible little fling, do I?!”

Henry complained and his voice squeaked up higher somehow. He was more feminine than me by a mile, and he was not even into drag—much. He was obviously the man who delighted in the pleasure of being mounted more than reverse. I did not precisely understand the two more prominent roles and behavioral types in male relationships, mainly because I am not male. But long story short, Henry makes me appear far more butch than I truly am.

I gulped down more coffee, enjoying the flavors, but also rushing the stimulant to its inevitable jolting effect.

“So?”

I asked Henry, and he cleared his throat.

“Sally Anne’s husband has filed a missing person on her.”

I arched a brow and said, “It’s not even twenty-four-hours yet, but why doesn’t this surprise me?!”

Henry bobbed his head in agreement and Penny stepped into the room more and asked, “I can confirm that she is safe and secure if you want me to?”

I shook that idea off and said, “No, you really don’t want them to associate you with me, not while they can still wash you out from your training. However, it might be safer for you if you do let them scuff your training, Darlin.”

Penny gave me a testy look and said, “I knew the job was going to be like climbing a mountain. I can handle the pressure.”

I nodded and said, “I actually believe you can, but right now you had best let them believe you are at least neutral to them. I am as far from neutral as the metric gets. Even the mob are more welcome in the stations around here than I am.”

Henry snorted and sassily put in, “Are you kidding, they practically throw a parade when the mob guys are in the station, since the bosses cut them checks every week, same as the city!”

Penny seemed to contemplate how wise it might be to fight Henry on this accusation, but she ultimately chose to remain silent on the matter. Henry noticed and said, “Honey, you are wiser than this one at least, so you have a fighting chance, just don’t let any of the males get you alone with some stupid excuse, they are legitimate perverts around here.”

My spine froze over at the blunt warning, and I managed to keep most of the heat and shock from my features. I was not ready to let anyone else in on that little story, not after all the grief it caused every other time.

“How about we focus on Sally Anne’s case for now!”

I said in a very terse tone and Henry bobbed his head in agreement.

“Sure thing honey, sorry about that.”

My eyes were locked on him, but I managed to mask most of the malice. He knew how to investigate, but he was still a damn chatterbox at the end of the day. Henry did not have my ability to compartmentalize and fudge the truth. He was blunt and open, despite his horrid past. Henry seemed to approach life the opposite of me. He embraced others, opening himself up to potential danger and rejection, whereas I was reserved and broody.

“Well, we need to get the police off our backs, so how about you go have that little chat with the brother I know you are already planning to have anyway, and you can also kill the missing person’s BOLO at the same time.”

Henry said, and I expelled a long breath and said, “As much as I wished to never see this mutt again, I suppose there is no alternative option that ends well for us.”

Henry shrugged and said, “Well, I’ll make you a mocha for when you return, just to help cut the bitterness of dealing with him.”

I nodded and winked at him.

“You got it, sweetheart, just keep it warm for me. I’ll likely be gone about an hour or so. While I am out, I will run a few small errands.”

Henry murmured, “I will just not ask anything else.”

Penny seemed to lean in more as if to decern what manner of mischief I was concocting.