“You what?”
“She was in an apartment with six other women who’d paid the Japanese equivalent of a coyote to get them out of Tokyo. She’s in the hospital and she’s in pretty bad shape, but she’s alive. Don’t say anything to Shiro, yet. I want to give him the good news.”
“Okay, boss.”
Keeping a secret from Shiro however, felt wrong.
Shit. I do have feelings for him!
When it got close to dinner time, Kono knocked on the bedroom door.
“Shiro, are you okay? You’ve been in there for a few hours now.”
After a moment, the door opened and Shiro put his arms around Kono.
“I’m sorry if I was pushing you to do something that you’re not interested in doing. Let’s just get through this mess and we’ll go our separate ways.”
Kono hugged him tightly and whispered, “I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow let alone after the trial. Just give me some breathing room, okay?”
“Sure, take all the time you want. I’m not going to push you to do anything. Shall I start dinner?”
“That would be great, if you don’t mind.”
* * * *
They ate a pasta dinner, watching television on the sofa. It felt weird after their hot time in the sack the past few days to be sitting side by side, not touching. Kono complimented Shiro on the meal. Shiro thanked him, his tone subdued. Kiro longed to set things right. He opened his mouth to speak, but Shiro had reached over to the coffee table, picked up the remote and changed channels. Once again, the story from the Coroner’s office led the news. The way Channel Nine and now other stations were reporting the story led the public to believe that the department was covering up some aspect of Kono’s death. There wasn’t, however, even a hint that someone thought he was still alive. After all, the shooting had been caught on tape by a passing mother of three and played repeatedly for the next news cycle.
“Do you think this will pass?” Shiro asked.
“No, I don’t. They’re like dogs fighting over a bone. They won’t give up until they uncover something. In two weeks, it won’t matter because they’ll see me in court. We have got to put you somewhere you’ll be safe. Any thoughts yet?”
“Yeah. Kauai.”
“I fucking hate that idea.”
Shiro grinned. “Where will you be?”
“Not sure at this point. Maybe my office on a cot!”
“Well, anything short of that, I want to stay with you. We’re in this together and I’d rather not loose you in the middle of the climax to this whole thing.”
“Climax?” Kono smiled.
“Dear Lord, are you horny again?” Shiro asked with a hopeful smile.
Kono leaned over and gave Shiro a kiss on the lips, the soft kind that he hoped conveyed to Shiro that Kono not only wanted to make love, but that he wanted to make slow, unhurried, passionate love.
Shiro seemed in the mood to feel good after an afternoon of unpleasantness. He picked up the clicker and turned off the television. Kono made sure the alarm was set and picked up the now, ever-present shotgun and they moved into the bedroom where they removed each other’s clothes.
As they slid down on the bed, they continued to kiss as their hands searched each other’s bodies. Kono’s touch seemed to leave sparks wherever it touched, the way Shiro was acting. Soon, both men were erect.
“Kono, I want you inside of me. It feels so right for some reason, like we become one.”
“That will happen and more. First I wanna suck on your delicious cock and balls and hear your moans of pleasure.”
With that Kono went to work as he travelled down Shiro’s hard body, licking and nibbling his way until he reached the black pubes of Shiro’s crotch. He rested his head on Shiro’s stomach as he watched his cock twitch and move as he traced his finger around the ridge of his dickhead. He blew air towards his balls and watched them react by pulling in and up, then releasing back to where they were. Kono finally lowered his head even more and took Shiro into his mouth and gently sucked the tasty cock that begged for all of Kono’s attention.
As he sucked he continued to roll his balls around in his fingers, gently tugging on them while he reached back and tweaked his nipples. They made love until they fell asleep in one another’s arms, exhausted.
* * * *
The days flew by as Kono and Shiro became more and more comfortable with each other. They explored their mutual psyches as well as their bodies. They watched the news bulletins constantly.
Kono was pissed to see how happy the mayor was to plunk his earthly remains under that damned rose bush.
“Just think, sweetie, most dead people push up daisies. You get roses. Much classier!” Shiro said, making Kono laugh.
Snuggling in front of the TV a little later, Kono was not surprised to learn that somebody else from the Coroner’s office admitted that ninety-percent of deaths in New York did not result in autopsies due to budget cuts and backlogs. He was, however, very surprised to learn that he followed a religion that actually forbade autopsies.
“What religion is that?” Shiro asked him.
Kono reached for his naked lover and said, “No idea, but whatever it is, it got me together here with you. Hallelujah!”
When Jerrell called later, Kono asked him about it.
“I told you, I’ve got things handled. Too bad you’re out of commission, though. We’ve had three jumpers in the last week. Man!”
“Was one of them the mayor, I hope?”
Jerrell laughed. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint you.”
Feeling housebound, Kono and Shiro took two-mile runs in the dead of night, the sleepy streets quiet, except for a distant neighbour’s dog that barked each time they passed the property. They would slow to a walk, holding hands, talking. They always had things to discuss. They’d urge each other on to one final sprint, run home to shower and fall into bed to fuck each other all over again.
Kono was surprised to find that he was developing deep feelings for Shiro. That presented a problem for long-term plans.
One afternoon, Jerrell came out to visit them, bringing pizza and mozzarella breadsticks from a neighbourhood joint. Shiro and Kono fell on them.
“I feel like I’ve been cooped up forever,” Kono said, “even though the company I keep is sensational.”
He sat by as Jerrell broke the news about Siono.
“She’s in the hospital in Tokyo. She’s been in intensive care. She suffered a pretty brutal beating that broke several ribs, ruptured her spleen and liver, and caused internal bleeding to her vital organs. She hasn’t been able to speak since she arrived, but she is responding to treatment and she’s expected to survive.”
Shiro wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Will my mom be okay? Really?”
“Yes, I hope so. My hope is that you’ll be able to join her in Hawaii. I understand from your grandmother that there is an aunt in Kauai who can care for her. When the time comes and we arrange for her to be sent there, I can have you join her.”
“Okay.” Shiro nodded, looking miserable.
Kono wanted to say something. When they were alone again, he wondered if he should try and convince Shiro to relocate to New York City, or did he actually want to consider giving it all up and moving to Hawaii, a state that he’d never even visited?
Jerrell’s departure ignited their passions once again. He fucked Shiro all night, to make Shiro feel better, to make himself feel better, too.
He knew now he didn’t want Shiro to leave, but it wasn’t safe to keep him in New York alone.
He felt Shiro crawling over his hot, sweaty, naked body, straddling him. Kono’s cock was trapped between their bodies, the head poking between Shiro’s thighs.
Kono’s eyes were bleary from their long love-making session. Sweat had caked his eyes closed. He could barely open them.
“Take me like this,” Shiro begged, his thighs hugging Kono’s imprisoned cock, rubbing back and forth.
>
“I can’t,” Kono rasped. “I can’t fuck anymore tonight.” His body betrayed him however, responding to Shiro’s hypnotic moves above him. Kono could feel his balls rubbing against Shiro’s ass, his cock becoming slick again with desire.
“God help me,” he said, reaching between their bodies for his cock. Shiro raised himself up, their eyes connecting. Kono’s breaths grew rapid.
“I want to be in you,” he whispered, his soul doing somersaults as his cock submerged itself in Shiro’s ass.
He gripped his lover’s hip with one hand, his rigid cock with the other. He wanted to time their coupling so that they came together. Shiro’s ass muscles contracted around his cock. His beautiful Hawaiian man’s head went back. Even in the faint light, Kono knew Shiro would come. He fucked harder, longer…his lover erupting in his hand. Kono shot deep into Shiro’s ass, Shiro crying out, “Yes!” as Kono came inside him.
Kono had so many things to say…so many things he wanted to do with Shiro. He wanted things to work…but could they?
These were tough decisions and ones that he had run out of time to work on. The trial began in two days, and he had to concentrate on that.
They fell asleep, Shiro atop Kono. It seemed as if seconds later his cell phone rang. It was Jerrell.
“Okay, here’s how we’re going to do this, Kono. A van will pick you and Shiro up at the house where you’re at. You’ll be transported into the city and down to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where the trial is set to take place. You will change in the van and be dressed in SWAT gear, which will cover your face as well as put you in body armour. You’ll enter the courthouse with other SWAT officers and proceed to a holding room near the courtroom. There you’ll change into a suit, which will be waiting for you. You’ll exit the same way so that we can remove you from the scene safely. Sound okay so far?”
“Yeah, it does. What about Shiro?”
“Shiro will wait in the van with one officer. The windows will be blacked out so he’s safe inside the van. Once you’re settled into the conference room, we’ll move Shiro across the bridge and into Jersey where he’ll be put up at a safe house. Is that okay, Kono?”
“No. I don’t want him to be sent into Jersey where we have even less ability to protect him than we do in the city. I want him to remain with me, Loo, okay? And by the way, where am I going after testimony for the day is completed? They’ll know I’m alive and every Yak in the city will be gunning for me so I don’t show up for day two.”
“I think you’ll like this. We’re going to house you and I guess now, Shiro, on Fire Island for the duration of the trial. We have a detail of cops over there now setting things up. We’ve rented a house with a large wall all around it and we’re putting the access routes to the house under surveillance with SWAT teams. For anyone to get at you there going to have to get a boat to take them over and we’ll have police boats in the water as well.”
“Okay, I like that. Who came up with that idea?”
“I did, who else? You two be ready at five a.m. Monday morning for the pickup. You won’t be returning to that location so pack everything you’re bringing with you and have it ready. Oh, and there will be a ton of press at the courthouse because no one can figure out how the state is going to win without you there to testify.”
“Okay, we’ll be ready. Will you be at the courthouse?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I wanna see the look on Harada’s face when you walk into the courtroom.”
Me, too.
Kono hung up and told Shiro what the plans were.
“Fire Island? Wow, never would have guessed that in a million years but it makes sense since it’s not summer season yet and there’s only a small community of people there. Does this house have enough room for us and a bunch of cops?”
“I’m sure it does or they wouldn’t have rented it.”
* * * *
That Sunday night, Kono and Shiro made love as if they would never see each other again. It was a mixture of joy, passion and fear as they realised it might be the last time they made love…if something went horribly wrong.
Monday morning they were ready when a black SUV pulled into the driveway. SWAT members secured the perimeter while Kono and Shiro loaded what little luggage they had into it and climbed in together. They silently sped off towards Manhattan at a high rate of speed being careful to monitor the traffic around them. Kono changed into his SWAT gear and Shiro sank down into his seat in misery. He was worried about Kono’s safety far more than his own. He had come to realise that he had fallen in love with Kono and that his world was beginning to revolve around the man. Shiro considered the possibility to moving to New York even as that idea added to his stress.
Within an hour they were in the city, and in another twenty minutes they were pulling up to a side entrance of the courthouse that was secure. Doors slid open and more than a half a dozen SWAT officers swarmed out and entered the courthouse. They were exposed to the public no more than five seconds. Other officers were inside waiting for them and had an elevator being held, and as soon as everyone entered, they travelled to the criminal courtroom floor and headed into a secured conference room. No one was even in the courthouse yet with the exception of security, police and some law clerks. The general public would not be admitted until seven thirty.
One of the three vans then departed from Manhattan and headed to Sayville to catch the Ferry across to Cherry Grove Fire Island. They decided to use the ferry instead of a chopper, which would have drawn more attention to who was going to the island. Once Shiro and his escort were safely on board and departed the dock, Kono was notified that they were en route to the safe house.
Kono changed out of his uniform and into a suit. The District Attorney, Ken Saunders, who was handling the case, himself, came in to go over Kono’s testimony. He seemed very tense. This was a big, juicy case that could make or break the guy’s political career.
“More than likely, I’ll be able to call you around ten o’clock. I had to let the other side know you were giving testimony, since I can’t by law spring a surprise witness on them. I had papers delivered to him last night. Haven’t had any objections yet.”
“Isn’t that strange?” Kono asked.
Saunders smiled. “I heard he had…distracting company last night.”
Kono’s thoughts flew to Shiro. Yeah, he knew how that could be.
“You were on the docket as a live witness and you’re…well, still alive.”
“Talk about opening with a bang, eh?”
Saunders winced. “That’s a scary choice of words. You wearing a bulletproof vest under your shirt?”
Kono nodded.
“You nervous?”
“Of course.”
“So am I.” Saunders paged through his notes.
“There will be opening statements and then the state will call its first witness who will be you. You will remain secluded until just before I call you. Once I announce your name, all hell is going to break loose in that courtroom. You’ll enter under escort to protect you from any sudden lunges by Harada’s men. You’ll be sworn in, and the rest will happen automatically. You will have to remain under heavy guard until this is all over because you will be targeted. By the way, where is the man who was charged with killing you?”
“He’s being held at a secluded destination for his own safety as well.”
“Good, he’ll need it. They are going to be so pissed when they see you walk into that courtroom, old man Harada just may have a heart attack,” Saunders said.
“Well, time for me to get into the courtroom. You won‘t be able to hear the proceedings because that’s against the law until you testify…but when I’m ready for you, you’ll hear your name called as a witness. Hightail it in there with your escort. Don’t look at anyone but me. Answer my questions and the questions of the defence as best you can. Don’t look at Harada or any of his people. They’ll surely try and freak you out on the stand.”
“I appreciate the advice, Ken, but this isn’t my first day at the Rodeo,” Kono responded.
“Oh, I’m counting on that,” Saunders said as he left the conference room.
One of the guys poured coffee for everyone and brought Kono his cup. “You look pretty calm detective, you okay?”
“Sure. I’m not the one on trial. I don’t have to be nervous.”
“Yes, but he didn’t just come back from the dead,” the cop said and raised his coffee cup in salute to him.
Kono grinned. “The scumbag sitting in there has to be nervous or he will be when he realises I’m not dead.”
* * * *
In the lobby bar of the Hanalei Bay Resort in Kauai, Alia Kennon watched the trial proceedings on TruTV. She watched the courtroom room turn silent as the bailiff gave the order to rise.
The Judge entered the courtroom.
Alia’s palms sweated. A bead of water ran down behind her left ear. Lord, was she nervous. She was worried about Shiro.
“Good morning, everyone.” Before the Judge could utter another single word, Harada’s defence counsel interrupted the Judge.
“Your Honour, the defence urgently moves for a complete dismissal of all charges against my client as the state has no case. Without the testimony of the unfortunate Detective Kono Takumi, the state cannot prove its prosecutorial case.
“My client has been in jail for five months now and as your Honour can see plainly, Mr. Harada is an elderly man and prison life is doing him great harm.”
The D.A. rose to his feet.
“Objection, your Honour, the defence is in no position to make a determination of the state’s case and what we can or cannot prove.”
“First of all Mr. Denizen, the next time you interrupt the bench, you’ll find yourself being held in contempt! Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, your Honour. I’m sorry, your Honour, it’s just that justice compelled me to move for dismissal as soon as possible. No disrespect meant, your Honour.”
“Very well, don’t let it happen again.” He turned to the D.A. “Mr. Saunders are you, in fact, ready to proceed in good faith with this case?”
My Yakuza Page 15