Royal Blood

by Victoria Renteria

  Jack sighs in relief. Chuckling, my brow arches higher.

  “Haywire, seriously? That’s the only word you could think of to use right then?”

  Shrugging, a small smile twists the corner of his lips. “Eh, what can I say? I’m unique.”

  A bemused smile splits my lips a moment before the loud rumbling belly laugh rents the air. My body quakes with uncontrolled laughter as I hold my sides, gasping for air. Jacks smile widens, his eyes twinkling with levity.

  His tone is full of amusement as he teases, “You know my response really wasn’t all that funny.”

  Wiping away the tears of laughter, I grin playfully. “Oh, I don’t know. Saying you’re unique is almost like saying you’re . . . special. Yeah, special. I like that. I found it amusing,” I say, putting extra emphasis on special. Jacks eyes taper into tiny slits.

  “You. Are. An. Ass.” He enunciates each word.

  “I know.” I laugh, slapping him on the shoulder.

  “Any idea which of the two you want to hit up first?” he asks, brushing my hand off his shoulder.

  Chuckling, my eyebrow raises higher. “Who needs the Snickers now?” I tease.

  “Like hell,” he grumbles.

  “You’re so cute when you’re mad.”

  “Anyone ever tell you that you’re an insufferable asshole, Grant?” he asks, fighting to keep the smile off his face.

  “All the damn time. Now are you done pouting so we can get to work?”

  “Now that I’ve wiped the permanent scowl off your face, yeah. Think you can answer my question?”

  Shaking my head, I ignore the smirk pulling at the side of his mouth, focusing on the assignment. “The business is a dead end. At least it was when I was there a few days ago. I worked over the owner pretty good. He didn’t have any information on Sang-Hyun or his whereabouts. When I left, he had specific instructions on how to contact me if he happened to come into any information. He’s well aware of what will happen should he choose to ignore them.” I pause for a moment, mulling over the bar option.

  “What do you know about the bar other than it happens to be a place he visits regularly?”

  “The informant was pretty specific with the information she provided.” He peeks at me from the corner of his eye.

  “I bet she was,” I say, drawing out the word she.

  Jack’s shoulder rises in a one-arm shrug. “They don’t call me Don Juan for nothing.”

  “Wow. Don Idiota, can you get back to the specifics, please?” Unable to disguise the laughter in my voice, I bite my tongue to prevent laughing out loud.

  “Uh huh. Say what you want, but I bet you were a man whore in your day.”

  Jack casts a knowing glance in my direction. Heat floods my face, burning my cheeks at his statement.

  Waving a dismissive hand in his direction, I prod, “Will you get on with it. We seriously do not have all night.”

  “As I was saying, the information was specific. Turns out the bar owner happens to be good friends with Sang-Hyun—”

  “How good?” I interrupt.

  “They grew up together. That’s all the information I was able to discern. It was enough to determine that its the only bar he visits, and he only shows up when his friend is working.”

  “Does this friend have a name?” I ask, unable to keep the excitement from my voice.

  “Jinwoo Hwang. He goes by Hwang.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me.” A wide grin spans the breadth of my mouth as the name of Sang-Hyun’s driver sinks in.

  “Mind clueing me in on what’s got you smilin’ like the devil who stole a million souls over there?”

  “Well, it just so happens that good ole Hwang just so happens to double as Sang-Hyun’s driver. How the fuck did I miss the fact that he owned a bar?”

  “Ah, well. That would be because he slips out in disguise quite often when he comes in. And the bar is in Hwang’s mothers name, not his. That’s how you missed that he runs it since she’s not able to anymore. He just never legally changed anything over into his name. Not that it matters . . .”

  Jack stops talking to retrieve his phone from his pocket. Grinning, he looks at me excitedly and says, “It just so happens that our boy Hwang is working tonight. What do you say we go pay him a visit?”

  Energy flushes through my blood stream, stimulating my cells. Making eye contact with Jack, I nod tersely before turning my attention to the road. Starting the Escalade, I head toward the address I memorized the moment my eyes touched the slip of paper. For the first time all day, I accept the emotions saturating my rational mind. Enthusiasm, excitement, exhilaration, and eagerness, each sensation driving me higher, provoking me, urging me to act. As we near the bar, adrenaline thrums to life, rushing to my muscles, rejuvenating each tendon in preparation.

  Jack breaks the silence, gesturing to the bar ahead on the right. “We’re here.”

  “Pull off here and we can hoof it the rest of the way. My informant is going to let us use the back door.”

  “I bet she is.” I chuckle, pulling the vehicle into an empty parking lot.

  “Damn, you do have a sense of humor. I thought you were broken.”

  “Not broken. Just worried about my girl. There’s a difference.”

  “Well, I, for one, look forward to the day when you’re not, what’s the word . . . Oh, yeah. Worried. Because right now, you’re a dreadful little bitch. I’ve known heiresses that didn’t whine as much as you.”

  “I do not. Now shut the hell up and let’s go.” Jumping out of the SUV, I head around back and throw the hatch opening the back.

  “Snickers and pussy, man. Snickers and pussy.”

  “Asshole,” I mutter, opening the drawers of the weapons compartments.

  Letting out a low whistle, he moves closer. “Now that is what I call some good shit.” He points to the pair of Busse Combat Knives displayed proudly in the felt lining.

  Notching my chin a touch higher, my tone is full of swagger when I boast, “Yeah, well you know how us big boys love our toys.”

  “You’re not going to make me beg, are you?” Jack groans, eyeing the combat knives.

  “As much pleasure as I would derive from watching your wise-ass squirm, we need to get a move on. So, please, help yourself.”

  Stepping off to the side, I gesture toward the weapons. Jack smiles like a kid in the candy store, pulling out combat knives, pistols, and rounds, anything he can use when we go inside. Twenty pounds heavier, we’re both laden with weapons and head for the back entrance of Rhythmic Seoul. Rhythmic Seoul, kind of ironic if you think about it considering I’d bet anything that we’re about to explore the rhythmic screams of one Jinwoo Hwang. Converging on the doorway, I slip into the shadows to the right of the door.

  Drawing my sidearm, I chamber a round, watching as Jack raps the predetermined cadence on the door. Secluding himself in the shadows, Jack retrieves his firearm just as the door swings forcefully in my direction. Springing into action, I vault backward a handful of steps, landing on my feet. Aiming my sidearm at the doe-eyed female, I observe her cautiously as Jack lowers his weapon.

  Bowing, he takes her hand, placing a tender kiss on her knuckles. Gasping, she covers her mouth and cheeks with her free hand, desperately trying to hide the rosy blush staining her face. Releasing her hand, Jack straightens, offering her a dazzling smile.

  “Thank you for assisting us this evening, Yeong-Ja.”

  She swallows numerous times in an attempt to try and communicate. Eventually finding her voice, she dips her head in a polite bow before timidly meeting Jack’s bold gaze.

  “You are most welcome. But you must hurry.” She glances over her shoulder into the dimly lit bar. Frowning, she turns to find Jack’s eyes again.

  “Come quickly, I will show you where he is. But you must know that Sang-Hyun is not here tonight.” She gestures for me to join her at the door.

  Looking from me to Jack, she pitches her voice low. “Hwang is in a
burdensome mood this evening. He is acting strange.” Her worried eyes travel over her shoulder again.

  “What do you mean acting strange?” I ask, holstering my sidearm.

  Her weary eyes bore into mine, searing me with the strain of her worry. “He came in took a bottle of alcohol from the shelf and went right to his office. Hasn’t come out since.”

  “And that’s strange?” Jack asks.

  She shifts, hitting him with the full weight of her penetrating stare. “He doesn’t drink. I’ve never seen him consume anything harder than water.”

  “Well, let me see if I can help him alleviate some of his burdens.”

  Nodding, she chews her lip a moment before hesitantly asking, “I’m not foolish. I am very familiar with the fact that he has dealings that are not always within the confines of the law. But please, try to go easy on him. He is a good man despite what you may think.”

  “Oh, Yeong-Ja.” The sympathy in my tone has her gaze snapping to mine.

  “That, unfortunately, is up to him. You see he has information that can save the life of the woman I love. And I will stop at nothing until I have that information.” My once sympathetic voice morphs, migrating into a menacing growl.

  Nodding, her eyes fill with sadness. “I understand. You do what you have to for her. It is the only way. I only pray he sees reason.”

  Sniffling, her eyes shine with tears as she lowers her gaze to the ground. Swiveling, she does a one-eighty, entering the bar with enough room for us to follow behind her. As we fill the small space, she reaches around me, closing the door securely and resetting the alarm. Wiping the corners of her eyes, she inhales a deep breath.

  Meeting our eyes, she says, “One last thing, the alarm is set so before you go you’ll have to punch in the code to leave. The code is 78654. All you have to do is press pound and enter the code and you should be fine. It will beep twice and disarm. It will alert me when you leave and I can reset it after. Any questions before I take you to him?”

  “I’d really love to know how you’ve managed to go unnoticed for the last five minutes. I mean you’re in the back of the bar, talking to two unknown men with the door wide open. It just screams trap to me.” The hair on the nape of my neck rises as I glare at her in challenge.

  Shaking her head defiantly, her voice wavers with emotion. “No. It is only me and the bartender. I told her I was going on break when I came back here. The man she likes showed up a few minutes before you did so she is too busy. How do you say in English? Flirting. So much so she won’t pay attention to anything else.”

  “You better hope so,” I say, letting my threat hang in the air.

  She stiffens, looking from me to Jack and back again. Jack nods, validating my claim. Yeong-Ja sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping with resignation.

  “I’m telling the truth. But you’ll just have to see for yourselves. Come, it is just this way.”

  Without another word, she leads us down the dank, dingy hallway. Stopping in front of a meager entryway, she raps lightly on the frame.

  “Go away,” Hwang slurs.

  Yeong gives the handle a half turn. Exhaling, she replies, “Open the door, Hwang. You need to consume more than alcohol. Let me bring you something.”

  “I said go away!” he shouts.

  “This is the last time I will ask you politely, Hwang. Open the door.”

  “I don’t pay you to stand at my door harping at me like a wife. Go the hell away, Yeong-Ja. Now is not the time, woman,” he grumbles.

  “Please forgive me,” she whispers, extracting the keys from her pocket.

  Pressing them firmly in my hand, she points to the key that will open the door and runs off in the opposite direction. Shaking my head in disbelief, I draw my weapon. Jack follows suit, bouncing on the tips of his toes as I slip the key into the lock. Turning the knob, I give the door a little nudge, shoving it open as quietly as possible. The door opens with a small whoosh, stopping when it hits the stopper anchored into the wall. Rushing into the room, we halt dead in our tracks, our weapons still poised mid-air.

  Well, shit. This is not what I expected at all. How in the hell he didn’t hear us is beyond me. He is either really trashed or so deep into his own misery he doesn’t give a damn anymore. Because, let’s face it, the door wasn’t that damn quiet. I expected him to pull a gun and leap into action the moment we came through the door. This is kind of a let down.

  The line of my brow creases with confusion. Allowing myself a moment to survey the scene, I take in each careful detail of Hwang’s overwrought frame as he slumps deeper into the plush leather office chair. Adrift in his own world, he raises a half-empty bottle to his lips, drinking deeply. He swallows a few large gulps of the amber liquid before propping the bottle on his knee. Hiccupping, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and hunches forward, returning to his brooding. With his gaze firmly fixed somewhere in the distance, his large frame shudders.

  Closing his eyes, he takes another swig from the bottle. Hell, this might be easier than I thought. Catching Jack’s attention, I gesture toward the door, motioning for him to close it with a little force. The music in the bar is so loud it will easily drown out anything we do. Not that anyone would interrupt him anyway.

  Slinking my way around the desk in the center of the room I’m thankful that Hwang’s eyes are still pressed firmly shut. Aiming my sidearm at his temple, I signal Jack.

  Thud.

  The loud crack resonates throughout the room long after Jack slams the heavy wooden door closed. Hwang shoots up in his chair, spinning away from the window to face the door.

  “Damn you, woman, I said . . .” His words die, turning to ash on his tongue as he realizes Yeong is not in the room.

  Hwang’s pupils grow large in his wild eyes, the muscles in his arms clenching as he forcefully clasps the bottle in his hand. Hwang’s glassy eyes glare at Jack as he brandishes the bottle, hurtling it with fierce animosity. The bottle arcs wide, sailing past Jack and crashing into a filing cabinet, shattering into millions of tiny pieces.

  Jack roars with laughter, a profoundly ominous sound filling the small office. Hwang snarls with frustration, leaping from the chair. Bounding forward in two steps, I close the distance, hitting him at the base of his skull with my sidearm. Grunting, he rears back, elbowing me in the abdomen faster than a Bugatti on the Autobahn.

  “Oomph.”

  Grunting in pain, I hunch forward, bending over as the wind is knocked out of me. Going all out, Hwang sails forward in a brash attempt to take me down. Ramming his shoulder into my side, he digs in, propelling himself forward as I try to straighten. Bracing myself, we stumble back a few paces before I gain the upper hand, halting his advance. Hwang stumbles backward, each step wobbly in his drunken state. His dark eyes lock on mine as he smiles and takes an uneasy step to rush forward.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jack sneers, pressing a gun to his temple.

  Hwang stops, his mouth falling open in surprise. Snapping it shut, he snarls in disgust.

  “I will kill you both.”

  “You couldn’t harm a fly in your drunken state,” I reply with disdain.

  Quirking an eyebrow in protest, Jack stares at me with amusement.

  Glowering, I issue his one and only warning. “Don’t start.”

  Half-snorting, half-laughing, he nudges Hwang in the back, edging him toward the desk in the center of the room.

  “Sit,” I demand, motioning to the chair he’d recently vacated.

  Jutting his chin out defiantly, he leans closer and spits on the floor directly in front of me. “You do not issue orders to me,” he sneers.

  “Oh, but I do.”

  Without another word, I shift my weight, torqueing my right shoulder as I nail him in the jaw with a right hook. Hwang’s head whips to the left, snapping back at the powerful blow. As his head rolls to the side, blood dribbles from the corner of his mouth, staining his lips and chin.

  “Sit, now,” I
reiterate.

  He falters, tottering as his energy wanes. With a steadying hand, Jack turns him in the direction of the chair and gives him a little shove. Hwang stumbles first one step, then two before righting himself and shuffling forward. Every step is slow and exaggerated as he incoherently wobbles his way across the room. Finally reaching the overstuffed leather, he sinks down with a weary sigh, his body curling in on itself, doubling over as his forehead strains toward his knees.

  “I don’t fucking think so,” I snap, lunging for Hwang.

  Beating me to the punch, Jack grasps a handful of his hair, yanking it harshly. Having holstered his sidearm, he thrusts his blade against his neck. Lowering his lips close to his ear, Jack’s tone becomes a quiet, menacing snarl full of deep-rooted threats.

  “You already know this is going to go our way. So why not do yourself a favor and answer our questions. It will save us a lot of time and you a lot of pain. Or I can break in this beautiful new blade my good friend Devereux let me borrow.”

  Hwang stills his glazed eyes, finding and latching onto my own.

  “Fuck,” he curses under his breath.

  “So it seems you know why we’re here,” I say, moving to sit on the desk in front of him.

  Remaining silent, he fixes his dazed eyes on the dingy wall over my shoulder. A delirious grin unfurls across my lips as I depress the toe of my boot against Hwang’s groin. Grimacing, he struggles, fighting the urge to wail in pain.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Jack tsks, driving the blade a little farther into his throat.

  Hwang hisses, drawing in a sharp breath. A long, thin crimson line emerges from beneath the blade, flowing down the center of his neck. Reluctantly, he forces himself to settle. Letting up on the pressure just enough so he can speak, my body naturally gravitates forward.

  “I do hope you want to keep quiet because I’d love nothing more than to skin you alive. But right now, I really do need answers and you’re going to tell me what I need to know, is that understood?”

  Still defiantly quiet, he glares at a blank space on the wall. Pressing the toe of my boot into his groin again, I apply as much pressure as I can with my right foot. Hwang cries out, screaming at the top of his lungs.