by K E Osborn
My breathing is short and sharp while I take my mother’s hand beside me as he sits opposite us. His intense stare is grating on the very last of my nerves. I wish he would just say something. Any damn thing.
“How did you find us?” I blurt out.
He curls up his lip. “We’re finally alone, a family reunited, and this is the first thing you ask your father?”
“You are not my father.”
He tilts his head like he disapproves of my words as he juts out his hands and adjusts his cufflinks. “You would be wise not to disrespect me in the future. I will give you just this one because you’re new to this, but as my Wakagashira, you will need to learn devotion to me.”
I snort out a heavy laugh. “I’m not joining the Yakuza or being your second-in-fucking-charge. You’re fucking crazy.”
“Son—”
“Don’t call me that—”
“Raiden—”
“How did you find us?”
He lets out a long huff and sits taller against his seat. “The guard…” he looks at my mother, “… you paid to find cadavers that looked like Hiro and you… he cracked under pressure. It took years of torture, years of pain. But finally he cracked and told me you were indeed alive, and that you moved to America. However, it took me some time to track you down, Shinobu. You and Hiro should have changed your names that was your mistake.
I furrow my brows. Looking to Mother. They paid the underling to help them? She always told me he helped them because they forged a friendship. I guess payment makes far more sense to turn on your Oyabun. She winces at me as Aiko continues, “Then imagine how I felt when, to my surprise, I found out you had a son, Raiden, who was born seven months after you left Tokyo. I put two and two together. And then when I saw pictures of you, Raiden, I knew I was your father. Your eyes, they’re mine. Then I had your records pulled from the hospital. Of course, I have people everywhere, and I had a test done. The results came back… unequivocally that you’re mine. There is no doubt.”
Anger swarms through me that he was able to get this done without my knowledge. I feel like he has not only come in and tried to take over our town, tried to take my family, but he’s also invaded my privacy. This man is nothing but a bane on my existence.
I glance at Mother who’s now slowly crying into her hands. “There was never any doubt. We just did not want you around,” I spit at him, and he smiles—the fucker actually smiles.
“You are quite the honest man, aren’t you, Raiden?”
“You won’t get away with this.” I tighten my hand on my mother’s to comfort her.
“Oh, but I have, and I will. Enough now, we’re here.” He waves his hand through the air to dismissively shut me up as the limo pulls to a stop in a field, and I look out the window to see a jet on the smallest of runways, and I wonder how in the hell I’m going to get us out of this.
The car door opens, and he files out along with his underlings. I look to Mother, her eyes are open wide in fear. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll protect you.”
She nods as an arm reaches inside grabbing and yanking her out of the car. I groan in anger as I jump out of the car, my hands not hesitating as I punch the underling in the face for manhandling my mother.
Aiko pulls a gun shoving it in my chest making me stop as Mother lets out a small scream. I pant hard as my knuckles ache and the underling stands back up smiling at me but does nothing in retaliation as he shakes it off and starts walking us toward the jet. I glance around to see the other vehicles pulled up, and the underlings standing tall, their suits well maintained, their faces stoic as they watch us, standing guard.
It slowly sinks in.
There’s no one here to help.
My brothers can’t be here to support me.
I have no weapons.
The jet is firing up ready to go.
I don’t see a way out of this other than my mother and me flying back to Tokyo with my blood father to join the motherfucking Yakuza. It floods my senses, it fills my pores, the dread leeching into every fiber of my being, and I can’t stop it. That typhoon is overwhelming and immersing me, my lungs are filling with water drowning me from the inside out. I can’t breathe as I look to my mother, the same thoughts obviously flooding her mind as her eyes well with so many tears they overwhelm her beautiful eyelids and fall.
I shake my head in some sort of apology.
I’ve fucking failed her.
I have absolutely no idea how to fix this situation.
Aiko heads with us to the bottom of the stairs leading to the jet.
This is it!
The last time I will be on American soil.
I didn’t even have time to say goodbye to Sass or kiss her tender lips farewell. To tend to her wounds, or to ensure she’s all right, and to help her recover from what she will be going through right now. I will never taste her again. Never be with her again. Never see her gorgeous face, or stare into those tender eyes.
I hope she knows how I feel about her.
I hope she knows what she means to me.
At least she aware I’ve claimed her, that’s if she’s even still alive. The remaining Yakuza and the Andrettis may have killed my brothers and Sass back at the warehouse by now. We may be the only ones still alive. The thought cripples me, and I hunch over letting out a long breath as Aiko’s underling prods me in the back trying to force me to step up the stairs.
A faint noise pricks up my ears. It startles me as it becomes more apparent. And as I stand up and spin around something hurtles past my face. It’s only now I realize it’s motherfucking bullets.
Quick reflexes come into play. I reach out grabbing my mother yanking her to me as I turn to see bikes, all of them, and not only that, Alpha Romeos and Subaru WRX’s speeding toward us at an alarming rate.
My brows knot in my confusion as I try to figure out what the hell is happening.
More bullets fly past me, I duck, but quickly realize they’re flying straight past me and are landing in the jet’s tires and gas tank. I grin as I make a run for it, taking my mother with me.
Aiko yells out in frustration. One of his underlings grabs him and runs along with us. I guess he figures if Aiko is with me, the bullets won’t hit him.
We keep running, the sound of hundreds of bullets pummeling into the side of the jet as bikes and cars roar past until I see one of the Subaru WRX cars. The window rolls down, and someone chucks something out of the window and under the jet.
It feels like slow motion as I watch, gasp, then grab Mother dragging her to the ground and covering her with my body as the explosion goes off. A plume of fire erupts, the jet bursts up in the middle fracturing it in two as it explodes rendering it completely useless. Smoke filters through the air as Mother screams beneath me while Aiko lays beside me panting for breath.
The roar of bikes pulling up beside us forces me to look up, and I see Torque grinning. He nods while I take a breath giving him a single nod of appreciation.
The instant roar of gunfire echoes through the field as my brothers jump from their bikes, guns drawn, aiming at the underlings, who are shooting back with fierce determination, all the while I lay on top of my mother unable to do jack shit.
Andrettis file out of their Romeos taking aim at the underlings, and I furrow my brows wondering what in the hell is going on when I look to the Subarus. The doors fling open and my stomach tightens in pride as I see my father—Hiro—jump out wearing all black, along with other men that I recognize from the Ikigai Syndicate. They all spread out running straight for the underlings—without guns.
Defiance and the Andrettis are laying down the cover fire as the Ikigai hurtle toward the Yakuza at full speed. Smothering my mother from the shell casings that are raining down over us, everything in me wants to get into this fight. To help bring them down. But I know the moment I leave my mother, she’s done for.
I can’t do it.
I can’t leave her.
As much as it’s killing me
right now not to be a part of this.
One of the Ikigai in tight black gear swoops up to an underling just as Torque fires a round into his arm forcing his gun to drop. The Ikigai slides in taking the underling out at his feet knocking him straight to the ground. He lays a punch right into the underling’s throat making him gasp for air then he grabs his arm, which was holding the gun, and he twists it back then moves in stepping on his throat to choke him. The Ikigai picks up the underling’s gun and doesn’t hesitate to shoot him with it at point-blank range.
I glance around to see more of the Ikigai taking on the underlings with their martial arts skills—it’s a sight to behold. I don’t know these guys well, but I’m sure as shit happy Father brought them along. Torque and the Andrettis are still laying down cover fire as I watch my father duck and weave through the swarm of bodies, his eyes firmly on the man beside me. Aiko’s now being protected by two underlings, and I tense up as Father approaches.
An underling stands aiming his gun straight at my father. Mother screams, and the underling pulls the trigger. Father ducks out of the way, probably before he even pulled the trigger, it’s that fast as my father jumps into the air, his fist coming down and slamming straight onto the wrist of the underling. He yelps out in agony as his wrist snaps, the gun dropping from his hand. Father grabs his broken arm pulling him toward him through his side, making the underling stumble forward as he headbutts him, then pushes his chest so he folds back on his arm, dislocating his shoulder. The underling screams out in pain as he drops to his knees. Father wastes no time moving in, quickly snapping his neck to the side like he’s nothing more than a ragdoll.
Mother whimpers as she cuddles into me further. The other underling leaves Aiko standing up leaving him wide open. I think for a moment to go after him myself, but I’m very sure Father has this under control.
The second underling moves up pulling a blade from his back and thrusts forward slashing it at Father in a more uncontrolled manner. Father jumps back while the idiot lashes from side to side.
Mother grips onto my shirt as the gunfire continues to echo all around us.
The underling takes a step forward again, but Mother puts her foot out making him stumble, and Father rushes forward grabbing the underling’s arm and yanks it down. He yelps as the blade drops easily to the ground.
Father pulls the underling’s arm up and over forcing the underling to fly over the top of Father, his heavy body slamming onto the field below with a thud as he gasps for air. Father kneels down over the top of him, reaching for the blade and swiftly slices his throat. Blood pools from his neck as he gurgles, coughing and spluttering.
Father turns to look at Aiko whose eyes are now wide in what looks like fear. Aiko stands up dramatically and starts to run off, but my father quickly rushes after him, the gunfire slowly ebbing to almost nothing.
I sit up taking Mother with me as we both turn to see Father reach Aiko. He grabs the back of his collar and spins him around. Aiko’s arm comes up in a block, and he instantly throws a punch into my father’s jaw. Mother flinches.
I want to go and help, but I feel this is something my father needs to do.
Father rights himself, clenching his fist and hurtling it into Aiko’s side, he flinches but turns quickly bringing his leg up in a roundhouse kick, but Father blocks it at the same time he thrusts his fist forward hitting Aiko in the face with a forward punch. Aiko stumbles back with the force of the hit, blood pooling from his nose as my father doesn’t let up, spinning and hitting him with a side kick to the ribs. Aiko falls to his knees, hunching over, spitting out a line of blood as my father pants and moves in behind Aiko grabbing his head in his hands ready for the final blow.
I tense up all over, my stomach churning as I watch my father holding Aiko in a headlock.
“Wait!” Mother calls making me look to her, and I realize I’m shaking just as much as she is. “I need to know what happened.”
I glance around to see that all the underlings are dead or have run off, and it’s just Defiance, the Andretti’s, and the Ikigai Syndicate that my father brought to the battle. There all here watching Aiko getting his ass handed to him.
I have no idea how it got to this point.
I need answers, but I also need justice.
Standing up fully, I pull my mother to me as Trax and Lift race in and grab Aiko.
My father exhales, his face sporting an almighty bruise. He walks over to us taking Mother into his arms. I watch as the Ikigai take their place behind Father.
Enzo and Franky step up to me. I grit my teeth while standing up and race over to Franky. Without hesitation, I pull my closed fist back and punch him right in his big-ass fucking nose. Ace grabs my arm halting me from hitting him again while Franky moans.
Enzo laughs. “You deserved that, Franky,” Enzo scolds, and I pull back glaring at Torque.
“What the fuck is going on?” I yell.
“Just to be fucking clear right now… I didn’t grope her. I was selling my story, you motherfucker,” Franky yells. “You’ve broken my fucking nose,” he follows up as blood runs down his chin and drips onto the ground.
I crease my brows not really caring. I’ve been watching this fight happen, and I needed to let off some steam. Franky fucked me off, so he was the chosen one.
“I’m sorry I made Ayla crash her car, though. I didn’t mean for that to happen. Honestly, I only meant to force her to pull over, but she lost control, and that’s definitely my fault,” Franky offers.
“What the hell are you doing, Andretti?” Aiko suddenly calls out.
Enzo smiles turning to Aiko with a shrug. “You see, Aiko, when you came to me and asked for my assistance to bring down the Defiance MC, then told me of your plan to leave the country with Sensei and Shinobu… your plan was almost flawless.” Enzo tilts his head and raises his eyebrows. “I have to say your monetary offer was tempting. So I played along, and we delivered you Ayla to get you to this very point because we knew your arrival at the jet would see you less guarded. You’d have fewer men here at the field, and this would be the only way to truly bring you down. Of course, I told Torque about the entire plan. We thought we needed an extra safeguard, so we talked to Hiro. He brought in the Ikigai Syndicate who were only too happy to help bring you down. They were hiding outside of the warehouse waiting for you to leave…” He smirks with a shrug. “Once you took Sensei and Shinobu, they came in, helped us clean up your little underling invasion at the warehouse, and then we all rushed here to get Sensei and Shinobu back before you took off on that jet to Japan.”
“Defiance were in on this?” Aiko grunts.
Torque laughs as Enzo nods his head. “Oh, hell yes. Well, everyone except Sensei and Shinobu. We needed their reactions, so everything seemed realistic. But there was no way I wasn’t filling Torque in on everything because Defiance and the Andrettis work together now. Isn’t that right, Torque?” Enzo states.
A smirk pulls up on Torque’s face. “Absolutely, Enzo. So you see, Aiko, we were a fuckin’ step ahead of you the entire damn time,” Torque replies.
With a slight shake of my head, I chuckle as Scratch walks up handing me a Glock. I glance at Mother and she nods, letting me know what I have to do.
As I step over to Aiko, Trax pulls his hair back making him look up at me while Lift holds him secure. His eyes pleading as I stare down at him.
“Son—”
“I told you, I am not your fucking son.”
He lets out a huff. “If you kill me, it will haunt you. You will never know what could have been—”
“You terrorized my mother. You forced her into a cold and forsaken marriage. You beat her. You… you raped her. I was born out of an act so cruel…” I pause to center myself as I look to my mother who’s crying as she watches me, and I close my eyes tight trying to right myself. Then open them and then stare back at him. “Look at her,” I scream, and he glances in Mother’s direction. “You say you loved her, but all you ever did was
mistreat this remarkable, amazing woman. She had to leave her own country to find refuge. You did that. A man so horrible, Mother had to find solace in another man whose kindness knows no boundaries. A man so honorable, he took on raising a son who wasn’t his own.”
“Do not talk of that traitor Hiro!” he spits toward my father’s feet.
Gritting my teeth, I grab the butt of my gun and smash it into his forehead. He falls back slightly as Lift and Trax keep him upright while he sways on the spot.
“Don’t call him a traitor. He’s a far better man than you could ever be.”
A line of blood trickles down his forehead as a look of indifference crosses his face. “Maybe so… when I look at you, my son, I see the man you have become. I see so much of myself in you. The storm in your eyes, the thirst, the hunger, you can carry on my legacy. I can forgive all this—”
“Shut. Up. There’s nothing left for you. I’m nothing like you. I will never be anything like you. If you have any last words… you best say them now.”
He sinks into himself then looks at my mother. “Shinobu… I ask for absolution. Absolution for my crimes against you. Absolution for my crimes against our son. Will you grant me this as my dying wish?”
I glance at Mother as she steps forward. A hard glint in her eyes. She shakes her head curling up her lip. “You are the tormenter in my nightmares. But granting you forgiveness…” she pauses and thinks for a moment and nods, then continues, “… yes, forgiveness seems like the honorable thing to do.”
As I glare at her, I furrow my brows.
Mother shakes her head as a crooked smile lights up her face. “But I do not give it. This is your penance. You, Aiko, deserve the hell that’s awaiting you…” She looks at me with a brave smile on her face. “My son… pull the trigger.”