“And here was me under the impression that you Americans had such friendly, welcoming dispositions.”
Landry huffed. “If the two of you have quite finished trying to control my life, it’s almost time to open.”
“I’ll take care of the security shutters on my way out,” Gage said. “Remember what I said, Ellery. No matter how much he begs for coffee, you don’t leave him alone unless there is a patrol car outside. They’ll be by every hour or so.”
James nodded.
“It’s a fucking conspiracy,” Landry muttered, stomping toward his apartment door. “Today is going to be the longest ever.” Gage caught up with him on the landing and pushed him against the nearest wall.
“Behave yourself today, brat. You’re wearing my collar, remember that, and if you have any trouble with blondie, text me and I’ll come back and shoot him.”
“What will you be doing?” Landry asked in between kisses.
“Sancha and I have the unenviable task of tracking down one combination in a city that has thousands of safety deposit boxes, banks, storage warehouses and property lockers. Narrowing down where your combination might be of use is a big job and you know I’d much rather be here with you. Ellery is injured and isn’t going to be much use in a fight. I’m hoping that his presence alone will be enough to put off a return visit from our Yakuza friends. I’ve also arranged for the local beat officers to carry on with their drive by every hour and take their coffee break outside your door. Anyone watching should get the message not to mess with you.”
“Good luck,” Landry said, stealing another kiss. “Let me know how you’re doing, won’t you?”
“Oh, you can be sure I’ll be checking up on you at frequent intervals. The Brit is far too polite to be trusted.”
“You like him, don’t you?” Landry suggested, grinning.
“I’m not going to credit that with an answer,” Gage replied. “Now get to work.”
“Yes, Sir.” Landry stepped away from Gage to find James lurking in the apartment doorway, smirking.
“Have you two finished making out?”
“You really like living on the edge, don’t you,” Gage growled.
“It makes life interesting.” James took the stairs slowly, his ribs clearly still bothering him, though he didn’t make a sound of complaint.
Gage followed then Landry brought up the rear. He was looking forward to the sanctuary of old furniture and knickknacks. Most of his customers were at least semi-sane and much easier to deal with than two Dommy alphas. First order of the day would definitely be to send James next door for a triple shot latte. With any luck, the cops will already be outside.
* * * *
Thanks to a steady stream of customers, Landry managed to avoid being in close proximity to James Ellery for most of the morning. He set him a continual series of tasks and sent him to the café every time he spotted a cop car. By lunchtime, Landry had a pleasant buzz from an excess of caffeine and baked goods. Gage had texted twice with a series of nonsensical emojis, including an octopus and an erupting volcano. Landry decided both were open to interpretation.
“How do you manage to stay so thin?” James asked, depositing his latest purchases on the cash desk. “If I ate as many pastries as you, I’d be the size of an elephant.”
Landry examined James’ lean, toned form. He clearly had cast-iron willpower. “I’m blessed with good genes.”
“And do you bleed red or coffee-colored? Your caffeine addiction is astounding.”
“Is yours decaf?” Landry asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“What if it is?” James sipped his drink.
“You sound defensive.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“Decaf coffee should be banned as a crime against humanity.” Landry gave a happy sigh as he sipped his vanilla latte. “What are we going to have for lunch?”
“Your stomach is a bottomless pit.”
James sat behind the cash desk while Landry strolled the aisles chatting to customers. “Hey, Landry, what’s with the broken cat?” he called.
Landry froze. He did a slow turn to see that James had retrieved the lucky cat from the shelf beneath the register. Landry hadn’t realized it was still there. Gage had taken pictures of it, but Landry had assumed Gage had taken the cat with him for evidence. Hoping that his expression didn’t give anything away, Landry went to stand beside James. “Oh, I’m going to attempt to repair it. I have a collection of lucky cats. It’s not worth anything—I give a home to all the broken ones that come in.”
James turned the pieces over in his hands. “You should be able to glue it. Seems like a clean break.” He put the pieces back where he found them and Landry took a deep breath. “Are you okay? You seem a bit flushed.”
“I’m fine.” Landry wandered away. He wanted to grab the cat and hide it but didn’t dare show any more interest in it.
The next hour crawled by. When James offered to fetch burgers for lunch after the patrol car showed up, Landry agreed with relief. He dealt with some customers while James was gone and the last one left just as James returned. To Landry’s surprise, James set the catch on the door then turned the ‘open’ sign to ‘closed’. He hurried down the aisle.
“I was followed. There are three of them, I think, and the cops left before I could get to them. Is there another way out of here other than the front door or yard gate?” He dumped a take-out bag on the counter.
Landry went cold. “Not again.”
“Landry, the exit!”
“Oh… Yes. There’s a fire escape at the side of the building. We can get to it from my apartment. It ends in the alley.”
“Let’s go.”
As he and James ran for the door to the hall, shadowy figures appeared by the front window. With fumbling fingers, Landry locked the connecting door, then tore upstairs after James. Landry ran through his apartment to the kitchen window, the one which gave access to the fire escape.
“You go first,” James said. “If I can’t keep up with you, run. Don’t wait for me.”
“Run where?”
“Somewhere public. Then call Gage.”
“I have an idea,” Landry said. “When we’re out, follow me.”
Landry scurried down the iron staircase. The last section was a descending ladder, which fortunately Mr. Lao kept well maintained. It didn’t make much noise as it slid into place and Landry dropped to the ground. The fire escape ended in an alley that ran the length of the street. Landry ran to the end, terrified that he would be seen. James caught up with him, his face drawn with pain.
“If you can find somewhere to hide,” Landry said, “I know where I can get my hands on a vehicle.”
“I’m fine. I’ll come with you.”
“Okay.” Landry did a loop through alleys that led back to the street, though further along than the store. Keeping low behind parked cars, he made his way to the Eastern Emporium. Inside, the stock was a riot of color and multiple scents competed for air time but for once Landry wasn’t distracted. He spotted his friend Prisha in the fabric section. Her eyes widened when she saw him.
“What happened to you?”
“Long story, Prisha. Can I borrow the van? I’m in trouble and I need to make myself scarce for a few hours.”
Prisha was the perfect friend. She didn’t waste time asking questions, just fetched the van keys and led Landry and James through the storeroom to a back entrance.
“Go. Dinner and an explanation when you can. Take care, Landry.” She gave him a brief hug.
“You might report a break-in at the antique store,” James suggested.
“Yes! But don’t go over there. Wait for the cops,” Landry said.
“I won’t. Now go.”
Landry didn’t need to be told twice. He gave the van keys to James. “I’ll probably crash if I drive. I don’t get behind the wheel much.”
“With the amount of stimulants in your system, I wouldn’t let you behind the wheel o
f a tricycle.”
“Hey!”
They ran across the yard to where the Emporium’s van was parked.
“Get in, Landry.”
The van smelled of oranges. There was a colorful model of the Lord Ganesha on the dashboard and a string of bright paper flowers hung from the rear-view mirror. Landry cranked a window.
“Where are we going?” he asked as James pulled out of the yard and into traffic.
“I know a place.”
Landry slumped in his seat. “I’ve had enough adventures to last a lifetime.”
“Ring Gage. Let him know what’s going on.”
“I left my phone in the store. Dammit!”
“Let’s get clear of the area, then we can find a phone somewhere.”
“I don’t have my wallet either.” Landry sighed. “I’m not very good at this.”
James chuckled. “I think that’s a good thing.”
Landry lost track of the number of turns James made, but they ended up at a strip mall in SoDo, an area Landry didn’t know well. James pulled into a vacant parking slot. There was a nail salon, a small grocery store, a drug store and a liquor store in the row. A storage facility squatted at one end while the other end boasted a Wendy’s restaurant and drive-through. James pulled some bills from his wallet.
“Do you want to get some burgers, as we didn’t get to eat the ones I bought earlier? I’m going to get some painkillers from the pharmacy. Then we should see if we can find a phone somewhere.”
“Sure. Are you in a lot of pain?”
“Climbing down that fire escape ladder didn’t do me any favors,” James admitted.
Landry took the money then wandered over to Wendy’s, glad for once that it wasn’t raining. In escaping the store he’d left in just a T-shirt. This kind of thing doesn’t happen in the movies. The irony of fetching take-out after escaping the Yakuza wasn’t lost on him. By now, the police should be at the store and Gage would have been alerted. Landry decided food could wait until he’d called Gage. He backtracked to the drug store and went inside, but didn’t spot James. He went to the counter. “I’m looking for my friend… Tall, blond and…”
“Gorgeous.” The young redheaded assistant, whose nametag said Candy, grinned.
“That’s him.”
“He came in but said he’d forgotten his wallet. Then I think I spotted him walk past. He’ll probably be back.”
Confused, Landry went outside. How could he have forgotten his wallet? He wandered along the strip, peering in doors. He came face to face with James leaving the secure storage place. Landry gaped. “What exactly do you think you’re doing?” He eyed the package in James’ hands.
“Landry.” James sounded exasperated. “Why couldn’t you do what you were told for once?”
“Disobedience is a bad habit of mine. What do you have there?”
“What do you think?” James slipped the package into his inside jacket pocket.
“I doubt it’s your secret baseball card collection.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“You saw the number in my lucky cat, didn’t you? You knew what it was.”
“You did a good job at pretending not to be interested but I’ve been hunting the jewelry too, remember. It’s my job.”
“How did you know about this security box?”
James sighed. “Here and now isn’t the time to be discussing this, Landry.”
“So what are you going to do, ditch me and make a run for it?”
“You weren’t supposed to see me picking this up. We were going to eat, call Gage, and then I would have arranged a meeting place to drop you off.” He shook his head. “Now I’ll have to change my plans somewhat.”
“You can’t make me come with you. Unless you have a gun. You don’t, do you?”
“Of course not. Landry, you have no phone, no money, and you’re wearing a thin T-shirt on a cold day. Unless you want to get hypothermic, I’d say your choices are limited and besides, I’m pretty sure I can make you come with me, even without a gun. I don’t want to hurt you, well, not like this, anyway. But I need you to do as I say.”
“You used me, you bastard. Were you even followed back to the store earlier?” A tear trickled down Landry’s cheek and he brushed it away.
“No, though it was easy enough to convince you I was and yes, I’m afraid I did use you. I’m sorry about that. Genuinely. I like you a lot and under different circumstances I would have liked us to be friends, even if something more was never on the cards. You’re very fortunate to have found a Dom like Gage.” For a moment he seemed wistful. “We’re going to walk back to the van now and you’re not going to do anything stupid.”
“Is your commission really worth this much to you?”
“If these jewels disappear into the warrens of Seattle PD, I’ll never see them again. Once I return them to my insurance company, it’ll become public that they’ve been found. I get paid and they get to deal with law enforcement. I have to hand them back in person or I don’t see a penny.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Landry considered his options but came to the conclusion that sticking with James for as long as possible was better than the alternatives. He didn’t think James would hurt him unless he was cornered or desperate, and maybe, just maybe, Landry would find a way to get word to Gage.
* * * *
Sancha slammed her phone down, making her desk shake. “I’m gonna be old and gray before we track down this number.” She scowled. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?” Gage feigned innocence.
“Whatever it was you were about to say.”
“You want more coffee?”
“That swill you keep bringing me could strip paint. No thanks, my stomach lining has had enough.” She raked her hands through her hair. “Could this be any more frustrating? I’ve got everyone with a pulse working on this and some that don’t and unless we get lucky, it’ll take a week to get through all the calls.”
Gage’s phone rang. “Saved by the bell.” He picked up, listened then grinned. “Yes!” He slammed the phone down almost as hard as Sancha. “Uniform just brought in Tadanobu Tsukamoto.”
“Huh?”
“The lucky cat with the number written inside came from a crate of antiques delivered to Landry’s store by his boss’s nephew, Eddie Lao. Eddie got the crate from the grandson of a neighbor who had passed away. The grandson had ties to the Yakuza. Remember?”
“I’m not completely senile.” Sancha pushed her chair back. “Why are you still sitting there?”
Gage shrugged at the sympathetic glances from several of his colleagues, most of who were terrified of Sancha. He got up. “Tadanobu Tsukamoto is known as The Ferret to his friends.”
“Ferret?”
“What can I say? Who’d lie about that name? For simplicity, let’s call him Tad.”
Sancha marched across the squad room then down three flights of stairs to the floor that housed the interview rooms.
“Room four,” Gage advised.
“He lawyered up yet?”
“Nope. Declined counsel. You want to take the lead on this one?”
Sancha twisted her lips into some semblance of a snarl. “Sure. Psycho girl cop usually gets ‘em talking. He’ll sing like he’s in the confessional.”
“I doubt he’s Catholic. The main religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism.”
“Did you swallow Wikipedia? His only fucking religion is money if he’s tied up with the Yakuza.”
Gage didn’t argue. Sancha was on a roll and he had no intention of stopping her.
“Well, that’s not what I was expecting,” Sancha said, staring through the one-way mirror into the interview room.
“Stop drooling,” Gage admonished.
“Why? Look at him.”
“It’s unprofessional, and I am looking. How on earth did he get the nickname Ferret? I was expecting someone small and…ferrety.” The young man pacing the interview room was gorgeous. Black hair
cropped short, sharp cheekbones and lush lips. Even from a few meters away, Gage could see how green the man’s eyes were. He was around six feet tall, slender, and several days’ stubble covered a firm chin.
“I’d like to see him on a catwalk modeling swimwear,” Sancha said. “And don’t tell me you’re not thinking the same thing.”
“My thoughts are much, much less pure,” Gage admitted.
“I’m telling Landry.”
“I’m allowed to look—so long as I don’t touch.”
“He’s straight. Gotta be.”
Gage shook his head. “Nope. Definitely on my team.”
“Five dollars.”
“Done.”
Sancha adjusted her expression from lustful to stern, then marched into the room. She slammed her notebook onto the table. “Take a seat. Mr. Tsukamoto.”
“Tad is fine. Mr. Tsukamoto is my dad.” Tad was pale. He sat, fingers tapping his knee in agitation.
“We’ve been looking for you, Tad. You’re a hard man to find.” Sancha sat opposite him. Gage remained standing.
“You wouldn’t have found me at all if I hadn’t wanted you to.” Tad had a smooth, deep voice.
“You were stopped for speeding. The arresting officer saw the warrant for you in connection with the assault on an antique store assistant.”
“I saw that motorbike cop from a quarter-mile away.”
“So you’re telling me you were deliberately speeding when you passed her?”
“Yes. I couldn’t walk in here. I had to get arrested. I need help.”
The interview wasn’t going the way Gage had expected at all.
“And that’s why you’ve waived counsel?”
“No lawyers, no recordings. I need protection—a safe place to stay.”
“In return for…?”
“Enough information to put away the leaders of Seattle’s biggest crime syndicate for a very long time.”
“To be clear, you’re talking about the Yakuza?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re looking for immunity from prosecution?”
“No. I’m a witness. I haven’t done anything criminal.”
The Lucky Cat Page 16