Of Cinder and Bone

by Kyoko M

  A slow smile crawled across her lips. “Jack. You look good. Been working out?”

  Jack smiled back. “Nope. It’s the overcoat. It flatters my curves.”

  The woman laughed softly, as if it were something unfamiliar that she didn’t do often. “Right. My mistake.”

  The woman glanced at Kamala and extended her hand. “Sumimasen. I’m Misaki Fujioka.”

  Kamala offered her hand. “Oh. Jack didn’t mention you were a woman.”

  Fujioka lifted a thin eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  “Not at all. Merely an oversight. I’m just surprised since he mentioned something about being a bodyguard, and female bodyguards aren’t as common as they should be. Hajimemashite, Fujioka-san.” She bowed her head and Fujioka returned the bow.

  “Hajimemashite, Dr. Anjali. Come on. We need to get you settled so we can pick up the trail. We’ve lost enough time as it is.”

  “What were you able to find while we were on the way here?” Jack asked as they headed outside towards the parking lot.

  “A starting point,” Fujioka said. “I paid off a couple of nosy people in the lower rungs of Okegawa’s operation and they told me the dragon was dropped off in Canada and then brought here on another plane. She’s somewhere in the city right now.”

  “Good. We might have a way to track her.”

  “That’s not the problem,” Fujioka said. “The problem is that Okegawa put a bounty on your head shortly after he landed here.”

  Jack abruptly stopped walking. “What?”

  Fujioka faced the two of them. “Well, on Jack, that is. He seems to have a thing for Kamala. I hear the hired gun was specifically instructed not to touch a hair on her head.”

  “How much is the bounty?”

  “Ten thousand American.”

  “Bloody hell,” Kamala hissed. “That’s over one-point-one million yen.”

  Fujioka nodded curtly. “Exactly why I’m hustling you towards the car. Odds are, someone was placed at the airport to keep an eye out for you.”

  Jack felt a sharp itch throbbing between his shoulder blades. He risked a glance around at their surroundings. “What’s to stop them from sniping me while we’re out in the open?”

  “Not going to happen. They want you taken in alive.”

  “Why?”

  Fujioka shrugged, getting the key fob out of her pocket. A black SUV chirped in the furthest space possible of the parking garage second level. “I have a couple of theories so far. Neither of them is all that comforting.”

  “I kind of assumed that with the whole ‘bounty’ thing,” Jack said, opening the passenger door for Kamala and then climbing into the seat behind her. “What’s the first theory?”

  “They’ve started using your data to experiment on the dragon, but there is a piece missing, something they can’t just research their way out of. They need your know-how to get things rolling.”

  “And the second theory?”

  Fujioka started the engine and peered into her rearview mirror. “You pissed Okegawa off by catching him and he wants revenge.”

  “Oh, how unfair is that?” Jack grumbled. “Kamala’s the one who tazed him.”

  Fujioka shrugged as she backed out of the space. “Men like Okegawa are born and bred sexist. He perceives Dr. Anjali as following your orders, and he has given firm instructions not to harm her. Unfortunately, you’re taking all the blame, big boy.”

  “Damn my Y-chromosome. Why wasn’t I born a woman?”

  “Keep your head down until we reach my place. They might try to catch us in transit.” She glanced at Kamala. “You any good with a firearm?”

  “A handgun, yes. I’ve practiced on a range from time to time with my roommate, but nothing larger than that.”

  “Jack?”

  “Hunting rifle. I’m pretty crap with handguns, but I can manage.”

  “Check underneath the seat.”

  Jack wriggled onto his side and felt underneath Kamala’s seat, withdrawing a small leather case with a lock. “Code?”

  “My birthday.”

  Jack flicked the buttons and unlocked the case. Kamala nearly did a double-take, but managed not to. He brought out a Heckler & Koch USP 9mm semiautomatic pistol, and carefully examined the weapon, ensuring that the safety was on and it was unloaded. The magazine was neatly tucked in the foam, its bullets already in place. “Nice.”

  “Keep that on you at all times.”

  Jack gave Fujioka a stern look. “That’s all kinds of illegal.”

  “Do you want to get kidnapped, Jack?”

  He sighed. “Point taken. Holster?”

  “Underneath the foam.”

  He lifted the casing and found an underarm holster. He shed his coat and strapped it on before replacing the coat over it. It leaned into his ribs and made him want to reflexively flinch, but it didn’t dig in too much. “What about Kamala?”

  “Under my seat.”

  Jack reached beneath it and unlocked the second case, this time finding a .38 Miroku Special Revolver with twelve bullets nestled next to it. He whistled, examining it. “Now that’s a pretty pistol. Where’d you get it?”

  Fujioka offered him a humorless smile. “You’ll have to earn that backstory. Hand it over.”

  Jack passed the case to Kamala, who found she could fit the revolver inside her coat pocket without much hindrance.

  “I’ll have to teach you both how to look out for a tail,” Fujioka continued. “Okegawa employs mostly low level thugs to do his dirty work, but they’re experienced nonetheless. All it takes is one small slip up to give them an opportunity to strike. We’re going to establish a home base, so that if we somehow get separated, you know where to go. Always stay together. Two heads are better than one, as the cliché goes. People are predictable. They do what they’ve learned. Okegawa’s thugs won’t be used to you being escorted by someone who knows the area and someone who is familiar with the criminal element, so that’s our advantage. You do as I say, the second I say it, no questions asked. If at any point you disobey me, our contract is terminated and I walk.”

  She sent a hard stare over at Kamala. “Understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “Jack?”

  “Got it. You’re the jōshi.”

  “Your accent is terrible.”

  “God, I missed that silver tongue of yours.”

  Fujioka rolled her eyes, but the edge of her lips twitched momentarily. Once more, Kamala had to force herself to focus on the cityscape before them to keep from tossing a serious side-eye at their new bodyguard.

  “Where are we headed?” Kamala asked.

  “My apartment. It’s in the Shinjuku area, which gives us access to the train without as much interference. I decided to drive this time so I could check out our route.”

  “What’s it look like so far?”

  Fujioka glanced in her rearview mirror. “Four cars back. I’m planning on losing him at the next intersection. I suggest you buckle up. We’re going to have to run a couple of lights and circle back to my place.”

  They obeyed. Fujioka plodded along with the flow of traffic until her car was beneath the stoplight and then hit the brakes, waiting until it changed from green to red amidst the cavalcade of angry honks, then gunned it through the intersection, dodging several cars. She swung into the far lane and made a right, weaving skillfully between lanes until she was sure the tail hadn’t been able to follow.

  “Did you find anything on Yagami?” Jack asked.

  Fujioka exhaled. “Yes, but you aren’t going to like it. Okegawa wasn’t exaggerating when he told you they were childhood friends. It took a bit of digging because they never appeared together in public. Okegawa is a part of the Yamaguchi-gumi clan. He’s what you call shateigashira, or the second lieutenant in their organization. He was an orphan who was brought into the fold when he was around ten years
old. He’s fiercely loyal to the family, and that’s why they were brash enough to break him out of police custody. The modern day yakuza likes to stay out of the limelight, but Okegawa and his friends didn’t get that memo.”

  “How did he end up meeting Yagami?”

  “I wasn’t able to confirm that story. Rumors say they bumped into each other. Others say it was Yagami’s father, Makoto, who was associated with the yakuza back in the day and introduced them as playmates.”

  “Of the two theories, which one is more believable?”

  “The latter, if you ask me. When Makoto first started his pharmaceutical company, he ran into some heavy competition with the ones already established here. Then, his competition started experiencing inconvenient legal issues and recalls on certain medicines. He swooped in to take away their customers. It’s possible he’s in business with the yakuza, where they helped Makoto sell his products for a fixed price, and slide him something under the table. In return, Makoto gives them substantial discounts and access to other illegal drugs.”

  “That might be another connection,” Kamala said. “Okegawa might have working knowledge of the medical world and if he was friends with Yagami, then he might also be experienced in microbiology and biological engineering.”

  “Agreed,” Jack said. “The question remains: Did Yagami put him up to this fiasco or did Okegawa decide to do something about it himself? With Yagami having to deal with the fallout.”

  “My gut says it’s Okegawa,” Kamala said, frowning. “Yagami is a dispassionate man. He isn’t quick to impulsive actions or anger. He’s too calculating to kick up a storm this way. Perhaps Okegawa acted in order to save his friend, and Yagami agreed to help him. After all, his own project was mere weeks away from falling apart. Now he has the chance to start from scratch and build his own empire.”

  “Too bad it’s not his damn empire to build,” Jack growled. “He’s not building his castle on the bones of our dragon. Not if I can help it.”

  “Well, if you’re done being morally outraged, we’re here,” Fujioka said, pulling into the parking garage. “We lost the tail, but I’d still keep your head down until we reach my apartment. It’s unlikely he’ll find us here. I make it my business to stay as anonymous as possible.”

  They got out, gathered their things, and followed her up to the two-bedroom suite she called home. Jack and Kamala slipped off their shoes at the doorway and walked in. The carpet was a soft, honey brown with a high ceiling and cream walls. A small dining room with burgundy floor cushions and a shrine sat to the immediate right, and the living area was straight ahead. Part of the kitchen was visible behind a rice paper wall in the far right corner and another for the tatami room across from it.

  Fujioka led them through the tatami room to the guest room, sparsely decorated with a Queen-sized sleeping cushion and fluffy blue comforter, a desk with a PC and a single dresser.

  She waved a hand at it. “This is all yours. The bathroom is to your left and my room is through there. Get comfortable and we’ll start.”

  She shut the door behind her as she went into her room. Kamala stared after her momentarily before kneeling to unzip her suitcase. “She’s very…abrupt.”

  “Yeah, bodyguards tend to be that way,” Jack sighed, scratching at the holster beneath his arm. “Damn, this thing pinches. I kind of want to trade you for the pistol.”

  “Yet another mystery,” Kamala said, checking the tracker. “That handgun she gave you is one that’s usually carried by Japanese Special Forces.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  She leveled another stare at him. “Uh-huh. That’s all you have to say?”

  He blinked. “Um. Yes?” He backtracked as her eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? You seem… scary right now. More than usual.”

  “Jack, what do you know about this woman? How did you meet her?”

  He sat and peeled off his socks and coat. “I was giving a lecture about three years ago at MIT. It was an open lecture, so some grad students and even prospective students were there. One of the kids there was Takahata Shinobu. His father is a prominent figure in the medical world and he was thinking about attending MIT. However, this was Shinobu’s first trip to America, and his father was paranoid about the kid being alone. So he hired Fujioka to stay with him if he went anywhere other than the hotel. After I gave my lecture, the kid came up to meet me and we had a conversation. He was smart as hell, for his age, and afterward, Fujioka also became interested in some of the things I’d discussed.”

  Kamala folded her arms. “Was she now?”

  Jack coughed. “Mm-hmm.”

  “And what happened after that?”

  “She was with the kid for the rest of the day, but we went and had a drink that night.”

  “And?”

  “And what? She left a week after that. We kept in touch via email.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What else is there?”

  Kamala glanced at the door. “I don’t get it. How much are you paying her to be our bodyguard?”

  Jack scratched the back of his neck. “Enough.”

  “Jack. I will twist your fingers off one by one.”

  “Alright, alright, calm down. She’s a grand per day.”

  Kamala buried her face in her hand. “Saur mandal ke saare grah mere pichhe ghusa do!*¹”

  “If it makes you feel any better, that’s the discounted ‘we’re friends’ rate. Normally, she’s three grand a day.”

  “I am going to strangle you.”

  “Look, we need the best of the best to find Pete and keep me from getting my throat slit by the yakuza. Fujioka knows what she’s doing. I trust her.”

  “Why? It sounds like you barely know the woman.”

  Jack exhaled, softening his tone. “I know enough, Kam. She won’t let us down.”

  “Yes, until you run out of money, and then we’re screwed.”

  “Well, we’ll jump off that bridge when we get to it. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just have to prostitute myself. Ow! Let go of my ear!”

  After fifteen hours on a plane, the shower felt like a God-send to Kamala. She resisted the urge to take a long time under the hot water and merely did a quick scrub-down so that they wouldn’t lose any more time on the hunt for Pete. She’d needed the seclusion to clear her mind, and to determine why she had an ugly knot in her stomach as she continued thinking about Fujioka. Her instincts told her something was off and she hearkened to them quite often. For now, she’d bide her time and keep an eye on the two of them.

  Kamala frowned at herself in the mirror. Two of them? Where did that come from?

  She draped the towel around her neck to catch any stray droplets and opened the door to the guest room. She stopped short.

  Jack was sitting at the desk against the wall, his brand new laptop out and open, his fingers flying across the keys. He was also shirtless. She hadn’t seen him shirtless before.

  For some reason, the first thing that went through Kamala’s mind was, Oh my.

  Jack was tall and long-limbed—a fact she’d of course known since meeting him—but he almost always wore two layers of clothing, even when he’d slept over. His shoulders weren’t all that broad, but they were noticeably strong, and his biceps were defined in a way that suggested he’d always been fit and the muscles never went away. His chest was on the leaner side, but his abs were visible and cut in pleasant slopes, tapering down to his narrow waist. It wasn’t a bad view…

  He swiveled towards her in the chair after he heard the door open. The view was even nicer from the front. “Hey. I called Faye to let her know we landed.”

  Kamala blinked a few times and shook the distraction out of her head. “Did you tell her about the bounty on your head?”

  “I conveniently forgot about that during our conversation,” he said, standing. “She’d probably cheer if she heard someone wants me out of the pictu
re for good.”

  “Nonsense,” Kamala said, squatting to reach into her suitcase. “Then she’d have no one to torture.”

  “Point taken. Use up all the hot water?”

  “Yes.”

  He heaved an exaggerated sigh as he gathered up his clothes. “Gee, thanks.”

  “You could use a good cold shower, judging by the way you keep gazing at Fujioka.”