Moving as quickly as possible without making any noise, he made it around to the far side of the room. There, up ahead. He saw light streaming through a grate. He crawled towards it to find himself at a vent that opened up into the stairway. Perfect. He would slip down this into the stairwell and come around behind them.
Or at least he would have, if there was any way to open the vent from this side. Which there wasn’t; it was bolted in place from the other side. He had to go back and see if that intersecting vent from before led anywhere. He couldn’t even turn around inside the cramped space, so he began pushing himself backwards. He felt the ground with his feet to make sure he didn’t fall into it again. No more surprises.
He found the vent leading down and slowly eased himself off the ledge until he was dangling by his hands again. Not being able to see, he couldn’t tell how far it dropped down. He suspected only to the next floor, but if he was wrong and it ran the length of the building …
Breathing hard now from the exertion and with his hands greasy with sweat, he wedged himself into the shaft and began sliding down in a controlled manner. Down he slid, and down further still. Maybe several feet? He couldn’t say for certain without being able to see anything.
Suddenly one hand plunged through an intersecting vent and he began falling. Frantically he pushed the other hand out into the bisecting shaft. His body formed a T-shape now, as it dangled above the invisible abyss. While he was there, hanging above the void below, he heard an explosion up above and to the left. From where Vasili’s office would be. He had to hurry.
He had to use all his upper-body strength just to wedge himself in place. Then, slowly, carefully, he maneuvered himself until he was in position to switch to one side. He pushed up and … made it. He swung his left hand around to the same side as the right, then pulled himself into the shaft.
Less concerned about noise now, he clambered down the shaft to find an opening. He was in luck, because this one wasn’t covered by a grate. It came out at a downward-curving vent shaft that opened up in the area behind the DJ booth at the front of the main stage on the middle floor. He breathed easier once he was out of that claustrophobic vent. He absolutely hated tight spaces.
He carefully peered around the large curtain hanging between the DJ booth and the back area, then immediately ducked back behind it. Two men emerged from the stairwell right by the velvet curtains leading to the elevator. He could hear them talking to one another outside of it. He chanced another glance and saw what they were talking about.
It was a dead body. One that, from the looks of it, had lost its head somewhere along the way. Who the fuck else was here?
He had to take out two men, and do it without firing a shot. The noise would be sure to bring more. Although maybe that would be a good thing, he thought. It would draw more away from the office upstairs and the big man. He wavered for a few moments, but ultimately decided against it. He could do more damage if they weren’t on their guard, if they didn’t expect him.
Which meant no guns.
He could manage it. After all, he’d done worse with less.
He watched them enter the maze of black curtains by the entrance, then broke cover and ran after them. He drew his knife as he approached, then disappeared into the swinging black curtains after them.
“Get the fuck out now!” Vasili roared.
“I told you, I’m not leaving you!” Kameko shot back.
“The club is burning. There’s no time for heroics. You can get out through the vent, I can’t.”
“I’m not—”
“Fine, you won’t leave. So go out and kill them before they blow us up.”
“That’s … that’s a good thought, actually.”
“Best we have.”
She ran to him and hugged him. Her grip was viselike, almost hard enough to squeeze the breath out of him. He kissed her.
“Use the shotgun,” she whispered.
He nodded. “Go! I see you on the other side!”
Kameko nodded. “I … I … you …” She looked uncertain as she struggled to verbalize something.
“Go now! We talk when they are dead.”
Kameko swallowed her words. She ran to the vent and began crawling through it. With the noise and commotion outside, she was less careful about making noise than Jun had been. She slid down at the same point that he had, and soon came out from the same outlet on the middle floor. Instead of heading back the way Jun had gone, she went to the left.
With her gun out in front of her, she began climbing the spiral staircase that would bring her out right by the entrance to Vasili’s office. It was a risky move, but she chanced it. For Vasili.
She figured she could surprise them from the stairwell and take out a few, then drew more downstairs to pick them off. Not a great plan. But good enough for such short notice. She heard voices from further up but couldn’t tell if they were in the staircase or the floor above.
As she listened, someone grabbed her from behind. He was strong, wrapping his arms around hers and breaking her grip on the gun. Then he wrapped her in a headlock. She struggled, thrashing and kicking against him, but it was no use. He had her too tightly.
“Fuck!” she roared as she struggled.
“Yeah, it doesn’t look good for you,” her attacker said from behind.
He began marching her up the stairs, with her flailing and kicking the entire time.
Chapter Sixteen
Kaza shuffled his way backwards through the alley with Kato held in front of him as a human shield. Mei followed, keeping as close as she could while taking cover behind whatever she could find. Shooting a cop would be tantamount to suicide for him, but he looked desperate enough to consider chancing it. She stayed in the doorway until he glanced away, then broke for a dumpster against one wall.
Her mind raced as she weighed her options. Time was running out to have the sniper take the shot.
Up ahead, she saw Kato whimpering and pleading with his eyes for her to do it. Getting this dumbass out of the mess he’d put himself in was a priority. But Kaza wasn’t giving them many openings, and the further back he moved, the worse the sharpshooter’s chances of taking him out without killing his hostage became. Mei thought it would be easier to try to take him on the ground from behind with the police on the next block. But then, there were other considerations to factor in.
This man and his men had caused untold suffering and pain to countless people. She wanted to see justice served. Not only for him and his people, but the higher-ups that had put them up to it. Killing him now might make it difficult or impossible to see that happen.
But taking Kaza out would make things easier down the line for her. He might be able to produce evidence that he and his men had been somewhere else the night Matsuo was killed. That could make a conviction more difficult, or even raise some uncomfortable questions for Mei herself.
And hell, if the sniper missed, getting rid of Kato might not be the worst thing in the world. It would certainly save her problems with him in the future as well …
No. She couldn't start thinking like this. She shook her head as if clearing the thought away. Stick to Kaza. She had the opportunity now to end this by ending him. Nobody would question her call to have the sniper take the shot. The only one she’d have to answer to would be herself …
“It’s now or never,” said the sniper.
Mei swallowed hard.
“Stand down.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Kato’s eyes grew wide with terror when he saw the sniper on the roof lower his weapon.
“Backup three, I want you in position. Suspect will be coming your way soon, with a hostage. I repeat: he’s got a hostage.”
“Roger that,” came the response.
Kaza and Kato were at the end of the alley now, where it opened to a through-street. Kaza looked down to the end and must have seen the riot police waiting for him there. He swore loudly and moved forward into the alley.
; “What will you give me if I let him go?” Kaza shouted.
“I can take you in unharmed.”
“What? No car? No helicopter? Plane waiting with a pilot?”
“No deals!” Mei shouted.
“You hear that?” Kaza said to his hostage. “Doesn’t sound like you’re worth a whole lot to your colleagues alive.”
Kato closed his eyes and seemed to sob silently.
“Lucky for you, there’s someone here I’d rather see dead. You know, I lost a lot of good men because of you, you fucking bitch.”
“Lot of other people lost their lives too,” Mei shouted back.
“Yeah, I’m not interested in them. It’s you I want dead now.”
With that, he took the gun away from Kato’s temple and aimed it at her. Sensing his chance, Kato elbowed him hard in the gut, sending the shot wide. Kato dove to the ground, and Mei fired low from her cover, hitting Kaza in his upper thigh.
Kaza went down, and Kato scrambled for his handgun. He pinned the downed man’s arm to the ground, then pried the gun away. He turned him over and began punching him in the face and screaming at him.
“Kato!” Mei cried.
She ran over and caught his fist. Kaza’s head was lolling. The man was completely unconscious.
“I want him alive!”
“And me dead? Is that it?” Kato shouted. “Why didn’t you take the shot?”
Oh, lots of reasons, really.
“I didn’t want to risk hitting you. Plus we need him alive. To give up his bosses. This shitstain didn’t think this plan up himself.”
She felt the tension in his arm relax as the strength went out of him. Mei put an arm around his other shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Then she rolled Kaza over and handcuffed him. He came to coughing blood, which he spat into the pavement a few inches from his face.
Almost as an afterthought, Mei radioed in their status. “Suspect apprehended. The area has been secured. Send in a medical team.”
“Roger.”
“You alright?” she said to Kato.
He nodded, still breathing heavily, but calmer now.
Mei pushed him in the chest, hard. “Then do you mind telling me what the fuck you were doing back there!? I told you to wait!”
“I … we …”
“Ina’s dead, you dumb motherfucker. Thanks to you, and your stupid heroics.”
“We thought … it seemed …”
“Just shut the fuck up. I’m tired of hearing you.”
Mei turned around to see Kentaro and Watanabe emerging from the rear exit.
“You alright?” Kentaro shouted as he approached.
Mei nodded. “We got him. Anyone else inside?”
“Nobody still alive,” Watanabe said.
“What? Another body?”
“Bodies,” Watanabe said. “Plural. Looks like what’s left of his crew.”
“We were attacked out of nowhere!” Kaza said. “All of a sudden there were ninjas everywhere!” He started laughing, which soon turned to coughing up more blood.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Kentaro asked. “You just murdered your crew, on top of a bunch of other people, and you’re cracking jokes?”
Kaza raised his head up from the pavement. Mei saw his face was streaked with tears.
“Can’t be helped. The boss commands, the peon obeys. Even if it’s insane. Even if it means killing your brothers. Duty is duty.”
“Good thing we’ve got you to give us everything we need.”
“Not for long, I reckon.”
The medical team rounded the corner, two young medics carrying their case between them.
“He’s been shot,” Mei said. “Tend to him.”
Mei and Kentaro slowly climbed the stairs. She saw Ina lying in the hallway, most of his head still plastered to the wall behind him. She shook her head. Stupid.
She walked into the room. It looked like it had been the crew’s headquarters until not too long ago. Now it was their grave.
She saw three bodies scattered around. Two had been shot in the back of the head, with one face down on the table in the center of the room and one on the floor. The third had a gun in his hand, but apparently wasn’t quick enough on the draw. He had a bullet in his head, two in his chest, and a surprised look on his face.
“No honor among thieves,” Kentaro said, shaking his head.
“So he killed his own men. Why? So they wouldn’t talk to us? Give up whoever was giving the orders?”
“Looks that way. The Kaisha is tight-knit. But this is extreme even for them.”
“Unless there’s something more here that we’re missing.”
“Could be.”
“Maybe Kaza will tell us.” It sounded like wishful thinking to Mei as soon as she said it.
“The guy who just killed his own crew to protect this secret? I doubt it.” Kentaro shook his head. “I really doubt it.”
“Well, maybe …”
Mei trailed off. She was interrupted by the sound of a ringing phone. It was coming from the guy leaning over the table. Kentaro looked at her, then back at him. Kentaro was already wearing gloves, so he reached into the man’s pocket and removed the phone. He answered it, holding it out between them so she could hear.
“Where the fuck are you guys? You’re supposed to be at Club Hyperion now.”
Kentaro grunted something that sounded like it might have been “Coming.”
“Well, you better fucking hurry! We’ve almost got him. And when they tell the tale later, you don’t want to say you were late to the execution of Vasili Loginovski!”
Mei looked at Kentaro, eyes wide with fear.
Neither of them said a word as they began sprinting for the exit.
Mei tore out of the front door and almost bowled over Kato, who was standing by the entrance.
“The fuck?” he shouted.
“Kato! You and Watanabe are in charge of securing the scene!” Mei shouted. “I want everything that even resembles evidence bagged and tagged for analysis! Got it?”
“Where are you going?”
“We just found out these guys are going after someone else!”
She turned to find a car and ran directly into Nomura. She glanced up to see Endo walking over as well.
“What’s all this?” Nomura asked.
“One of the men inside received a phone call saying they’re moving against someone else right now. We’ve got to stop them!”
“Who?”
“Vasili Loginovski.”
“So? Let the trash take itself out. We need our lead detective here. This is a big day for you Kimura.”
“I know, sir. But I can’t just let them murder someone. Even if he is a criminal. We’re better than that.”
Kentaro had run ahead, and now he swung a police vehicle up behind the three of them. He leaned over and opened the passenger-side door.
“Who’s going to handle the scene? And the media?”
Mei ducked in the car. “Kato’s got the scene. And—”
“I’ll handle the rest,” Endo said with a nod in their direction. “You two go and do your jobs.”
The car peeled away.
Nomura and Endo stood there looking at one another. Nomura shook his head.
“I still think she’s compromised, no matter what you say. I can’t prove it. But every alarm bell in my head is screaming that she’s dirty.”
Endo patted him on the shoulder. “We don’t get to pick and choose who we protect. Don’t ever forget that.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jun crept after the two men. Bullet-shaped holes had been torn out of the swaying curtains. Blood and gore lined the hallways, soaking through his socks as he crept after the others. He tried not to focus on that now—even though he absolutely hated getting dirty.
He heard the men talking up ahead in muffled tones. He was in the next line over from the one facing the elevator.
“Fuck, man, whoever it was got Mura and Tam.”
“Shit. I don’t want to tell him this.”
“Hell, I don’t even want to be here. But if we don’t tell Chobei …”
“What if we just … you know?”
There was a pause as the other man considered this. “It’s not that I’m not tempted. But think what he’ll do to us when he finds out.”
“Alright, let’s head back.”
There was a loud sigh.
The curtain began rising as the men ducked under it. Jun got into position, and when the first man’s head appeared, he stabbed down at the neck. The man collapsed, gurgling blood from the hole in the back of his neck.
“Kido?” the other one said, still behind the curtain.
Jun lunged for him, but the heavy curtain got in the way. His momentum carried him forward, and the two went down, pulling the curtain in between them. The man thrashed around beneath it, but Jun located his head and placed his hand over the man’s neck. The curtain pulled taut, and he could see the contours of the man’s face. This made it easy to find where to drive the knife in to hit the eye socket. The blade slid home, and the man stopped struggling with a spastic jerk.
Jumping to his feet, Jun took a quick look around to see what he could see. In addition to the men he had just killed, there was another man who had been shot in front of the elevator. With the headless man back by the main floor, that made four. Five, if he counted the manager who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jun quickly wiped off his knife and ran for the stairs.
He took them two at a time, but stopped short when he saw one of Chobei’s men sprawled out in the middle of them. The man had his gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. He didn’t move when he saw Jun.
The element of surprise was gone, so Jun had to throw himself at the man and hope his bullet caught him somewhere that wasn’t fatal. He tensed himself to spring, but then stopped himself. He paused when the man aimed his one hand at Jun. The one with the whiskey bottle.
“Sorry. It’s yours. Y’all’s. Whatever. I just needed a drink before that idiot got me killed.”
Tokyo Noir: The Complete First Season Page 76