“Splendid place,” Sivaha said as we walked into the grand foyer.
“Thank you,” Yuri said. “It has been in our family for five generations. Every piece of stone, every cut of wood, and every sculpture was brought here from Japan.”
“Ahhh, so it was decorated by a woman,” Sivaha said with a coy smile. “No man would even bother.”
“Ha!” Yuri laughed as he gestured for us to walk through the right door of the foyer. “Bakeneko, your wife is very astute. Yes, My great, great grandmother was the first decorator. The other women of the family have added on through the years. If you were my wife, what would you change?” Yuri’s eyes turned to me when he asked the question, and I felt the beast in my soul let out a low growl.
“I’d probably paint all the walls red,” Sivaha said with a shrug and half smile.
“Red?” Yuri asked with confusion.
“It is my favorite color after black. Although, I am partial to gold now since that is the color of Bakeneko’s eyes.”
“Sokka-- ahh I see,” he cleared his throat, and I could see a bit of annoyance on his otherwise happy face.
Yeah, I was going to need to kill the man. Hell, all these fuckers were going to need to die. I’d been fine enough to come here and just get my mom; I hadn’t even really cared about any sort of vengeance against the yakuza, but now I could feel the angry beast twist and growl in my stomach. I was sure they were going to ask me to do something dangerous so that they could just pass the blame on if I was caught.
“Here we are,” Yuri said after the three of us and the group of guards had walked down a wide wooden and stone hallway. “My father is in the courtyard garden ready to receive us.”
Another pair of guards opened the door in front of us, and I noticed that the grips they had on their submachine guns were tense. They didn’t really eye me warily, and I started to wonder if there was something else going on. When I was imprisoned, the yakuza had been top of the food chain in City Four and had a strong handhold in the other six cities on Ganymede. Maybe things had slipped a bit since I’d left.
The courtyard beyond the door was part zen rock garden and part bonsai exhibition museum. The path into the center of the space ran alongside a small brook, and the stepping stones were carved with designs of dragons, flowers, and trees. In the center of the garden, perched on a stone stool that might have been a throne if it actually had a back, was Yuri-sama, or as he preferred to be called, Bosu-sama.
The man looked a bit like his son, but where Yuri-san had heavy eyelids and an expression that made it seem like he was coming down from a drug-high, Bosu-sama’s eyes were as sharp as a hawk, and his entire body radiated a fierce intensity. It looked as if the man was ready to fight at any instant, except for when he smiled. Then it seemed as if his aura shifted to that of peace, and his laughter infected everyone around him.
He was an extremely charming, yet dangerous man.
“Bakeneko!” Bosu-sama laughed as he stood from his stool and beckoned for me to approach.
“See? Father is happy to see you,” Yuri whispered as he gestured for Sivaha and I to walk down the path ahead of him. We both did so and then bowed together when we reached a respectful three meters from the yakuza boss.
“You look just the same, Bakeneko,” the older man said in Japanese as he walked toward us. He wore a simple black kimono, and the sliver of his exposed chest revealed dark ink tattoos.
“As do you, Bosu-sama,” I said in English as I bowed again. “The years have been kind to you.”
“They have been,” he replied in Japanese before he turned to Sivaha. “Who is this?”
“This is my wife, Sivaha,” I said in English.
“Ahh,” he said as he bowed to her. “It is a pleasure, Sivaha-san,” he said in perfect but slow English.
“I am Queen of the Nordar people,” Sivaha said with a wide smile. “You should call me Sivaha-sama.”
“Huh?” He turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
“She is joking,” I said as I forced myself to smile at her. I didn’t want to make this meeting unnecessarily complicated and explaining to these gangsters that I was now king of an entire race of superhuman warriors probably wouldn’t end well for me.
“Ahh!” he laughed. “Just like you were always joking. Good. I like her. She is pretty and her eyes burn with passion.”
“Thank you,” I said as I tried to hold back a sigh. I’d never joked with Bosu-sama or any of the yakuza muscle. I’d just showed up to work, done my job, and then gone home with as little contact as possible.
“Yes, Very pretty,” Bosu-sama said as his eyes moved from Sivaha’s face, to her perfectly formed breasts, to her narrow waist, and down the length of her long legs. The yakuza boss had plenty of mistresses and could probably have whichever woman he wanted in all of Ganymede, but Sivaha possessed the kind of beauty that would start wars.
“Why have you brought us here, Bosu-sama?” I asked. “Where is my mother?” As I spoke the guards who accompanied us in the car sat on stools surrounding us, and I noticed that the nearest rooftops had men with rifles perched on their eves. They didn’t have their weapons pointed toward us, but I knew Bosu was not a fool. There were probably four other snipers that I couldn’t see.
“Yes,” he said as he walked back to his stone stool. “We heard you were bought from the prison. It was unfortunate news, and we--”
My transponder beeped and interrupted his words. I knew it was Zea trying to talk to me, but I reached my fingers up and pushed the button to ignore her request. As soon as I moved my hands away, a guard walked over and pulled the transponder off the collar of my armor.
“Is my mother here?” I asked to take control of the conversation again.
“Bakeneko, I am so happy you have come back to us,” he said in Japanese again as he sat on the stool. “I do not think I valued you enough when you were in my service. It wasn’t until you left us that I realized I needed a man with your talent, skill set, and training in my organization. At first, I thought it was just skill set and training, but I have hired many Marines since you left me, and none of them were as capable as you.”
“I didn’t do much for you,” I said in English, so Sivaha could try to get the gist of our conversation. “I did what the underbosses told me to do. Look, Bosu-sama, I do not want any trouble. I’m only here to get my mother.” I thought about bringing up that he’d cut payments to her and my sister, but arguing with him about money while I didn’t have a gun in my hand wouldn’t be smart.
“And we are sorry you wish to leave our service again,” he sighed. “Joining our family is a commitment for life. You realized that was the case when you swore your oath to us.”
“Yeah,” I said, “and then I took the fall for your son, went to rot in prison, got sold into slavery, escaped, and now I’m back. Bakeneko is dead, Bosu-sama. Let me be on my way.”
“I need your help with a matter,” he said with a half smile that made the monster in my soul scream for release. “It is of vast importance to our family.”
“Looks like you have plenty of capable men here,” I said as I gestured around to the guards. “I don’t see what you need me for.”
Bosu-sama waved his hands and the men all stood from their benches. Then the older man pointed back in the direction that they had come, and they all turned to walk away. All except for Yuri, who continued to sit on his bench while he beamed his fake smile at me.
“It is a difficult thing,” Bosu said. “Our organization has been infiltrated by traitors, and I am unsure who I can trust. The Triads, Italian Mafia, and Bloods have made an alliance and are cutting into our business. They seem to know where we are before we show up, and my revenue stream has been cut in half in the last year.”
“Half?” I asked with a bit of surprise.
“Yes, Bakeneko. Had you been here, I suspect it would not have rotted this far.”
“I’m not sure how I could have helped,” I said. “I’m just a
Marine. I’m not really a crime lord. I was never a pivotal part of your operations.”
“Ahh, but the men respected you, and you had a confidence that I needed. I have reason to believe that there will be a meeting between the Triads, Italians, and Bloods tonight. I had a strike team ready to interrupt their meeting, but half of the team was murdered last night when they were at karaoke.”
“Someone must have known your intentions,” I said with a shrug. “I’m still not sure how I can help you.”
“I need you to go to this meeting and bring me back one of the representatives from either the Triads, Italians, or the Bloods. Then I will interrogate them.”
“Alone?” I asked as I fought off a laugh.
“I am not sure that the surviving members of the strike team can be trusted,” he said. “So, I will need just you to infiltrate. My enemies think that I am beaten and am licking my wounds, they will not suspect one man.”
“Sounds like a suicide mission,” I said. It was obvious now why they had sought me out. I was an unknown and unplanned variable on the chess board. And if I failed, it would be harder to trace my actions back to Bosu-sama. Then his enemies might think that he still did not have an informant.
“It will be an easy task for someone so talented,” he said with a wide smile.
“What do I get out of it?” I asked as my mind puzzled through the situation.
“You get to serve your family again, Bakeneko,” he said. “We have needed you.”
“Sorry Bosu-sama, I have a new family now, and I have a new job. Where is my mother?”
“She is safe,” he said with a wide smile. “Once you complete this task for me, you will be able to see her.”
“Is she on the property?” I asked as Sivaha turned her eyes toward me. I could sense her emotions, and I knew that she just wanted to kill these fuckers and be done with it. However, I doubted she knew about the snipers that probably had her painted with their crosshairs.
“No,” he answered with a smile. “We have her somewhere very safe and comfortable.”
“Once Bakeneko returns with one of the men you want, you will give him his mother?” I could feel Sivaha’s annoyance turn to anger, but her face continued to hold her charming smile.
“Of course,” he said.
“And you will let us leave peacefully?” she asked.
“I would like Bakeneko to stay with us,” he said as his grin faded. “We are his family, and we have desperate need of his services. But, if he wishes to leave after this one last mission, I will not stop him.”
“Then we will bring you one or all of these men,” Sivaha said with a light laugh. “It will not be a problem.”
“Ahh, Bakeneko,” the older man said as he turned to me. “Your woman is confident. I like that about her. I believe she should stay here with me so that she stays out of harm. In the yakuza, we take care of our women. It is the men who should go out and hunt for the meat.”
“She’ll come with me,” I said, and I noticed Yuri tense out of the corner of my eye.
Bosu’s eyes quickly shifted back and forth between Sivaha, Yuri, and me, but before he could open his mouth to speak, the silver-haired Nordar queen spoke.
“My husband and I are newlywed. I do not wish to be parted from him. Also, it is less threatening for a man to be traveling with a woman, than a man alone. If you want Bakeneko to return with what you want successfully, you would be better off letting me go with him.”
Bosu-sama stared at Sivaha for a few moments, and then he nodded his head. “For a woman, you speak much wisdom. Yuri will give you details on the mission. I look forward to you returning with what I have asked for.” The older man bowed his head, and Sivaha and I returned the movement. Then we turned around and followed Yuri back to the rooms of the castle.
The rest of the guards met us inside, and then we moved through the hallways and into a conference room. There was already a map on the screen, and I recognized the City Four downtown district. Our escorts didn’t follow us into the room, and Yuri closed the thick wood doors behind us once we entered.
“What would your father have done if I hadn’t arrived this morning?” I asked after he gestured for us to sit down.
“He would have let this opportunity go,” Yuri answered with a sad shrug. “Things have changed since you were last here, brother. We used to own this city, but now we let the other gangs push us around. They circle our dying body and think we have no more fight in us. I am glad you have returned to help us. We need more honor in our midst.”
“You cut payments to my mother,” I spat. “Sounds like the honor left a long time ago.”
“Ohh,” his heavy-lidded eyes opened wide with surprise. “You know about that.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Whatever. Just lay out the plan, then I’ll get this done for you, get my mother, and then be gone.”
“You really should stay, like Father wants.” Yuri looked at Sivaha and it almost seemed like his mouth was watering. “You should both stay.”
“That is so nice of you, but we are really in a hurry. What can you tell us of this mission?” Sivaha’s words made Yuri’s face slacken, and the man’s eyelids returned to their half opened position.
“This is the Koi Pond,” Yuri said as he gestured to a building on the map. “Bakeneko, you’ll remember it as the Gold Plate.”
“I remember,” I said. The establishment used to be a high-end restaurant that turned into a dance club at night. It was owned by a restaurant conglomerate that only had mild affiliations with the various gangs on Ganymede, so it was often seen as a neutral ground.
“That is where they are meeting. Father doesn’t know which representatives are going to be there from each of our rivals, but we have a good guess.” Yuri pushed a button on his screen and nine pictures showed up. “These are the best guesses for the Triad.” He pointed to the three pictures of men. “Dai Wei is the eldest son. Chao Feng is the manager of their muscle. Jian Wong is their numbers man.”
“Got it,” I said as I committed the men’s faces to memory and then looked at the next set of pictures.
“Andy Aball, Stacia Barnes, and Michael Faraci are all top Italian managers,” he said as he pointed to the pictures.
“Fine,” I said. “The Bloods?”
“Jake Atheel, Tyrone Smith, and Remy Shane.”
“Are they having dinner there?” I asked. “Or is the meeting happening during the club hours?”
“We believe it will be dinner,” he said. “We have rented a room across the street. I’ll have someone find you a suit.” Yuri looked at my armor and then panned his eyes over to Sivaha. “Your wife’s dress will fit in with the clients dining there tonight.”
“Was that the plan the strike team had?” I asked. “They were just going to go into the place in plain clothes and try to snatch them there?”
“They planned to set up a gauntlet when the groups tried to leave the building,” he explained.
“Hmm,” I said as I thought about the logistical nightmare involved with trying to capture one of these people when they tried to leave.
“I like eating at nice restaurants,” Sivaha laughed. “My husband and I will have no trouble bringing one of these people out of the place.”
“Ahh,” he said. “Then--”
There was a knock on the door, and Yuri moved around the table so that he could open it. One of the guards was carrying a garment bag, and I figured that it was my suit.
“Let us go to our apartment,” he said as he gestured for us to follow him. “Then we can discuss the plan further.”
“Alright,” I said as I glanced at Sivaha. Her brown eyes met mine, and I could feel her excitement. I realized that our bond was just as strong as the one I shared with Madalena, and the seductress guessed what I had planned.
There was no way in hell we were going to do this fucking mission.
We followed Yuri and the group of guards through the stone and wood hallways of the castle until we
reached the front door. The limo was waiting for us outside, and the guard carrying the garment bag opened the trunk so that he could put it inside.
“Can I have my guns back?” I asked the man who carried my pistols and shotgun, and he looked to Yuri.
“We’ll return them to you when you leave for the restaurant,” Yuri said. “You most definitely don’t need that big one. It will never make it past the Koi Pond’s security.”
“Fair enough,” I said as I followed one of the other goons into the back of the limo. The order everyone was sitting in was switched up a bit, but Sivaha still sat next to me, and she leaned her head down against my shoulder before she let out a long sigh.
“Ready,” one of the guards said in Japanese to the driver, and the car began to roll down the driveway.
“You have big arms,” Sivaha said as she pulled her head off my shoulder and turned to the man sitting on the other side of her.
“Thank you,” he said with a surprised whisper, and I noticed the other men in the limo lean forward so that they could listen to her talk.
“Yes,” she said as she reached her fingers up to touch his bicep. “So large. I love big, strong muscles.” She pointed at the man on the other side of the limo who carried my shotgun and pistols. “You look like you have the best muscles. What is your name?”
“Uhh, Takhinka,” he replied with surprise. All the other men in the car had turned toward him when Sivaha pointed, and I felt Sivaha push the handle of a pistol into my right palm.
She’d somehow taken it from the guard sitting next to her.
As soon as my fingers closed around the weapon, Sivaha crossed her legs to conceal my arm. Their eyes all drifted down to her bare thigh, and the woman let out a husky laugh.
“How long of a drive is it to the room you rented?” she asked Yuri.
I turned my eyes to look out the window, we were about halfway down the driveway, and I knew that there was only one pair of cameras looking at the path.
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