“The price you pay when the booze the night before tasted so good,” Asaka chided.
“Remind me why I don’t kill you?” Kishi mumbled as she shot him a hard glare.
“Because of my winning smile and spectacular people skills. Or maybe it's because I bring you aspirin and coffee when you drink too much.” Asaka grinned.
Kishi snorted with a shake of her head. “Not good enough. You’re dead.”
Asaka grabbed his chest with an exaggerated flourish. “This is how you repay your most loyal minion. You wound me.”
Kishi giggled at his antics, then turned serious, the moment of friendly levity gone. “What news?”
“Juba called this morning, interrupting my fun, by the way, to tell me he located the man you sent him to find.”
“Good, at least he is…” Her eyes narrowed. “What did he interrupt?” she asked, her tone sharp.
Asaka grinned at her. “I needed help getting you to the car and back here. Katani and her cousin gave me a hand. I had to thank them properly, you know.”
“Both of them?”
Asaka’s grin got bigger as he nodded.
“You’re such a dog, Asaka.”
“Woof, woof. Now that you’re awake, are you ready to hear what Juba reported?”
Kishi sipped the strong black coffee, a beverage she only liked after a night of hard-drinking, and nodded for him to continue.
“Juba said when he spoke to the man—Li he is called—he told him he hasn’t located the man he seeks. He has also agreed to a meeting.” Asaka pursed his lips before continuing. “According to Juba, this Li made it more of a demand than a request.”
“Did Juba say anything else?”
“Only that Li is willing to meet with you. Juba didn’t say any more than that, though. Only that Li was rude and told him he only dealt with your grandfather. Juba had to tell Li who you were before he would agree to meet with a woman.”
“He assumes much,” Kishi growled. “My grandfather might have been cowed by him, but he’s in my land now. He’s in no position to make demands. He might need a lesson before this is over.”
“True, that would be in order but, we have similar goals—for now. You want these people to suffer for the damage they did to the family, and this Li doesn’t seem to want to make friends with them. This could work out to where you don’t have to be seen as disobeying the Oyabun’s orders.”
“Still, who is he to dictate anything? He should be thankful the family sought him out.”
Asaka smiled coldly. “Someone we can easily deal with after his usefulness has run out.”
Kishi thought for a few moments as she continued to sip the bitter black coffee, nodding to herself as she considered the benefits and drawbacks of working with Li.
“When does he want to meet?”
“Today. Juba is waiting in the office to take the time and place back to him. I suggest the meeting not be held where any who would take word to your grandfather might see it.”
“Agreed. Do you have a place in mind?”
“Juba should rent a room at the big hotel down from Muto’s old place. We can slip in the back and take the service elevator to the floor. I have a contact who works there.”
“What about the tail crew?”
“All ours, no worries about that, plus they will wait outside if you tell them to.”
Kishi looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw it was just past ten. “Have him rent the room and contact you with the information before he finds this Li. We will set the meeting for half past three.”
“Anything else?”
“Load the silver in your weapon, and get one for me as well. No use being unprepared in case this is a trap of some kind.”
“I have that covered. I always keep a spare you are familiar with in case you want to deal with a problem yourself.”
“Now I remember why I don’t kill you for being such an annoying ass in the mornings. Go tend to your…guests and leave me in peace for a couple of hours.”
“Your wish is my command, princess,” he snarked as he got up to leave.
Kishi waited until he was almost to the door, then grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it. It hit Asaka in the back of his head and she called, “And don’t you ever forget it, minion.”
Asaka snagged the pillow from the floor and tossed it back to her. “As you wish.” He snickered as he slipped out the door before she could throw something else.
“You understand what you’re to do?” Asaka asked the man, who was casting nervous glances toward him. “Repeat the instructions back to me.”
Juba gulped and took a deep breath. Asaka terrified him more than any other Yakuza soldier. Juba had cleaned up behind him on two occasions and had never seen any other person display so much viciousness. Asaka didn’t just kill the people who angered Kishi, he punished them before they died.
“Rent a room in my name at the hotel near Riko’s, then call you and give you the room information. Find Li and tell him where to meet you at three-thirty,” Juba repeated as he ticked each item off on a finger.
“Meet me at the service entrance at three-fifteen with the key. Do not be late and do not fail to notify Li,” Asaka growled, making the already frightened man shake.
“I won’t fail you, Shuko-san. Please tell Sakutaro-san that my family and I thank her for all she has done.”
“Yes, yes.” Asaka motioned him to the door. “You have things to see to. Get moving!”
Juba bowed low and turned to leave. Asaka waited until he was almost out and called, “You still live in the house with the blue door, don’t you?”
Juba froze in mid-step as a cold chill formed in his stomach. “I, uh, I…hai,” he stammered.
Asaka smiled coldly, his words having had the desired effect. “It’s a nice home. Now go take care of the arrangements.”
Juba walked out the door, his breathing hard and sweat running down his face.
Chapter Twenty
Serenity Temple, Dabie Mountains, China
“What do you mean, they’re all dead, and the slaves are missing?” Peng Kun snarled as he came to his feet, standing over the prostrate and shaking acolyte.
“The relief group arrived to start their rotation and found all four of the members they were to relieve dead in the house. They also report that the slaves are all gone.”
Kun drew his foot back and slammed it into the hapless man’s side. “Who did this? Was it more of those traitors from Shek’s compound? The farm is close to them.”
“No, Master. Fang Qui located some former slaves hiding nearby, and he reports that they claim that a pair of men came from the sky and freed them.” The man tensed as he spoke, waiting for another blow to fall.
“Was that all they said? Give me the description, damn you,” Kun screamed, spittle flying from his lips and his face purple with rage.
“I, uh, gerk—” His voice choked off as Kun grabbed him around the throat and lifted him from the floor.
“Give. Me. The. Description,” he ground out, his voice laced with venom and his eyes filled with madness.
“Qui said that two of the slaves claimed the men’s eyes glowed red, and one claims they were Japanese.”
Kun’s grip tightened, causing the man’s eyes to bulge out as his hands grasped weakly at the Master’s iron-hard grip.
“Those damned vampires. I want them dead. Now!” Kun ranted as he threw the unconscious body toward the door. The acolyte’s head hit the frame with a hollow thunk as his body slid into the corridor.
Kun didn’t waste a glance at the limp figure as he stormed through the opening to his private chamber. Grabbing the sat phone from a table, he viciously stabbed the button that connected to Cui’s unit.
“Cui here,” came over the line a few seconds later.
“What is the status of the ships?”
“We’re still docked in Quingdao, waiting. We are ready to depart now, but the packages haven’t arrived from Sha
nxi yet.”
Cui could hear Kun in the background. “Weakness all around me. Why am I cursed with warriors so weak they can’t carry out a simple task?”
“Sir?” Cui asked, confused about whether Kun was talking to him or about him. Kun had become irrational over the last few weeks, calling and berating him for not being in Japan one minute, the next telling him he had to wait for some special weapon before he left. Li had called him a week ago. When they compared their recent experiences with Kun, they were the same.
“Cui, if the packages have not arrived by morning, send the ship with the warriors. At least they will be in place when that incompetent Li locates those damned parasites. Follow when the weapons are on board.”
“Yes, Master. I will notify Yi and Pan to be ready to depart at daybreak.”
“See that you do not fail me again, Cui Yong. I will not tolerate failure from any of you any longer. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master,” Cui replied to the already dead connection. He looked at the unit and thought for a beat before dialing Li.
“This is Li.”
“Warriors are leaving at daybreak. Expect them there in a week,” Cui advised.
“You finally got those mystery weapons Kun has been going on about?”
“No, but the vampires have set him off again, not that it takes much lately. He ordered me to send the warriors and follow as soon as the weapons arrive. Any luck on your end?”
“Not yet, I have a meeting with the Yakuza this afternoon. They will either help me locate these people, or I will start killing them until I find one who understands their place in the world.”
“Sooner is better. Kun has been on a rampage from what I hear. The vampires hit a farm and killed the team assigned to watch over it. Kun put the acolyte in the infirmary when he gave him the news.”
“I’m worried, Cui. That stuff with Shek and Kun acting like a man possessed will not end well. The other leaders in the Clan deferred to him without challenge when he assumed control after Stephanie Lee and her father were killed. If he keeps on, we could have an internal war.”
“What choice do we have, Li? He is the recognized leader, and we can’t challenge him under Clan law. Not that either of us would stand a chance. He might be old, but he is still a formidable fighter.”
“Shek was the only one who would have stood a chance. He was also the one who dared to question when Kun announced that it was time to put the Clan on the rise. I remember Kun’s reaction to that. You were still in training, but Kun didn’t take it well.”
“I didn’t know that. Do you think that had something to do with Kun ordering him killed?”
“If it didn’t, I’m sure the other leaders have thought it. Be sure you strictly follow Kun’s orders. If the others go against him and win, we don’t want to suffer in the crossfire.”
“Agreed. I’ll contact you when the weapons arrive and we start your way. Hopefully, you will have located them by then, and we can end this. With Kun being so unpredictable, it wouldn’t be a stretch for him to remove one of us if this fails.”
“That’s why we can’t fail, Cui. Hope is good, but I will have the information I seek soon, one way or the other. This city is too loud. I miss the quiet of the mountains.”
“Talk to you soon, Li,” Cui stated as he cut the connection. He and Li had discussed Kun’s actions and his obsession with finding the Forsaken several times. He was certain Li hoped for a change in leadership, just as he did. The Clan did not need an insane man to lead it to its ordained position in the world.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hotel Siena, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
Juba stood in the alley, his face flushed and sweat soaking through the white suit coat he wore. He had reserved a room that morning and gone in search of Li Song. It had taken him several hours to locate the man, giving him less than half an hour to cover the four kilometers to meet Kishi and Asaka. He had made it with only minutes to spare.
The black Toyota Century pulled into the alley, and Asaka stepped out from behind the wheel. “Everything is in order?”
“Hai. Li said he would be here.”
“You look a mess,” Asaka observed as he motioned to the black SUV that pulled up close behind the Century. A rear door opened, and a man in a black suit exited.
“Stay with the car,” Asaka ordered as he tossed the keys to him.
“Where are we meeting?” he asked Juba over his shoulder as he walked around to the passenger side.
“I have a room on the eighth floor. It is a simple room since all the suites are occupied.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his stomach roiling. He expected Asaka to take exception to the poor quality of the room, along with his unkempt state.
Asaka cast an icy glare toward him, making him take an involuntary step back as he held the door for Kishi to exit.
Kishi placed a hand on Asaka’s arm and shook her head minutely. “It will have to do. I didn’t expect much.”
Juba paled at her words. Though her voice carried no inflection, the words spoke volumes. He had been present when Kishi used that same tone while ordering the death of someone who had displeased her.
“My apologies, Sakutaro-sama, I know you deserve better than my feeble…”
Kishi cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand. “Take us to the room, Juba. I don’t wish to stand in this heat while you sweat and try to explain your failure.”
Juba’s eyes went round with fear. “I’m, uh…hai, Sakutaro-sama. Follow me, please,” he stammered as he led them through a door marked Employees Only.
He wended through the hotel kitchen, and all the workers acted like the three were invisible as they went about their meal preparations. When he reached an elevator in the kitchen's rear, he pulled a card from his pocket and shakily swiped it through a reader on the wall. The door opened, and he motioned Kishi and Asaka inside.
They rode up in silence, Juba swore that the two could hear his heart beating, it pounded so loudly in his head. He jumped when the door opened, so lost in his fear of what Kishi would do that he didn’t realize the lift had stopped.
Gathering his frayed wits, he stepped out and went to the first door on the right. He fumbled the key card from his pocket, dropping it as his shaking hands lost their grip.
“Come on, Juba, get it together. I don’t want to stand here all day,” Asaka growled, causing Juba to miss the lock completely the first time he tried to unlock the door.
Kishi stifled a smile as she saw the effect Asaka had on the frightened man. It was good that he knew fear. As long as he had a healthy fear of them, he would work harder to see that he did not fail.
Asaka shouldered Juba aside and pushed into the room with his pistol in his hand. He returned to the door seconds later. Satisfied that it was safe, he motioned Kishi inside.
The room was small and plain, as Juba had said. It had a double bed against one wall and a small desk with a chair beside it. Kishi took the chair and swiveled it until she faced the room, while Asaka sat on the edge of the bed. Juba stood nervously under both of their gazes, his feet shuffling on the worn carpet. He looked like he wanted to run away.
“Settle down, Juba,” Kishi scolded. “You look like a child who needs to use the restroom, shuffling about so.”
Juba nodded, his eyes refusing to come up to meet her face.
“Stand by the door and let our guest in when he arrives,” Kishi snapped. “You’re making me dizzy, swaying about so much.”
Juba moved the few steps to the door and leaned against the wall for support. He was afraid that his shaking legs would betray him and dump him on the floor.
They waited in silence for fifteen minutes. At five minutes past the appointed time, Asaka stood and looked at Juba. “Where is he? Did you tell him the correct hotel?”
Juba paled visibly, and as he was trying to form an answer, a sharp knock on the door caused him to jump and let out an involuntary shriek.
“Well, open the damned door,
Juba,” Asaka growled.
Juba twisted the knob and pulled, to find Li standing before it with a knowing smirk on his lips. “Uh, ah, come in, please,” Juba stuttered.
Li swept past him without a word and moved to stand in front of Kishi. Asaka stepped in front of him, blocking him from coming too close.
“Step aside, boy.” Li locked his eyes on Asaka’s. “My business is with her, not her flunky.”
Asaka stiffened and started to reply when Kishi’s voice cut through the game of who had the bigger one. “Let him by, Asaka. As you told Juba, we don’t have all day, and I need to get back home.”
Asaka glared at Li as he reluctantly stepped to the side.
“Greetings, Li Song. Thank you for seeing me.”
“I was going to see your grandfather soon anyway. Maybe this will save me a trip out to the countryside.” Li shrugged. “What do you want?”
Kishi took a deep breath, fighting to overcome her initial response of ordering Asaka to shoot the rude gaijin. She let her breath out slowly as she counted to ten.
“We have a mutual problem,” she stated, eyeing Li and taking in the arrogant quirk of his lips and deceptively casual stance. “The people you seek are responsible for some difficulties we have had with the authorities. I propose we combine our resources and seek them together.”
“Why are you contacting me about this and not your grandfather?” Li asked, his tone sharp and demanding.
Asaka tensed as if to step in front of him again, but Kishi responded, ignoring the tone. “My grandfather is an old man. His body is not as strong as it once was, and I take as much off him as I can.”
Li nodded, accepting the explanation. “What do you offer?”
“I can put many eyes on the streets. My people can go where you can’t. Without attracting the unwanted attention of the police,” she added with a smile that failed to reach her eyes, letting Li know she knew about the problems he faced.
“What’s in it for you?” Li asked after a few beats.
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