Yagi met him at the door with a cup of strong black tea in his hand. “How was your journey?”
“Uneventful and fast.” Horst grinned.
Yagi chuckled. “Always in those marvelous flying machines.”
“You know you can ride when you want to. Asai would love for you to visit, and we can have you back in minutes if needed.”
“I know.” Yagi shook his head. “If I leave for two hours to get in some fishing, you would think it was the WWDE over again. ‘Yagi, where's this? Yagi, we’re running low on that. Yagi, Yagi, Yagi.’ I swear I’m going to change my name and not tell a soul what the new one is.”
Horst laughed as Yagi feigned disgust at his predicament. “You and I both know you thrive on the chaos. Where would you be without everyone needing you so much?”
“Fishing.” He grinned.
Horst sipped the tea, welcoming the warmth and the spicy mix of herbs Yagi added. He made a satisfied noise when he brought the cup down. “Wonderful as always. If you ever tire of being mayor, you could always open a teahouse.”
“When I’m no longer mayor, I’ll be damned if I have to get up with the sun and go to another job. Fishing, that’s the life for me.”
“Speaking of jobs, I need to get on with mine. Today we do the last inspections at the restaurant. It went up so quickly that Asai and Koda haven’t had time to complain.”
Yagi pursed his lips at the mention of the restaurant. “That foreman was asking questions again last night. He hinted that he knew more about Akio and Yuko than he should. There is something not right about him.”
Horst frowned. “I spoke to Akio about him last night. I will talk to him today, and if there is something there, Akio will come and discuss it with him.”
“Good. He makes me uncomfortable. I will be glad when he leaves the island.”
“I’ll take care of it during the walkthrough. If he doesn’t answer correctly about the job, I will know.”
Horst finished the tea and passed the empty cup to the mayor. “Domo, Yagi-san. I’ll talk to you at lunch?” he asked with one eyebrow raised.
“You know Ono would kill me if you missed one of her lunches.”
A voice came from inside the house. “I wouldn’t kill you, you old goat. I’d only make you wish you were dead.” Ono laughed. “Good morning, Horst.”
“Good morning, Ono-san.” He smiled, although the woman inside didn’t see it.
“Lunch is at noon. I’m making that fish stew you liked so well last time.”
“See you then,” Horst called to her as he nodded to Yagi and headed down the sandy street that ran through town.
Sunset House, Kume Island, Okinawa, Japan
He was the first to arrive at the freshly painted building. The paint was still sticky in places, telling him the work had gone on late into the night. He walked around the outside, checking the fit of the gutters, soffits, and fasciae as he went. The clipboard he carried contained the punch list—items that needed to be completed, and some that needed to be redone before he would accept the building from the contractor.
Satisfied that the outer work was complete, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. The interior was open space and light-colored wood. A bar ran down the length of the back wall, with an opening on one end that led to the industrial kitchen setup he’d found in Tokyo. A noodle house had run into financial troubles, and he’d bought all the equipment for a tenth of what new would cost.
He was completing the inspection an hour later when a bleary-eyed Kimura Hikonaga walked in. “Sorry I’m late. We worked until three this morning, getting the paint finished.”
Horst grunted noncommittally. He could smell the stale cigarettes and sake on Hikonaga’s clothes.
“All is in order, Hikonaga-san,” he announced as he placed his clipboard on the corner of the bar. “Do you have the transfer papers?”
“Hai, I have them here.” He pulled a rolled-up sheaf of papers from his back pocket.
Horst looked at the unprofessional state of the smudged and creased documents, and his lips compressed into a straight line.
“How did you handle the electrical connections for the ovens?” Horst asked nonchalantly. The specifications he’d sent with ovens he’d bought required heavier gauge wire than the plans originally called for.
“We plugged them in and tested them as you requested.”
“There were no issues with the wiring?”
“No. Our company does quality work. Why would there be any issues?”
“I wanted to be sure everything went smoothly,” Horst lied. “I want everything to go off without a hitch when this place opens.”
“No worries. Your little lady will have nothing to complain about.”
Horst nodded as he signed the releases in the appropriate spots on both copies, one for the buyer's agent and the other for the project’s superintendent. He handed them back to Kimura.
Kimura scribbled an illegible scratch on the places marked for him to sign, handed the buyer’s copies to Horst, and stuffed his into his back pocket. “It was a pleasure to do business with you. Please contact me if you have any further work. We’ll quote you a reasonable price.”
Horst nodded, then his expression changed to one of hope. “I may have something for you. I need to check on a few things, but if you could meet me back here in an hour, we might work something out.”
“I’ll see you then if there’s nothing else.” Kimura smiled.
Horst grinned. “No, all is in order. See you in an hour.”
Horst activated the communicator Eve had given him. “Akio?”
“Hai?”
“I need you to come to Kume after all. I believe all is not as it appears with Hikonaga.”
“When do you need me there?”
“In an hour, if that’s not too soon.”
“No, I’ve postponed the China trip until after dark. I’ll head that way in a few minutes.”
Horst chuckled into his communicator as he asked, “Kenjii?”
“Hai.”
“I understand. Meet me at Yagi’s home. I’m sure Ono would like to see you, and Yagi is brewing a new blend of tea that is amazing.”
“I look forward to it.”
TQB Base, Tokyo, Japan
“What did inspector Yonai have for you?” Akio asked when Yuko walked into the operations center.
“Kishi Sakutaro’s name keeps coming up in his investigations. He believes she is moving to be the power behind her grandfather’s throne.”
“That’s what the surveillance Abel has gotten from the house shows. Sato meets with people only after Kishi approves it. They tell him all is well, and he accepts their answers without question.”
Yuko nodded. “Yonai asked that you limit the body count as much as possible. He doesn’t want his superiors panicking, thinking there is another Yakuza internal war. The last one resulted in many civilian deaths.”
“If the Yakuza continue to threaten us, it will be a war, one where the casualties shall remain within their organization,” Akio gravely stated.
“I understand your frustration, and so does he. He knows we won’t hesitate to remove any threats to our operations. He simply wants us to hide the bodies.”
“If it comes to that, I have centuries of experience in doing so.”
“That’s all he asks. Do you plan to deal with Kishi?”
“Possibly. I sent a message to Sato last night. If he reins her in, I will let it pass. Abel is searching for the coordinates of the phone Juba said the Clan soldier has. When he locates it, I will deal with him and see what steps to take after that.”
“Why is Abel having difficulties?”
“Because the phone is out of service. When he turns it on again, I will have him,” Abel volunteered. “I’ve also located an image I believe is Li Song, based on the information you provided, Akio.”
An image appeared on the monitor in front of them, showing Juba and a Chinese male. “This is from a
camera at the bank a block from the Palace. This individual and three others.” The image faded, and three more appeared. “These men have been in the area for the past few weeks. The police have questioned two of them,” two pictures highlighted, “and Takumi noted this one walking past the front of the building several times.”
“What caused Takumi to flag him?” Yuko questioned.
“When he discovered that the Yakuza were watching the Palace for an extended period before they kidnapped Koda, he set up a subroutine to alert him when anyone passes the building multiple times.”
“Doesn’t he get a lot of false alarms? Hundreds of people walk through there twice each day going to work and home.”
“He filters out the ones with a set pattern. That includes deliverymen and others who have any business in the area.”
“How does he tell the difference?” Akio wondered.
“He tracks them through the camera networks and verifies them through corporate or government systems.”
Akio shook his head in wonder. “That has to be a lot of raw data.”
“It is,” Abel agreed. “But it only takes a tenth of one percent of his computing power to run down thousands of leads a minute. He likes the challenge.”
“Likes?” Yuko raised her eyebrows.
“That’s how he described it. I tried to tell him it was illogical to like or dislike any task. He told me he knew that, but that was what he was going with.”
Yuko made a mental note to speak with Eve about Takumi’s development. One of Eve’s children was taking his first steps on the path to ascension.
“Abel, please summon a Pod. I told Horst I would meet him on Kume.”
“Acknowledged. Black Eagle ETA thirty seconds.”
Akio’s head jerked up. “Why is there a Black Eagle in orbit above us?”
“In anticipation of you needing it,” Abel replied.
He looked at Yuko, who shrugged. “What criteria was used to make that decision?”
“The verified location of two slave farms in China, combined with the Yakuza activity last night, showed a ninety-six-point-two-three percent likelihood that you would need either a Pod, a Black Eagle, or both within the next twenty-four hours. I summoned the Black Eagle when you called for the Pod this morning. Both have been in orbit since you and Kenjii returned.”
“What’s the loadout in the Black Eagle?”
“Fully loaded, and all puck launchers are operational.”
“Are you expecting me to need to level a city?” Akio wondered.
“I never know with you,” Abel shot back. “Be prepared, I always say.”
“I think that was the Boy Scouts.” Yuko snickered.
“Whatever. Your Pod is waiting. I’ll bring it to the courtyard when you head up.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lotus Towers Apartments, Shinjuku City, Tokyo, Japan
“Li, I found them,” Shao announced as he rushed into the apartment they had been using for the past few days. Jin and Wu had discovered it while comparing their deliveries one night. The previous resident was a hermit who, according to the neighbors, hadn’t left the apartment in the time any of them had lived there. Wu went back the next day, and when the resident opened the door, it was the last mistake he ever made.
“Where?”
“I followed the mobster when they left the arcade. They caught him and left in one of those flying machines. I backtracked to their base by following the vampire stench.”
Li pushed a map of Tokyo across the counter to him. “Show me.”
Shao studied the layout while tracing the route back from the apartment. “Here.” He stabbed his finger on a spot on the map.
“Excellent work, Shao.”
“What do we do next? Should we watch that building to gather more information?”
Li thought for a moment. “No. We might alert them. What did they do with the Yakuza who followed?”
“Killed him.”
“I’ll contact Kun with the news. Get ready to leave. Once Jin and Wu get back, we’re leaving the city until Cui arrives. I’ll contact him for an update once I’ve spoken with Kun.”
Shao nodded and started collecting their gear.
Serenity Temple, Dabie Mountains, China
Kun watched the trainees follow the instructor through the positions as they practiced defensive katas. His face was pale and gaunt, his eyes red with a crazed look from only sleeping a few hours in the past three days.
This is the future of the Clan? These children can’t follow in time with someone leading them. He shook his head in disgust and stood from his cushion to berate them again when the satellite phone in his robe vibrated.
“What do you have, Li? It had better be positive news for a change. I tire of your excuses,” Kun snapped as the call connected.
“Shao found the location of the vampires’ base.”
Kun stalked out of the training room with the phone pressed tight against his ear. “Repeat that,” he ordered when he was in the quiet hallway.
“Shao located the building where the vampires hide.”
Kun smiled, his eyes dancing with barely contained emotion. “Finally, someone does the job I dispatched them for. Where is it?”
“In an office building some ten kilometers from that arcade. I have a map with the location marked.”
“Have you spoken to Cui?”
“No, Master. I notified you first. I plan to contact him after I get further instructions from you.”
Kun nodded as he considered his next move. “Do you have someone watching the building?”
“No, I thought it best not to risk discovery. They killed the Yakuza soldier who was following them.”
“What is your plan?”
“We will leave the city until Cui and his warriors arrive. If they don’t know we’ve found them, we can attack when the odds are in our favor and not theirs.”
“That is an acceptable plan. Contact Cui and advise him of the location in the event you’re discovered.”
“Yes, Master. Any other instructions?”
“No. Succeed in this, and you might receive a reward. If you fail, don’t come back,” Kun growled before he cut the connection.
Li looked at the phone for a moment. After shaking his head, he keyed in the numbers to connect to Cui.
Hybrid Vessel Ming Dan, Quingdao, China
“Fire!” The cry came from the rear of the ship. Pan turned in time to see a bright flash from the direction of the shout before a shock wave knocked him off his feet. Debris rained around where he landed between a cargo container and the ship’s rail.
Pan’s ears rang, and his eyes burned from the acidic smoke that followed the explosion. Cries of pain and shouts were muffled as he struggled to extract himself from the confined space. Once he stood, he squinted as he tried to see through the oily black smoke.
A flash caught his eye. He sidestepped and narrowly avoided being run over by a warrior, his body engulfed in flames. Pan grabbed the rail and cautiously followed it through the darkness until he emerged from the smoke. The scene before him was little better than before.
Flames shot into the air at the rear of the ship. Mangled bodies of the injured, dead, and dying littered the deck like a child's broken and forgotten toys. Screams of pain came from the area and the water next to the ship.
“What the hell!” Yi shouted when he saw Pan leaning slack-jawed against the railing.
“Explosion. That’s all I know so far.”
Yi grabbed a passing warrior. “Get more men. Help whoever you can,” he ordered as he pointed toward the carnage.
Pan watched as first small groups, then more men fought the flames and tried to aid the injured. His ears finally healed enough that he heard the tortured metal creak as the flames heated it red-hot.
“Pan! Yi!” Cui yelled as he rushed up to them. “Are you injured?” Concern laced his voice as he looked at Pan.
“No, I’m okay,” Pan assured him.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. Someone yelled fire, and the rear of the ship exploded as I looked up.” He shrugged.
A bloody, scorched, and blistered warrior fell through a hatch from below decks and collapsed. Pan ran to him and kneeled by his side. “Xian, what happened?”
“That crazy engineer did this,” he croaked, his voice rough from the smoke.
“What do you mean?” Cui demanded.
Xian went into a coughing fit, grimacing as his body fought to heal the damage his lungs had sustained in the hellish fire below deck. Once he regained control, he looked at Cui with bleary eyes.
“He started a fire in the battery room. Said he wouldn’t be part of bringing yaoguai to Japan.”
Cui’s eyes narrowed. “What set him off?”
Xian looked away, his body language showing he didn’t want to answer.
“Answer him, dammit,” Yi ordered.
“Quao Yue,” he slowly revealed.
“What did that idiot do?” Cui yelled.
“He gutted one of the engine room assistants,” Xian mumbled as he looked down. “The man was disrespectful to him.”
Pan spat in disgust. “That hothead looks for reasons to find offense in everything, and I know you’re no better. What did the assistant do?”
Xian wouldn’t face the three commanders. Pan reached down and grabbed his collar, then yanked him to his feet.
“Answer the question.” His voice was low, but the promise of violence simmered beneath the surface.
“He bumped Quao with a cart.”
“Intentionally?” Pan shook him.
Xian’s eyes darted about as he looked anywhere but at the three. “No. Quao walked around a corner, and the man couldn’t stop in time.”
Cui palmed his face. “Where is Quao now?”
Xian looked pointedly at the flames still pouring through the hole where the explosion had blasted through the deck. “He tried to stop the engineer. He killed him as the batteries ruptured and blew.”
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