Freddy clapped his hands hard. “Deal!”
He gently took the knife from its resting spot and handed it to Roman, not letting go for a moment. Freddy looked hard into his eyes. “You only have one cartridge in the hilt so do not miss.” Roman gripped the handle, but Freddy still didn’t relinquish the weapon. “You do this for me—kill Mako—and I will be forever in your debt.”
Roman nodded, and Freddy released his death grip on the sheathed blade. Unclipping it, the agent pulled the blade free and whistled. It resembled a samurai’s short sword and was even engraved with symbols that explained its name.
“Exploder?” The name sounded juvenile compared to what Roman would’ve called it, but it fit it bill.
Somethin’ like ‘Internal Dragon Fire’ would’ve been cooler. He shook his head and sneered. That name sounded like something you’d get after too much wasabi.
Freddy smiled a wicked smile. “The average injector blade carries a payload that would result in a cubic foot of gas expansion within the victim. The Exploder has double that. If you hit an organ, it will literally cause it to explode—as well as freeze everything around it.”
“That’s awful,” Roman said, grinning.
“You two lovebirds about done?”
Roman and Freddy turned and saw that Violet was inspecting a pair of wakizashi swords. Both were beautiful and had decorative hilts, complete with purple and black leather woven within the handles. The blades themselves gleamed and looked almost fake they were so polished and pristine.
“Those blades belonged to my mother,” Freddy said, walking up to the stand. He stood behind them proudly and waited a few seconds to speak again. What he said almost dropped Roman and Violet to the floor.
“In a past life, she was known as the Violet Dragon.”
Roman fumbled the lethal injector knife, and his eyes went straight to the Violet Dragon in the room. He stayed silent and waited for Freddy to explain.
“Two Violet’s before you was my mother. She retired, and someone else took her place. Then, you came along, what, about twenty years ago?”
“How—how do you know that?” Violet asked.
“The timing of it all. Plus, my mother kept in contact with a few of the sisters over the years before your group went silent.”
“May I?” she asked, glancing down to the swords.
“It would be an honor to have the current Violet Dragon hold my mother’s swords.”
“That’s why you help them, isn’t it?” Roman asked, putting two and two together.
Freddy looked at Roman. “It is. I believe in what they do because I grew up with intimate knowledge of their existence.” He opened his arms and turned around, motioning to the bevy of weapons. “Do you think this was my calling—my passion? I do this because of her.” He was pointing at Violet. “Because of what you and your order represent.”
“And we’ve compensated you for your efforts,” Violet said, gently picking up the blades.
“It was never about the money. If I could’ve, I would’ve just given them to you and your sisters, but I had to keep up the front. If no money came in, people would eventually notice and start to ask questions.”
Both men stepped back as she began to expertly twirl and slash them at the air, holding one in a backhanded grip as she did. The air was still inside the room, and the only thing Roman could hear was the whooshing of metal and the grunting of a trained killer.
She stopped and went to put them back, breathing hard.
“Don’t,” Freddy said, holding out a hand, “they belong with the Violet Dragon.” He presented her with the sheaths and custom-made back holster. “They belong with you.”
Violet looked at Roman with tears in her eyes. The only thing he could do was give her a warm smile. She put down the two wakizashi and strapped the sheaths on her back. They fit perfectly into place between her shoulder blades. Then, like a proud warrior, she gripped the sword hilts hard, spun them, and slipped them into place, one over each shoulder.
“Not what I’d call inconspicuous, but you look great either way.”
She smiled back at Roman and breathed in deep, relaxing.
“Okay,” Freddy said, clapping again. “What else do you need?”
Roman stepped forward. “For starters, more men.” He pointed back and forth between Violet and him. “The two of us ain’t doin’ shit by ourselves.”
Freddy rubbed his smooth chin a few times and nodded. “Not sure what I can do about soldiers, but I think I can at least give you a diversion or two. I guess it all depends on where you two are headed.”
Now, it was Roman’s turn to clap hard, poking fun at Freddy’s boyish excitement. “The Third Floor.”
“What?” Violet asked, shocked. “Why go back there?”
“Call it a hunch. I have a feeling that Mako and his goons will come to us instead of us going to them.” He rubbed Violet’s shoulder again and then stroked her cheek. “Trust me, okay? We’ve made a lot of noise recently. All we need to do is get a message out.”
Violet bit her lip as she thought. It was a cute look. Her eyes lit up. “I know what to do.”
“What?” Freddy asked, stepping up next to them.
“Koji.”
Roman nodded. “Oh, man. That’s perfect!”
“Um,” Freddy said, “who is Koji?”
“We, uh, kinda kicked the shit out of him an hour ago.”
“Killed some of Mako’s men too,” Violet added. “Koji sold us out and told them where to find us.”
“He’s Mako’s cousin too.”
Unconvinced, Freddy asked, “Why would he help you?”
“He will,” Violet replied, “his life will depend on it.”
Freddy shrugged. “Don’t argue with a beautiful lady—that’s what I always say—especially when she’s armed and has an edge to her. But if you truly want Mako himself to come to you, why don’t you grab this Koji and use him as bait?”
Roman’s eyes opened wide. “Wow…that’s actually a really good idea.”
Freddy bowed. “Thank you.”
“How do we get close to him?” Violet asked. “Most of Tokyo is looking for us by now. They have cameras all over the hotel too.”
“Which hotel?” Freddy asked, pulling out his phone and texting someone.
“The Shangri-La…” Roman replied, “and I thought you said this place had steel walls?”
“I lied,” he said. “I just say that to make people stand in the cold. It’s easy to tell when someone is lying to you when they are uncomfortable.” He pointed at them. “You two didn’t flinch—not once.”
“Sorry, but it’s gonna take a lot more than some cold to get us dancin’ around.”
“I know that now.” He held up his phone. “I have a date for tonight. We shall go see this Koji and see what we can do.”
“Wait—we?” Roman asked. “As in you?”
He nodded. “I’m not just a handsome face. I can handle myself. Plus, if it involves the family of Makkino Wu…”
“We need Koji alive, Freddy,” Violet said.
“I know, I know… Darla will keep his attention while I move into position.”
“Darla?” Roman shook his head. “Never mind… How are you gonna take him down?” Freddy was more than he seemed.
“With this?” he said, picking up a small handgun from a nearby table. “Tranquilizer dart. We’ll just have to make sure he’s easy to move once he’s...” he waved his hand in the air, searching for the right word, “…incapacitated.
“And how are you going to do that?” Violet asked.
Freddy smiled. “I have a plan.”
Roman glanced at Violet, and then back to Freddy. “And that is?”
The Shangri-La Hotel
Later That Night
Freddy could do one thing better than all the rest, and that was talk. It’s what made him such a good salesman. With the lovely Darla on his arm, the two strode into the immaculate hotel as Violet had told them to.
/> “Like you own it,” she had said before dropping them off. They borrowed a limousine from a friend of Freddy’s with a fake-spectacle-wearing Roman driving. Violet was camped out in the heavily-tinted backseat, just out of sight.
The problem with Freddy is that he loved the spotlight and tended to go a little overboard with it. He literally said hello to everyone as they entered, getting groans from Roman in his ear as he did. Roman was happy to see that Freddy also had security accessories, including tactical earbuds.
“Hello, my friend,” Freddy said, shaking someone’s hand.
“How’s the family?” he asked another.
“Have you lost weight?” To another.
But the gimmick worked as Darla was set loose to do what she was there to do. She was contracted to walk the walk with Koji and being a seasoned girl for hire, Darla was a flawless saleswoman in her own right.
Freddy headed for the bar tucked just inside the front doors and sat down and ordered a drink. Like his bar, this one also had a mirrored rear wall. He would use it to keep an eye on his girl. He tripled Darla’s going rate for the night, not that she ever charged Freddy a dime. They had a unique relationship, regularly sleeping together for no cost.
Listening in, he quietly whispered into her ear. “Okay, sweetheart, do your thing.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard,” she said via earbud, speaking under her breath. “He looks like he could use a break anyway. He looks terrible.” Freddy smiled with how clear her voice was coming through.
“Blame Violet,” Roman quickly said.
Freddy laughed but was shushed by Violet.
“Here we go,” Darla said, flaunting her nearly see-through dress, heading for their man.
Freddy saw Koji look up and then down—but his eyes shot back up to his girl. Stopping in front of him, she leaned close, no doubt showing off her deep neckline and ample cleavage. Even from this distance, Freddy could see that Koji’s eyes weren’t on Darla’s.
They were on something far mor…curvaceous.
“Excuse me, sir,” she said.
“Y—yes. H—how may I help you?”
Freddy had to hold back a laugh. Darla could make a man stutter for sure.
“I need a room, please.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Koji replied, “but we’re booked solid. We had an unfortunate incident upstairs that caused us to close an entire floor.”
Roman giggled in their ears.
Damn, Freddy thought, not paying attention to the guffawing American. He quickly told Darla what to say.
“Oh, that’s unfortunate.” She plopped her large purse on the counter and opened it, revealing stacks of money. “I was going to pay cash.” She leaned in closer and whispered to him. “Plus, I need a strong man’s help to get my bags upstairs. He’ll get a sizeable tip too.” Her voice was pure seduction. Darla nodded towards the bar. “My husband is meeting a business associate and won’t be up for at least an hour—maybe longer if the deal goes well.” She sighed, laying it on heavier. “I’m always alone…”
Freddy almost spit out his drink as she pressed her chest harder into the counter. Koji wiped the sweat from his brow and stuttered a response. “O—okay, ma’am—”
“Darla.”
“Okay, Darla…” Freddy could see that he was, in fact, typing furiously, looking for a room. “I think we may have just had a sudden cancellation.” He smiled as she swayed her hips, still leaning on the counter. “How does room 1504 sound? It’s the Presidential Suite.”
“That would be perfect,” she replied, reaching out and brushing something off Koji’s jacket. A soon as she touched him, Freddy thought Koji was going to faint. “I can’t wait for you to show me.”
Freddy held back a chuckle. “You’re one-in-a-million, D.”
Koji handed Darla a key card and whispered to the man standing next to him. Then, as quick as a flash of lightning, he left his post behind the counter and walked away with Darla and her overstuffed rolling suitcase. Before they disappeared down a hallway, she took a peek at Freddy and winked, smiling wide.
She’s having a blast, he thought, shaking his head.
He looked at his watch and ordered another drink, mumbling to himself. “Give Darla fifteen or twenty minutes to get our guy loosened up. When she signals me, I’ll go up and take a look and see how they’re doing.”
“Thanks again, Freddy,” Roman said.
“It’s my pleasure.” The bartender dropped off his drink and walked away. “Besides, I haven’t had this much fun in years!”
20
“These two are good,” Roman said, laughing hard from the front seat of the limo. The privacy window was down, and he was turned sideways in his seat, looking back at his lone passenger.
Either Violet didn’t hear him, or she just wasn’t in the mood to chat. “Vi, you okay?”
“I can’t stop thinking about Freddy’s mother.” She finally looked at him. “In all my years of serving my sisterhood, I’ve never heard anyone speak of another Dragon like that.”
“Then, why are you upset?”
“I’m not, I’m happy.” She slid up next to the divider, leaned in, and kissed Roman. They parted. “I always knew I could have a life after this, but I’ve never seen evidence of it. It’s like someone just told me I’m free of my bondage—my responsibilities.”
“So, Tahiti?” Roman asked, eyebrows high.
She nodded, looking honest-to-God happy. “Tahiti.”
They sat in silence for a moment, giving Roman time to think of something to say. “So…are we going steady?”
Violet broke out in laughter at his boyish question, knowing he was playing with her. He wanted to make her happy. Everyone deserved to smile and laugh, and he was aware that the clan of assassins—all of them—had pasts that could turn the soul to stone.
Instead of parking the limo in the designated area, he pulled it up to the hotel’s rear, utilitarian loading dock. The backside of the resort was a ghost town at this time of night, and they hoped no one would see them and ask them to move. If he had to, Roman planned on telling whoever approached them that they were picking up a high-profile VIP.
If that didn’t work, he would immobilize the person.
Just like when he sat in Bishamon’s, Roman hated waiting around. But going back to the hotel only a half a day after their little episode upstairs would’ve been foolish. He was thankful for Freddy and Darla’s help. Without them, they’d never be able to apprehend Koji and ultimately get to Mako and Madame.
“Madame…” he said, thinking aloud. “What’s your best guess on her?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Violet replied. “She knows things that no one outside of my family should. She knew we’d go back to the house after leaving Yao’s place.” She looked away from Roman. “Which means Willy or Ms. Cho betrayed us.”
“Or someone back in the States,” he added.
“I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head. “It makes no sense for the orders to come from halfway around the world. Like you said,” she glanced at him again, “you make your own decisions. Who knows you’re here?”
“Only my ex and Conrad,” he replied, knowing she was right, “and they aren’t the type to get their hands dirty—real straight shooters.”
“Which brings us back to Willy and Ms. Cho.”
“Willy and I have been through hell together,” Roman said. “I’ve been around plenty of bad eggs in my life, and she never crossed me as one.” He sighed. “Willy worked exclusively in Central America until I brought her in. She was spyin’ on the drug runners down there until she was pulled away. At first, she hated me for doin’ that, but once she realized the kind of help I needed and who the enemy was, she was all in.”
“Which means she doesn’t have any previous exposure to the Japanese crime world, like…”
“Like what?” Roman asked.
She closed her eyes as tears began to flow. “Like Ms. Cho. It has to be her.”
“And we ate outside, which we never do.”
“Why not?”
Violet shrugged. “No reason, we just don’t.”
They quieted when they heard Darla signal them.
“Let’s have some fun.”
The Presidential Suite
“Let’s have some fun,” she said, motioning to the bottle of complimentary champagne that greeted them. Koji couldn’t believe what was happening. One of most beautiful women he’d ever met invited him up to her room, alone, and now wanted to have a drink with him. While consuming alcohol on the clock was strictly forbidden, Koji didn’t want to upset such a generous patron.
“That would be nice,” he said. “Here, let me.” He moved to the iced bottle and quickly opened it, letting the cork dramatically shoot across the pristine penthouse suite. It was the hotel’s most exquisite room, costing per night more than Koji made in a month—plus tips.
This may be my best tip ever.
He poured two glasses, filling them up as high as he could. Darla was already making herself comfortable on the plush sofa in front of the fireplace. She slipped out of her expensive-looking fur coat, giving Koji an even closer look at her flawless figure.
Moving quickly, but not wanting to seem too eager, he joined her and sat, handing Darla her drink. She smiled and drank, giggling as the bubbles tickled her nose. “Excuse me,” she said, wiping the faint coat of liquid from the tip of it.
“Sorry about that,” he said, “I should’ve warned you.”
“No harm done, Koji.” She shivered. “Would you mind turning that on?” Koji followed her extended finger. It landed on the electric fireplace. “If not,” she reached for her coat, “I can just put this back on—”
“No!” he replied a little too loudly. She put it down and sat back. He didn’t want her to cover anything up. So, he stood and moved, glancing behind him as he did. Darla looked down at her dress and adjusted her cleavage, making Koji trip and spill some of his champagne. Embarrassed, he turned and reached for the switch.
Beautiful Dragons: A Thriller Page 12
