The Manga Girl

by Lorenzo Marks

  Now he walked through the hallway, past the empty living room, and seeing the kitchen door open, went out to the back yard. Lucy was lying on a sun lounger, her arms above her head, legs crossed at the ankles. She was wearing the white one-piece she had lent to Summer at the weekend, and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of mirrored sunglasses. There was a pitcher of iced lemonade on the table, and Nick helped himself to a glass and sat down on the lawn.

  From the gentle rising swell of her chest, Lucy looked to be sound asleep. Nick sat quietly contemplating the undulant curves of her body, her soft skin, lightly rouged from the sun, and her lips, parted in a half-smile. She had been a part of his world for just a few short weeks and yet he could no longer imagine life without her. Watching her sleep made Nick feel intensely protective towards her. He wasn’t sure if there was real danger lurking out there, but he now knew more than ever, that it was his job to keep her safe.

  Lucy flexed her fingers, stretched her calves, and turned her head towards him.

  “Hey,” she said drowsily. “How long have you been here?”

  “Not long. Good day at school?”

  “Mmm. One of Summer’s silkscreen prints won a prize. She says ‘hi’.”

  Nick grinned. These days, whenever he thought about Summer, he kept picturing her naked.

  “How are you doing?” Nick asked, glancing at her mobile.

  “Okay. Aunt Akiko has told my dad that Johnny has been sniffing around. I don’t think there will be a problem, but it’s best to play it safe.”

  Nick picked a blade of grass and turned it in his fingers.

  “Has he said anything more?”

  “Aunt Akiko says he just wants to talk. No hassles. But that’s always been Johnny’s way. I told you he was a pretty cool customer.”

  Nick felt an irrational stab of jealousy. He said, “So you think he’s gone now?”

  “His business is in New York,” Lucy said, “he can’t stay here forever. But he will probably leave a spy. Don’t worry, nobody’s talking. He thinks I’m living on campus at Boston University.”

  Lucy sat up and perched her sunglasses on her head. Nick could see the shadows of her nipples beneath the thin fabric of her swimsuit and selfishly wondered when she would be ready for sex play again.

  “And what about you, Lucy? Are you worried?”

  “I was. I mean he did threaten to kill me, but that was a while ago, and it was in the heat of the moment. He’ll get bored when he doesn’t find me.”

  She stood, picked up her cell phone, and kissed Nick on the forehead. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I made paella.”

  ***

  Saturday morning, Nick decided to treat himself to a lie-in. Lucy was at morning class, after which she and Summer were joining some friends for a girls’ night out. It was the first time in weeks that they hadn’t spent the evening together, and Nick felt a little lost.

  As he lay listening to the radio, he contemplated calling Sid, but felt a little awkward about it. In the whirlwind frenzy that had been his life since Lucy’s arrival, Nick knew he had been guilty of neglecting his best friend. They were still on good terms, and Sid was pleased that Nick had a girl, but Nick knew he had basically been so cunt-struck that their regular drinking nights had fallen by the wayside.

  He eventually rolled out of bed, made some eggs and coffee and then went down to his basement. He contemplated the dangling wrist cuffs and the punishment bench for a moment, before browsing through Lucy’s latest creations. Like Nick, she hadn’t spent much time down here recently.

  He smiled fondly as he inspected her newer works of art, all rendered in brightly colored acrylic paint. Nothing bawdy here - speckled fish darting around a lilied pool; a jagged snow-capped mountain peak; two Japanese ladies in kimonos; a girl with a petulant frown that look suspiciously like Lucy. As dippy as she liked to make herself out to be, there was no doubt that Lucy had real talent.

  Nick decided it was time to finish the ‘naked Lucy’ carving. It was almost done; all that remained was the honing and polishing. He put on some music and got to work, and soon his cluttered thoughts began to settle as he focused on the wood before him.

  It was after two when he finally emerged from his trance-like state and examined the wooden figure. Just like the real thing, it was flawless, one of his best pieces. Satisfied, Nick pried himself from his chair and went into the house.

  He took a beer from the fridge and was just about to call Sid when he noticed somebody peering at his car in the front driveway. His first instinct was to charge outside and confront the guy, but something gave him pause, and he went to the front window for a closer look.

  The man was bending over the door, checking out the dash board. He was tall, dark haired, and dressed in black jeans and a sports jacket. Despite the heat, he wasn’t sweating, and there was something in his posture that suggested he was quite at ease nosing around other people’s property. Eventually, he straightened up and looked around as if he were a potential buyer. When his eyes fixed upon the front window, they were narrow and dark, and Nick took an involuntary step backwards.

  As the uninvited visitor walked confidently up to his front door, there was absolutely no doubt in Nick’s mind that he was about to meet Johnny Ho.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  When the doorbell rang, Nick’s first instinct was to hide and pretend there was nobody home, but his car was a giveaway, and despite his apprehension, he was curious. Standing outside was the competition, the only man Lucy had physically known other than himself.

  He opened the door, half-expecting to be staring down the barrel of a gun, but Johnny Ho merely smiled and put out his hand.

  “Hi, I’m John Hosokawa. That’s a nice ride you have there.”

  Deciding it would be wise not to piss this guy off, Nick shook his hand, and said, “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m an old friend of Natsumi Kimura. Calls herself Lucy. I understand she’s rooming here.”

  As he spoke, Johnny Ho’s eyes flickered past Nick’s shoulder into the hallway, as if expecting to see her lurking in the background.

  “Lucy, yeah,” Nick said, trying to keep his voice even. “She was staying here, but she moved out last month.”

  Johnny Ho’s face was inscrutable. “If you don’t mind, did she say where she was going?”

  Nick looked at him with a doubtful expression. They were sparring, and they both knew it. Nick frowned theatrically. “Back on campus, I believe. Boston University.”

  Johnny Ho’s mouth creased into a thin smile. “Boston, huh? I’ll check that out.”

  This conversation reminded Nick of the one with Ken Yamaguchi. Casual, but precise. These men knew they were not required to be polite, it was just a technique for extracting information. If that failed, Nick didn’t want to know what their alternative approach would be like.

  He shrugged and said, “Well, sorry I couldn’t have been more helpful.”

  “No, you have been.”

  Again, Johnny Ho’s gaze searched the dark interior of the hallway. Nick shifted uneasily.

  “May I ask you a question?” Johnny Ho said, focusing his dark eyes upon Nick. “What did you think of her?”

  “Of Lucy?” Nick asked, inwardly wincing at his contrived response. “Nice girl. Paid her rent on time. Didn’t make too much noise.”

  “Hell of a looker, huh?”

  “Well, yes. Very attractive.”

  “Do you know if she had a boyfriend?” Johnny Ho assumed a look of embarrassment. “I only ask, because we used to be… you know, close.”

  “Oh, I see,” Nick said. “Well, I’m not sure if she was seeing anyone at college, but she never brought anyone back here.”

  Johnny Ho nodded thoughtfully, his eyes boring into Nick’s like laser beams.

  “Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time,” he said finally. “Thanks for your help.”

  He turned and headed down the driveway, giving Nick’s Mustang another appr
eciative glance. Absurdly, feeling as if he had had the better of the exchange, Nick blurted out, “Good luck!”

  Johnny Ho stopped and looked back at him with an unnerving smile.

  “Thank you, Nick,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her.”

  ***

  He knows my name! Nick thought, watching Johnny Ho’s Porsche Carrera disappear from view. How much else does he know?

  He picked up his cell and dialed Lucy’s number, figuring that her classes would be over by now.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “He was here.”

  “Johnny?”

  “Who else?”

  There was a silence at the other end.

  “Lucy? Are you there?”

  “Yeah. What did he say?”

  “He wants to see you. I told him you didn’t live here anymore. I don’t think he believed me.”

  “Did he threaten you?”

  Despite everything she had told him, Nick was taken aback.

  “No. He was very polite. But also…scary.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  She went quiet again and while he waited, Nick tried to determine whether the edge in her voice was fear or excitement. For the first time in weeks, he was again beginning to feel a bit insecure.

  “How do you think he found out where you are living?” Nick asked.

  “He’s yakuza,” Lucy said simply.

  Even though Nick hadn’t felt overly intimidated by Johnny Ho, Lucy’s words made him suddenly feel a little woozy. Yakuza. Until now, it had been a nebulous concept to him, but now it had appeared personally at his front door. It was real, and it meant they weren’t necessarily dealing with just one psychotic ex-boyfriend.

  “Lucy,” Nick said. “He knew my name, too.”

  He could hear her breathing on the other end. Finally, Lucy said, “I need some time to think. Maybe it would be a good idea if I stayed here for a while in case he comes back.”

  The thought of Lucy moving out, sent a bolt of panic through him.

  “Perhaps we should call the police,” Nick said.

  “It won’t do any good. Not with these guys. Besides, he hasn’t actually done anything.”

  Yet, Nick mentally added.

  “He did threaten to kill you,” he said.

  “That was over a year ago. Nick, I want you to trust me on this. I’ll send Summer around to collect my clothes. Put the rest of my stuff in the basement.”

  “You think he’ll break in?”

  Lucy let out an audible sigh. “No. I don’t know. But just in case, it’s better for you if there’s no evidence that I live there.”

  Nick felt as though someone had kicked him in the abdomen. He didn’t want to eradicate Lucy’s existence here - she was a part of this house now.

  “Can I call you?” he asked, feeling a sudden weight in his heart.

  “Of course you can, I’m not leaving you. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. I’d never forgive myself.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Nick said. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

  “I’ll be okay here. I’ll inform campus security. He won’t be able to get in.”

  Yeah, Nick thought, but he’s yakuza.

  “If he does return,” Nick said. “What should I do?”

  “Be polite. He’ll want to be certain that I really have left, that’s all.”

  “Okay. I think I can handle that.”

  “Nick?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry about all this.”

  “Hey, it’s not your fault.”

  “I brought him here.”

  “He’s a psycho. I still think we should call the cops.”

  “Let’s try it my way first.”

  Nick sighed. “Sure.”

  “I love you Nick.”

  “Love you too.”

  They hung up with the promise that they would speak to each other every day.

  Nick went upstairs to Lucy’s room. With a knot in his throat, he looked around at her pictures, her Chinese lantern, her bonsai trees. He suddenly felt a violent hatred towards this arrogant thug for disrupting their lives. And yet, as he started packing up Lucy’s things, Nick couldn’t stop himself from dwelling on the fact that she had once loved Johnny Ho, and that he obviously wanted her back. The question was what would happen now?

  Chapter Thirty

  Nick was just sitting down to lunch when his cell rang. He and Sid were under the shade of an ancient oak tree in a small park opposite the old church they were helping to restore.

  Instead of Lucy, as Nick had been expecting, it was Summer. She sounded nervous. “Nick, hi. Look, I thought you should know. Lucy’s gone to meet Johnny Ho.”

  At first, Nick was unable to digest what she had just said.

  “What do you mean ‘she’s gone to meet him’?”

  “She said she can’t keep hiding. She wants to finish it.”

  Finish it? What does that mean?

  “Nick, I tried to talk her out of it.”

  “When did she go?”

  “An hour ago.”

  “I don’t get it,” Nick said. “Why didn’t she let me know about this?”

  For the past four days, Lucy had locked herself away on campus. She had spoken to Nick on the phone twice a day, and was keeping tabs on Johnny Ho’s movements via Aunt Akiko. She was going to hunker down until he had given up trying to locate her. That had been their plan.

  Something must have happened, Nick thought. He’s threatened her family in some way.

  “She said this was her problem,” Summer said, “and that it wasn’t fair to drag you into it.”

  “She’s trying to protect me?”

  “I think so.”

  “Did she say where she was meeting him?” Nick asked.

  “No. She didn’t want to get anyone else involved.”

  Nick went quiet, a thousand scenarios rushing through his head.

  “Nick,” Summer said. “She said she’d call later, and she asked me not to contact her. If you try, she may not answer.”

  Summer’s voice was tender and Nick was suddenly reminded of her own strong feelings for Lucy.

  “Okay. Keep me informed, will you?”

  “Sure, Nick.”

  There was a pause, then Nick said, “How was she when she left you?”

  “In what way?”

  “Scared? Worried? Excited?”

  Summer hesitated before replying. “I’m not sure if I should be saying this, but well, you know she hasn’t been her usual self recently? Kind of preoccupied?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, once she’d made her decision to go and see him, she seemed much calmer. She looked, how can I put it? Almost relieved.”

  Nick rubbed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

  “Nick?” Summer said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Whatever happens, Lucy loves you. You know that?”

  Nick wasn’t sure what he knew anymore, but he said, “Yeah, I know.”

  “When she calls, I’ll contact you. Bye, Nick.”

  Sid was leaning back against the tree, watching him attentively. “So?” he asked.

  “You heard.”

  “It’ll be okay,” Sid said. “She knows the guy well enough. She wouldn’t deliberately put herself at risk.”

  Nick gazed across towards the church. “Unless he’s blackmailing her somehow.”

  Sid put his hand on Nick’s shoulder. “I know it’s not easy, but she obviously thinks this is the best way to handle it. There’s really nothing you can do right now. She’ll call. Try to put it out of your mind until then.”

  Nick picked up his sandwich, looked at it, and then put it back down again. “I’m not sure if I can do that.”

  He worked on auto-pilot for the rest of the afternoon. When it was time to pack up, he looked at the ornate wooden altar he had been working on all day, as if for the first time. They climbed into Sid’s Dodge Ram and headed ba
ck towards the city. They drove in silence for a while, then Sid said, “You know what day it is today?”

  “Thursday,” Nick said absently.

  “Pool night. Remember that?”

  “Sid, I’m not up for it.”

  “I drop you home; you grab a quick shower and then take the Green Line into town. I’ll meet you at Jenny’s at seven. Only Rob and Andy will be there. No assholes.”

  “I don’t know. I’m really worried about this.”

  “That’s exactly why you should come out and have a few beers. You’ve got your phone with you. It will feel a hell of a lot better than just moping around indoors on your own.”

  “I won’t be much company.”

  “We’ll just chill out, shoot some pool, grab a bite, and wait for the call together. We don’t have to tell Rob and Andy about it. What do you say?”

  “Alright. You’re on, I guess.”

  While they waited at a red light, summer rain tapped onto the windshield. Nick sat staring at his mobile. Right now, Lucy is with Johnny Ho. The man who sexually abused her and pushed her to attempted suicide. He tried not to contemplate the awful possibilities and clung on to the hope that she would call him later, safe and sound, with the news that it was all over and she was coming home.

  After Sid dropped him off, and made him promise that he would show up, Nick checked the house for possible signs of a breakin. He checked each room in turn, lingering in Lucy’s for a moment, sitting on the bed where their affair had first erupted into passionate life. Affair? Was that what it was? Had Nick merely been an interlude in Lucy’s helter-skelter life and she was now being drawn inexorably back to her own people?

  I love you, Nick, she had said. Summer had confirmed it. That was all he had to hold onto. He made sure the padlock to the basement was secure but didn’t go inside, knowing that he would be drawn to her desk with her paintings and bondage toys. Satisfied his home hadn’t been violated, Nick went up and showered, and an hour later he was sitting at a table in Jenny’s Tavern, waiting for Sid. He ordered a Bud Light and gazed around at the mostly empty bar. He was sitting just a couple of tables away from where they had all first met up, where Rob and Tanya, now engaged, had first laid eyes on each other, and where Jason had coveted Lucy.