Of Kings And Pawns

by Michael Oshita

  Anthony lowered his handgun and stared at Grady. A smile from ear to ear spread across his face. “Oh, what an amazing turn of events. Christmas appears to have come early this year.” He turned to Tiger. “Look, Toma, the man who put Lion away and a face to go with the organization that helped him, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Who do you want?”

  “I want Carmine,” Toma replied. His eyes never moved off Puma from the second they walked into the barn.

  “So be it. Sorry, Mr. Officer. But telling us who you really are was the worst thing you could’ve done.” Anthony replied, raising his gun back up to the agent.

  “Wait—“

  Before Special Agent William Grady could say another word, two shots rang out and found home in his chest.

  Grady fell over, gasping for air. In his last minutes, he reached into his shirt and pulled out his locket. He opened it to reveal Dianna and J. P.'s picture. He gave one last smile to the bloodied picture and dropped it.

  “Now for you,” Anthony began, refocusing his sights back on Carmine. “How nice of you. Look, guys, Puma already brought up some bags for us.” He reached into his pocket, grabbed a cigarette, and lit it. “This is how it’s going to go, Carmine. As your last duty for the pack, you’re going back down that hole, grab the rest of the cash, and bring it back up. When you’re done with all of that, we’re going to kill you. Then you, that cop, and the two behind me are going to go in that hole together.”

  Leopard turned around and pointed his gun back to Toma. Before Tiger and Jaguar could react and fire at him, two men came up behind them, weapons drawn, pressed up against their back.

  Anthony smirked at Toma. “What's a matter, Tiger? Didn't think I had it in me?”

  “I wouldn't expect anything less,” Tiger replied as the two pack members dropped their guns on the ground and raised their hands in defeat.

  Behind them, Toma could hear some more footsteps bringing up the rear. Mr. Griggs entered the barn, a smile on his face. "Anthony. It looks like you started this party without me.”

  The two men embraced in a hug and gave a kiss on each other’s cheek. “Yes. Sorry, Griggs, that man over there is with the Feds. Looks like he tried acting out on his own and bit off more than he could chew. Is this all the men you brought? I thought you were bringing more.”

  “No, there are more men waiting outside. I advised them to set up a perimeter, so we won’t be disturbed for the remainder of the evening. This man that lies here is with the Feds? Most unfortunate that he so happened to wander in here while all of this is going on.” Griggs took off his glasses and cleaned them with a napkin. “And what are we planning to do with these two?”

  “Well, I was thinking we can dispose of the excess garbage, and we can be on our way.”

  “What a great idea,” Mr. Griggs replied as he drew his gun from his jacket pocket, pointed it at Anthony, and fired a single round into his gut, causing the underboss to drop to the ground screaming in pain.

  “Oh, stop it—you’re a big boy,” Mr. Griggs replied, wiping his handgun and placing it back in his jacket pocket. He lowered himself to one knee, so he was looking face to face with Anthony. “You really thought I was going to stand by and be second fiddle while you ascended the ranks to greatness? This is my title to take. Don’t act surprised; I’m doing to you what you planned to do to the rest of the pack. And please don’t take this personal, Anthony…it’s just business.”

  Mr. Griggs stood up, wiped off his pants, and began walking away from the wounded Puma. “As you may, men,” he replied, raising his hand up in the air. The two men standing behind Toma and Daichi walked forward and unloaded their clips into the screaming Anthony, who collapsed on the ground, next to Grady.

  “A while ago, when you first visited Martin, after Mr. Brown’s discovery, he called me to keep a close eye on the three of you,” Mr. Griggs explained to Toma and Daichi. “He was worried your greed would be your undoing. So he assigned me with a task: go about business as usual, and if one of the pack members requests assistance in disposing the other, each should be killed on the spot, no questions asked."

  He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “I was happy to oblige Martin's wishes, but what was in it for me? I paid my dues, like you all. And I did his dirty work, like you all. Where is my safe? Where is my gratitude for all the work? That changes now. I will be the new boss of the organization and all of Vegas will be run under my rule.”

  “May I have a cigarette?” Toma asked politely as the three remaining pack members stood, waiting for their time to join Anthony.

  “Be my guest,” Mr. Griggs replied, opening his hand up in approval.

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette, “Carmine. You care for one?”

  “No, thanks, Tiger. I'm all right,” Carmine replied.

  “Suit yourself.” Toma shrugged and lit the cigarette. “You know, Griggs. There's a reason why Martin didn't leave you anything. Care to know why?”

  “Yes, Mr. Tamura. Enlighten me. Why did Lion not leave me anything?” Mr. Griggs replied.

  “The same reason why he assigned you to keep an eye on us, greed: you want everything. If Martin gave you anything, it wouldn't be enough. You would want more. That is why you didn't get anything.” Toma took another drag from his cigarette, then continued. “You can kill off the pack and kill Martin, and you would probably get away with it. No boss in Vegas or underling in the organization would challenge you for killing us. But, you will fail. Would you like to know why?”

  “Yes, tell me why,” responded an irritated Mr. Griggs as a vein began to protrude from his head.

  “You have no loyalty, Griggs. That's why you and Anthony both would've failed. You have no honor. You will eventually suffer the same fate as Anthony if you continue on your ways. There's a code that we live by. 'For family...’”

  “First and foremost,” Carmine completed the sentence for Toma as both former partners looked each other in the eye. “I'm sorry for what I've done, Toma. I betrayed my family. I've let you down.”

  “It’s okay, brother. You did what you had to do.” He knew that his time and his fellow brother’s time were near the end. He was just glad that he and Carmine were able to reach peace.

  Mr. Griggs redrew his gun from out of his jacket and cocked it. He pointed it at Toma. “Are there any other words of advice you wish to pass on to me before I end your life, Tiger?” he asked sarcastically, exuberance evident in his tone.

  “You wouldn’t be smart enough to comprehend anything else we share with you this evening, Griggs.”

  Toma took one last drag from his cigarette and flicked it to the ground. Throughout his life he had envisioned what “The Other Side” would look like. He pictured a luscious river flowing into a giant lake. It was tranquil, and every being in the land lived in harmony. Animals lived and moved freely in the land where there was no pollution, no evil, no war. Well, I guess I’m about to find out if my visions were true or not.

  As his cigarette hit the ground, three shots rang out in the quiet barn. He braced himself for the oncoming impact. But he didn’t feel anything. No searing pain from a bullet bore into flesh. He didn’t hear screams from Daichi or Carmine either. He opened his eyes and found that no blood was splattered on the ground in front of him or on his chest.

  He turned his eyes up and saw the men who had shot Anthony dead, two lying face-down on the ground in a pool of their blood. Mr. Griggs stood in front of him, a look of shock and despair painted on his face. He dropped his handgun and looked down at his chest. A giant red blot began forming on his white shirt. He slowly turned around to see where the source of the shot came from.

  Standing in front of him was a boy, blood smeared all over his body and clothes from the rest of his men he had already killed outside. A crazed look was in his eyes as he aimed the barrel down at Mr. Griggs. Griggs was at a loss for words; he didn’t know what to say or do as the child readied for another shot. One more shot rang out in t
he barn, and Mr. Griggs fell over, gasping his last breaths.

  Carmine turned his attention toward the man who had saved them. He soon realized it was his own son. “John,” he said out loud, confused by the sight in front of him.

  John had his gun Big Betty aimed and ready to fire on Carmine. “John is dead,” he answered coldly. “I am Justice, swift and unwavering. You killed Mrs. Katherine Davis. For that your punishment is death.”

  “Hold on, John. I don’t think you want to do this,” Tiger replied as he began cautiously walking toward him.

  “John is dead! I am Justice,” the boy yelled out again, turning Betty toward Toma instead. “You and your friend may leave. I will come after you soon enough for all the evil you have spread to this world. First, I will destroy the man who destroyed John Davis’s life and who took Katherine’s life.” He turned his attention back to Carmine, who at this point had dropped to his knees as he looked upon his son, who was on the brink of madness.

  “Leave now or you will join Carmine Lazzero.”

  Tiger looked down in despair, then back at Daichi, who was looking back at him, saddened by the scene that had unfolded in front of them. He turned to Carmine. “Puma, is it true? Did you kill Kat?”

  “Yes,” he confessed, tears running down his face. He slouched back down and covered his face with his hands in grief.

  Toma straightened his jacket, disappointment written on his face. “Goodbye, Puma,” he replied softly. “‘Til we meet again, brother.” He brought his attention back up to Justice. “Goodbye, Justice. Killing this man won’t bring your mother back. But, I hope one day you find peace in this world.”

  Justice looked back at Toma. “Peace will be brought to this world, once it is rid of evil like you.”

  The words left Toma in his tracks. He paused, taken aback by Justice’s words. Am I evil? He walked over to his brother and placed his hand on his chest. “Let’s go, Jaguar. This is no longer our fight.”

  Daichi gazed down at his mentor and gave him the slightest nod. He looked over to Carmine one last time. “Find peace, brother,” he calmly said. The two remaining pack members exited the barn and entered their car. As they reached the end of the property, they heard two shots ring out from the old red barn.

  Chapter 16

  The drive from Goodsprings back to Las Vegas was a quiet one for Toma and Daichi. Nothing was said throughout the entire drive between the last two remaining pack members. Tiger couldn’t help but think back to what Justice had said: “Peace will be brought to this world, once it is rid of evil like you.” Justice’s words didn’t resound well in his mind.

  “Are we evil?” he finally asked, breaking the silence in the car. “Are we evil men?”

  Daichi continued to stare out of the car as he drove, pondering his mentor’s question. “Our actions define who we are, Toma,” the wise and stoic pack member replied. “Although your actions felt right and just, it may be perceived another way by someone else. As immoral as Anthony and Griggs’s actions were, in their eyes they were doing what they believed was right. The same could be said with Carmine’s search of the nation for those safes, and Justice’s punishment towards Carmine for his actions also.”

  “Where do you draw the line though?” Toma asked as he lit another cigarette and took a drag.

  “That is up to you, Tiger. You need to differentiate where that line is drawn in the sand and what you will do once you distinguish that line.”

  Toma looked down at his feet, then back up. In the distance, the bright lights of Vegas could be seen. “Remember back, growing up in the organization. I always thought life was so much easier back then. We lived life, we worked, and we celebrated—such a different time. Times have changed us, old friend. I now see the error of our ways. We are evil men. We did wrong, and because of our actions, we led that child to break mentally.”

  “What about the child? He said he was going to come after us.”

  Toma took another drag of his cigarette and gazed out into the Nevada night. “If that kid finds us, so be it. We deserve to die for our actions. I wish him all the luck to find us in his quest to purify the world.”

  Jaguar nodded in agreement and continued driving. “What are we going to do now?”

  “Martin wanted us to retire from this lifestyle. I think it’s time we follow his wishes.” Toma stared back down at his feet. “Martin burying these safes created all of this. Through Martin’s actions, Justice was created. Through my action, justice will be served.”

  “I’ll head back to the Crimson Tiger. We can gather up our things then and leave. You want to go west or east?” Daichi asked as they drew closer to the city.

  “You’re going to go east. I’m going to go west,” the consigliere replied, taking another drag from his cigarette. “I need to make one last stop before I join you. I need to return to the Lion’s Den and speak with Martin one last time. After that, I will catch up to you and we can go to the country.”

  “I will join you in our visit with Martin,” Daichi replied, uneasy with the directive his boss had given him.

  “No. This meeting I need to do alone,” Tiger replied blankly. “Now you will go and head east toward the Grand Canyon. I will meet you there once I’m done visiting Martin.”

  The stoic bodyguard stared back at his boss; he knew what he was planning to do. “Killing Martin will not exonerate you from any wrongdoing, Toma. Nor would it bring peace to your troubled soul.”

  “My friend, I’ve accepted my fate and my evil deeds. This act will cross one less name off Justice’s list. I will save him the trouble of traveling all the way to the penitentiary.”

  ***

  “Good morning, sir,” Officer Dye called out to Martin as he navigated his way from his room into his living quarters.

  “Good morning, Officer Dye. What news do you have for me today?”

  “You have visitors, sir. Mr. Tomura, Mr. Lazzero, and Daichi arrived about a half hour ago and are waiting for an audience with you.”

  “Perfect, send them in,” Martin replied. They have found and secured my safe, he thought. Carmine didn’t get to it, and now it’s secured. Today has turned out to be an excellent day for the pack and the organization.

  He stood by the table and awaited the entrance of his men. He could hear the large metal door open, but he only heard one pair of feet walking down the hallway toward his quarters. Around the corner came Toma, carrying a bottle of wine and two cigars tucked nicely into his jacket pocket. A smile spread across the face of Martin’s pupil. “Hello and good morning, Lion. It’s time for us to celebrate.”

  The head of the organization smiled and walked over to his consigliere. The two pack leaders exchanged a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Where’s Anthony and Daichi?” Martin asked, looking behind Toma.

  “You know how Anthony feels about being in here, and Daichi had to go to the bathroom. He’ll be in shortly,” Toma explained as he grabbed a couple of glasses, uncorked the wine bottle, and poured two glasses full of the dark red wine. “I got this from your collection back at the Crimson Tiger. I hope you don’t mind.” Toma handed Martin one of the glasses of wine, trying to keep his boss’s attention on him rather on the absence of Daichi and Anthony.

  “No, of course not. A day like this deserves only the finest wines,” Martin replied as he toasted his glass with Toma and took a sip from his glass.

  “Cigar?” Tiger asked, reaching for one of the cigars tucked in his pocket.

  “Yes, why not? You only live once, right?”

  Toma handed Martin the cigar and lit it for him. He took a few puffs and exhaled the smoke. “Ah, this is what I’m talking about. I miss all of this. The wines they offer me are rubbish, and the cigars they offer are cheap. A day of celebration deserves the finer things in life. Thank you, Tiger.”

  “You’re welcome, Lion,” Toma replied as the two men sat in their chairs across from one another.

  “So tell me how it went,” Martin asked, excited to hear
about Toma’s night.

  “Well, we actually ran into someone you know,” Tiger began, taking another puff from his cigar. “Carmine was there.”

  Lion paused halfway through a puff of his cigar. His eyes had gotten bigger and his heart-rate had picked up by Toma’s news. “Oh really,” he replied, leaning in closer to Toma, “And what happened when you met Puma? Did you hurt him like you always wanted to?”

  “No, I didn’t…believe it or not, his son did.”

  Martin stared back at Toma, with a blank and confused look on his face. “I don’t understand. Please explain.”

  “Carmine’s son killed him. He lost his mind and fell into madness and killed Carmine,” he explained, trying to hold back the anger that was building up inside of him.

  “What else happened last night?” Martin asked hesitantly. He could feel a change in the atmosphere of the room. Something wasn’t right. Toma was acting strange.

  “Well, we ran into someone else you might know; Mr. Griggs joined us also. Carmine’s son killed him, too. Actually….” Toma stepped out of his chair and turned his back to Martin to finish. “Griggs killed Anthony, and for that, Carmine’s son killed him.” He turned back around to face his boss, Tanto sword drawn and ready to strike.

  Martin froze; he was at a loss for words. Do I cry out for the guards? If I do, Toma will strike me down. Maybe I can reason with him. He’s upset with what happened. I need to go about this carefully. He took another puff from his cigar and looked down at it. “What are you planning to do, Toma?” he asked calmly as he placed his glass down on his arm rest. “You plan to kill me, to avenge the lives of your fallen brothers?”

  Tiger walked back toward his seat and sat down. “I do plan to kill you, Martin, but not to avenge my fallen brothers. I plan to do it to right the wrongs that you have done in this world. I met a man last night named Justice, and the words that he spoke to me were life changing; they opened my eyes and broadened my horizons. On my drive back to Vegas and on my flight here, I had a revelation. The world is better off with people like you and me not occupying it. I’m here to see that through.”