Penance

by K E Osborn

  We keep running, the sound of hundreds of bullets pummeling into the side of the jet as bikes and cars roar past until I see one of the Subaru WRX cars. The window rolls down, and someone chucks something out of the window and under the jet.

  It feels like slow motion as I watch, gasp, then grab Mother dragging her to the ground and covering her with my body as the explosion goes off. A plume of fire erupts, the jet bursts up in the middle fracturing it in two as it explodes rendering it completely useless. Smoke filters through the air as Mother screams beneath me while Aiko lays beside me panting for breath.

  The roar of bikes pulling up beside us forces me to look up, and I see Torque grinning. He nods while I take a breath giving him a single nod of appreciation.

  The instant roar of gunfire echoes through the field as my brothers jump from their bikes, guns drawn, aiming at the underlings, who are shooting back with fierce determination, all the while I lay on top of my mother unable to do jack shit.

  Andrettis file out of their Romeos taking aim at the underlings, and I furrow my brows wondering what in the hell is going on when I look to the Subarus. The doors fling open and my stomach tightens in pride as I see my father—Hiro—jump out wearing all black, along with other men that I recognize from the Ikigai Syndicate. They all spread out running straight for the underlings—without guns.

  Defiance and the Andrettis are laying down the cover fire as the Ikigai hurtle toward the Yakuza at full speed. Smothering my mother from the shell casings that are raining down over us, everything in me wants to get into this fight. To help bring them down. But I know the moment I leave my mother, she’s done for.

  I can’t do it.

  I can’t leave her.

  As much as it’s killing me right now not to be a part of this.

  One of the Ikigai in tight black gear swoops up to an underling just as Torque fires a round into his arm forcing his gun to drop. The Ikigai slides in taking the underling out at his feet knocking him straight to the ground. He lays a punch right into the underling’s throat making him gasp for air then he grabs his arm, which was holding the gun, and he twists it back then moves in stepping on his throat to choke him. The Ikigai picks up the underling’s gun and doesn’t hesitate to shoot him with it at point-blank range.

  I glance around to see more of the Ikigai taking on the underlings with their martial arts skills—it’s a sight to behold. I don’t know these guys well, but I’m sure as shit happy Father brought them along. Torque and the Andrettis are still laying down cover fire as I watch my father duck and weave through the swarm of bodies, his eyes firmly on the man beside me. Aiko’s now being protected by two underlings, and I tense up as Father approaches.

  An underling stands aiming his gun straight at my father. Mother screams, and the underling pulls the trigger. Father ducks out of the way, probably before he even pulled the trigger, it’s that fast as my father jumps into the air, his fist coming down and slamming straight onto the wrist of the underling. He yelps out in agony as his wrist snaps, the gun dropping from his hand. Father grabs his broken arm pulling him toward him through his side, making the underling stumble forward as he headbutts him, then pushes his chest so he folds back on his arm, dislocating his shoulder. The underling screams out in pain as he drops to his knees. Father wastes no time moving in, quickly snapping his neck to the side like he’s nothing more than a ragdoll.

  Mother whimpers as she cuddles into me further. The other underling leaves Aiko standing up leaving him wide open. I think for a moment to go after him myself, but I’m very sure Father has this under control.

  The second underling moves up pulling a blade from his back and thrusts forward slashing it at Father in a more uncontrolled manner. Father jumps back while the idiot lashes from side to side.

  Mother grips onto my shirt as the gunfire continues to echo all around us.

  The underling takes a step forward again, but Mother puts her foot out making him stumble, and Father rushes forward grabbing the underling’s arm and yanks it down. He yelps as the blade drops easily to the ground.

  Father pulls the underling’s arm up and over forcing the underling to fly over the top of Father, his heavy body slamming onto the field below with a thud as he gasps for air. Father kneels down over the top of him, reaching for the blade and swiftly slices his throat. Blood pools from his neck as he gurgles, coughing and spluttering.

  Father turns to look at Aiko whose eyes are now wide in what looks like fear. Aiko stands up dramatically and starts to run off, but my father quickly rushes after him, the gunfire slowly ebbing to almost nothing.

  I sit up taking Mother with me as we both turn to see Father reach Aiko. He grabs the back of his collar and spins him around. Aiko’s arm comes up in a block, and he instantly throws a punch into my father’s jaw. Mother flinches.

  I want to go and help, but I feel this is something my father needs to do.

  Father rights himself, clenching his fist and hurtling it into Aiko’s side, he flinches but turns quickly bringing his leg up in a roundhouse kick, but Father blocks it at the same time he thrusts his fist forward hitting Aiko in the face with a forward punch. Aiko stumbles back with the force of the hit, blood pooling from his nose as my father doesn’t let up, spinning and hitting him with a side kick to the ribs. Aiko falls to his knees, hunching over, spitting out a line of blood as my father pants and moves in behind Aiko grabbing his head in his hands ready for the final blow.

  I tense up all over, my stomach churning as I watch my father holding Aiko in a headlock.

  “Wait!” Mother calls making me look to her, and I realize I’m shaking just as much as she is. “I need to know what happened.”

  I glance around to see that all the underlings are dead or have run off, and it’s just Defiance, the Andretti’s, and the Ikigai Syndicate that my father brought to the battle. There all here watching Aiko getting his ass handed to him.

  I have no idea how it got to this point.

  I need answers, but I also need justice.

  Standing up fully, I pull my mother to me as Trax and Lift race in and grab Aiko.

  My father exhales, his face sporting an almighty bruise. He walks over to us taking Mother into his arms. I watch as the Ikigai take their place behind Father.

  Enzo and Franky step up to me. I grit my teeth while standing up and race over to Franky. Without hesitation, I pull my closed fist back and punch him right in his big-ass fucking nose. Ace grabs my arm halting me from hitting him again while Franky moans.

  Enzo laughs. “You deserved that, Franky,” Enzo scolds, and I pull back glaring at Torque.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I yell.

  “Just to be fucking clear right now… I didn’t grope her. I was selling my story, you motherfucker,” Franky yells. “You’ve broken my fucking nose,” he follows up as blood runs down his chin and drips onto the ground.

  I crease my brows not really caring. I’ve been watching this fight happen, and I needed to let off some steam. Franky fucked me off, so he was the chosen one.

  “I’m sorry I made Ayla crash her car, though. I didn’t mean for that to happen. Honestly, I only meant to force her to pull over, but she lost control, and that’s definitely my fault,” Franky offers.

  “What the hell are you doing, Andretti?” Aiko suddenly calls out.

  Enzo smiles turning to Aiko with a shrug. “You see, Aiko, when you came to me and asked for my assistance to bring down the Defiance MC, then told me of your plan to leave the country with Sensei and Shinobu… your plan was almost flawless.” Enzo tilts his head and raises his eyebrows. “I have to say your monetary offer was tempting. So I played along, and we delivered you Ayla to get you to this very point because we knew your arrival at the jet would see you less guarded. You’d have fewer men here at the field, and this would be the only way to truly bring you down. Of course, I told Torque about the entire plan. We thought we needed an extra safeguard, so we talked to Hiro. He brought in the Ikiga
i Syndicate who were only too happy to help bring you down. They were hiding outside of the warehouse waiting for you to leave…” He smirks with a shrug. “Once you took Sensei and Shinobu, they came in, helped us clean up your little underling invasion at the warehouse, and then we all rushed here to get Sensei and Shinobu back before you took off on that jet to Japan.”

  “Defiance were in on this?” Aiko grunts.

  Torque laughs as Enzo nods his head. “Oh, hell yes. Well, everyone except Sensei and Shinobu. We needed their reactions, so everything seemed realistic. But there was no way I wasn’t filling Torque in on everything because Defiance and the Andrettis work together now. Isn’t that right, Torque?” Enzo states.

  A smirk pulls up on Torque’s face. “Absolutely, Enzo. So you see, Aiko, we were a fuckin’ step ahead of you the entire damn time,” Torque replies.

  With a slight shake of my head, I chuckle as Scratch walks up handing me a Glock. I glance at Mother and she nods, letting me know what I have to do.

  As I step over to Aiko, Trax pulls his hair back making him look up at me while Lift holds him secure. His eyes pleading as I stare down at him.

  “Son—”

  “I told you, I am not your fucking son.”

  He lets out a huff. “If you kill me, it will haunt you. You will never know what could have been—”

  “You terrorized my mother. You forced her into a cold and forsaken marriage. You beat her. You… you raped her. I was born out of an act so cruel…” I pause to center myself as I look to my mother who’s crying as she watches me, and I close my eyes tight trying to right myself. Then open them and then stare back at him. “Look at her,” I scream, and he glances in Mother’s direction. “You say you loved her, but all you ever did was mistreat this remarkable, amazing woman. She had to leave her own country to find refuge. You did that. A man so horrible, Mother had to find solace in another man whose kindness knows no boundaries. A man so honorable, he took on raising a son who wasn’t his own.”

  “Do not talk of that traitor Hiro!” he spits toward my father’s feet.

  Gritting my teeth, I grab the butt of my gun and smash it into his forehead. He falls back slightly as Lift and Trax keep him upright while he sways on the spot.

  “Don’t call him a traitor. He’s a far better man than you could ever be.”

  A line of blood trickles down his forehead as a look of indifference crosses his face. “Maybe so… when I look at you, my son, I see the man you have become. I see so much of myself in you. The storm in your eyes, the thirst, the hunger, you can carry on my legacy. I can forgive all this—”

  “Shut. Up. There’s nothing left for you. I’m nothing like you. I will never be anything like you. If you have any last words… you best say them now.”

  He sinks into himself then looks at my mother. “Shinobu… I ask for absolution. Absolution for my crimes against you. Absolution for my crimes against our son. Will you grant me this as my dying wish?”

  I glance at Mother as she steps forward. A hard glint in her eyes. She shakes her head curling up her lip. “You are the tormenter in my nightmares. But granting you forgiveness…” she pauses and thinks for a moment and nods, then continues, “… yes, forgiveness seems like the honorable thing to do.”

  As I glare at her, I furrow my brows.

  Mother shakes her head as a crooked smile lights up her face. “But I do not give it. This is your penance. You, Aiko, deserve the hell that’s awaiting you…” She looks at me with a brave smile on her face. “My son… pull the trigger.”

  With a curt nod to Mother, I look back at Aiko Ishikawa, his eyes brighten with fear as he shakes his head. “No. No. I can’t have penance… I need to be free. I need absolution to—”

  BANG.

  The squeeze of the trigger comes so easily to me as the smoke wafts up from the barrel of my Glock. The bullet flies straight between his eyes, blood oozes from his forehead as his eyes roll into the back of his head. Trax and Lift let him go as he falls face first on to the ground.

  I breathe out a long breath as Mother lets out a small giggle which makes me look to her. She looks lighter, free. There’s a glow in her eyes I’ve never seen before. I guess even though she’s been living in a different country, the threat of Aiko finding her has always been there, but now she can finally be truly free.

  We can all be truly free of Aiko.

  Mother rushes forward and pulls me into her arms embracing me tightly. She smothers herself in me, and I lean in pressing my lips to her hair. “I love you, Mother.”

  She lets out a soft whimper. “I love you, my son.”

  Torque slaps my back as everyone starts to move around me.

  Enzo steps up to my side. “I apologize for the confusion, Sensei. We were only doing what was needed to get to this end result.”

  I pull back from my mother and nod, putting out my hand to shake his. “Thank you, Enzo. You certainly had me fooled. Where’s Ayla?”

  “She’s fine. I’ve had my medics look over her. She’s been taken back to the clubhouse. She’s there waiting for you all to get back.”

  Tension rolls over me, and I exhale. “Thanks.”

  He grips my bicep and nods. “We’re a team now. Your women are under our protection, too.”

  I glance at Torque. “Enzo, I know you’ve already done us a massive fuckin’ favor today, but can we leave this for you to clean up? Sensei, Hiro, and Shinobu are needed back at the club.”

  Enzo laughs. “Torque, it was already on my list. Go! You go… be a brotherhood. We got this.”

  He nods calling out something in Italian to his men, and they all get to work running about as Torque signals. “Right, let’s all get back to the club. Vibe, you take Sensei, Hiro, and Shinobu in the van. We have a party that needs to happen.”

  Mother, Father, and I head for the van to return to the clubhouse.

  I need to see Sass. I need to make sure she’s all right.

  Because she’s been through terrible trauma, and as much as I need a beer, I need her more.

  SENSEI

  As the van pulls up, I glance at my parents. Mother in Father’s arms as they embrace tightly. Warmth floods through me that we were all able to get through this. Without my father coming to our aid, who knows how this might have ended.

  Taking a deep breath, I bow my head to him as we all step out of the van. “Father, how did you manage to gain the Ikigai Syndicate’s help? What did you have to offer them?”

  Mother peers up to him as if to wonder the same question.

  Father stands taller. “I would offer them my life and my afterlife if it meant you and Shinobu were to live.”

  That’s his way of saying he paid a hefty price, but he won’t actually tell me what. Or maybe he will when Mother isn’t around. I will ask again at another time and place.

  “But this does not matter right now, son. Go! Find your Old Lady. She is what matters.”

  My heart swarms that he called Sass my Old Lady. It means he’s given his blessing. He is accepting of her as part of our family. Pride swarms through me as I nod then turn.

  My family is fine, now I need to make sure my woman is okay. I bolt through the yard then inside the clubhouse noticing Foxy sitting by the pool table. The unmistakable sound of bubblegum popping lets me know I’m heading in the right direction. I run, my feet sounding like a stampede as I race over to see her sitting on a chair, a bandage on her forehead and a beer in her hand as she cradles her other arm like it’s in pain.

  The sight sends a shudder through me. The thought that she’s in any pain, kills me, as I lunge forward and drop to my knees sliding to a stop in front of her.

  Sass’s eyes bug open, and she lets out an almost scream as she sees me, then pushes forward slowly wrapping her good arm around my neck while she embraces me as tightly she can. “Oh my God, thank fucking Christ, I had no idea if I was ever going to see you again.”

  I pull back looking into her watering eyes as I plant a hea
vy kiss on her lips. She kisses me passionately, the taste of her bubblegum making me smile as everyone else slowly filters into the room.

  After a short time, I pull back and look in her eyes. “There’s no way I would go anywhere without you.”

  Sass smiles as Foxy slowly walks away leaving us alone in a quiet corner of the clubroom. She brings her hand up cradling the side of my face and looking into my eyes. “I have no idea what the hell happened today. All I do know is that being with you means I’ll be in danger.” I go to talk, but she stops me by putting up her good hand. “I also know, no matter what the danger, I’ll take that chance because I’m fine with it, Sensei, as long as you come home to me in the end. As long as what you said to me was true.”

  Smiling, I know exactly what she’s talking about. “I mean it, Sass. I claimed you. You’re mine. I’m not letting any-fucking-thing get in the way of that… of us.”

  She grins wide wrapping her arm further around my neck, but then winces letting out a small groan.

  Immediately, I tense. “Where are you hurt?”

  “It’s my shoulder. Foxy says it’s just a strain, I should be good to go in a few days.”

  I lean in and kiss her softly. “I’m still going to get you checked over by Kline…” Sighing, I continue, “I’m sorry. I detest you got dragged into this.”

  She weakly smiles rolling her eyes. “Now I’m your Old Lady, you wanna tell me what’s actually going on?”

  I let out a small laugh and nod. “Yes, I’ll tell you all about it, but first I want to know if you are okay?” I ask, and she weakly smiles. “You have been through another trauma, first fucking Vince at the garage, and now this. I’m concerned for you.” I take the seat next to her as I look into her intense hazel eyes as they glisten.

  “The thing is, while it was scary seeing you being taken by Aiko and not knowing exactly how it would turn out…” my brows knot at the use of her word ‘exactly,’ “… and while the car accident wasn’t the ride of my damned life, Franky was actually quite the gentleman once he told me what the hell was going on.”