Beautiful Dragons

by Matthew James

  Great, she thought, I may actually have to sleep with the little shit. The potent sleeping pill, along with the champagne would hit him hard. But it would still take time—time she didn’t want to spend with him.

  While never one to shy away from a high-paying client, even women like Darla had their principles. Koji was someone she’d never choose to be with for the sole fact that he was an enemy of Freddy, a man that had looked out for her for several years. She had no ties to Freddy’s youth, but he’d saved her from an emotional, drug-induced existence.

  Now, she served people for money. While not an entirely noble profession, she did it sober and in control. Plus, she was damn good at it and made a lot of money doing so.

  Koji sat back down next to her and twitched with excitement, afraid to make the first move. She led him on this far, and she knew the plan would be blown if she suddenly slammed on the brakes.

  “Can I ask you something?” She turned towards him.

  “Um, sure,” he replied, entranced.

  “I’ve been having an awful time sleeping lately and was hoping a strong, handsome man like yourself could help me.”

  He nodded rapidly before speaking again. “I—I think I can do that, yes.”

  “Good.”

  Darla stood and gracefully walked to the master bedroom with Koji close behind. It was decorated with traditional Japanese art and looked like something straight out of a travel brochure.

  She stopped at the foot of the large bed and turned, smiling wide. “Here, let me have that.” She took Koji’s glass and set it next to her’s on the nearest nightstand. The only difference between them was the coat of red lipstick on the rim of hers. It’s how she’d tell them apart.

  With her back to Koji, she reached up to the back of her neck with one hand and untied the top of her dress. Her free hand caught the pill as it fell free. She casually glanced over her shoulder and eyed the stupefied man, making sure his gaze was on her nude back and not on what she was actually doing.

  Carefully, Darla dropped the pill into Koji’s drink and waited for it to dissolve. When it did, she once more picked up the glasses and turned. Let’s just say Koji’s eyes weren’t on hers…again.

  “Like what you see?” she asked, rolling her eyes at the ridiculous question. She still couldn’t believe he was buying it.

  He didn’t answer, biting his lip instead.

  “Come,” she said, “sit with me.”

  She held out his drink, and he gladly accepted it, guzzling down the remains, all the while eyeing her body.

  They’ll be no romancing me tonight.

  She drained her drink and dropped the glass to the carpeted floor, grabbed Koji by the jacket, and pushed him onto the bed. She looked at the clock on the wall and slowly climbed on top of him while speaking. “We have at least fifteen more minutes.”

  Darla rolled her eyes as Koji an answer and grabbed her chest. She responded with her own moan, successfully hiding her groan of disgust.

  A voice spoke up in her ear. “See you soon, D.”

  The Lobby

  Freddy paid his tab and pushed away from the bar with five minutes to spare. If everything worked out like he hoped it did, Darla would have already drugged their man. All he’d have to do was knock on their door and be let in. Then, the real challenge would begin: Getting Koji’s unconscious body downstairs and out back without anyone noticing.

  Freddy was happy to see that Koji looked to be roughly his height and weight, gauging them both when he walked by with Darla leading the way. Freddy planned on switching clothes with him and stuffing him in a rolling laundry basket. Then, he and Darla would simply push him outside and shove him into the trunk of the waiting limo.

  If a hotel employee stopped and questioned them, Darla or him, would do their best to talk their way out of trouble. Hopefully, his false persona would do the trick either way.

  He stopped and smiled at a group of passing women, his eyes darting around the room. No one was watching him, which was a good thing. He had hoped security would be back to normal after Violet and Roman’s loud exit earlier that morning. Most places like this would do everything in their power to sweep an incident like that under the rug to save face. Image was everything in an industry like this. One foul-up could cost the hotel millions in future business.

  The lack of extra security in the lobby told him that his assumptions were correct. The Shangri-La was acting like it was just another day.

  He grinned and headed for the elevators, pressing the up arrow. His hand shook as he did. Freddy wasn’t nervous for himself. He was nervous for Darla. He liked her and had asked her to leave her line of work countless times. Money would never be a problem for her.

  When this little operation was over, he planned on asking her again.

  They’d slept together numerous times. Their relationship was one of care and respect. He never once chastised her for being a prostitute. He knew she was a good person deep down, one that was stuck in her ways, pretending to be happy with what she did.

  It was the same thing he’d been doing for years.

  Thankfully, he entered the elevator alone and rode it up to the second-to-last floor. As every level passed beneath him, Freddy became more and more nervous. His leg anxiously shook, and his hands fidgeted in his pockets.

  “Come on,” he grumbled, wishing the lift would move quicker.

  He reflexively reached inside his jacket and fingered the gun holstered there. Yes, he sold them for a living, but Freddy was never one to use them. He was around death all the time and didn’t want the act of killing someone on his conscious.

  In this case, he carried the tranq gun he showed Roman earlier. It was easy to conceal and non-lethal, both of which calmed him some. If he had to use it, he would, knowing it wouldn’t kill the dart’s recipient.

  DING.

  The elevator’s arrival startled him, but Freddy quickly regained his wits and stepped out into the luxurious hallway. A couple of over-privileged peacocks strode their way towards him, and he did everything he could not to call them out. He hated prima donnas like this—people that thought they were better than everyone else because of their status or wealth.

  But he played it cool and continued past the pair and headed for Darla’s room.

  “Let’s see…1504,” he said to himself, finding it a heartbeat later.

  He raised his fist to knock but was surprised when the door was yanked open. Shaken, he laughed when he saw a topless Darla standing in the doorway sipping on a full glass of champagne.

  Wanting nothing more than to rip the rest of her clothes off, Freddy resisted her lustful stare and entered the room.

  “Put those away and give me a hand with our boy.”

  21

  Slowly peeking out into the long hallway, Freddy was relieved to see no one there. Silently, he turned to Darla, and she lifted the dead weight of Koji’s feet. Together they dumped him into the half-full laundry cart and went about covering him with the various sheets and towels.

  Freddy had a bit of luck when he stumbled upon a room at the end of the hallway marked with an “Employees Only” sign. He listened before entering and was relieved to hear the telltale sound of a clothes dryer tumbling.

  Fully hidden, Koji’s body would be invisible to those not looking for it—which should’ve been no one. Carefully, he pushed it away from the door as Darla exited. They smiled at each other and headed back to the main elevator, cringing as the same waspy couple from before exited the elevator on the right.

  Remembering that they saw his face earlier, Freddy turned away from them. He already knew that people like this would never meet him eye to eye anyway, but he did it all the same.

  Even Darla changed her gate, walking smoothly behind him. She went as far as making a couple of annoyed grunts too, acting as if Freddy was in her way. Once the couple passed them, Darla made a show of it and sped up, obviously irritated. To put the icing on the cake, she verbally chastised Freddy as wel
l.

  Darla pressed the down arrow and looked over her shoulder and found Freddy staring at her.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I wish we would’ve had more alone time in that room. We could’ve had some fun.”

  “We were kind of in a rush!” she hissed.

  “I did pay for the room, didn’t I?”

  She grinned and opened her purse. The money was still there.

  “The little creep didn’t collect it yet.”

  Freddy excitedly clapped his hands together. “Nor will he!”

  She sighed and inspected a rip in the side of her dress.

  “Did he do that?” Freddy asked, pointing to the pile of towels.

  “He was…excited.”

  Freddy leaned in and kissed her. “I will buy you three more.”

  She blushed and kissed him again, just as the elevator dinged. A lone man greeted them. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but Freddy instantly recognized who he was.

  Mako!

  Freddy froze, but thankfully, Darla didn’t, not knowing who stood in front of them. She moved to the side and let the large man exit before pulling on Freddy’s sleeve. He turned and entered backward, barely able to pick up his feet.

  “Koji?” Freddy’s eyes glanced down at his nametag and then snapped up to Mako. He tried his best to hide his rising fear. “I have a friend named Koji…”

  Quickly finding his words, Freddy spoke. “Yes, um, shaved head, works the front desk—good man. We always have trouble with phone calls.”

  “I was told he was up here.” The shark’s eyes burned into Freddy’s.

  “He was, um, meeting a friend in 1504, if I’m not mistaken.” He smiled wide as the elevator doors shut, praying Mako didn’t stop them.

  He didn’t, and Freddy leaned forward and shook in fear when the elevator began its descent. He gripped the laundry cart, trying to get his emotions back in check. The man who was ultimately responsible for his wife’s death had just looked him in the eyes, and he’d done nothing to take his revenge.

  “What’s wrong?” Darla asked, oblivious.

  He stood straighter but kept his eyes transfixed on the closed doors, seeing his reflection in them. “We’re in a lot of trouble,” he gritted his teeth and banged his fists against the cart, “that’s what.”

  * * *

  Violet waved Roman back, helping him position the limo just outside the back door. Both were exceptional drivers, but neither had a lot of practice behind the wheel of such a large vehicle.

  Freddy had just called down and warned them of Mako’s presence. It didn’t matter why he was there, though. All that did matter was that he was on location and that they needed to leave and regroup before they—Freddy and Darla, in particular—were overwhelmed and killed. The confines of the hotel hallways would give them nowhere to hide.

  “Freddy,” Violet said, “what’s your ETA?”

  “Now!” he shouted, shoving through the door to the loading dock. The laundry cart went careening into the rear fender of the limo, giving Violet a look at its occupant, or rather, Koji’s foot as it kicked into the air. Eventually, it flopped back down from whence it came. His Gumby-like limb was almost comical in a way.

  Roman rushed to the rear of the still-running car and helped her dump the droopy man into the trunk. Landing with a bang, Koji groaned and almost woke. Regardless if he woke or not, they had their man, Violet putting an exclamation point on it by slamming the lid shut.

  “Everyone in,” Roman ordered, not waiting for a reply.

  Violet, Freddy, and Darla all piled into the back of the limo. Roman floored the pedal before they could even shut the door. Nervous, Violet kept watch on the rear of the building, waiting to see if someone came rushing out and ID’d the car.

  But no one did, and when Roman pulled the limo onto the busy street, she allowed herself to relax and breathe. Freddy and Darla held one another, getting a nod from Violet as she made her way up to Roman, again taking her place just outside the open divider.

  “Bad luck?” she asked him.

  He glanced in his rearview mirror, looking irate at what almost happened. “It was too close.” He said, keeping his voice low. “Mako could’ve killed them.”

  “We had no choice,” she said, reaching a hand out. Roman was tense, and she tried to calm him.

  “Look…I don’t ever get civilians involved unless it’s absolutely necessary—and never in an operation that involves a murderous lunatic like Mako.”

  “Neither do I,” she agreed, “but this was the only way to get to Koji after what we did earlier. It was our fault they got involved in the first place.”

  He looked at her again in his mirror. “And it would’ve been our fault if they were killed too.” Roman shook his head in frustration. “I don’t like the chances we’re takin’.”

  Violet looked at him hard. “You took a chance on me, right?”

  “That was different. You’re trained for things like this.”

  “Um, excuse me,” Darla butted in, “but I think we did a damn good job up there.”

  Roman couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, look, you guys did well.”

  “Well?” Freddy asked grinning hard.

  Roman rolled his eyes. “Fine, you kicked ass.”

  Freddy clapped hard. “Yes, we did!”

  He reached forward and opened the fully-stocked mini fridge, plucking out a bottle of champagne. “Drinks are on me!”

  Darla grimaced and sat back, shaking her head vigorously. “None for me, thank you. I’ve had enough for one night.”

  The Shangri-La Hotel

  The Presidential Suite

  Mako sat on the shredded sectional, knife in hand. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. After entering the room with a key card that was left for him at the desk, he quickly saw there had been someone there. But he also found no one to still be there.

  He called to his men outside, but they didn’t see anyone matching the description of the imposter-Koji and the attractive woman. His cousin was gone, kidnapped by the unknown pair.

  An empty bottle of champagne was the first thing Mako noticed upon entering. Koji must’ve enjoyed himself before he was subdued. How exactly it happened, Mako didn’t know.

  Had to be the woman, he thought, visualizing the lady in white. She was exactly what Koji would enjoy and must’ve been used as a lure. The man accompanying her would’ve been her support while she, what, knocked him unconscious?

  That didn’t make sense. Koji, while not a physically imposing man, was a good bit bigger than the woman. Lost in the crackling flame, Mako’s eyes shifted back to the bedroom. He recalled the carpet being wet. Getting up, he moved back into the master bedroom and examined the dampness. He knelt and sniffed, recognizing the smell of champagne.

  He must’ve been drugged.

  Face only inches from the carpet, he looked up and found an empty, half-broken glass underneath the bed. It had a red stain on its rim, confirming the woman’s involvement.

  Mako stood and exited the bedroom, finding a lone figure standing in front of the fireplace. She was a vision to behold, even at her age. He wasn’t sure how old she was. If he had to guess, he’d say that she was in her fifties.

  “Kyoko.”

  His employer didn’t look at him, she just stood there, leaning against the fireplace mantle, eyes transfixed on the crackling flames.

  “They were here,” she said. “And you let them escape.”

  Mako stood tall and crossed his arms. “We had no idea they’d have help.”

  “Help?” She glanced at him, her eyes intense. “You call a small-time arms dealer and a whore, help?”

  So, she knows the man?

  He watched as Kyoko stood straight and turned towards him. “We suspected that they’d show up again and you and your people failed me again.”

  “My men were under the impression that we’d see Violet and the American agent again, not—”

  “I have no time
for excuses, Mr. Wu,” she interrupted. “Even your cousin could’ve told you that those two were smart enough not to show themselves again.” She strode up to him, stopping within inches. “You on the other hand…”

  Kyoko smelled wonderful, like fresh jasmine. Her eyes went from angry to predatory. Madame had a wicked side to her. It’s what Mako feared the most. She may have been older and much smaller than him, but she was as deadly as Violet, if not more.

  But it was those eyes and that internal monster that attracted him to her. He could have any woman he pleased. Kyoko was the one woman he couldn’t have. It made Mako want her all the more.

  He grabbed her arms and threw her onto the ruined sofa, jumping on top of her. He expected her to fight back, but she didn’t, grinning a devilish grin. She allowed him to come in close and when he was about to kiss her, she bit down hard on his lip, splitting it open.

  Leaping off of her, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and held it to his lip. “Fucking bitch!” He reached inside his jacket and palmed his pistol but was greeted by the tip of a blade to his throat. He didn’t even see her draw it. Slowly, he retracted his empty hand and stepped away.

  “Careful how you speak to me, Mr. Wu.” She slipped the oversized dagger back into her left coat sleeve. It’s where the weapon was sheathed at all times. She had a similar blade in her right sleeve as well. Kyoko rushed him and kissed him hard, uncaring of the blood dripping down his chin.

  After a few passion-filled seconds, she pulled away and licked the crimson plasma from her lips. Composing herself, she turned and headed for the door but stopped before leaving.

  “If you fail me again,” she looked over her shoulder, “I will kill you and everyone you hold dear.” She turned around entirely. “And unlike you, I keep my promises.”

  Then, she was gone. All Mako could do was curse under his breath while he dabbed his still bleeding lip. He was halfway to the door when his cell phone buzzed. He checked the number and saw it was Koji calling him.