Sometimes, silence can be a person’s best friend.
Chapter Nine
I didn’t go straight home after I dropped off Sariah. Instead, I opted to drive around town for a while.
Los Angeles after dark isn’t the best place to wander around, but considering I’m in my car, I know that if any trouble arises, I can either mow it down or make a hasty escape.
I run a hand back through my hair as the night air drifts in and out of the car. A glance into the rear-view mirror tells me that I look like a Pantene commercial and it makes me chuckle slightly.
That’s the thing about being exotic, though. Something as slight as nature sending a breeze by can make one look like they’re meant to be special.
With a sigh, I reach for the pack of smokes I tossed into Sariah’s seat after she got out of the car.
I don’t know why I didn’t press her for more information about Hudson, but I guess I would feel the same way if someone tried to stick their nose into my affairs.
Deep breath and keep driving, Kenji.
I roll up to a stop sign on the corner of Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard and light my cigarette. Inhaling deeply, I roll my neck on my shoulders and glance around the otherwise empty street.
In a neighborhood like this, vacant roads are never really a good thing. It could mean that something ominous is about to happen, or more than likely it already has.
I lean my head back against the rest of my seat as I wait for the light to turn green, but another minute goes by and it stays red.
“I’m not in the mood for this shit tonight,” I mutter as I sit up. I glance both ways, up and down the intersection, before I press down on the gas pedal and roll through.
There’s no possible way that any cops will be out tonight because if they were, the sirens would already be blaring, or the streets would be lined with unmarked cars.
Suffice it to say, I need to get the fuck out of here sooner rather than later.
Gripping my cigarette between my teeth, I glance into the rear-view again to see if anyone is behind me. As soon as I see that no one else is on the road, I turn the steering wheel hard to the left and do a U-turn, speeding all the way back in the direction that I came from, and clear out of supposed gangland territory.
I’ll have to poke Sariah again in the morning and figure out why the hell she thought this would be a good place to live in.
* * *
I’ve been sitting in the driveway of my home with my eyes closed and the window still open. I haven’t cut the engine to the car yet because I don’t feel like going inside.
The wonder of why someone like New Zealand would live in a neighborhood where she would clearly be seen as a target bugs the shit out of me.
How many times has she been able to walk down the street and feel safe? Who is she friends with? Does anyone protect her? Is that really the best place for Hudson to be when he gets out of Irongate?
I groan as I run a hand irritably over my face.
The only priority I should worry about is the one inside that’s waiting for me, but I feel like it’s my duty to protect my employees as well.
The problem is that I can’t be seen in that neighborhood. Not with the tattoos I have; I’ll be mistaken for something I’m not, but secretly would get a rush from.
Do I want to put myself in danger for someone other than Snow?
Not particularly.
I just know that I won’t be able to fucking sleep properly if I don’t.
A plan begins to formulate in my mind, and I step out of the car, leaving the engine still running. No one in this fancy neighborhood would ever dream of stealing a car; especially one that belongs to me.
I’m seen as enigmatic and I revel in the knowledge that most of the people that live on my street are too afraid of me to approach my door, or even wave hello when I step outside.
When I reach the front door, I lean over and pick up a fake stone that holds an extra house key, pry it open, then remove it so I can let myself in.
What I’m planning to do isn’t going to sit well with Snow, but she should be grateful that I’m giving her the chance to go outside. It’s something she hasn’t earned yet, but I have to make sure that my staff are safe at all costs and this is the only way I know how to do it.
I head into the living room quickly and toward the closet where her leash sits on the top shelf. Once I’ve secured that, I leave her in the corner like the good little pup that she is and walk back to my bedroom.
I don’t want her to do this the way I have her dressed in my home because it will just give an excuse to have her taken from me.
Or worse yet; probably raped or killed.
That’s not acceptable.
Not when I’ve been working so hard to keep her in Los Angeles with me.
I pull open the top drawer on my dresser and pull out one of my shirts and a pair of basketball shorts. After that, I go to the closet and drop to my knees to rummage around in the boxes I keep on the floor.
Once I find the box I’m looking for, I shake my head ruefully.
This was supposed to be for a special time. One where she proved to me that she learned every lesson I had wanted to instill in her and that she’d be willing to trounce down a street with me to show off the completion of her lessons.
Instead, I’m breaking my own rules and pushing her to a reward that she still seems miles away from.
I crack my neck as I get to my feet and walk back into the living room. I take the few steps toward Snow and crouch down next to her.
“Get dressed,” I say to her softly as I place the items on the floor. “We have somewhere that we need to be.”
Chapter Ten
I glance over at Snow who’s now in the passenger seat, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them, watching the world go by outside of her window.
I can’t remember the last time she was outside, though I hope she appreciates it even though it’s not in the daylight.
Leaning over I place a hand on her kneepads that I had her slip on, to which she lowers her eyes curiously at the gesture, then quickly steals a glance at me. I wait until she looks again before I take my hand away and chuckle.
“Don’t be afraid, okay?” I tell her softly. “I promise that I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Snow nods as she turns her gaze toward the windshield. She doesn’t know Los Angeles because she’s not from around here.
She’s from somewhere near the Rocky Mountains and she’s mostly used to skiing and country life.
Being in a place like this was a shellshock to her when she arrived, but I think she does better with me than she did on her own.
Freedom was something she gained from her parents when her father beat her one too many times and Child Protective Services took her away. I think she was twelve at the time and she aged out six years later. From our first conversation, if I remember correctly, she told me that she got a part-time job at some ski place near the mountains and lived in a tiny, one-bedroom apartment.
Stumbling around on Facebook one day, she came across the tattoo shop and messaged the page.
Turns out that Snow was a huge fan of our work after seeing a feature in Inked Magazine and was hoping to get some work done by Carter.
I had been on vacation at the time, visiting my mother in Tokyo when Snow arrived, but apparently, she grilled Carter about me.
She told him she thought that I was “cute” and he somehow managed to convince her to stay until I got back a few days later.
I think he gave her a job cleaning up the shop after hours and set her up in a semi-decent motel for a while.
When I arrived back at LAX, he picked me up with Snow and Sariah in the back of his truck.
The introduction, while welcomed, was something I don’t even remember because once I set eyes on her, I knew I wanted her for my own.
And when she looked at me the same way, with a shy smile on her lips, and the gentlest blush to h
er cheeks, it made it obvious that she felt the same way.
At first, everything was normal.
I took her out sight-seeing around Los Angeles, scooted her around Hollywood, and even took her to a couple of big-time premieres. I think she changed her mind about her Rocky Mountain Life after that because she asked me if it would be possible to continue working at the shop as our cleaning lady.
But I had other plans for Snow, and while we’re still working on them, she does her best and gets rewarded when she succeeds.
What I subject her to is always done out of love and never malice like Uncle Abner would do to her, and I think that’s why she’s a little more trusting with me.
Not that I really knew him, only stories that I heard from my father. He was so angry that his sister Hina, married an American man that we spent the day of their wedding back in Japan.
Hell, I didn’t even know that Snow was my cousin until she spilled to me one night about all of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her father.
That’s when it all clicked.
And since Dad made damn sure that I never spent time at Hina and Abner’s house growing up, I didn’t think anything of it when I found out.
To me, Snow is just another perfect, broken girl in the world and she’s mine to protect.
Tonight though, that may change on a completely epic level, but Snow knows that no matter what happens, when this is over, she’s going to come back home with me.
* * *
I’ve parked the car at the end of Slauson Avenue and cut the engine. My fingers are drumming nervously along the steering wheel wondering if maybe I should get a little closer to Sariah’s place.
I run a hand back through my hair then whip my gaze in Snow’s direction when I hear the passenger side door open. She smiles at me before she steps out, and I watch as she walks around to the front of my car and waits patiently.
Taking a deep breath, I turn the key in the ignition so that I can brighten up the street with the headlights. I’ll help her at first, but the rest she has to do on her own.
Stepping out of my vehicle, I press the alarm button to lock the doors, then walk around to Snow who lifts her neck and waits. The leash in my hand seems heavier than it should, and while I know that this is for the greater good, I’m still having trouble reconciling the potential sacrifice of it all.
“We’re going to go for a stroll, pup,” I tell her softly as I clip the leash to her collar. “I’ll take you to the end of the street, but when we get to Crenshaw Boulevard, you’re on your own.”
Snow pushes her hair behind her ears and places her hands on her hips. I can see the defiance in her stance, and I hope she isn’t planning on giving me any trouble or I’ll just end up dragging her the entire way to Sariah’s front door.
“Are you ready?” I ask in a stern tone, giving her leash a tug and the defiance disappears almost instantly. Her hands drop to her sides as she reaches down to pull up on the waistband of the obviously too big for her shorts, then drops down to her knees.
“Good girl,” I commend her as I give the leash a tug and she follows behind me as closely as she can.
I take a deep breath and keep my eyes forward, though occasionally glance around. I’m not afraid of anyone here or any potential situation I may find myself in, but Snow is another matter entirely.
I fear for her safety because she belongs in this neighborhood about as much as Sariah does.
I shake my head as I let out a breath. I hate that some places seem to be subjected to such blatant scrutiny because I know firsthand how it feels to be looked down on for being from somewhere else entirely.
However, tonight, the streets belong to me and if I have to, I’ll remove my shirt to gain respect and have a bounty placed on my head.
It’s the least I can do for the girl I love that’s already suffered so much.
Draw attention away from the pup on the leash and onto me where it would rightfully belong.
A boom of raucous laughter greets us both when we walk by a seemingly vacant house. On the porch and broken stairs sits a group of young men watching us with amusement in their eyes.
I grin at them and nod as I give the leash a tug and we continue on our way.
One of them yells after us that it’s the first time he’s ever seen something like this. Another claps and asks if walking her like this makes fucking her from behind better.
Both are valid, in statement and inquiry, but neither deserving of any kind of acknowledgement besides the one already given.
I can see the end of the street in sight and the intersection looming under the flickering streetlight.
Snow stops moving for a moment and I give the leash a hard tug, causing her to pitch forward and damn near land on her face. When she looks up at me and sees the stern look in my eyes, she takes a deep breath and keeps moving.
I know she must be tired by now because it’s the first time I’ve ever walked her, however, all lessons are learned with some kind of pain and she’s been training for this moment for longer than she knows.
Crenshaw Boulevard.
The sign is above us now and it’s time for another test.
“Go to fifteen sixty-seven and knock on the door. Sariah lives there. I want you to bring her back to this intersection. I’ll explain when we get back to the house, okay?”
I lean down and unclip the leash and smack Snow on the ass to send her on her way.
Hopefully, she’ll make it to Sariah and back again.
And if she doesn’t, then I’ll find a way to forgive myself for the danger I sent her into for someone that really shouldn’t even matter.
Chapter Eleven
I’m sitting on the porch with the guys from earlier. After thirty minutes had gone by and neither Sariah nor Snow had come back to the intersection, I decided to cut my losses and at least have a somewhat decent night out.
The thing is that I won’t just leave Snow here. I’ll go retrieve her if I have to, but I want to give her the opportunity to come back to me herself.
“So, what’s your name?” one of the guys asks me.
“Kenji,” I reply, taking his hand and giving it a quick shake.
“What neighborhood are you from?” another asks, also extending his hand toward me.
“Baldwin Hills,” I reply with a sly smile and he chuckles.
It’s just outside of the Crenshaw district limits and that’s why I know this is a bad place to be, but after World War Two, it became a predominately Japanese-American neighborhood, so I kind of felt right at home when I settled here.
Granted, it’s not that way anymore but I tend to keep to myself, so my neighbors don’t seem to mind my presence.
“Why were you walking that girl like that?”
I glance up at the one young kid that’s teetering on the railing of the porch and shrug, “How else are you gonna teach ‘em?”
That response evokes a round of laughter from all of my newfound pals, and I force a smile onto my face. I don’t like talking about Snow this way but I kind of want to keep them in my good graces in the event that I ever find trouble here.
That’s not to say that everyone from this side of town is a hoodlum; hell, they’re probably some of the most upstanding citizens this side of Los Angeles just having a guys’ night out, but I doubt it.
The same way they would doubt me if they ever came to Baldwin Hills.
Not that I have a bad reputation where I live. I just happen to know that there are more whispers and whatnots about who I am and why I’ve decided to live in their self-proclaimed glorious little neighborhood.
It’s a shame too considering that most of the people that live around me are Japanese; born and bred on the island that came here for a better life.
Fuck, I think as I glance down at the time on my phone. Thoughts of the American Dream make me think of Sariah and now, time tells me that it’s been another ten minutes since I’ve sat down to shoot the shit.
&nbs
p; “It was cool hanging out, but I have to get my girls now,” I say to them as I get to my feet.
“You got more than one?” the young kid asks, and I grin at him.
“No. One is just a friend, more like a little sister, and I sent my girl to go get her. But you know how women can be,” I state with an eye roll.
The statement elicits another round of laughter as I walk down the sole step below me, then give them a nod as I head toward the intersection.
I shove my hands in my pockets as I cross the street towards Crenshaw Boulevard, and whistle quietly on my way toward Sariah’s front door.
Almost instantly, the flash of red and blue lights appears from somewhere behind me and I glance over my shoulder to see about three cop cars racing up the road.
I stop walking for a moment, curiosity taking over me, then turning sour and almost choking me on the stench of it when they stop in front of Sariah’s door.
Two of the officers walk out of their cars and jog up the front steps of her home, while the other four that have now exited their vehicles respectively, begin to swing their flashlights up and down the street.
I take a step back and slip behind a hedge before one of the officers has a chance to catch me in his beam of light.
My heart begins to race a little faster in my chest as I watch the scene unfold curiously.
And when I see Sariah step out of the house, her arms wrapped protectively around Snow’s shoulders, I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The promise of always has been shattered into the fucking lie that I knew it always had been. I know that and accept it when I see a female officer climb the steps and help Snow down.
But I’m sure of it when Sariah glances down the street, and one of the larger officers somehow manages to see me.
The moment she points in my direction, I take a deep breath and a few steps back. When a light suddenly begins to blind me as it begins to lob closer to me, I turn on my heel and run.
Another Family Affair Page 9
