Blowback

by James P. Sumner

  He thrusts Mia away from him, sending her stumbling forward. I step to catch her. She collapses into my arms. I hold her up, place a hand on her cheek, and tilt her face toward mine.

  “You’re safe now, Mia. I promise.”

  I drag her behind me, making sure my body is between her and the two groups of men at my ten and two respectively.

  Kazawa gestures to Mia. “I let her go. Your other friend, she’s mine. I already have buyers lined up. She will perform. Then she will be dissected.”

  “You want her, you gotta go through me.”

  He smiles. “Oh, I intend to. You see, the only reason she is still alive is because I knew you would come after her. Your dear Ruby was kind enough to confirm Ko’s suspicions about who you were. Your reputation and predictability precede you. He proposed we use her as bait. Like I said—smart boy.”

  Behind me, Mia grips my arm. She moves to my side.

  “Adrian… what’s he talking about? Why would these people recognize you?”

  I curse silently to myself. “It’s nothing, Mia. A case of mistaken identity. Nothing we can’t resolve.”

  Kazawa steps theatrically toward me, gesturing with his gun like a conductor heading an orchestra.

  “Oh! Oh! This is too good!” He points the barrel at Mia. I step back in front of her. “Your little friend… she doesn’t know who you are, does she?”

  He moves the gun, so it’s resting against my forehead. I stand my ground. Stand tall. Fuck him.

  “Tell her,” he says.

  “No.”

  Uh!

  Christ, that hurt…

  Kazawa just jabbed the butt of his gun into my temple. The movement was fast. I barely saw it.

  The gun’s back against my head.

  “Yes,” he says.

  I close my eyes.

  Dammit.

  “Fine.” I turn to Mia. “The truth is… this guy right here? Smallest dick in Tokyo. I swear to God, it’s like a thumbtack.”

  Gah!

  I drop to one knee as Kazawa smashes his gun into the back of my head.

  Totally worth it.

  “You think you’re funny, Adrian?” he asks.

  I look up at him. “Well, it made me laugh…”

  He drags me up by my collar. Holds me so I’m facing Mia. Puts the gun to my head.

  “Tell her who you are, or I’ll kill you where you stand,” he says. “Fuck the profits.”

  I believe him.

  I look at Mia. I stare into her innocent eyes, full of youth and promise. And fear. I take a deep breath. I don’t know why, but her finding out who I really am is harder to deal with than I imagined it could be.

  “Mia, I… I’m not who you think I am.”

  She frowns. Her gaze shifts to Kazawa, then back to me. “W-what do you mean? Adrian, what’s going on? Who are you?”

  I sigh. “The truth is, I’m out here in Tokyo trying to retire. I’m an assassin. Or, I was .”

  Behind me, Kazawa laughs. “But not just any assassin. He is the world’s greatest assassin. Tell her, Adrian. Tell her what you did!”

  I grind my teeth with frustration. Man, I want to knock this asshole’s head clean off right now.

  “You remember when President Cunningham was killed?”

  Mia shrugs. “Of course. Everyone does…”

  “Well, it was me who killed him.”

  She steps back, recoiling from me. “W-why would you even say that? I don’t like this, Adrian. I want to leave!”

  “I’m sorry, Mia, but it’s true. The guy was the mastermind behind 4/17. He needed to be stopped. I’m the best killer this world has ever seen. It was my responsibility.”

  She sinks to her knees, covering her mouth with both hands. Her eyes bulge in their sockets. I think she might be hyperventilating.

  I look back at Kazawa. “You happy now?”

  “Very!”

  I take a step toward Mia. “Are you okay? I’m sorry if you—”

  “Who else have you killed?” she asks.

  The question takes me by surprise.

  “Uh…”

  “Come on. Tell me! If you’re supposedly this great assassin, or hitman—whatever you call yourself, who else have you killed? How many lives have you ended?”

  “Honestly? I’ve killed a lot of people, Mia. I’m not proud of it, but I’m not ashamed of it either. It’s who I am. Everyone I’ve killed had it coming, for one reason or another.”

  She gets to her feet and walks toward me. “Says who? You? Who are you to decide who should live or die? You’re a fucking murderer!”

  There’s genuine, heartfelt anger in her voice. Her eyes are alive with venom. She’s almost hysterical. And I can’t say I blame her. She’s young, and this is a lot to process, especially under these circumstances. She must be terrified. Adrenaline will carry her through this. At least she’s forgotten the danger she’s in right now, which is a blessing. But thanks to Kazawa, she now knows the real me…

  And she hates me for it.

  Still, I guess I’d rather have her hate me than try to deal with this shit.

  I turn away from her and stare at Kazawa. Over his shoulder, I see Ruby. Her face is contorted with sympathy.

  “I did what you asked,” I say to him. “Now let her go. She has nothing to do with this.”

  He smiles. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

  Huh?

  I look back at Mia. She’s—

  “Ah! A-a-a-a-ah! Uh! Shit!”

  Oh my God! I’m flat on my back… I’m—

  Hnnn! Hnnn!

  My muscles… all of them… spasming…

  I flail involuntarily on the floor. I have no control of my limbs. The pain is excruciating… every inch of my body is in shock.

  What the hell was that?

  …

  …

  …

  The sensation subsides, replaced by a throbbing ache. I look up. Mia’s standing over me. She’s holding a… a… what is that? A taser?

  What the fuck?

  “M-Mia…? What are you… what are you doing?”

  She’s glaring down at me. The hatred is still there, but the fear has gone. Her eyes are dead, yet somehow alive at the same time.

  I really don’t understand what’s happening right now.

  …

  …

  …

  Christ, even the voices in my head were shocked silent by that.

  Mia steps over me. I fight against the leftover feeling of pins and needles and roll over. Push myself up to one knee. I look up at her as she…

  She’s kissing Kazawa!

  And I mean, they’re really going at it.

  I look over at Ruby. Her expression mirrors my sentiments. She’s frowning, possibly vomiting in her mouth, unable to believe what she’s seeing.

  After what seems like an eternity, they part and turn to face me. Mia crouches in front of me. Grips my chin with one hand and lifts my head, so I’m staring at her. There’s something in her eyes. Something… primordial, burning within them. A malice of such intensity, I honestly don’t recall ever having seen it before. Even in myself.

  She spits in my face.

  I see the punch coming but can do nothing to stop it. She lashes a left hook into the side of my head.

  I eat every bit of it. It hit me so hard, I didn’t even register the impact. I just opened my eyes and found myself flat on the floor again.

  I push myself up on all fours. Try to gather my senses. Try to figure out what’s going on.

  I hear shouting. I look up to see Ko and his two sidekicks dragging Ruby into the center of the room. They’re tying her to the pole, her arms above her head.

  “I’m gonna rip your balls off, you little prick!” she yells.

  Ko laughs and slashes the back of his hand across her face. The crack is loud and hollow. It echoes around me. The three of them check her restraints and step away, moving to Kazawa’s side.

  I bring one knee up
, trying to stand, testing my balance. Kazawa, Ko, and his men are laughing among themselves. Laughing at me. If I could get my ears to stop ringing, my vision to unblur, and my muscles to stop twitching for long enough, I’d beat the shit out of each one of them.

  Where’s Mia gone?

  I turn to look behind me.

  Ooof!

  There she is.

  Jesus! That felt like…

  She crouches in front of me again. Bangs her fists together menacingly. She’s wearing a set of brass knuckles on each hand.

  Yeah, that’s what that felt like.

  “I’ve been waiting a lifetime for this, Adrian,” she says.

  She kicks me hard in the side. My ribs feel intact, but they’re not happy. I roll away from her, hitting the side of the stage where Ruby’s tied up.

  Mia’s on me in a heartbeat. She grabs my collar with both hands and props me up against the stage by Ruby’s feet. She’s deceptively strong. My head lolls back as I struggle to stay conscious. I look up at Ruby. She’s talking. Probably yelling. But I can’t hear her. It’s as if someone hit the mute button on the world. She’s staring at me. There’s panic in her eyes.

  I manage to lift my head. Mia’s mounted me, kneeling across my stomach. Her hand wraps around my throat.

  “You’ve had this coming for five… fucking … years!” she screams. Her words sound distant and shallow.

  I try to protect myself, but my arms are numb and heavy. She rains down lethal blows, one after the other. My body, my chest, my face…

  I felt the first couple.

  The world keeps blinking out of existence and back again.

  …

  …

  …

  I see flashes of her face, twisted with primal rage. I see spurts of blood fly after each punch. I assume it’s mine.

  I’m… I’m done.

  …

  …

  …

  “Wake up, you bastard!”

  …

  …

  …

  “Wake! Up!”

  …

  …

  …

  My eye snap open. I lurch to the side, coughing. I spit blood out. A lot of blood. The bitter taste of copper lines my mouth. I feel my face, wondering why I can’t open one of my eyes. Given how swollen it is to touch, I’m guessing it’s been punched shut.

  I take a deep breath, which instantly makes me yell out with pain.

  Maybe my ribs took more damage from that kick than I thought.

  I rest back against the stage again. My good eye is only half open. I can just about see Ruby. She’s crying. And shouting.

  Groggily, I roll my head around, so I’m staring at Kazawa. Mia is beside him. She’s smiling. But it’s not a happy smile. It’s a sadistic smile. I’ve seen the same look before in the eyes of soldiers on a battlefield. A bloodlust that can’t be satisfied.

  That young girl—the one I saved from two assholes in a bar… the one I nearly slept with last night—has just laid a beating on me that was borderline inhuman. I’ve never been taken apart this badly in my life. I’m convinced I’m about to die.

  I need to know…

  “W-why?” I ask.

  Mia walks toward me. She leans over with her hands on her knees, as if she’s addressing a child.

  “I’m not surprised you don’t remember,” she says. “You’ve been through a lot these last few years. But what’s about to happen to you has been a long time coming, Adrian. All those nameless faces of the people you’ve killed… they might mean nothing to you. But one of them meant a great deal to me. You reap what you sow, you sonofabitch.”

  I try to speak but just cough up more blood.

  …

  …

  …

  Ugh! I wipe my mouth. Stare at the thick, dark stain on my hand.

  Shit.

  I relax back against the stage. Stare blankly into Mia’s eyes.

  “I don’t… I don’t remember. I’m sorry. Mia…”

  She buries a fist into my gut. Pain explodes across my entire midsection, but my body’s too broken and tired to react.

  “My name isn’t Mia. It’s Miley.” She pauses, as if waiting for me to suddenly figure out what all this is about. “Miley Tevani . Five years ago, almost to the day, you killed my mother. And now, I’m going to destroy your legacy, your name, your reputation, your body… and then I’m going to kill you.”

  She straightens. Winds up a right hand. I see the lights reflect off the brass knuckles as her fist flies toward my—

  14

  ??:??

  Consciousness doesn’t so much wash over me; it kind of trickles… like a broken faucet. My body is paralyzed from head to toe, yet, somehow, I can tell I’m upright. The only thing I can feel is my head. Not my face—just the base of my skull. It’s like a police siren and a nightclub’s bassline had a baby, and it’s just repeatedly stabbing me in the brain.

  I need to focus. Assess.

  What do I know?

  Well, I’m alive. Just about.

  I hurt everywhere.

  …

  …

  …

  Okay, that’s not a great start.

  What do I need to know?

  Where am I?

  What happened?

  What’s going to happen next?

  …

  …

  …

  I have no idea.

  What can I remember?

  My head lolls forward, too heavy for my neck to support. I start coughing. Feel thick, syrup-like blood form on my lips. I spit it out.

  I remember Ruby. That asshole driver from last night had a knife to her throat.

  I remember being beaten. Badly.

  I remember Kazawa.

  I open my eyes.

  Ah!

  …

  …

  …

  Shit.

  Okay. I open my eye . The right one doesn’t want to open, apparently, and who am I to argue?

  This room looks familiar.

  It’s one of the ones I searched on the way in here with…

  Mia.

  She’s standing in front of me. There’s a weird smile on her face. It’s as if she’s bemused and pissed at the same time. She’s changed her outfit too. She’s now wearing a black leather catsuit and knee-length combat boots.

  It’s as if she’s a completely different person.

  Flashbacks of the beating she gave me flood into my mind. Even the memories hurt. Instinctively, I lunge for her, but I don’t move. I look to my sides. My arms are tied to whatever’s keeping me upright. Out to the sides, like a cross.

  Uh-oh.

  I look down and realize my shirt has been removed. My ankles are bound together, strapped to the same device my body and arms are. I look like I’m being crucified.

  A sadly ironic way to go, by all accounts.

  “Hello, Adrian.”

  Her voice is calm. Her tone like ice. Her eyes stare through me like I’m nothing.

  I try to speak, but all I manage is a low, mumbling noise I hope sounded sarcastic.

  “Just so we’re clear,” she says. “Today will be the last day of your life. I need you to understand that. I need you to believe that.”

  I nod slowly. I actually do.

  “Good.” She paces away idly, as if she’s on a stroll through a meadow. She spins to face me as she reaches the computer that’s set up on the other side of the room. “I can’t begin to tell you how long I’ve waited for this moment. It’s all I’ve thought about for the last five years. Do you have any idea how long that is to fixate on one thing? It’s a lifetime, Adrian.”

  I take a breath. Cough out some more blood. Try to find words.

  “W-who are you again?”

  She smiles patiently. “Miley Tevani. You killed my mother, Dominique. And now, I’m going to kill you.”

  I frown. It hurts to even think, but this is important.

  Dominique Tevani…


  …

  …

  …

  Jesus! That’s the assassin Wilson Trent hired to kill me. God, that was… what? Five years ago? So, Mia is…

  I shake my head.

  “Y-you got it all wrong, Mia. Miley. Whatever.”

  Her eyes narrow. “Is that right? This should be good. Please, enlighten me.”

  I take a few shallow breaths, steeling myself for the upcoming effort of talking coherently.

  “First of all, I technically didn’t kill your mom. She was hired to kill me , but she couldn’t—she respected me too much. Then the guy who hired her must’ve kidnapped you for leverage, leaving her no choice. Me and your mom, we beat the crap out of each other, yeah. But I didn’t kill her. She had me dead to rights. Someone else shot her to save me.”

  Her expression changes. Her brow furrows. Confusion. Anger. Doubt.

  “I went after the guy who hired her because he killed my family,” I continue, on a roll with a newfound surge of strength. “My wife. My daughter. He slaughtered them in our home to get to me. So, I killed him. Took down his entire empire. And not for nothing, I rescued you in the process. You were just this young, scared little kid. Couldn’t have been more than fourteen at the time. If that. A friend of mine took you to a hospital in a chopper. I had no idea who you were until right now.”

  She walks slowly toward me. She seems distant. Lost.

  “Miley, I know you’re hurting. I know you’re angry. But your beef isn’t with me. Or with my friend. Your mom was a good person. And a good assassin. Her blood was on Wilson Trent’s hands. And I got him, kid. I got him for both of us.”

  Her hand disappears behind her back. It reappears holding a small flick-knife.

  Oh, f—

  “Ah!”

  She glides close to me, sliding the blade effortlessly into my stomach. Pain erupts throughout my body. I fight to stay awake. To stay alive. Pressing her body against mine, she leans in, on her tiptoes so that her lips are next to my ear.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Miley steps away, leaving the knife in my body. I glance down at it. Blood is pumping from the wound, but I think she managed to avoid anything vital. It’s not fatal, just agonizing.

  Whether that was skill on her part or luck on mine, I honestly can’t tell.

  I watch as she moves over to the computer again. She works the keyboard, then adjusts the webcam so that it points directly at me. I see the feed on the screen. I see myself, helpless and immobile. I look on the brink of death.