A sudden commotion draws both our attentionI see the sound of shouting, and I peer through the window towards the alley next to the shelter. A tall, heavy man is throwing a woman against the bricks.
One second, says the officer, and he jogs out of the car.
I slump against the window. Praying forfor what ?
The officer leaves the man in handcuffs, tied to a post, and he tells me that his partner is going to arrest him.
Why didn’t you ? I ask.
The shelter might not be the best place for a girl like you, he says simply. And I’m not putting him in the same car as a young girl.
Oh, I manage. Thank you.
My mind is racing. What does that mean ? Is he going to . . . is he trying to . . .
But he only reclines his seat, and warmth blasts through the air conditioner. Thawing my chilled hands.
Sleep, he says. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the station. I’ll find you some support . . .
I’m already drifting off. In the morning, I read his name tag : Officer Wilhelm. And then I climb out of the car, and I don’t see him ever again.
I think I’ll remember Cassie’s scream for the rest of my life.
So fast I don’t have time to blink, I see a lithe figure behind Tadashi, and I see the gunshot before I hear it. Tadashi’s head lashes forward onto the table. He’s dead, and Cassie is still screaming. Or maybe I’m screaming.
Imai stands up, and I realize that behind his silk facade, there is something lethal. Something familiar. He reminds me of
Veah is suddenly there, and she moves so quickly that within moments, two of the three men are dead. Leaving only Imai, who watches Kaya with something like indifference.
Fear. There’s a slight twitch to his eye.
He’s afraid of her. Is that whyis this the reason he’s here ? After me ? The Yakuza boss is afraid of a girl no more than two inches taller than me ?
But with my own eyes, I saw her take out ten armed men. With one hand.
Yes, he should be afraid of her.
In this moment, even I’m a little afraid of her.
Except Imai pulls out a gun, and he doesn’t aim it at Veah, he aims it at me. Let go of the girl, he says coldly, and I realize Veah has taken Cassie.
The plan, Veah says. Now !
I pull out the nitrocellulose explosive. It has a radius of five feet, and now that Imai has a gun to my head, he is close enough for it to affect him and not Veah and Cassie. I modeled it after Paul Vielle’s 1984 experiment involving ether, alcohol and partially dissolved nitrocellulose. A smokeless powder contained within, and a coating of graphite. With Tommy’s help, it took me about an hour to make.
I shatter it onto the ground. I have less than three seconds to get as far away as possible, and the best way to cover that ground
The stairs begin to collapse beneath me as I surge down them.
Kaya ! Veah shouts, and there’s something raw in her voice. Imai is falling with me, I feel his breath behind me
It is over in less than a second. I am at the bottom of the stairs, submerged in rubble, trying to rise on trembling legs.
On the second floor, Veah calls out to me.
Go ! I shout. Take Cassie and go !
There’s no time to argue. She must hear it in my voice. Within five minutes, the toxicity of the dust in here should trigger a second, smaller explosion and that should be enough for the debris to rain down.
Imai is brushing himself off. There is blood streaking down his knuckles, deepening the colour of his violet silk suit.
He lunges for me. Veah is already gone.
I still have a gun.
With shaking fingers, I pull it out. How do I use this thing ?
A shot fires. Too late, I realize it was me. Oh, shit.
Imai’s eyes widen, and I think he must realize I have no idea how to use it. He trains his own gun on me, and we are locked like thisa standstill.
What do you know about Heaven Tanaka ?
I don’t answer. I can’t ; the gun is shaking too hard. My heart is pounding.
He could shoot me, and I probably wouldn’t even know how to shoot him back. But he hasn’t.
Did you know she was once the kumichothe Suzucai leader ?
Yes, I spit out. I
Do you know what that means, to be the leader of the Yakuza ?
I don’t answer, because I can’t. How much do I really know about the Mafia ? About what it’s like, being a boss ?
I know close to nothing.
Power in the Suzucai clan is chosen by a fight, Imai whispers. Now, I notice blood on his temple. His neck. He is more injured than he is letting on.
My knees are about to cave ; I am about to fall. Maybe I am more injured than I am letting on, too.
A fight ?
Shit. I’m dizzy. Imai is blurring right in front of me.
I think about the Pythagorean Theorem. I think about the Psychodynamic Perspective. I think about how fucked up Sigmund Freud was. Anything to keep myself from passing out.
A fight till the death, says Imai. She fought my brother in the arena, and she won. She was seventeen.
Shut up ! I snap. You’re a monster.
I’m glad you recognize that, Imai says coolly.
The second blast should be happening in a minute.
One minute.
That’s all I need.