“Business isn’t about fault, and your father knows that very well.” He turned his chair slightly to Mai, facing her completely now. “But rather it is about mitigating any rising problems instantly and adapting efficiently to keep the numbers high and the influence the same.”
“So what are you getting at?” The head asked.
Tony smiled wickedly. “I can hand you this file right her, right now, and your problem will vanish into thin air.”
Osaka smiled for the first time in this meeting. “But of course everything comes at a price.” Osaka finished the phrase, finally arriving at the same conclusion.
Tony simply nodded.
“And what is it that you’re asking for?” Genzo asked, his face red with anger.
“Twenty percent.”
“That is out of the question, you are asking for too much.” Genzo raised his voice again but Mr. Osaka held his hand up, signalling for his son to shut the fuck up.
“It is a reasonable price Mr. Osaka.” Tony continued speaking. “If my projections are correct, the gangs can fairly soon-ish claim territory outside of Tokyo. That means you’re looking at Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka. The major cities vital for the running of your business.” He stopped for a few seconds and leaned onto the table. “For twenty percent, all of that headache can disappear in an instant. But of course, I will assist you in the process of bringing the product out to the streets.”
Tony finished his piece and silence took over the room. The head of the Yakuza was met with an important decision to make. If he chose wrongfully, it could lead to the doom of the entire organisation and his family and its future. Everything he had built could be in ruins. Tony had the upper hand, he always had it even days before coming into this meeting, and Osaka only just realised that. He never completely understood the true power of ‘Der Kaiser’, until this moment.
“I agree to your proposal, but” He held a finger in the air to add to the drama of the moment. “If I find the information useless, I demand you to cut off one finger. It is an old tradition of the Yakuza. If a senior makes a mistake, he must pay with his little finger. That is my fair condition.” Mr Osaka grabbed into his right pocket and pulled a deck of
Without hesitation, the emperor slid the file across the glass table and got up, buttoning his jacket. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” He said.
Mr. Osaka didn’t even hear the parting words of his new partner, as all he could see was red. He wasn’t a man of anger and prided himself to be someone that certainly kept calm, but what he was reading and seeing inside the file made his forehead veins show and face utterly red.
Tony glanced at the princess, who was staring back at him, trying to fathom what had just occurred in front of her eyes. He nodded her goodbye and left the room, his bodyguard following a step behind.
As soon as the door was shut, he could hear Mr. Osaka’s angry voice shouting, as he had expected. What was in the file would have any father lose his coolness. To have your own son attempting to overthrow you, put the entire family at jeopardy for greed was breaking news. It was a lesson for anyone in the business, that betrayal always came from within.
A few seconds later Tony heard the pop of a gunshot and couldn’t help the grin from forming on his face. He loved this life, the violence and the brutality that came with it. He got in the black sedan that was parked outside the building, its windows tinted, and drove off with plans to enjoy the remaining days in Yokohama.
**
London, England
**
“What is it Ray?” Tony answered the phone.
On the other side of the call was his most trusted; Ray Gallagher, ex-police sergeant and private investigator gone rogue. They crossed paths when Tony was doing a favour for a business partner by removing Ray, who had been closing in on cracking the entire organisation down. Instead of putting old man Ray on ice, Tony found more use for him. It has been four years of fostering a bond and connection both are fond of. They trusted each other blindly and would turn their back only on the other.
“There’s a dog in your back garden.” Ray spoke slowly and quietly.
He once told Tony the story of how easy it was to listen in on phone calls without installing a bug, and apparently the government service has been doing it for years. Acquiring a warrant was on the bottom of their priorities. This led to Ray speaking in codes and letting Tony decipher it.
Tony’s expression changed. He calmly recollected his entire steps over the last weeks and whether he made any mistakes, left a note somewhere or had a picture taken off him without knowledge.
“What breed is it?” Tony walked into his office and stood in front of a 20″ screen hung on the wall.
It displayed the view of several CCTV’s he had installed around the house. He could see Emily sipping on a glass of red wine in the living room and lounging, the housecleaner polishing the dining set and the security guard outside enjoying a cigarette on job. With a quick flick of the remote, the smaller displays converged into a single one that spanned the screen of the TV. This one showed the camera that had clear view of the street in front of his mansion. He zoomed around several objects that popped up, including Ray’s old Fiat car, but nothing in particular caught his attention.
“It’s an American hound.” Ray said, waiting patiently for Tony to find the common person of interest.
Tony switched from the front camera to several back cameras that secured the entire back garden and were hidden like Easter eggs around the yard. He caught the movement of a large frame, dressed in a grey hoodie, tracksuit bottoms and trainers. His hood was up and Tony couldn’t identify the face, but the intruder had a heavy built and average height.
“Get him in.” Tony commanded Ray.
“With pleasure.”
The call ended. Tony dropped his phone on the desk, his eyes glued to the scene enfolding in front of him. He saw Ray emerging from his hideout and slowly stepped closer to the intruder. His form and method reflected years of experience in the service. As soon as he was within range, Ray pulled out a Taser and electrocuted the intruder, who screamed from the shock and then dropped heavily onto the rough ground. Ray glanced up at the camera, smiled and gave Tony a thumbs up.
“Crazy fucker.” Tony returned the grin and left his office, ready to question the now knocked out man.
The trio were in what Tony called the bunker. Underground, metal walls, soundproof with the purpose of an interrogation room.
Ray removed the hood from the man, who was now chained to a wall and seated on a metal chair connected to the floor. He wasn’t going anywhere. As soon as his face revealed, Tony knew exactly who he was and who sent him, but still nodded to Ray to begin the mini torture. Ray didn’t hesitate and began swinging his fists brutally. After the first few hits, the chained man began bleeding from his nose, cheekbone and brow. He had several cuts across his face and a busted lip. His eyes were swelling already and his cheeks began bruising.
Tony signalled for Ray to stop, who stepped away, letting his boss inch closer to the prisoner. “Vito Vitali, let’s talk.”
**
New York City, USA
**
“We have bad news.” Mario spoke with a subtle tone of panic.
He entered his own office, sat in one of the chairs opposing the desk and began fidgeting in his seat whilst looking at his wife. Eleanor was as calm as a man who accepted death, smoking her cigar peacefully and slowly.
“I know.” She exhaled puffs of smoke into the confined room.
“Fucking Vito, our best man How in the fucking world did he manage to get the quietest and most loyal man from our family to turn on us.” Mario spoke with anger, his veins pulsating in line with the racing heartbeat and his face redder than usual.
Eleanor scoped the situational and in her head had travelled down the many scenarios of how exactly the event could have played out, but in the end she was always met with a concrete wall. No way around it as for the first time in her life she also was speechless, but unlike her husband who ran his mouth and expressed his emotions at every chance he could, she stayed loyal to her title of the ice-queen.
“You know what this means?”
Mario glanced at his wife, desperately for an answer to ease the pain in his head.
“It means ” She took a puff from the cigar before continuing. “That Vito knows something we don’t.
“So what do we do?”
Eleanor smiled wickedly. The next moves must be carried out with complete caution, otherwise she would put everything in jeopardy, including her beloved daughter, but she was confident in what she must do. She elegantly uncrossed her legs, stood up and walked out of the office.