Reckoning - Chapter 7

Sat at the counter of Cat’s Eye Cafe, under Umi’s watchful and Miki’s sometimes pitying, sometimes annoyed gaze, Ryo was helping himself to a third bowl of steaming miso udon soup when everything inside him stilled.

As the bell above the door tinkled, Ryo dropped the chopsticks, drew his Python, and jumped to his feet.

“Mick!”

“Ryo!” Mick, in a state he’d never seen him in before, grinned, but his mouth was pinched. “Good to see you, buddy. Holster the cannon, will you?” His eyes widened. “What the hell? Umibozu?! This trip is getting weirder and weirder.”

“What are you doing here?” Umibozu growled, his Smith & Wesson firmly pointed at the American.

Mick lifted his hands in surrender. “Take it easy, man. I’m not armed, see.” His eyes roamed the empty cafe, and he let out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank God.” He lifted his index finger. “Hold that thought, both—” He grinned at Miki, who had followed the men’s lead, and drew her King Cobra. “All three of you. I’ll be right back.”

And, leaving his small suitcase at the entrance, he dashed toward the toilet.

“What was that all about?” Miki asked, tucking her Colt back into her waistband. “Who the heck is that guy? And why does he smell of piss?” She sniffed the air and grimaced. “I better open a window.”

“That was my friend, Mick,” Ryo supplied, having returned to his soup. “Can’t tell you why he smells of piss, though.”

“Mick?” Miki prompted.

“Mick Angel,” Umibozu replied.

Miki goggled. “Mick Angel, as in the assassin?”

“Assassin, sweeper, lover…” Mick said from the toilet doorway. “I’m a man of many talents. That felt good,” he sighed then winked. “And I smell of piss because I had to do it in my pants. But I managed to hold in the old number two.” He made the victory sign. “Barely.” He looked sheepish. “You might keep people out of there for a while.” He indicated the toilet with his thumb.

“What are you doing here, Mick?” Ryo asked, nonchalantly slurping udon.

“I came here to kill you.” He quickly lifted his hands and glared at Umibozu. “Whoa, big man, chill. I won’t do it, it wouldn’t matter because I’m late anyway.” He sidled up to Miki, frowning when she took a step back, nose wrinkling. “Sorry, gorgeous. You wouldn’t happen to have a shower upstairs, would you? She only left me a pack of baby wipes.”

She blinked. “What?”

He smiled, turning on the charm. “I smell like a racehorse fallen into a cesspool. I could use a shower and a shave before we can be properly introduced.” He swallowed as his stomach gave a rumble. “Maybe over a couple of bowls of that soup.”

 

An hour later, Ryo was still on his stool at the counter, watching his friend and former business partner, Mick Angel, inhale his fourth bowl of miso soup.

He sure cleaned up nice; he had to give it to him. When he’d first arrived at the cafe, he’d looked like he’d recently crawled backwards through piss-encrusted bushes and reeked accordingly.

Now, every hair was in its place, perfectly slicked back, with the requisite little blond curl just brushing his forehead; he was clean-shaven, his skin glowing like a baby’s, and he wore one of his trademark tan suits with a powder blue shirt and pale rose tie.

This was the Mick Angel Ryo knew and liked.

Mick slurped the last of the soup, belched delicately, and sighed with satisfaction. “I’m feeling human again.”

“Then start talking, Angel,” Umibozu growled from the other side of the counter.

Mick grinned. “It’s still super weird how you two can just be buddy-buddies after all the shit, but I’m getting used to it.” He turned to Ryo. “What I can’t get used to is your majorly improved taste in women.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mick nodded sagely. “I approve, don’t get me wrong. She’s a morsel all right. Care to share?”

Ryo longed to be back in his apartment, blind drunk. “What are you talking about?” he repeated.

“The gorgeous redheaded spitfire with a funky badge and a mean streak a mile wide.” Mick’s grin was wistful. “She’s almost as mean as you.”

Ryo’s heart skipped a beat, then started galloping. “Redhead?”

“Tall, beautiful, phenomenal curves, legs up to her neck, short hair.” Mick elbowed him. “Don’t play the ignoramus, man. Tell me, what’s her name? She didn’t want to tell me.”

“I don’t know her name.” Saying it felt like a knife to the gut.

Mick rolled his eyes. “Fine, be that way. I didn’t know you to be the possessive type. You haven’t been before, I didn’t know you had it in you. But having seen her, I totally understand. I’d want to keep her all to myself, too.” He took a drink of water. “I’m so jealous. I wish for a woman to have such hots for me as your redhead has for you.”

Ryo could feel a twitch in the corner of his eye. “She doesn’t.” She couldn’t. She didn’t care.

Mick snorted. “Yeah, she held me locked up for two days without food, water, or sleep and a small bottle to piss in just for kicks.”

Ryo blinked. “What?”

“What I said. Damn, I’m thirsty.” Mick took another sip of water. “Who knew water could be so tasty.”

Umibozu leaned over the counter and smacked him upside the head. “Focus, Angel.”

“Right.” Mick cleared his throat. “Where was I? Yeah, I barely stepped off the plane, and she had me in cuffs and in a tiny interrogation room in an empty garage building a couple of blocks east of here before I could blink. She knew exactly who I was, why I was here, and who my client was. So she cuffed me to the table, gave me this ridiculously tiny bottle to piss in, and left.”

“How did you get out?” Ryo asked.

“She let me go this morning. Told me I missed the deadline anyway, so I should lay low if I wanted to live, and left.” He pressed his hand to his heart. “I swear I’m in love with her, Ryo. You have to introduce us and give me the opportunity to steal her from you.”

“So it’s true,” Umibozu mused.

Ryo couldn’t speak. He could barely breathe. Saeko had been right; she was a cop.

“That she has the hots for Ryo?” Mick was completely oblivious. “Sure thing. Boy, I wish I were you, man. To have those legs around me, that mouth—”

Quick as a snake, Ryo grabbed him by the throat. “You better shut up, Mick,” he growled.

“Ooh, did I hit a nerve?” Mick asked with a sly smile. “Not only does she have the hots for you, you have the hots for her. I’ve never seen you like this.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure do. I’ve seen her, remember?” Mick winked, not realizing the danger he was in. “You’re one lucky bastard to have that body under you. She was made for sin—”

Ryo tightened his fingers around his throat. “Mick, shut up or I swear to God I’ll rip your tongue out.”

His brain finally catching up, Mick was instantly serious. “Not just the hots,” he murmured, staring intently at his friend. “You’re in love with her.”

Ryo let him go as if scalded.

In love? Fuck, he was head-over-heels, hopelessly in love with her. Not that he would say it out loud and give the blond bastard added ammunition. He could barely admit it to himself in the darkness and quiet of his apartment. He could admit it aloud to her photo while shitfaced drunk, though. No problems there.

“Jesus,” Mick whispered. “It happens to the best of us, I guess.”

Once more, Umibozu leaned over the counter and smacked him on the back of his head. A lot less gently this time. “Shut up, Angel!”

“Hey!” Mick snapped. “I’ve had it with you smacking me! I don’t know what your problem is, but why don’t you take your gun, and we deal with this like men, huh?!”

“Enough!” Miki slammed her palm on top of the counter, visibly trembling with anger. “You’re a grown man, start acting like it!”

Mick pointed at himself. “Moi?”

She glared at him. “Bien sûr.”

He winked at Umibozu. “And she speaks French. A talent for tongue, huh?”

As the giant’s head blinked bright red, Miki drew her gun again and pointed it at the blond man. “I don’t know why Ka—”

Ryo flinched.

“She,” Miki quickly corrected herself with a wince, “let you live. I guess you’re not as annoying when you’re in cuffs.”

Mick grinned irreverently. “I still have them in my bag. Let’s try it, shall we?”

“You really must have a death wish,” Miki growled.

Mick shrugged, completely serious. “You might as well grant it, I’m a dead man walking anyway.”

“What?”

“Because you failed to kill me,” Ryo murmured.

“Yep.”

Miki rolled her eyes. “I feel like we’re going in circles here."

“Well, he is an idiot,” Umibozu muttered. “That’s all there is.”

“Blow me!” Mick snapped, flipping him off.

“Enough, already!” Miki screamed. “Shut up. All three of you!”

“I didn’t say a thing,” Ryo defended himself, pointing at Umi and Mick. “Blondie and Baldie are the ones yapping.”

“Who’s Blondie?” Umibozu growled.

“Who’s Baldie, asshole?” Mick snarled.

“I swear to God, I’ll shoot all of you!” Miki howled. “Can’t we have a normal conversation without one of you going full-on moron?!”

“Miki!” Umibozu sounded affronted.

After a few heartbeats to contemplate the complexity of the question, Mick and Ryo answered together, “Nope.”

When she turned purple in anger, Miki reminded him of another woman with an explosive, violent, volatile temper. But unlike Miki, she hadn’t used a gun to vent her anger and rage. He shook his head like a wet dog, trying to dislodge the unwanted memories. Now was not the time, and it had all been pretense, anyway.

Instead of reaching for her gun, Miki suddenly stopped and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she glared at the three of them, but there was a spark of admiration in her eyes.

“I see what you’re doing,” she said calmly. “Piss off Miki so she’ll leave and you’ll be able to confabulate. Tough! I’m not going anywhere.” She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Mick. “Spill, Angel. Who hired you?”

Mick smirked at Umibozu. “I like her. She’s smart. Not easily rattled or taking any bullshit.” He looked at Ryo. “Just like your redhead.”

Ryo sighed. “Mick, I swear to God—”

“Deny it all you like, I know the truth. It’s evident from outer space.”

Miki rapped her knuckles on Mick’s head. “Drop the act, Mick.”

“It’s not an act, gorgeous, it’s the truth.”

“Yeah, well, now’s not the time,” she replied.

She met Ryo’s eyes, and he could see it wasn’t just him. Miki was also having a hard time with hearing of her, reconciling the woman they’d used to know with the image of the cop Mick was presenting. Miki was also having a hard time coming to grips with the lies, the betrayal…

“Fine.” Mick leaned back against the counter. “I was hired to kill Ryo.”

Miki glared. “No honor among thieves, huh? He’s supposed to be your friend.”

“It’s complicated.”

“Not really,” Ryo interrupted. “It was either kill me or die.”

Mick looked at him. “You know, huh?”

Ryo nodded. Yeah, he knew. He’d known for two days, ever since he learned of her deception. There was no other explanation. Kaibara knew he wouldn’t join him, so he had to get rid of him, and he’d gotten his best friend to do it. The ultimate betrayal.

They had no idea what betrayal was. She could give them all lessons.

“How long did he give you?”

Mick frowned. “Until he got to Japan, which apparently was a couple of hours ago. So I missed the deadline, thanks to…you-know-who.” He winked.

“And by missing the deadline, you signed your death warrant.”

Mick shook his head. “It wasn’t me who signed it, buddy. It was your—” He cleared his throat at Ryo’s glare. “You-know-who.”

Miki tsked. “I’m still in the dark here. Who wants Ryo dead this time?”

“His father.”

The sound of the melodic voice had them all turn toward the entrance. Rosemary Moon waved at them. “Hey, guys.” Then she winked. “Surprise.”