CHAPTER 16
2193 Words
(His Little Secret)
"WHERE IS HE?" asked Kairen as he went down his car.
Several family members greeted him. Jinro was already there.
It was past midnight but they were now in one of their warehouses, where some of the supply stocks of their business were piled up. The building is nice even though it is not that big. That was to spread out the area where they could have storage houses.
Unbeknownst to the public, there is a storage under the building that is double or triple the size of what can be seen outside. That's where the real business of the family were hidden. They also have businesses that were socially acceptable and act just a cover-up for what they were doing underground.
At once, they went on the secret path down to the underground of that building. Where they hid the man who chased after them last week night.
Now he had a time to face that man. He sternly ordered not to kill him. He still needs something from the man. And he would confirm that, that night.
The elevator opened when they reached the underground. Weapons from other countries appeared before them. They are neatly hung and some are lined up neatly and straightly on the glass cabinets. Those are quite rare and usually, only few are made. But they have those and they sell them for quite good price.
They often sell those things to other gang groups, but sometimes, even the social organizers themselves approach them. They were selling legit things. The only problem is they acquire them in illegal way.
They're just doing plain business. He knows, their method is unacceptable. But that's what he's grown up with. And that was just normal to him.
In fact, nothing is certain about the world in which they live.
Jinro opened a metal door at the end of the hallway. There was the man who looked very weak because he had not been given food for several days. As far as they know, the man's name is Roy. He had some bruises on his arms when he fought back. There was still a dry stain of blood on his forehead, which he got from Brianna's beating. He remembered she knocked him out in one hit.
Damn! How heavy was that woman's hand?
"Remove all his clothes."
"What?!" Jinro was shocked at what he ordered them to do. Even some of the men with them were shocked and obviously confused.
"Just do it."
"You're crazy," Jinro commented to him. "You didn't took any drugs, do you?"
The men unwillingly removed Roy's clothes. The captive, who really had no strength left, could no longer fight back.
"No! Stop right there," he blurted when they tried to take off even the underwear. "That's enough. Just hold him up."
Two of them followed, holding both arms to make him stand. He looks like a withered vegetable in a hot summer.
He approached and then walked around him while examining the his body. When he finally stepped behind him, a tattoo was exposed below his right shoulder. It was a snake's head that was very familiar to him. Like the times whenever he sees that, it seems to be looking at him very badly.
He cannot be wrong. It was the same with the tattoo on the chest of his opponent the night he returned to the Philippines. And it’s not just in those times that he saw those. Because even when he was a child, that tattoo always shows. Even when his girlfriend disappeared, people with that tattoo showed up.
Whenever people with that tattoo appears, it would indicate that something bad was going to happen.
"Who's your boss?" he asked firmly.
But he only heard a faint laugh.
"Our boss will be happy when he finds out you're looking for him. But it's not time yet. Not yet."
He also gets tired of such interrogations. So he did not ask again.
"You'll know what to do. I don't need him anymore," he said and left that room.
"Find Shade, as soon as possible," he ordered Jinro who went outside with him.
The two of them separated their way.His buddy went to do what he asked while he went to Ayasaki villa. He just had to report what happen to his father. He wanted to talk to them personally after the missions. His father don't like his sons reporting on the phone.
After reporting, he went on the stairs, to go up to his room to rest, when his phone rang. The call came from Jinro. He said he found out something about Shade. They do not know where the exact place is but they know he has been captured by other group. Looks like that Shade got lots of enemies.
He went out the house, straight to the garage. Before he could get there, a low voice was heard somewhere in the dark.
It was already passed midnight and that means, no one should be around if it's not important. The house is big, but Higure-san chose to speak on the phone outside, where there's no lighting.
"I told you to end this already! Because if not, I'll be the one to end this."
He heard him before putting his phone down.
When Higure-san finally turned around, he came to face him standing by the way to tge garage. He looks kinda shocked.
The night is cold but he can see how his forehead shines with the sweat starting to build up.
"Young master," he greeted him in a bow. "Are you heading out again?" he asked upon gazing on the car key on his hand.
He nodded as an answer. "Jinro called. Gotta handle a traitor."
He cleared his throat before stepping to side, giving him a way. "Take care, young master."
He drove straight to the address Jinro has sent to him. It was the bar, Tipsy, where Shade usually hangs out on particular days.
Jinro, together with the other men, were waiting outside the building. He couldn't recognize for a bit. He is not used to Jinro's hair.
"We tried asking and offering money but they're not giving any information."
He agrees. He even tried that before. Tipsy is very strict when it comes to those kind of things.
"We also tried asking the usual customers. And someone told us to look for Psyche, the love of Cupid, if we're looking for someone."
"Psyche?" His brows curled at a mythological name.
"They said Psyche is the oracle of the underground world. Psyche knows all."
"Really? So, how do we find a fictional character?"
"She's not what you think. She's also a human, according to what they told us. It's just that she got too many connections. Also, she owns this Tipsy bar."
Someone who owns the bar?
The unusual girl at the bar counter, when they went there the first time, came through his mind first. He went inside the building, straight to where the counter is.
Like the last time, there was a tattoed woman on the counter. He thought, this could be the so-called Psyche.
"Hi," he greeted in a charming smile.
"Order, Sir?" Once again, the bartender guy appears, asking him.
"No. I just want to talk to Psyche," he said as his eyes never took off hers.
His smile turned to smirk when he saw her sleepy eyes settled on his gaze in an attentive look.
Got ya!
"Did I get it right?" he asked, boasting that he just caught her.
The bartender seems stunned.
This girl wasn't just there sitting by the counter doing nothing. There must be a purpose why she's there. And that is because she owns the bar. She is the boss.
"What do you want?" she asked, leaning on the counter. Her eyes went back to being sleepy.
"You should know what I am looking for. I thought you're the oracle who knows all?"
Slowly, her eyes blinked once.
"Do you know the price of what you want to know?" she asked again.
"I thought you don't sell information here?"
"I call it trading. Not selling," she stated. "Information, in exchange of something you don't wanna let go."
"What are you? A witch?"
Once again, the bartender meddle with their chat, putting the glass on the counter that it made a loud clang.
"Did you just called her witch?" he asked in a fury about to lose control of.
Does this guy has a temper management issue? If he wasn't mistaken, he also got angry last time he called the woman, honey.
"Come on, Kai. Let's not get in trouble here. We might get banned," Jinro whispered, reminding him to keep his coolness.
They got nothing from a useless oracle. One of their men came near them upon stepping out the bar, with a phone on his hand. It's a call from an unknown man.
"You're looking for Shade?" the man on the other side of the phone asked. "Damn. This s**t got lot of enemies."
"Yeah. That guy got something to pay to me."
"I'll give you the address. Hurry up before I change my mind."
He did not waste any second and went to whoever he talked to.
They arrived at an abandoned warehouse, near the forest which is used to be storage place for logs.
Only three of them were allowed to enter. He took Jinro and the best hitman among them, in case it's a trap. Like always, he ordered the others to keep alert whenever something happens.
The warehouse is covered in thick dust. Even the air smells dusty.
In the middle was a man, holding by two men, while someone with a great body stood his back on them.
He was stunned when the man slowly turns to face them. He can't believe what he's seeing right now. Like him, his eyes displays shock.
It's none other than the butler of the Imperials. He started walking towards him.
"He's all yours. Just be sure to finish him off," he said.
He can see his eyes, shouting fury. It was far different from the way he acts the other day.
He was the perfect guy that Brianna describes, that she admires. But in reality, this man is also a demon inside.
Is this the guy she likes?
"Shouldn't you be at the Imperial's?" he asked in a low voice when he walked passed his side.
According to his knowledge, this is not a butler's job.
Without even glancing at him straightly, he felt his feet stopped.
"I got my personal reasons," he said, tilting his head a little. "Shouldn't you be taking care of Brianna?" he also asked him.
"She's at your mansion right now. I think she is your responsibility by now. It is your duty as their butler."
"I will do my responsibility. I'm aware of that. I'll also remind you to do your duties as her fiancé. Buy her flowers. She'll love it."
With those advice, he left the warehouse.
He shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the man who was covered with bruises and dried stain of blood.
"Now, where do we start?" he asked, glaring him with dangerous gazes.
"D*MN. NAZE WATASHI wa korera oshite iru no? [WHY AM I doing this?]" he whispers to himself while looking at the bouquet of red and pink roses on his hand.
He just got out from the flower shop where he had his flowers wrapped. He just can't believe he's buying that for Brianna.
It's only for the show, he convinced himself.
As he strode towards the exit of the mall, his pace became slower.
He just saw Justin at an ice cream stall, looking so jolly, with a little kid on his table. What's even more shocking is when the kid called Justin "daddy".
Justin has a son? Does Brianna know about this?
Justin's eyes met his, more shock than he was.
He stood up and greeted him. Looks like he doesn't have a plan denying what he just saw. The butler took the kid on the caged trampoline on the corner where other kids were playing.
"So, you got a kid? Does the family know? Does she know about this?" He was referring about Brianna.
"No," he replied in a low voice, somehow guilty.
"Did you know how highly she looks at you?"
According to what he saw, Brianna is making obvious that she like Justin very much. And he knows that Justin also know what she feels.
"I know. But I can't hurt the kid."
"In order to fix something, you must have to break something. You have to hurt her before things will get worse," he advised him, looking at Justin's kid playing at the balls inside the play house.
The kid is cute and has those familiar glistening eyes. His eyes turned to them and smiled innocently.
"I'll tell her," he said
"Tell her. As soon as possible."
The man looked at his child who was cheerfully playing, jumping and bouncing at the caged trampoline with ball toys in rainbow color.
"I will."
- Writer
