Free with You

Chapter 11: Savior

Puppet POV

Me:

“Meet me on the vessel.”

…

First thing I did was text Osorio for a meeting, without specifying the time. I wanted the guy to suffer in the heat, you know, to break him in.

I step inside the comfortable AC controlled building and can’t help but crack a smile. He’s probably suffering out there.

I knew the moment I met the guy in El Hongo.

He was PERFECT for the job I had in mind.

Downside? There’s an ego. With guys like this, you need to show who’s boss earlier on.

As I wander aimlessly in the lobby for a few minutes, the team of port engineers greet me at the door, letting me know that the buyers have arrived. I connect eyes with the old f**k and he trots over.

“You changed the payment terms like I said?” I ask.

“Si, Don Puppet,” the old fucker says holding up a stack of papers which I am guessing is the modified FCO. I nod to the rest of the group to lead the way and we enter one of the conference rooms.

I see that the first half of the marble table is surrounded by asian faces in identical black suits. That’s pretty much what I was expecting…but eh, something seems off.

Where is the leader?

I skim my eyes over the group, stopping at an attractive female seated at the end.

Wait, they brought a secretary?

I walk up to the opposite end of the table, waving to my team to take their seats. I don’t need to sit with these fools. My job is to supervise that this negotiation goes smoothly, that’s it. I look at my phone’s screen and see a missed message:

Osorio:

“I’m here.”

…

Perfect. The fucker is early and he’s got to be burning outside. The temptation to see his suffering takes over me. I walk backwards to the closest window and look out toward the vessel, but I can’t seem him yet.

Suddenly I notice it’s awkwardly quiet, so I turn my head and see that the old stupid f**k is looking at me for permission.

“Sorry had to wrap something up,” I say before dropping my phone in my pocket. I give a curt nod towards him and he starts his speech. I could care less what he’s got to say. Instead something else is bothering the s**t outta me, like a hot poker in my side.

Where is the god damn leader?!

Again, my eyes naturally move to the female seated at the end. I hate to admit it but… she’s uh, quite attractive.

She’s got jet black hair tightly tied up and a black suit to match, that screams she’s all business, but everything else about her is… warm? She appears to be glowing with her innocent marble eyes, soft flawless skin, and glistening pink lips…

Yo, what the f**k am I saying?!

Hold on, if that’s what secretaries in Japan look like, I need to get me one of those.

But why the square frame suit? She looks like a man wearing that s**t…

Wait aren’t assistants supposed to be taking notes? She’s just sitting there with her hands clasped together like…

No f*****g way. I close my eyes.

“Es la mujer (It’s the woman),” I say to no one in particular keeping my gaze toward the vessel. The room goes quiet for a moment, until the old man fumbles an apology, which only asserts my suspicion.

The leader of the Yakuza is a female…?

“What was wrong with the initial payment terms?” the female says. It’s the first time hearing her voice - and let me tell you… it sends goosebumps down my spine.

She then turns her body towards me and I swear everyone else blends into the walls like mere paintings.

It’s just me and her.

“We had documented that we would pay, after the SGS report is available,” she says with such a serious tone that it’s almost adorable.

Time to play.

“That’s not going to work for us. You pay half now, as a security measure and second half, after the goods have been unloaded,” I counter. I knew Don Vasquez would keep bitching, if money didn’t come through, before landing at the port. I had to add a contingency plan, to better our odds.

There’s a bit of a silence, so I turn my head. It appears she needs to know I’m looking at her, even though I’ve been watching her this entire time.

Ahhh…so she’s got an ego too.

“And, you are?” she says with a bit of delicious venom in her voice. This b***h makes me smile. A genuine one.

“I’m here to make sure…we get paid,” I say with indifference. I mean, that is the truth, even if it’s not the one she was looking for.

You’re gonna have to work harder than that, sweetheart.

She then looks away from me, and directs her next statement to the old fucker.

“Fine. We will review the new payments terms tonight and let you know tomorrow. Goodnight gentlemen,” she says and as she stands up, I notice she’s a petite female.

When she’s walking out, there’s something elegant and fragile about her that urges me to just break her. If she wasn’t the leader, I would’ve already plotted a way to kidnap her ass and have my way with her.

I internally laugh at my own wickedness, but I can’t help these uncontrolled thoughts running amok in my head.

I gaze out the window one last time and ah… there’s the fucker I was looking for! Leaning against the container with his hands on his knees.

Now that’s what I like to see!

As I walk out of the building, the dense heat wave wafts over me, like I just walked into a sauna. It makes me smile knowing it’s been this hot outside this entire time. I slip off my jacket, hold it in one hand, and turn my head toward the vessel where I see Osorio standing by the railing.

I notice that he’s wearing the orange shirt that I bought him. Everyone else got black tees, but for Osorio, nah, he only gets to wear orange. Just to remind him that he isn’t free.

That I own his b***h ass.

Also, because it’s easier to spot him this way.

I hold back the urge to burst into a fit of laughter at the sight before me. He’s drenched in sweat, looking like he just got out of the shower with his clothes on. The frown and desperation in his face is priceless.

“The meeting, it went well?” he asks in between pants.

Time for a curveball.

“Yeah, she’ll sign it tonight,” I say with no emotion.

“She?” he asks.

“Yeah. She,” I say again. There’s a smile creeping up my face but I’m doing my damn well best to hide it.

“A woman…The boss of the Yakuza, Nomura, is a woman?” he asks.

“That’s what SHE means” I say shaking my head. “And no, she’s not the f*****g boss. Probably related. They’ve got the same last name,” I say. There’s a shock registering on his face and it’s starting to annoy me, “—cut the questions, it ain’t the reason you’re here,” I say. I now turn toward the containers.

“Your job is to make sure this b***h stays out of my way. Seeing as you both speak English, this won’t be a problem,” I say. I was giving this mule the perfect job of baby sitting the J**s overseas.

“You think that she’ll want to come talk to you?” he says suddenly catching me off guard with his disrespectful attitude.

Is this piece of s**t sizing me up?

I can’t hide my smirk anymore as I decide to pull off my aviators to get a good look at him. We have a bit of a stare down before he looks away like a coward.

“We depart tomorrow,” I say at last, before turning to leave.

“So that’s it then? You could have just texted me about this,” he says stopping me midway. He’s right, I could’ve texted or called for this, but then I would’ve missed the chance to see him suffer at my hands. Plus, do I really want proof of my existence on these phone apps?

Nah.

“Oso, the b***h pays when we dock. If she doesn’t…kill her on the spot,” I say as I walk across the ramp.

*That evening*

It’s been a minute, since I went to any church. When I was younger, I felt the need to confess, every time I tortured or killed someone for the cartel. The priest and nuns were more understanding back then.

But the more times I confessed, it seemed like they turned their backs on me. They still respected me, but I was a lost cause in the eyes of God. When I’d turn to look at their faces, they would pale at the sight of me and run off in the opposite direction, like I was some demon.

I even tried to get the priest to sit in the box with me one last time, but he held up the cross in my face and started going off in biblical verses. I was so pissed off by his utter disrespect that I slapped the cross out of his hand. I figured it was time to stop confessing and didn’t go back after that.

I don’t even know why I felt the sudden urge to go to church tonight, but something was calling me.

Now, here I am.

It’s pitch black outside, but the church is dimly lit—as always. I walk inside and feel a cold wind trying to push me out, but I fight my way in. I scoff at the mere thought of God trying to reject me in his home. I go right up to the front row and take a seat just to make a point.

I can’t really explain what happens next. As I continue to sit there, I start to feel hot. Then, all I know is that one second, I feel so incredibly angry. Another second, I feel the urge to decapitate every living thing within feet of me.

I grip my fingers on the stupid pamphlet with gold lettering, that I happened to grab on instinct. I can’t even read what it says, it’s too blurry. All I feel are my nails piercing through the flimsy paper ripping it apart. Suddenly out of a random fit of anger, I throw it forcefully on the ground, feeling a scream bubbling up inside me.

But before my voice breaks out, I instantly feel a prickly sensation on my back like sharp needles poking me. I slap my back thinking it’s probably mosquitos, but then I look at my hands…

What?!

How are they covered in blood?

The crimson red liquid drenches my palms, as I face them up.

What in the f**k is happening?!

Have I been drugged!?

I’ve got to be hallucinating!

I grab my head with my hands over my ears and rock back and forth.

*Henry Mancini “Theme from Love Story” starts to play in Puppet’s head*

My heart starts to accelerate, but I can’t breathe.

What did I do to deserve this?!

*piano melody sounds louder*

What have I done?!

I can never be free…

Please someone… PLEASE SAVE ME!

SAV—

*silence*

“Don Puppet… she’s here for you,” someone whispers into my ear. I look up and see the crazy priest I attacked before, is standing before me, pale in the face. He quickly scurries to the back.

The f**k is he talking about now?

I look back at my hands and there’s no blood anymore. My heart starts to slow down.

Huh?!

I look up to the altar wondering if this is a sign. I pay my last respect to the Holy spirit, before I stand up and turn around to face my visitor.

To my surprise, it’s the Yakuza female.

Wait…is she stalking me?

She’s dressed differently this time, wearing a military style uniform.

Why does she look like a soldier?

Her eyes are glued to whatever is in front of her, pretending like she doesn’t see me. I smirk at her terrible acting skills. If she’s here to follow me, then let’s test that theory.

I walk past her indifferently and find my way to the bench outside. I figure she should be out any minute now…I can hear some subtle voices inside, and then out of the blue, I hear a man almost whisper shouting. An urge comes on to go check on her, but it turns out I don’t have to.

She jumps out of the church, panting with her hands on her knees like she ran a mile.

“You met the crazy priest then?” I ask trying to scare her a second time. It’s so dark outside, that I can’t see her features, but I do catch her straighten up and turn around to face me. From her sexy silhouette, I can see her nod in response.

“Que te dijo? (What did he say?)” I ask calmly.

“He said you have strings… on your back,” she says quietly like a kid telling the parent about the monster in the closet.

I can’t stop the urge to laugh this time as it continues to build, until it spills over the entire plaza like lava. I’m holding my stomach in pain over my laughing.

“Well…ain’t that some…crazy s**t,” I try to say between pants.

God damn, it’s been a long ass day.

“Need a ride? It’s not safe for ladies to walk alone at night ya know, at least around here,” I say with a smirk. I cross my arms to mimic her stance.

I wonder if I’ve riled her up yet…?

“How do I know you won’t try to do something funny?” she asks.

Oh, so it’s like that?

“Don’t flatter yourself…” I say “Look, if something happens to you, it’s bad for business. Come,” I wave to my bike.

“Oh, I thought you had a car…” she says timidly.

“Sorry to disappoint,” I say handing her my helmet. “Don’t let go of me, understand? I go fast,” I say with a smile creeping up on my face.

“First of all, I don’t even know your name. And second of all -“ she starts to say but I don’t let her finish.

“Call me Puppet,” I say. She tilts her head.

“Your REAL name please,” she says rather seriously.

“Puppet,” I say again.

Man, what’s with having to repeat myself to these dumb f***s all day?!

“Seriously? Dude, I know that’s not your real name,” she says with irritation.

“It really is my name,” I say kicking my bike into gear. I’m done with these games, “—are you hopping on or walking?” I ask for the last time.

At this moment, the moon gives some light to her beautiful porcelain face. Her long hair is down this time, framing her face in delicate waves. Now that she’s inches away from me, her sweet vanilla and fruity scent wafts into my nose, sending waves of pleasant tingles down my body.

She then places her small hand on my left shoulder, and I swear, I feel an adrenaline rush, just from that contact. I can sense her hesitation to wrap her arms around me, so I look back at her until she does.

Good girl.

“Are you okay?” I ask her with a voice so soft, I can’t even believe I was the one that said it.

“Yep. Ready,” she says nodding into my back. I’m feel heat rise in my face making me nauseous. I kick off with more speed than usual, because I need to cool the f**k down.

Despite going 100 mph on the town road, her scent overpowered my senses the entire ride, giving me a severe hard on. It also didn’t help that her tiny slender hands were really close to my d**k. I was starting to get desperate. Even desperate enough to turn the bike around and take her to my room, forcefully if I had to…something tells me she could take it too…

As I drive up to the revolving doors of her hotel, I almost ask if I can get a night cap.

“Thanks… Puppet,” she says as she runs up to the doors, her hair swaying across her petite backside. She disappears in the lobby somewhere. I’m still on my bike, waiting there like an i***t, for no reason.

Damn, this is bad.