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Evan shakes his head and licks his lips before stammering, “W-what was the i-issue?”
“My husband had a specific woman in mind to make his dream a reality. She’s a little unconventional, and I wasn’t too happy with her at first, but she won me over rather quickly.” I shake my head and a deprecating laugh escapes me at how I understated her impact on me before she tunneled herself into my heart. “I shouldn’t have to tell you. You’ve met her.”
“I-I did?”
“Earlier today.” I glare at him without adding more context.
“Takeshi, my man, I didn’t know.” Evan nervously licks his lips but because of the chill, he’s unable to moisturize them. “How could I? She… Well, she doesn’t seem like your type.”
I take a step back to calm the rage rampaging below the surface. “What was your impression of her?”
“What? Are you seriously asking?—”
“Was I unclear?”
“No, uh, I guess I thought she was out of place.” At my arched brow, he stammers, “She’s very feminine. You should know, she has a pretty face and a body?—”
“Don’t finish that sentence.” I inhale and exhale to keep myself from launching at him. “Okay, you saw her, admired her, then what?”
“Takeshi, you’ve got to understand. She was in my establishment. Her presence meant she wasn’t immune from anything that goes down.”
“That’s how it was? She came to you as a customer and because you broke our code, you green-lit an assassination attempt that would rob me of the future mother of my child. Do you see why I would have a problem with that?”
“But y-you said you didn’t want to be a father.”
“I did say that, didn’t I? The thing is, she opened my eyes to the possibility. When she recently told me she wasn’t pregnant, I thought I would have been relieved, but I wasn’t. Disappointed doesn’t begin to describe the loss I felt. For the first time in my life, I didn’t fear fatherhood, I damn well started to crave it.”
The moment I pictured myself fulfilling the same role Katsuo does for his kids but for my own was the night Lakeshia sacrificed her pride for my help. For years, Shinji tried convincing me I had the potential to loosen and adapt, traits a good father has. Traits I thought I was too rigid to ever compromise, even for a child who would depend on me for everything. Now I’m certain my flexibility isn’t isolated to Shinji. Lakeshia reinforced and added new conviction to the possibilities, implanting me with dreams of a family with little boys and girls who have the perfect blend of the three of us. And this mother fucker threatened to take it all away from me.
I lower my voice, although I don’t hide the underlying ferocity. “All the self-doubt, lack of confidence, every negative whisper in my ear disappeared. Then you tried to snatch any hope of me ever becoming a father before I got my chance.”
“You can still make that happen. You don’t need her, specifically.” Evan thrashes his body and swings his limbs. A rending sound penetrates the cold freezer and his body slides lower on the hooks.
“Evan, Evan, Evan. You still don’t get it. She is irreplaceable. My husband is irreplaceable.” My last word rings in the silence.
A beat passes, then Evan falls to the ground, his weight no longer supported by the hooks. He recovers quickly but beforehe gets too far; I grab him. This time when I dump him on the hooks, I ensure the sharp points pierce the flesh under his shoulders.
His scream rends the air, but his pain doesn’t appease me in the least.
“Takeshi, I thought we were talking things out.”
“We are.” I retrieve the deboning knife and caress the handle. “Oh, did you think you were walking away? Oh, Evan. You colluded in an assassination attempt on the lives of my husband and lover. Even you can’t be that dumb to think your life is more valuable than theirs.” I sink the knife into his side and drag the blade past his hip. “I do have to thank you for one thing. I’ve never shared my fears with Shinji or Lakeshia, so getting this off my chest is a relief. Now I can start my family with no regrets.”
With the first cut spurting blood over me, the dam holding my frustration at bay collapses and I work everything out on his body to the soundtrack of his pained screams. When I walk out of the freezer, my men peer inside. Some gag. Some curse. Some run out. Because hanging from the hook is Evan’s face frozen in a scream. Below his head is his bloody skeleton while his flesh lies in clumps on the floor.
“Leave a message for anyone who thinks to come after us. Let them know if they touch my husband or Lakeshia, their fate will be worse.”
With my clothes saturated with Evan’s blood, I leave his estate, unsympathetic to the mess I make in the car. One need drives me as I reach for my phone.
“Everything okay?” Shinji asks. His voice is the sweet balm I need to calm the adrenaline rushing through my blood.
“I’m fine. How about you?”
A pregnant pause follows my question.
Shinji exhales, raising my hackles. “We’re finishing up now. We’ll see you at home.”
Before I can question him further, he disconnects the call. I increase my speed, uncaring if I pass a ticket-happy cop. Something big happened, and I need to be home to help Shinji and Lakeshia through whatever it is.
