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The door shut, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the engine roared to life. The heater blasted out warm air, and I leaned back into the leather seats. The driver turned and gave me a nod of greeting before focusing on the road. We sped away from the airport, leaving the crowds and chaos behind.
***
The sun was risingby the time I arrived at the hotel. I was jet-lagged beyond belief, and the only thing I could think of was getting in my room and sleeping all day.
But first, I had work to do.
I texted my boss, the Nakamura clan's new leader, Takeshi Nakamura.
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I kept things short and to the point. Nakamura-sama was always busy these days, and he had no time for idle chat. I knew myplace in the clan. I wouldn't consider us friends or even remotely close, but he knew he could come to get the messy jobs done.
And I was always glad to be of service.
As soon as the text was sent, I went right to the minibar and pulled out every little bottle that was in there. Then, I took them all to the bathroom and ran myself a hot bath.
It was a welcome relief after being cramped up in the car all night. I stripped down and slipped into the tub, letting the scalding water wash away the tension from my muscles.
With each passing moment, I felt lighter, like I was shedding the weight of my exhaustion. Every sip of rum, then whisky, and then vodka helped me relax even more.
When I was thoroughly buzzed, and the side of the tub was littered with empty miniature bottles, I grabbed my phone and opened the encrypted files about the target.
Harris Cheng. He was twenty-eight years old, five foot eight, a college graduate yet unemployed, and in a shit ton of student debt. Somehow, over the course of almost a year, he'd racked up a ridiculous amount of even more debt from the Triads.
Nakamura-sama was working with the Asian-American gangs to help strengthen our clan. As part of our agreement, I was to offer my ...services... to get rid of this pathetic man.
I swiped through the notes. This guy had been in hiding the past month or so. Somehow, he'd gotten word that his days were numbered and fled like the rat he was. At the end of the notes were a few pictures, including one of his girlfriend. Some girl named Rebecca. She was cute enough, so I wondered how she got involved with a guy like Harris. He was no looker. Maybe he had a big cock.
I chuckled to myself and got out of the bathtub.
As soon as I got some rest, I'd get on his trail, take him out, and spend the rest of my time in LA.
This was going to be easy.
Chapter three
Julia
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Saturdays were always theworst. I spent the mornings in the coffee shop and then had to rush right to my second job at a bookstore across town.
It shouldn't have been crappy - after all, I loved coffee and I loved books. But when I was forced to work two jobs in order to keep our family going it sucked the fun out of it.
Thankfully, the cold snap was easing off so I didn't freeze half to death while waiting for the bus.
As I left the cafe, I felt the eyes on me again. I knew it was Harris. He was always watching me from somewhere in the shadows.
But something felt different this time. I looked across the street, over my shoulder, even down the alley beside the cafe. As usual, I didn't know where he was but I knew he was nearby.
Thankfully, the streets were busy enough that I knew I was safe. No one in their right mind would attack me in the middle of the day on a Saturday.
Right?
Not that Harris was in his right mind. He'd cracked when my sister was killed. I wondered how much he'd devolved since the funeral.
I shoved the thoughts out of my head and pulled out my phone to listen to a podcast. When the selfie of my sister and I lit up in the background, my chest twinged with grief. We really looked a lot alike. I'd always denied it but now that she was gone, I felt as if I were noticing our similarities for the first time.
