Day 212 - La Grandia Part 6

 La Grandia Part 6

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Sonny didn’t feel much like a police officer anymore; he felt that every day he slowly betrayed something else he had once stood for. Declan wanted a chance to explain, and when he did, it just felt like more compromises. As a young man, Declan had been a member of The Dragons, and claimed he had used Kaylee to spy on his nephew in order to keep him safe. Declan had recruited Kaylee with the promise of bringing down The Dragons. But then Naxis and other threats arrived in town and his priorities changed. Compromise on top of compromise, while telling himself he was working long term towards some greater good. It was the sort of thing people told themselves when they didn’t want to admit just how broken they were inside.

Years ago, Sonny had used the law to find the man who murdered his brother, and when he did, he made sure that man paid. Sonny called it justice, but there was no arrest, no trial, no jail. Some people would have called what he did the sort of compromise he accused Declan and Kaylee for. If he were honest about that which he had bent or broken in the past, he could certainly understand what others were willing to do.

Sonny had agreed to go along with Declan and stakeout The Grandia Jakarta. Declan had information that a meeting of the bosses of several gangs were meeting. They sat out all night, and in the morning, they watched car loads of suspicious men arrive at the hotel. Soon there were armed guards patrolling outside the building.

“Did you believe me now?”

“Yeah.”

Declan still hadn’t revealed his source of information, but Sonny grew tired of asking.

Soon a convoy of vans and SUVs arrived and armed mercenaries charged the building.

“You want to wait for backup or you want the glory?”

“Funny way of asking if I want to live or die. Maybe we should go around back and see if there’s a way in that doesn’t mean fighting an army of gangsters.”

Declan started the car and they headed around back. He called for backup anyway, just in case.  

Day 211 - La Grandia Part 5

 La Grandia Part 5

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Not waiting for orders, 66 pulled his gun and ran from the conference room. He didn’t need to turn, but he knew the footsteps right behind him were 47. The other Agents would protect the bosses. Von’s men were barely serviceable and there was no telling what drugs they might be using today. 47 was a man of action, a trusted brother in arms. It was him and he would know what to do, 66 didn’t have time to waste giving orders.

Traditionally 66 would have worked for one person with one objective in mind, but he had signed up with 47 and Von and ended up stuck in middle management in a mafioso style family with no clear goal or role. He had been a hitman, a tracker, a drug dealer and a bodyguard. But Von and Gideon were both protected and 66 felt the itch of the hunter coming back to the forefront. 66 could almost taste the blood in his mouth. It was a feeling he hadn’t had in months, perhaps years. Gone were his family. Gone was Fara. Gone were the days of wanting to be a better man. He had been chained up too long, ready to explode. The gunmen in the building had no idea what was coming for them, god help them all.

“Entrances or Exits?” asked 47.

“Lobby. Let’s see if they thought this through at all.”

They reached the second story balcony that overlooked the lobby. The lobby was empty and the employees were either dead or hiding.

“So much for replacing hotel employees with company men.”

“Look…”

66 followed 47’s gaze. Through the wall of glass, they could see the semi-circle drive that led to the hotel. There were several vans and SUV’s, emptied out except for the drivers. There was one guard with an automatic rifle at the front doors of the hotel.  Without giving it a second thought, 66 fired, killing the guard.

Several of the drivers reacted.

“These are amateurs. They don’t leave a secure way out.”

“What about the drivers?”

“Why bother? Let them run.”

“Maybe there’s another team in the parking garage or back alley?”

“Maybe. You want to clean them out or do you want to face the actual threat?”

“We could leave right now. No reason to risk our lives.”

“With the job undone? A contract is a contract.”

Both men smiled at that. Client and customer broke contracts all the time. There was nothing more important than survival.

“No,” answered 66, “You go if you want. I feel like seeing his through just a bit more.”

“Fine, but let’s make it quick.”

66 and 47 headed in the direction of the gunfire. There were now several distinctly different sounds. The surprise attack was over and the invaders likely met their first resistance, thought 66.

“We’re probably approaching them from behind. Maybe we can trap them in a crossfire.”

“If we’re lucky.”

As they left the lobby and followed the halls back, the bodies began to appear, the dead and wounded, members of the hotel, the families and the invading strike team. Doors were kicked in and rooms sprayed with bullets, the computer lab, the exercise facilities and several restaurants. The strike team was killing everyone, with no regard for who was working for who or who was an actual threat. Everyone had to die.

When they came across a small group of men, 66 charged in headlong. He could have shot them from behind, but he wanted to use his fists, to feel the contact and pain inflicted and the pain received. He was hungry for physical battle.

66 had just punched a man in the face when he heard Seven screaming from behind, “what the hell are you doing?”

66 didn’t have time to think as Seven pulled him off the man he was attacking.

Day 210 - La Grandia Part 4

 La Grandia Part 4

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

The name Hartan meant nothing. Gideon’s father made it up. Harta meant treasure, so perhaps his father thought it would serve as a good omen. Gideon wondered if he should have asked the old man before he died. But he was long dead now and that opportunity was long gone with it. Gideon was an invented name as well, but Gideon made that choice himself when he gave up the moniker Agent Nine and earned a leadership position within the family. Not the Hartan’s, no, the Hartan’s had never been in charge of anything before Gideon, but what was left after Anak had been killed for betraying the other families. Anak’s direct family was decimated and none of his children were allowed to rise through the ranks, for none could be trusted after their father’s deception. A distant cousin was named the head, but was forced to accept a board of trusted advisors. Gideon had served all the bosses well as an Agent and was rewarded with a place on this new counsel. It was something his father would never have achieved. A man of little to no ambition, he would have been stuck on the street his entire life earning pennies and giving most of them to the bosses if it hadn’t been for Gideon. Gideon had ambition enough for them both.

Gideon wondered what the name would mean when he was gone. He had ascended the ranks from advisor, to the man behind the man, to replacing the man himself. Hartan was the only family not of the original clans that agreed to form The Dragon’s Claw. Every other boss was there at the time or had a direct blood relative linking them to the deals. Not Gideon. He made his own name. His own fate. He wanted to be a boss and he became a boss. No one else had ever done that. Gideon prided himself on the idea that all the other bosses secretly resented him or feared him. He wanted to believe they all took great measures to ensure their family would never be usurped or betrayed again. No one ever said anything to him, but he wanted to believe. They certainly tried to keep him near the bottom, never giving an inch, never allowing him or his people near the best deals or a majority share in any individual deal. But here he was now, the voice in the room. He was the one who identified Naxis as a threat and discovered The Queen’s plans. They had to listen to him now. He made them.

But then the doors opened and the old woman was wheeled into the room in that wheelchair. Gideon tried to hide his face when he looked to Jade. Jade was clearly upset, and didn’t hide it well. She was a child. She would never have been allowed to takeover her family. They allowed her a seat for one meeting because Gideon had whispered the right words into several ears. No one wanted another strong voice in this meeting. No one wanted anyone loyal to The Queen to speak on her behalf. If Jade thought she was here of her own merit, then she was a bigger fool that Gideon had thought. Still, he had wanted someone reliable on his side and now that was spoiled. Jade said the right words as she moved her chair back so Queenie could be wheeled up to the edge of the table. Still, no one was going to take her seriously ever again. Aged and injured, her day was done. They might not punish her for speaking to Naxis on her own, but she would never threaten to expand her power ever again.

Gideon reminded himself to meet with Jade in private later. It might not pay off now, but it was a relationship worth cultivating for the years to come. His own son Jacob was a fool, but perhaps she could be matched with one of his many other bastard sons. She might offer a foothold her great aunt never seemed interested in. Queenie should have been a better friend, he thought. They could have been great partners and both families could have grown. But her own greed got in the way and she had to be reminded of that.

Gideon regrouped in his mind. Queenie might be here, but he was still in charge. They would all agree he could carry on negotiations with Naxis, not her. Her secret meeting had been exposed. Gideon held his cards close.

When the gunshot rang out, Gideon thought to himself that the idiot had started things early. The room erupted in fear, bodyguards and Agents leapt into action. After multiple shots and screams could be heard from the halls, Gideon realized this wasn’t his son, but that something had gone wrong and this was someone else entirely.

Day 209 - La Grandia Part 3

 La Grandia Part 3

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Seven decided it was time to confide in Ten. Perhaps well past time. Nine had died months ago and as far as Seven was aware, there had been no resolution. Perhaps the bosses knew. But the body count was on the rise as rivals sharpened their fangs. Nine’s murder was a precursor to it all, the first step in someone’s grand plan. His death, protecting the USB, giving his life in getting it to Seven, so far had amounted to achieving next to nothing. Seven wanted it to mean something. He needed the sacrifice to have value. Ten had no reason to share anything with Seven, the bosses wanted them on opposite sides, ignorant and in the dark of the other’s activities. But if Ten had learned anything, done anything, then they wouldn’t be in the position they were in right now with a possible war about to start.

Gideon was safe. Or safe enough. Nine was there, as were Gideon’s private bodyguards. The Grandia was full of armed guards, top to bottom. Every Agent was in the building. Every staff member had been vetted or replaced with loyal Dragon men. Gideon wanted the bosses to know about Queenie’s secret dealing with Naxis and then he wanted to take her place at the conference table. No one asked his opinion on business strategy, but Seven thought it was a terrible idea. Naxis had come to town in secret, spread money around, funded business rivals. Seven wouldn’t reward them for suddenly wanting a partnership, he would kill them all and make sure their bosses back home never looked towards Jakarta again. But no one asked him.

Seven should have been with his family, but he wasn’t sure which one he was thinking about. His father and his newly revealed uncle? Or his boss, Mr. Kai? Seven’s absence from either would be noticed. He couldn’t help it. The mystery was more important than proper respect and protocol.

They met in a back hall near the service elevator meant for employees. Ten had come through that parking garage and tried to keep his presence as hidden as possible. Seven did most of the talking, Ten wasn’t in the mood for answering yet. Seven asked if Nine’s killer had been identified or caught yet, and Ten was silent. Seven took that to mean no.

“Perhaps this will help.”

Seven handed over the USB.

“It was encrypted but I’ve had it unlocked. Nine died trying to get me that. I would apologize, but I wasn’t sure who I could trust and Gideon asked me to look into it personally. I imagine you can appreciate the importance of a direct order from one of the bosses.”

Ten nodded, but his face revealed nothing, no sign of respect disappointment or understanding.

“Someone made a file on all of us. The families, the businesses, the hierarchy. When the shotgun lone gunman was hitting the family, I figured he was the one that made the files. But that would still mean he’s one hell of a spy, or he had access beyond belief. A lot of a man or a single small operation. And then we have Naxis and all the trouble they’ve been stirring up. If they weren’t trying to meet with the bosses, I would have thought they’d be trying to kills us all. Maybe that will still happen. I’m hoping you have better luck tracking down whoever put together this dossier than I did.”

“So, you trust me now?”

“No. God no. I don’t know who to trust. As far as I can see we’ve got compromised families, bosses, maybe agents. I had at least three spies watching me, which would mean one suspicious enemy or we have many problems on our hands.”

Seven checked his watch.

“I have to go. I told Gideon before to keep this meeting short. I want everyone out of this building as quickly as possible. But you know how they carry on when they start talking. I’m going to do everything in my power to end this. I shouldn’t have waited so long to tell you.”

“You want me to come up to the meeting? Lend a hand?”

“No. If something does go wrong, if I die, I can’t be the only one who knows about this. Better you’re out there working on this in secret. No one will know. No one will come for you the way they did Nine. Be careful and don’t tip your hand. Hopefully you can find something out before the attacks get worse.”

Ten shook Seven’s hand.

“God speed. After this is over, I’ll tell you some of the secrets I learned looking into Nine. But I’ll tell you something now that might matter. Nine was Gideon’s illegitimate son, Jacob’s half-brother. Gideon has a couple others running around as well. Bosses always worry about who’s coming up behind them, trying to take over. People have been killed for less. You think there’s a rival coming for us? This might all be one gigantic blood feud.”

Day 208 - La Grandia Part 2

 La Grandia Part 2

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

In the end, Bagus had cried and Maliq felt bad about what happened. It felt inevitable, and Maliq had never liked him, but still he was glad that he wasn’t the one who actually pulled the trigger. Maliq had killed before, but never someone who was a member of his crew. People would call Bagus a rat and say he was working with the police, but no one had any proof. But that wasn’t necessary. The suspicion was enough. Either way, Bagus was dead.

Yaz and Junko had disappeared. The Reapers, The Reavers and Warpath had partnered with Naxis and were supposed to challenge The Dragons for control of Jakarta. But now all foreign support had disappeared. Maliq had caught Yaz and Junko meeting with the old lady, but he had seen her at the apartment on the floor bleeding to death. So maybe Junko skipped down and fled back to Japan. Or perhaps Naxis had other partners they were working with. Either way, Maliq and his crew were left out.

There was a standing order to kill Yaz and Junko, no questions asked. Maliq was getting tired of orders. He had been happy out on the street. It was safe and he made enough and nobody ever died. Occasionally he had to chase someone or beat someone, but nothing ever got out of hand. Now, everything was out of hand all the time.

Weeks ago, Maliq had followed Yaz and Junko and watched them hold a meeting at The Grandia Jakarta with The Queen. Ever since then the bosses got their people positioned in jobs at the hotel, with hotel vendors or at nearby buildings. They wanted eyes and ears on all possible meetings between The Dragons and the foreigners. A couple of weeks ago security tightened and now hiring was frozen. The bosses owned several delivery services, but even those were having a tough time getting into the hotel. It was obvious that something important was about to happen.

Maliq and his crew were outfitted with uniforms and ID badges from The Grandia Bandung. The badges wouldn’t hold up to any scrutiny, but the uniforms would look right. The problem was they couldn’t all get into the hotel at the same time. Too many new faces would be obvious; one or two new faces would probably get them caught, but it was worth the risk. The rest of the men were stuck sitting in the back of vans that were driving around the neighborhood. They would close, hopefully close enough to pounce when the moment came. Their top priority was to kill Yaz and Junko and The Foreigner and anyone else Naxis related that had betrayed them. Priority two was to kill any top brass from The Dragons. If the opportunity presented itself, they could ascend to leading the city in a single afternoon.

Maliq was sticky sweaty hot, crammed in the back of the van when the voice came over the radio. The cars had arrived at the front and Naxis had been spotted. The conference was set and it was time to move. Maliq tried to stretch out as best he could, pressed up against men all around him.

The van turned the corner and the headed back towards the hotel. Maliq had never participated in an attack quite like this. He imagined the armies of history storming beaches and charging up hills. When those doors opened, he had to be ready to kill. There would be no time to stop or think. Every important gang was here, bodyguards and all. The only advantage they had was surprise. They had to move quick. Maliq thought of Bagus as his blood and guts spilled out onto the floor. There was no prize for failure. No fame from taking a bullet to the face. There was only the one option, win or die. Maliq hoped his bosses knew what they were doing.

Day 207 - La Grandia Part 1

 La Grandia Part 1

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Gideon moved into the penthouse suite. 66 was in the room to the left, 47 in the room on the right. There both had live camera feeds from throughout the hotel. They took sixteen-hour shifts, making sure they overlapped at the beginning and ending of each other’s turn. Von had fifty men on the floor and another fifty that traveled around the building. There were Agents and bodyguards from each of the other families. 66 was pretty sure the only people in the hotel besides staff were criminals and their men.

Seven wasn’t supposed to be on guard here, but he found ways to check in several times a day. He still didn’t want to talk to 66, which was fine. 66 was had one job to do and he didn’t feel like being micromanaged.

Gideon took too many visitors for 66’s preference – the old woman’s family, Seven’s family, members of the Japanese. You could search and search for weapons, but anyone motivated to the job didn’t necessarily need a weapon. Any object in the room would do. Hands and feet if given the time. Everyone was searched and followed and surrounded, but sometimes all it took was a second of distraction. 66 knew that too well. The Grandia brought back memories of a woman who was allowed to die because he got sloppy. 66 didn’t care for Gideon anywhere close to how he cared for her, but he didn’t want to add another body to the count.

“Could you give us some space?” asked Gideon.

“I’m afraid I can’t.”

“A few feet. This is one of my oldest friends in the world.”

66 looked at Seven’s father. Maybe he was fifty. Perhaps a few years older. But he was in shape. If he wanted, he could be at Gideon’s throat in seconds. But the man wanted space, so 66 gave him an extra couple of feet.

The men spoke in whispered tones, but anyone in the living room with sharp hearing would know some of what they were discussing. And the microphones would pick it all up anyway. But if it made the client feel better, the client got what the client wanted.

66 could hear them mention the old woman and her nieces. Gideon thought they were old enough and that Seven’s father had trained them well. The other man disagreed and thought the meetings should be delayed. They both agreed the streets were getting more dangerous and their rivals needed to be reminded who ran the town.

Talk like that scared 66. It was hard enough to protect a man with a target on his back, but in a warzone, it became nearly impossible. 66 hadn’t seen the fake 22 since their first meeting. He wondered where he was hiding. A man like Gideon would have all his pieces in play. He was here in the building somewhere, or very close nearby.

66 was surprised he saw so little of Agent Nine. From what he gathered the Agents were supposed to protect every family boss, and settle disputes, but Seven found his way here several times and he wasn’t a blood relative. Nine was in the family yet Gideon kept him at arm’s length. Maybe it was a situation like with 22. Gideon could easily have secrets he wasn’t sharing with Von or the rest of his men.

When it was time to move to the conference room for a meeting of family bosses, 66 was at the front of Gideon’s entourage along with Agent Nine. 47 and Von’s best were in the back of the group. They had to move travel one hallway and eleven floors in an elevator, but it felt like a million.

The table was round, so no one could feel slighted or sit in the main seat, but all eyes were on Gideon. If he wasn’t the most powerful boss he sure seemed like the most dominant. It seemed like it this was his meeting, his rules, with the others playing already written parts. The momentum was his, until the conference room doors opened and The Queen was wheeled in in a wheelchair, IV drips still attached. The room was surprised. Gideon was annoyed, but no one looked angrier than the grandniece who had been invited to sit in her stead.

Day 206 - The Bodyguard

 The Bodyguard

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

66 had killed a boy. He was at best fifteen or sixteen and had no business being at a place like this where men were faced off against other men. He was lurking in the halls outside Gideon’s penthouse when 66 arrived with Von and his men. The boy turned and saw them and had a decision to make – to run and sound the alarm or to stay and try to fight them off.

66 could see the boy was terrified, frozen, unable to make a decision. He could have reacted a second slower, allowed the boy time to think, give him a chance to run. If he ran, he would probably still be dead. Either 47 would have gotten him, or someone else. Maybe he could have warned his compatriots. Or maybe someone would have killed him in a loud enough fashion to warn them. Either way, the boy would be dead. Nothing would be different. Except 66 wouldn’t have to think about the additional stains of blood.

66 reacted as he always had before. He moved, there was a flash of a blade and the boy fell.

Von and his men moved towards Gideon’s penthouse.

There was a gunshot, but 66 wasn’t looking to see who shot first. His eyes were still on the boy. Someone screamed and an older woman dropped to the ground.

The penthouse was full of too many strangers 66 didn’t recognize. There were too many moving parts. A man and a woman stood guard in front of Gideon. 66 was fairly certain they were on the same side, but whether everyone else knew that, he wasn’t sure.

Gideon gave them the signal that it was alright and 66 watched as the man’s guns moved from 66 and his men back towards the other gang. There were arguments about who owed who what and who fired the first shot.

Job number one was to get Gideon out alive. Job two was to kill anyone that got in their way. 66 told his men it was time to get Gideon and go.

When the police arrived, 66 recognized them from Club B. The woman was new, but she wasn’t in charge and even her own partners didn’t take her seriously when she waved her gun around.

The boy was dead and another young man, barely twenty actually seemed despondent. The old woman was bleeding and another man was trying to save her life. 66 didn’t have time for that, there was the boss to protect.

The man didn’t address 66 or explain who he was. 66 heard him call others and give commands. He spoke to men with numbers for names. It was obvious this was a Dragon Claw Agent. The man didn’t pay attention. Or if he did, he didn’t know what 66’s tattoo meant. That was fine by 66, he didn’t feel like talking to this man either.

66 and 47 and Von’s men were there to protect Gideon. So far no one had asked why Gideon had so many bodyguards or why they weren’t recognizable as members of the Dragons. That might come up later, but 66 guessed Von and Gideon had answers for that already.

The old woman was in surgery. She lost a lot of blood, but it wasn’t a deadly injury. Of course, there was her age to consider, but 66 thought she was going to pull through. Gideon was talking about some meeting they were supposed to have with the Japanese. Men like Gideon didn’t care how dangerous it might still be. If there was a meeting and it was important, he’d be going. 66 couldn’t say the same about the old lady.

If anyone would be convinced it was a bad idea it would be the Agent or his father, but the Agent wasn’t interested in talking and the father was hung up on the old lady dying. 66 wondered why they had to stick around here. Sure, Von had bosses, but this sort of chaos was a bad sign. Things were falling apart and assassination attempts were taking place. It was only a matter of time before another strike came. A few more Agents weren’t going to make much of a difference. They should be in a bunker somewhere not in a backroom doctor’s office.

“You look like a man who knows how to kill people. Your whole team as good as you?”

Finally, the man with the number for a name deigned to speak, thought 66.

“I’m better than the rest, but we’ll get your job done. What do you need?”

“The boss wants to move. I can’t watch him and protect Queenie. It’s been a long night but there’s a meeting in a few hours and he has to be there.”

“Which one do you want us on?”

The man actually looked stumped, thought 66. He was torn. He knew his job, but his gut told him to be there with his father. He’s a fucking kid at heart, 66 told himself. That’s what will get him killed someday.

“Take Gideon. You can’t go back to his penthouse, but he’ll need a new suit before. Another Agent, Nine, will meet you and take you the rest of the way.”

“Yes sir.” No questions, not a hit of defiance to his voice. 66 knew his job, and he knew he’d never take another order from this kid again.

Day 205 - Blood Debt

 Blood Debt

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Queenie was in surgery, his father Ace refused to leave. Gideon was surrounded by bodyguards and wasn’t talking. Seven was sure he had seen his recently discovered Uncle Declan with Kaylee the cop and another man, probably also law enforcement. So far having a secret uncle on the police force wasn’t doing him any favors. Seven was lucky to have gotten them out with only a few wounds, save Queenie that is. She had been stabbed severely. She needed real doctors and a hospital, and even then, she was old and had been bleeding for a long time. He didn’t like her chances, but he said nothing to his father about that. Everyone knew. There was no need to point it out.

Jade was outside, somewhere across the street, hidden in shadows, waiting to see if anyone approached the building. Seven didn’t like sending her out, but she insisted. She was trained by Seven’s father after all. Besides, if any unfriendly attacked the doctor’s office, Seven was the better fighter and his skills would be needed inside.

Three was supposedly on his way. He had been on his way to Gideon’s, but after they fled, Seven had updated him on their location. The other Agents would already be at Gideon’s, making sure it was safe. Three and Nine would be here soon to check on their bosses. Seven wouldn’t be needed; he would be sent home.

But his father wasn’t leaving, so he wouldn’t leave. Besides, he handled business for Gideon that Nine didn’t know about. Seven doubted Gideon would want him to go and Queenie was in no position to tell anyone otherwise.

Still, there were the important questions to be answered. What was Gideon involved in that caused rival gangs to come looking for him? How was his father involved? Why were the police there, separate from Declan? And who stabbed Queenie? The death of an Agent was bad and to go unsolved was manageable. But the death of a boss? That would be a disaster. Things were bad enough as of late, they didn’t need a succession battle added to the mix.

Chaos broke out and bodies were flooding into the room and suddenly Queenie was on the ground, bleeding. Seven had put himself between Gideon and the others. One boss on the ground was enough; a second could be the downfall of The Dragons.

Seven wanted to go to his father’s side and console him, tell him everything would be fine. But it was his duty to stand guard and protect them all until more Agents could arrive. He had to do his job. First thing was to make sure everyone was safe. Everything else would come later. He was tired of the questions and mystery. There had been too much violence on the street and the enemies were always a step ahead. The Agents needed to know what he knew. It was time he confided in more people. They were all targets and the battle was here. He needed allies. The Agents needed to go to war.

Day 204 - Blood Alley

 Blood Alley

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

When Kay was twelve, she watched Ruel beat another boy with a beam of wood. The boy might have been fifteen at most, but he was old enough to want to rape a young girl, and Ruel wasn’t going to let that happen. Ruel didn’t know her, or that she had stolen from the boys, but Ruel knew enough to know he was going to stop them. There were three of them and minutes earlier Kay tried to prepare herself to experience a nightmare. Watching the boy bleed, she realized there were many types of nightmares and you couldn’t prepare yourself for them all. Two of the boys were able to run, but that one poor sap couldn’t get past Ruel. There were shattered teeth on the ground when Ruel took her hand and led her out of that alley.

Ruel had protected her for most of her life. She owed him something grand in return.

Many of the men were out on the streets, looking for Arch or his men. Ruel took Vik and Rikard back to their restaurant and set a trap in case Arch showed up there. Rendy took to the streets with the pickpockets to search for information. Kids on corners, listening in, watching from the shadows. Hidden faces in crowded places, unnoticed, unaccounted for.

Kay took the women to one of Rendy’s warehouses where they could stay until Ruel set up proper housing. Kay looked at the sad broken whores and was disgusted. Disgusted by what Ruel was becoming. Disgusted by what compromises she had already made in order to stay with him.

Her job was to protect Ruel the way he protected her. There were guards to watch the women. Kay had other agendas.

Mere months ago, Ruel was happy working for the Reapers. They funded his loansharking and he made them money and actually helped a person or two along the way find homes or fund businesses. But greed and growth set him down a path of listening to the wrong people. Kay couldn’t stop that. She grew worried when the foreigners brought their counterfeit money. It only got worse when Arch arrived with plans of his own. Ruel was arrogant and naïve and saw gold when he should have felt fear and caution.

It was all in the past. Kay couldn’t stop it. She couldn’t protect him. All she could do was move forward.

Rendy was good at gathering information. The foreigners worked for an organization known as Naxis. The street rats identified two main Japanese that needed to be followed. Arch was harder to pin down. He seemed to run his own operations, but they eventually found the man funding him.

Kay would have killed them all if she could have. But she was one and they were many, and Ruel would need her alive more than he needed some grand suicidal gesture.

Rendy was supposed to have eyes on all of them, allies and enemies. Kay had considered Rendy a partner but never a friend. When Ruel was missing they formed an uneasy alliance. When she considered running, she would have left him the city. But Ruel returned and Rendy never really wanted to go back to second place.

Kay was supposed to watch the women and protect Ruel’s investment, but she chose to protect his interests instead. When Rendy met with the Japanese, she was in the shadows, watching. The street rats must have seen her. As soon as Rendy was alone, he would know. She could probably outrun them, inform Ruel straightaway, for she could just take care of things herself.

Rendy bled, just like any man would. He liked his fancy suits and had his bodyguards and his hidden army of spies. But he never lived on the streets. Not like Kay or Ruel had. He never learned to fight. Never killed a man with his own hands. Rendy was at a disadvantage. Rendy thought he could buy what he needed, pay for his survival. Kay actually knew how to use her bare hands.

Rendy bled, just like many men had before. He bled the way the boy in the alley had bled. Once when Rendy put his hands on her hips, she promised she would kick his teeth down his throat someday. Rendy sneered and laughed and rubbed his sweaty grease-covered hands on her ass. She didn’t break his hand then, but she did tonight. He spit blood at her feet and she kicked him again. His mouth was shattered, teeth on the pavement, teeth swallowed into the blackhole that was his face.

Kay might not save Ruel from all that was about to come, but she was happy to protect him from being stabbed in the back. Ruel had protected her most of her life and she owed him. She owed him and the scales were still tipped. But it felt good to pay one small part of her debt.

The shadows watched, the tiny eyes of tiny scared boys and girls. That had been Kay. Never again. They didn’t act. They let him die, their patriarch, their patron. This rat of a man who probably abused them and never gave them their due. The shadows watched as Rendy became one more victim of the night.

Day 203 - Breakout

 Breakout

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

The gunshot rang out and Sonny moved faster. He ran past Kaylee, paying little attention to her reaction. Probably her first time hearing actual gunfire on the job, he thought. This wasn’t training anymore; this was the real thing. She would learn quickly, or not at all. But that wasn’t his concern in the moment. He wanted to get to the source of the action and stop anything worse from happening.

Later, when he had to recount his story, and there were reports to be filled out, and questions to be answered, Sonny would realize just how distracted he was in the moment. He would tell them about the blood and the bodies, but he couldn’t actually remember his movements as they occurred. There were tiny glimpses, like he jumped in time and space. He could remember punching someone, but wasn’t sure who. There were also enough guns that he couldn’t begin to guess who shot first or last.

 As he ran down the hall, some doors opened, curious or frightened faces emerged. Some doors remained closed. Those were the smart ones, he thought, hiding instead of running into danger. What did that say about him? He didn’t feel smart or stupid or brave or scared. He felt his blood pumping and was excited. He felt right, as if being a body in motion was how he was always meant to be.

The penthouse door opened, and a bleeding man stumbled out. Sonny didn’t recognize him. He pushed forward and entered. There was an older woman with a knife in her side and a man about her age trying to put pressure on the wound. There were screams from further in.

Sonny entered a living room and found what must have been at least three different groups all screaming and accusing each other. He recognized Bagus but saw that he wouldn’t share any secrets with Declan again. There was a group of men around him, but Sonny didn’t know them. A younger man and woman were together with guns out, holding the group back, away from a sharp dressed man on a couch. The other group were several men and one woman, all of them dressed like they were from the street. Probably not Agents or Dragons, Sonny thought.

The man on the couch looked at Sonny, and slowly the others in the room realized he was there. Soon the room was looking at him. He might have had the law on his side, but he certainly was in no position to dictate what occurred here.

Behind him, he heard Kaylee’s voice command the room to step back and drop their weapons. He realized she must have had a weapon on her. She’ll get us both killed, he thought.

But then he heard a voice that surprised him, Declan telling Kaylee to relax.

At first Sonny thought backup police had arrived, but when he turned, Declan was there with the older man Sonny had seen taking care of the stabbed woman. This was definitely not a police operation, but Declan seemed to know the players.

At least a few of the people in the room seemed ready to respond peacefully, but then a new group of armed men burst through the door. Sonny recognized a couple of them by the tattoos on their arms.

Sonny’s first instinct was to attack, but instead he found himself tackling Kaylee out of the way and allowing the men to pass them by. Later he would be told he did the right thing in saving her first, but he wasn’t sure. A fight was about to break out and instead of enforcing the law he thought only of himself. Sonny fumbled for his weapon, when Declan reached down and helped pull them both up. Sonny wanted to go after the tattooed man, but Declan pulled them both towards the door.

Day 202 - Night Moves

 Night Moves

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

“Why would I attack my own family? Why? Why would I do that? What would I gain from that?”

“You would get to appoint a new Number Nine. Infiltrate the Agents.”

“No. That’s nothing. Any boss would do that in this situation. It’s been happening for over twenty years now. Why would I kill my own Agent? Why would I do that? Again, tell me how I benefit from that.”

Ace was strangely quiet the whole time. Seven expected more when he and Queenie walked in the room. He had followed his father, betrayed their sacred trust. He expected his father to be hurt. To lash out. He had come with accusations that were only made worse finding them together, conspiring or not. And he brought Queenie with him, his father’s lover. But there was no visible emotion. Nothing. Such a disappointment. Seven took it to mean his father was broken, giving up.

But then he stayed silent as the others talked. Almost like he was considering what his next move would be. He said nothing for or against Gideon. If they were partners, Seven had no evidence. His father’s guilt would only be proven by his own words or if Gideon turned on him. Was that why he said nothing? Or was he innocent and being here was only an accident? He would have no way to prove it and speaking out would be a useless maneuver. Silence, while doing nothing, seemed to prevent anything worse from happening. Perhaps his father still had plans after all.

Jade entered the room much to everyone’s surprise.

“Gideon is innocent. It’s my matriarch who has betrayed the families. She made me spy on you, Seven, and she has conspired with foreign investors to try and undermine our operations.”

“And you can prove this?”

“I can. The organization is named Naxis, and she has been meeting with them all week downtown. There’s a meeting planned for tomorrow. I think the heads of all the families would be interested in being there.”

Gideon smiled at Queenie, but Seven wasn’t sure what secrets were going on between them.

“I suppose we’re all in for a long night. I have to alert the other Agents. No one can leave or send any messages until we figure out what’s really going on.”

Day 201 - Right Place Same Time

 Right Place Same Time

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Sonny was startled when he heard the knock on the passenger side window. He turned and saw it was Kaylee standing outside his car. He unlocked the door and she climbed in.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I was surprised you got here so quickly.”

Kaylee stared at him blankly.

“I called.”

“Oh, you did? Sorry. I haven’t been able to check my phone. Been an interesting evening.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Following the woman who threatened me with a pair of scissors.”

“What?”

“The story can wait. What are you doing here? And where is here?”

“Well, I was following a lead.”

“Me too! And both our leads led us to the same place. Isn’t that a strange coincidence. Except of course coincidences don’t really exist. But maybe there is a good reason that both our suspects came here.”

“My suspect lives here.”

“Interesting. Mine lives in the building with the Dragon Claw Agent. I found her breaking into his apartment earlier.”

“And she came here.”

“Maybe with a story to tell. Or perhaps some good evidence.”

“I was following a lead regarding the murders in Bandung.”

“Doesn’t mean they aren’t related.”

“True. I’ve been working under that assumption a long time, but Declan never cared.”

“Declan isn’t here. Let’s go in.”

“I called for backup. I don’t really have any authority.”

“Yes, but I’m here now. Let’s go in. I want to find out who she’s reporting to.”

“I can just tell you who I’m investigating.”

“But that won’t prove they’re working together. I’m going in.”

Kaylee got out of the car.

It seemed as if Sonny had no choice but to follow her.

Day 200 - Sonny Makes a Phone Call

Sonny Makes a Phone Call

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

At a distance, at night, in low light, Sonny was still certain he had seen those men before. Club B was ingrained in his memory, as was the security footage from the mansion massacre in Bandung, the men man with numbered tattoos on their forearms. The other old man, the man they helped out of the car and into the wheelchair, was a stranger. Sonny had a connection that linked local businessman Gideon Hartan to recently murdered business partners Quer and Amin. And here was one of the men suspected of committing those atrocities. Sonny didn’t believe in coincidences and thought it likely this Sixty-Six hitman worked for Gideon. The other two men must have played a part as well, and once he got them into interrogation the remaining pieces would fall into place.

The problem was Sonny had no authority here, or very little to say the least. The police in Bandung had been generous in their cooperation with Interpol, Aseanapol, but the truth was he couldn’t arrest anyone on his own. He could fill out reports and send them to the local police and his supervisors, but standing here on the street alone, with no local police backup, he was basically a regular citizen. If he pulled a gun and did anything he would likely be prosecuted like anyone else.

Sonny suddenly regretted his dismissal of Declan and Kaylee, and wished he had informed them before he followed this lead on his own. Sonny took out his phone to call for backup, it was the smart thing to do. Still, all he had done was come to ask Gideon a few questions, and theoretically he could still knock on Gideon’s door without crossing them. He didn’t even know if the men with the tattoos were going to see Gideon. It would be a strange coincidence seeing them here if they weren’t, but technically he didn’t have to confront them at all. Of course, the men with the tattoos knew his face, so he was putting himself in danger’s way.

Sonny made his phone calls as he watched the men across the street go inside. Neither Kaylee or Declan answered and Sonny had a decision to make.