Dim Sum Asylum(77)
“We’ve been over this. You’ve already tried to give me everything, and I don’t want it.” It was like talking to a rock sometimes, but I forged on…. “I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do. Because it’s my job… my true birthright. I’m here to protect and serve. This is what I do. This is why I cannot be your heir—your second-in-command—because your first thought is to pay me… to bribe me… to do something to benefit you, and what you don’t realize is that for me, there’s no thought of me not going to get them. So, one last time, where are they, Sofu? Where did he take them? And who the Hell is he?”
“I do not know who he is. I can see you do not believe me, but I would tell you if I did. And as for where he took them, he didn’t ‘take’ them anywhere, Rokugi.” My grandfather looked away, his eyes dampening with unshed tears, and I was frightened for Nobu’s life even though I had the old man’s promise he wouldn’t kill my cousin. “They are at the home I bought for her in Presidio Heights. But you cannot bring the police into this, Roku. If you do, he has promised to kill her, very slowly, and then he will go after you. If I have to lose Yukiko, then so be it. But I will not—shall not—lose you too.”
Nineteen
“YOU’RE HEADED there now?” Gaines chewed through the air and dug into my ear through the phone line. I knew him well enough to know his prodigious brain churned with who he had where and how he could get them to my side. “Damn it, I don’t have anyone close by, and the mayor’s commandeered a lot of the heavy fire for tactical support because of the storms. The whole damned city is falling apart around our ears right now. He’s taken the SWAT teams to help evac some of the gōngyù and the pier districts. How far are you from the station?”
“I’m about ten minutes out without traffic, but it took us about that just to get up the hill from Stockton. There’s a lot of bounce on the towers, so reception isn’t great. I’ve been trying to call it in for the past half hour since we left the teahouse.” I calculated the distance between where I was now to the address Grandfather’d given me. “At this rate, we’ll be another half an hour or more until we get there. Guy doesn’t want cops, but I’m thinking we can use any help we can get.”
“It’ll take me forever to requisition backup for you. If the damned mayor will even give them to me.” I was in awe of the profanity Gaines unleashed in the space between his grumbling and his next breath. “Can I get you to hold? Recon the situation and wait?” My chuckle was enough for him to curse again, then sigh. “Okay, guess not.”
“He’s had Jie for more than twenty-four hours and… his other victim for around six hours now. It’s been a little over a couple of hours since I got that call, and Takahashi got his info about an hour after that. They’re on borrowed time, Captain,” I reminded him. “Takahashi can’t move against this guy, not without weakening his position.”
“Shit, this is a mess. I’m glad I didn’t say she was your grandmother in the briefing. I didn’t think you’d want that, but this…. Your grandfather just couldn’t make this simple, could he. I can’t even get the Organized Crime guys in on this.” It took me a second to process what Gaines was saying. Struggling to recall what I’d told the task force he’d gathered up… and subsequently lost to the mayor… I realized Gaines’s never once said Yukiko’s name when briefing the team. Rubbing at my eyes, I longed for the pounding in my temples to go away. “Well, your profile says Akemi is your grandmother.”
“I’ve never met her, but I’ve known Yukiko was my grandmother since I was a kid. Grandfather told me that. I probably made her and Akemi the same person in my head,” I confessed. “Not like I had anything to do with the family to begin with, and the few times I saw my dad, he was mostly stoned out of his gourd. Hell, I don’t know if he knows.”
“That escalates the situation down quite a bit if no one knows the truth, but that doesn’t mean shit for those women. Considering what we’re dealing with right now, we don’t need a feud started among the families, and if no one knows she’s—” Someone spoke to Gaines, a burble of sounds more than words, and he assured them he’d be there as soon as he could. “Okay, I’ve got to go. Get over there. If you’ve got to go in… shit, I don’t want to lose you, kid. I’m going to get someone there as soon as I can. Hell, if I can get free, I’ll meet you there myself.”
He hung up before I could argue, and I looked up to find Trent staring me down. Pointing at the green light, I said, “Shouldn’t we be moving along? I’ve got shit to take care of. If you want, I can drop you off someplace—”
“Finish that statement and I’ll….” He trailed off, easing the car forward. “I’ll figure something out. Maybe I’ll just tie you to your bed and fuck some sense into you.”
“As fun as that sounds, let’s see if I’m functional after this.” I did another scan of the aerial shot I’d gotten of the house and the surrounding area. It was fuzzy, obviously shielded by a healthy dose of Takahashi’s money and influence, but at the moment, I wished my grandfather had less power so I could form a better idea of the grounds’ layout. “Remind me. Did I say Yukiko’s name during the briefing?”