Table of Contents

+ Add to Library

Previous Next

Chapter 8 Just Another Job

  • — DANIEL —
  • [ Three days earlier ]
  • 1. Find the guy.
  • 2. Get information.
  • 3. Leave.
  • That simple. Today's just another part of the plan, a little manhunt to lead us to Kenji's whereabouts. I could've just stayed in the car, let our henchmen do the job, then I'd call up the authorities.
  • But we're running out of time. And Kenji's still missing.
  • Our uncle was stuck in another board meeting and didn't need this kind of problem right now. "Next time I call, you'd better have news I'd want to hear," Tito Eugene said over the phone, his tone stern like always. His patience had run out.
  • Time to take matters into my own hands. I couldn't just sit on my ass and wait for news to surface. Jeihral sounded too distracted over the phone to get his hands dirty today. So, I drew the short straw this time.
  • The cops seemed too busy to care or look for Kenji. To them, my junkie, ex-con cousin's not that important. Just another burden to society.
  • Sure. Understandable. But my uncle definitely wouldn't appreciate their piss-poor excuses.
  • "Showtime." I put on my gear and hoodie, then stepped out of the bulletproof vehicle. With bodyguards, I walked into the tall, run-down building. Calm as a cucumber. "Don't get excited," I mumbled to myself.
  • No possible witnesses around, conveniently. My mind raced with speculations as I stalked the top floor of the old, rust-smelling building. The guards behind me were also armed. Handguns with silencers.
  • Best case scenario: Kenji's still alive, hanging by a thread, hidden in an abandoned place somewhere.
  • Worst case: he's now a headless corpse, hanging under a bridge, eviscerated body chopped into pieces...
  • Yikes. But I shoved the thought aside, feeling pretty optimistic.
  • Today, luck was on our side.
  • °
  • My breathing remained steady after I cocked the gun. The place smelled of cigarettes and stale coffee. As we crossed the narrow hallway, a wooden door with a sloppy 'A' painted on it gripped my attention.
  • A bodyguard used a lock pick, and then we were in. It was eerily quiet. The apartment unit looked cluttered, but big enough for small-time drug deals any time of the day.
  • Empty pizza boxes, soda cans, and dirty clothes littered the living room. Filthy kitchen sink. Someone wasn't fond of doing the dishes. And housekeeping in general.
  • As the tension in my muscles worsened, I ignored the cruddy surroundings and directed the gun towards the door in the corner. One of the guards quietly opened the door and checked for any threats.
  • The apartment remained dead quiet. We stepped into the bedroom. For a moment, I stood in front of an occupied king-sized bed, the room mostly dim. Not that spacious. Just comfortable enough for two.
  • It was well past sunrise, but the unconscious drug-dealer I was about to interrogate slept soundly on the covers, lying with a naked woman whose name I didn't even want to know.
  • It's the guy we're looking for. The faded dagger tattoo on his forearm was enough proof.
  • "Get up." I kicked the guy's foot, startling him awake.
  • "What in the..." British accent. Pinched, husky voice. His naked and hairy chest heaved as he glared at me.
  • "Get up, prick."
  • The half-naked guy sat up on the bed. His name was "Axell" according to a snitch. He glanced around his now crowded bedroom. "Who are you?" His nude lady companion remained still as a log, snoring softly on the left side of the squeaking bed.
  • "No one you wanna know," I muttered, pointing the gun at the guy.
  • "Sit still or I'll put a bullet in your girlfriend's head."
  • "W-What? Who are you? The fuck d'you want?"
  • "Not much."
  • "I asked for your name, wanker. If you don't got anything useful to say, fuck off."
  • "Me taking the time to get out of bed just to be here, in itself is a statement." I smirked at the guy. One of Kenji's drug-dealing pals.
  • He seemed to be studying my face as we exchanged glares.
  • "Tell me where the warehouses are and I might let you go without a scratch, while I'm still feeling optimistic."
  • "That's your introduction?" The guy sat still on the bed, glanced at the woman sleeping beside him, then glared at the armed men around him.
  • "Warehouse. Location." I kept pointing the gun to his face, growing impatient by the second.
  • "Wait." The guy smirked. The room fell quiet. Then he grinned and squinted at me, as if he just remembered something. "I know you. I've seen you somewhere."
  • Shit.
  • "You're that guy, that Chinese billionaire's son. Ha! I knew I seen you before," the guy rambled on, chuckling to himself.
  • Lunatic.
  • "I'm Axell. You're Daniel Han. Correct?" He stretched his hand out.
  • I ignored his tattooed hand. "Cut the bullshit and give us what we came here for."
  • "As rude and intimidatingly buff as you are, mate, I don't know why you and your dodgy-looking posse dropped by."
  • "Give us the location of Tan's warehouses. All of 'em. Don't waste my time or I'll burn this place down with you tied to your bed."
  • "Who sucked the jam outta your doughnut this morning..." The guy scratched his nape and yawned. Lazily, he put on a shirt as if there weren't five guns pointed at him, ready to go off and splatter his brains onto the wall.
  • "You want her to die today or what?"
  • "Yo. Easy with the threats. I just woke up, mate, like... Why so violent?"
  • "The address! Now." I took a step forward. This idiot was just wasting our time. But I was amazed that the naked woman stayed peacefully asleep under the covers.
  • "You're Kenji's cousin." Axell chuckled, his dark, curly hair touching the wall. "Yo. Just heard rumors about Ken, that Armie's guys took him. All true?"
  • "You'll give us the information we need or not?"
  • "About me and Armie?" Axell crossed his muscular arms, his physique and surprisingly well-groomed appearance quite unusual for a struggling drug-dealer living in the slums. "Yeah. He liked me. We were pretty tight."
  • "Liked?" I backed away, my loaded gun ready to put a bullet in his face if he tried anything stupid.
  • "Way back, Kenji introduced me to Armond. I was goin' skint, my passport expired, blah blah blah. So, did a couple side jobs for them. Then Armie lent me his car and a nice place in the city," he mumbled with a smirk. "I was sorta his favorite, y'know. Some nights we shared hot tubs with his ladies. Mostly well-paid whores." He scoffed. "Fun times."
  • "I said don't waste my time, asshole," I muttered. "Where's Kenji?"
  • "Chill, mate, I'm getting to the point." The guy frowned. "Armond likes his women dirty; tried setting up a prostitution ring. But Ken wanted out. Too many cranked up sluts ending up dead in their filthy nightclubs, so. Yeah. When Armie met the Božićs, all went tits up."
  • "Shut it. I said, Kenji. Warehouse. Location. Now." I pointed the gun at his female companion.
  • "Listen, mate. I've never grassed him up. Armond, I mean. But, for you, I'll make an exception. Just 'cause I like you."
  • "Shut up and get it over with."
  • "I'll tell you what I know. For something in return, of course." Axell grinned again. Like he couldn't care less about the loaded guns pointing to his head, ready to kill him any second. "You really wanna know everything? You'll have to watch your six every day from now on."
  • "Really, huh?" I ignored the keen urge to give a warning shot. This prick clearly knew how to stall; he might have all the information we wanted. Playing along with his game could give me the answers I needed, and more.
  • "I'll tell you where Ken might be. I'll ring and chat up some old friends. But first, put the gun down, call your uncle, and let's work somethin' out." The guy smiled. "Sound good, mate?"
  • "You tryna get killed or what?"
  • "No." The guy dropped the smug look, his dark eyes glaring now, his tone no longer taunting. "I know Armond and his thugs. A few phone calls is all I need to do."
  • "Fine." I put the gun down and pulled out my wallet. Time wasn't on Kenji's side, but this asswipe just wouldn't stop blabbing. "You need money? Here."
  • "Not just money." The guy scowled when the money fell onto his grimy floor. He ignored the messy pile of bills, then slowly got up from the bed without even glancing at his lady friend.
  • "Alright." I held back a sigh and pointed my gun at his chest. "What else d'you want?"
  • The prick took a step closer until the silver barrel touched his bare chest. He didn't even flinch. "I wanna work for Mr. Han."
  • °