17. Nairobi Crawford #2
I didn’t know how I expected to feel when I finally laid eyes on Hana for the first time. Honestly, I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I had a sister at all.
There were no anxious flutters. No knots in my stomach. Just… nothing. I was unnervingly calm, and I couldn’t tell if that meant I was numb to the whole thing or if it hadn’t hit me yet.
“Still can’t believe you volunteered my shit without asking,” Cash muttered as he checked his gun for the umpteenth time.
We were in the office upstairs—one of the only parts of the farmhouse that didn’t look like a serial killer’s playground.
The bright fluorescent lights gave the white room a clinical feel, a complete 180 from Cash’s office in midtown.
Through the reinforced windows, we had a clear view of the floor below.
It was the first time I’d been back here since the night Cash beat a man to death in front of everyone. The memory of that day lived in the walls of this place along with every other person who’d been brought here by Cash or Jelani who needed to pay for their sins.
“I think they’re here,” Slim said, tapping one of the monitors.
I glanced up at the screen. Sure enough, a black Suburban was crawling up the gravel drive.
I sucked in a breath, feeling my stomach tighten. “Let’s get this over with.”
They followed me downstairs and waited at the entrance where the door was already open.
Jack stepped out first and straightened his jacket. Another guard opened the rear door and there she was.
Hana looked like she was used to drawing attention. Her jet black hair was pulled up into a bun, and she wore similar attire to me—tight black leather leggings, black combat boots, and a leather coat with a fur trim.
Her face was familiar and foreign all at once. I saw Sterling’s eyes, the shape of her mouth which was also his. And mine.
I stared as she, Jack, and the guard made their way toward the entrance.
She scanned the space, assessing the farmhouse no doubt. Her gaze finally landed on me as we stood a few feet apart.
I held her stare, waiting for the other to say something, to make the first move.
Hana’s posture was composed, but not stiff. She tilted her head slightly, like she was cataloging everything about me in real time.
And for some reason that pissed me off.
I crossed the space between us in two strides and punched her right across the jaw.
She stumbled as her hand flew to her face, eyes wide but not surprised. She caught herself and lunged for me.
Her elbow hit my face and then I felt her shove me hard in the chest. I caught her wrist and twisted it, forcing her back into a wall.
She grunted as she slammed against it and kneed me in the stomach.
I staggered back, sucking in air before crying out and going for her again. We grappled and fought.
Out the corner of my eye, I saw Jack try to move but Fontaine cocked his gun at him.
“Let them handle it,” he warned, voice low.
Hana got a solid hit to my ribs. I grunted and shoved her off. She came at me again, but I ducked and caught her in a headlock. She twisted, throwing us both off balance so we fell on the floor.
“Y’all done?” Jelani asked.
I felt warm blood trickling from a cut from my lip, and Hana spit out a glob of blood. Both of us were breathing heavily.
Jack straightened his cuffs. “If the introductions are finished…perhaps we can sit?”
Slim muttered something under his breath about this being some real soap opera shit.
I stood and bushed my pants off, shaking out my arms. My knuckles burned and my chest was tight.
Hana straightened her jacket.
“I didn’t come here to fight,” she said. There was a slight British lilt to her accent.
“Yeah, well you should’ve thought about that before you bulldozed your way into my life.”
She snorted and smoothed her hair.
I just started following him to the old sitting room. It wasn’t fancy—mismatched chairs, a beat up coffee table, and walls with peeling white paint.
I took one of the foldout chairs and Hana settled in a worn armchair. Jack stood by her side, eyeing us warily.
I crossed my legs. “What’s this all been about?”
Hana’s eyes never left mine. She sat with her hands resting on her thighs, fingers flexing like she was determining how much she wanted to let out.
“I’ve known about you since I was sixteen, but Sterling forbade me from ever reaching out to you.
He said it would complicate things, things I wouldn’t understand until I was much older,” she said.
“He made sure I was taken care of, of course. Gave my mother enough money to ship me off to boarding school. Had the best training money could buy.”
“So how’d you get wrapped up with the Yakuza?” I asked.
“My mother’s family has been in the Yakuza for generations,” she explained. “She became a diplomat, so they’d have someone with government connections. They weren't too keen on her biracial child, but my mother can be very persuasive, and they came around eventually.”
“But you,” she extended her hands out to me. “You were Sterling’s pride and joy. Did you know that?”
I reared back. I couldn’t recall a time that man had ever said he was proud of me. “That’s not true.”
“The man was always going on about how brilliant you were. You were his prodigy. Mind you, I hacked into a restricted intelligence server at seventeen. But yes, tell me how great Nairobi was.”
“You did all this because the man put me on a pedestal? All of this is news to me by the way—Sterling never said none of this shit to me.”
“I was curious,” she shrugged. “Sterling spent the last years of his life being a gambling degenerate. It was pathetic honestly, but I felt like it was the penance he needed to pay for being such a shit father.”
I rubbed my temples, feeling the annoyance claw up my throat. She did all this to test me? To see how I’d perform under pressure?
“Let me get this straight—you drained his accounts, shot at my man’s car, shot up my friend’s baby shower, all as a test?”
Hana scowled and looked at Jack. “What’s this about a baby shower?”
“Y’all shot up my wife’s baby shower and it sent her into early labor,” Cash interjected angrily.
“No, that wasn’t us I’m afraid,” Jack said calmly.
“What do you mean it wasn’t you?” Cash stood. “Who the fuck else would have a reason to attack my family unprompted?”
Hana turned her attention to Cash. “I don’t know what you think this is,” she said flatly. “But unlike some of my colleagues, I do have some scruples. I wouldn’t target your baby shower to get her attention, Mr. Banks. You’re really of no value to us.”
“This shit don’t make no sense,” Jelani muttered.
“And the accounts?” I asked.
“Sterling owed the Order money,” she said, looking at me.
“That part was real. I just made sure the debt was collected after he died so you’d have to come looking.
” She shrugged like she was explaining a minor inconvenience.
“I needed you invested. If your mother’s lifestyle wasn’t at stake, you would’ve buried that man and disappeared again. ”
“Why’d you shoot at Fontaine’s truck that day?” I asked.
“Because he was nosy,” Hana said, looking at Fontaine. “And we knew the car was reinforced. Just wanted to shake him up a bit.” She smiled at him deviously.
“If you believe the Order sanctioned that attack, you don’t understand us as well as you think,” Jack said. “But if someone used our name, they’ll answer to Hana.”
Hana stretched as if this was all boring to her. “Believe what you want, Mr. Banks. Someone was either desperate or reckless to get to you. Either way, it wasn’t sanctioned. If it was, someone would’ve died.”
I studied her face, looking for any tic that would prove she was lying. But she didn’t flinch.
“She’s not lying,” I said. “We’ll figure that shit out later.”
Hana stood. “Right. Well, if we’re all settled here, I’ll have your new handler reach?—”
“Aht!” I raised a hand to cut her off. “So that’s it? You’ve concluded your business and now I just work for you like some pawn? You’re no better than Sterling.”
Hana laughed. “Sister, I’m much better than our father.
You’re acting like you don’t enjoy this work.
You and I both know working for The Order is an upgrade.
Were my methods a little…unconventional?
Yes. But you still would’ve come to work for us.
Plus, I’m sure our connections can benefit your friends here. ”
Jelani scoffed. “We don’t need your fucking help.”
“Don’t you want to know who shot up your brother’s baby shower?” Hana asked. “We can help with that.”
“Fontaine can handle that shit,” Cash said.
“If you say so.”
“I want something,” I said.
Hana cocked her head. “Go on.”
“Parker. My handler from The Agency. Bring her to me. I want her head.”
Fontaine shifted beside me.
Hana’s eyes flicked between me and him. “Oh, I like you. You’re ruthless.” She nodded. “Done. We’ll be in touch.”
*?Standard Japanese greeting when using the phone
*?Japanese word for “yes”