Chapter 21 #2
“No, keep searching. Makayla is putting her life on the line for this, I don’t want us to have to walk away empty-handed.
” Nothing would make him feel guiltier for putting her back in this dangerous situation than getting nothing out of it.
It was one thing to ask her to endure physical torture if they found what they needed to destroy Azure, but totally another to have her suffer for nothing.
“So far we have nothing, Van,” Lucky said, frustration evident in the other man’s voice.
“Keep looking. I’m going to see where the shots came from.
Who knows, maybe my girl got her hands on a weapon and had to defend herself.
” Although he said the words, he wasn't sure they were very likely. Makayla would endure whatever she had to, but if her life was on the line, he knew she’d fight.
But what were the chances, bound, in pain, and exhausted, that she could wrestle control of a weapon?
“Hell, yeah, our girl would do that,” Lefty cheered, and a brief flicker of amusement at the man Makayla had stabbed being so enthusiastic about her shooting someone calmed him enough to keep going.
There were no other gunshots, and he was starting to wonder if he’d imagined the sound. Makayla wasn't the only one exhausted. He hadn't slept in days, but then he found a door he hadn't seen earlier. It was hidden between two lots of shelving, so you couldn’t quite see any indication of it.
He swung it open to reveal a steep set of stairs leading down into the dark.
“Heading into the basement. Not sure if I’ll still have contact,” he said softly into his comms device then started descending.
If there was nothing blocking the signal down here, the guys would be able to monitor everything, but if there was, he was on his own.
The closer he got to the bottom, the louder sounds of a scuffle became.
Makayla was down here along with Asahi Watanabe. There was no doubt in his mind about that.
Light seeped into the dark staircase as he reached the bottom, and as he stepped into the room, he saw them.
They were both on the ground, struggling for control over a gun.
It was hard to tell which one of them was winning, his girl was putting up one hell of a fight, but he saw blood on both of them.
“What's going on?” he asked, holding out his weapon and aiming it at both of them, because until he knew more, he didn't have to let on to Asahi Watanabe that he wasn't on the man’s side.
“She tried to stab me,” Asahi Watanabe replied, apparently assuming that he was here as backup. “I told her to take off her clothes because I wanted to have her film a video that can be used to show the other women what happens when you don’t know your place.”
“A video, huh?” he asked, feigning interest.
Shoving Makayla off him, she tumbled backward.
Some of the fight drained out of her because she knew she was safe now, whereas Asahi Watanabe’s assumption of support was false.
The man chuckled. “Was going to start putting holes in her. Thought I’d start with her feet, work my way up her body, before putting a bullet between her eyes.
I bet you have a beautiful scream, don’t you, girl? ” he sneered.
With Makayla backing down, Asahi Watanabe took the opportunity to grab the gun as he shoved to his feet, taking a few steps away from Makayla as though he didn't quite trust her not to launch at him again.
“Thought you wanted her back,” Van said, beating down the anger inside him, the bloody gash along the side of Makayla’s stomach making his rage almost boil over.
“To punish, not to keep,” Asahi Watanabe explained. “This one is too much hassle. I like them to fight, I like training them myself. But I don’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder waiting for this one to strike.”
“Seems like a waste to kill her. She’s pretty, and we have other contacts to pass her along to whose clientele love bloodthirsty little things like her.
” While he didn't want to kill Asahi Watanabe and alert the remaining head of Azure that there were problems in the organization, Makayla’s life came first.
“I'm the head of Azure, I can do whatever I want with her,” Asahi Watanabe snapped as he lifted the weapon and pointed it at Makayla, making Van’s blood pressure spike.
“Look, sir,” he added to at least keep up a modicum of fake respect.
“I understand she’s been nothing but trouble, and I understand that as the head of Azure, she ultimately belongs to you, but I think killing her is a mistake.
Given everything she’s done, I think we can actually use that to make more money off her.
I’ll take responsibility for her, train her myself, personally, to ensure that she’ll bring you in a small fortune. ”
“I don’t need more money,” Asahi Watanabe said, although his attention had wandered slightly.
Which Makayla obviously noticed. Because she looked at something on the floor, partially covered by the black material of the maid’s uniform she’d obviously been instructed to remove. Then she began to shift ever so slightly.
Trusting her to know what she was doing, Van knew he had to keep the Japanese billionaire’s attention focused firmly on him, and the best way to do that was by dropping the cover.
“Nope, you don’t need money, not where you're heading,” he agreed.
A flicker of confusion mixed with uncertainty filled the older man’s eyes. “I’d rather punish her than sell her.”
“Totally get that, punishment is so much more satisfying, isn’t it?” he asked as he clearly shifted his stance so his weapon was aimed at Asahi Watanabe and not at Makayla.
The man paled. “What are you doing? You work for me. Why are you pointing that at me and not at her?”
“Because she’s not a threat,” he answered simply. “You, on the other hand, I’m looking forward to shooting you.”
At that declaration, Asahi Watanabe spun so he pointed his own weapon at Van. “You can't shoot me.”
“No? Who’s going to stop me?”
“I am. I’ll punish you for turning on me.”
“Always with the punishments with you.”
“You can't disobey me, I'm your boss. Do you have any idea how rich I am? How powerful? I crush bugs like you for breakfast and then go on with my day.”
“Not today you don’t. And just so you know, you were never really my boss. I didn't want it to end this way. I liked the idea of you sitting in a prison cell for the rest of your life, but I can't say I’m sad that I get to kill you for what you did to her.”
Right as Van went to pull the trigger, mayhem erupted.
Makayla flung herself at Asahi Watanabe, who obviously caught sight of her moving in his peripheral vision and shifted.
Van fired his weapon.
Asahi Watanabe fired his weapon.
Makayla had somehow gotten hold of a knife and threw it at Asahi Watanabe as she launched herself at him.
Pain blossomed in Van’s chest, and he knew he wasn't the only one hit because both other people in the room cried out in pain, although he only cared about the fate of one of them.
Ignoring the pain that spiraled through his body, he staggered to his feet, taking in the scene, the two bodies lying on the floor, the blood that seemed to be everywhere but where it was supposed to be, and dropped to his knees at Makayla’s side, reaching out a trembling hand to search for a pulse.