1.1 | The Yakuza Bride

Chapter 67

"Hey", he murmured. His lips brushed her forehead and he pulled the comforter up to his chin. "Did I wake you?"

His hand was cold under the blanket and she shivered at the touch. In fact, he was cold all over just from the short exposure to the cool kitchen.

"Can't sleep?"

She grunted. They both knew the reason for it. Nightmares plagued her dreamscape almost every night, reminding her of the blood and the intensity of the battle they had escaped from. She was thrown back and forth between the firefight, fighting through mobsters for her life, being blown to pieces, blood seeping through her thighs, and him never waking up again.

His arms circled her frame instinctively, protectively, and she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't tell him but sometimes, when she would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, she would stick a finger under his nose to check that he was alive.

~

"Got something for you here," Mickey announced cheerily as he loped into the office. He waved a newspaper in his hands.

A sigh left his lips and he muttered irritably, "What is it?"

After scanning various articles impatiently for whatever Mickey wanted him to read, his eyes were finally caught by a title. His lips curled in mild amusement and he muttered scornfully, "Finally."

Police Start Rounding Up Suspects of Gang War

Police have identified key suspects of the recent gang war that had disturbed the peace in New York. During the Christmas season, various gangs were involved in vicious fighting that took part in some public places such as a club owned by a prominent Mexican gangster, and other residential neighbourhoods. It is unclear what sparked off the wars, but police have identified a Mexican gangster, a Yakuza member, and possibly, a Russian mobster as the perpetrators. It is speculated that changes in leadership caused this unruly outbreak.

Arrests of certain individuals have been made and investigations will be carried out. During the melee...

The sneer had turned into a smirk, then into a harsh bark of laughter.

"They didn't name any names! What a joke. Their Yakuza member is dead, their Mexican gangster is missing, and they aren't sure if I'm involved or not. I wonder, who is it that they have arrested?"

"Read the next one too."

Mickey jabbed at the passage below the one he had just read.

Dead Police Commissioner Possibly Suspected of Corruption

At the scene of death of the recently deceased Police Commissioner of the New York City Police, incriminating photographs have been found featuring the Police Commissioner and a prominent member of a Mexican gang.

Their meeting was not on any Police agenda, and was apparently held in secret. A full scale investigation...

"Brilliant", he muttered, not without a touch of irony. He folded the papers and placed them onto his desk. Maybe he would cut out those articles and frame it as exemplification of the NYPD's inept abilities.

"The problem now is just Juan, eh?", his friend questioned brightly.

"Don't remind me", he muttered darkly. "I have a feeling he won't be showing up anytime soon, though."

"You can always get your wife to help lure him out. Seems like Juan Gonzales likes her a lot. If you use her as bait, maybe he'll...erm..."

At the glare Leon shot him, Mickey had immediately quietened down.