My Akuma (Book One of The Yakuza Series) (✔️)

二十一 (Twenty-One)

(Ryu's POV)

I walked through the door I'd sent Aria through. I stopped by the storage room and grabbed a shirt since I'd thrown mine in the dumpster. I couldn't walk into the store with blood on my shirt. The three men that came after us also ended up in the dumpster.

I searched the store but couldn't find Aria anywhere.

I was about to start yelling when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was a woman.

"Are you looking for a young woman?" She asked.

"I am. Have you seen her?"

"She's in the dressing room."

"She is?"

"Yes. She asked me if I'd tell the beautifully dangerous looking man that comes in where she is. Everyone else in here looks like your average Joe, so I guessed it was you."

"Thank you."

"Of course. There are seats where you can sit while you wait."

I gave her a nod and headed for the dressing rooms.

"Ari." I called from the door way.

"Ryu?"

"Expecting any other beautifully dangerous men?" I teased.

One of the doors popped open and she steppes out.

"I was, but you'll do."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on. Let's go."

I held out my hand as she walked over. We walked out of the store and started home.

"What happened to those guys?" She asked, sticking her inhaler back in my pocket.

"I put them in the dumpster."

"Is that why you have a new shirt on?"

"Yeah. Walking around with blood on your shirt doesn't go well."

"Did they tell you what they wanted?" She asked, holding my hand in hers.

"You."

"Me?"

"Technically both of us. Well you and Akuma. They also took the envelope full of stuff I found."

"So we got nothing."

"Not necessarily. Photographic memory, remember? I looked at everything at least twice before I put it all in the envelope."

When we got back home, I grabbed some paper and a pen and started writing everything that I remembered down. Aria patiently sat beside me and waited until I was done.

"Anything useful?" She asked once I finished.

"Yeah. There are some dates and times. I'm assuming they're all pick ups for women. There were also pictures of women. Over two hundred of them. I scanned through them quickly, but I saw one of you." I said, sticking my hand in my pocket and pulling it out.

It was a picture of Aria passed out in the cargo container with her hands and feet were bound.

"There were notes about large sums of money. A contact list that was written in some code. There was also this." I said sliding the paper in front of her.

"Isn't that...."

"Yeah." I sighed.

"That's where we're going tonight then?"

"We? No. Me? Yes."

"What? Ryu, no. I'm going to."

"No you're not and that's final." I said standing up.