c h a p t e r f o r t y e i g h t
1999, October 15
New York
THIRD PERSON'S POV
"Baby, out. Another one, on the way."
Just after the first baby was out, the other came right after. Louise was exhausted as tears fell from her drowsy eyes. Rainer was waiting outside. His heart beats like it's about to burst as his assumptions were eating his consciousness. He couldn't think of anything at that moment because Louise was suffering. They were married a month ago upon Red's order which he was very sorry for Louise. Despite Ruine loves Louise and knowing that Louise loved him back, Rainer develop feelings for her too. He liked her before Ruine did, or so he thought. When he found out that they were dating secretly, he stopped himself from liking her and tried not to be bothered. But he got jealous not knowing that Red was also observing him.
As soon as they told him to come in, he rushed in and look for his wife. "Louise, goodness...are you okay?" he said as he held his wife's hand. She nodded. They let the baby crawl to her mother and sheburst in tears. The first time Rainer saw the babies, he felt his heart sank. He never felt that way before, the urge to protect them at all cost. If he was honest to himself, he never like the fact that it was Ruine's bastards. But now, as he saw the two little babies, he couldn't bring himself to hate them.
2019, December
Rio de Janeiro
RAIN'S POV
Everything's so confusing. How did I end up from fighting my so called enemies to finding out my true identity? All my life I've never questioned my identity, and I had always believed that what I know about my family was the truth until this day. Had I believed in lies? Everything that doesn't make sense are starting to build this whole puzzle. This conversation is no doubt, the most horrible event that happened to me. But why do I feel like I felt better? Is it wrong to feel this way when my father, Rainer, was not my real father.
"Stop lying," I tried to argue. This is going too far. Stone is my enemy...and he's my father. A voice inside my head tells me that over and over again. If he was truly who he claims to be, what would that make me? A fool who's entire existence was a lie? Why? If he was really my father, why did he left us? Why did I never knew about him? And why did Dad never told us about this? What the hell happened?
I raised the gun I was holding. For the first time, I felt like thorns were pulled slightly but never out because my real father is right here. Yet, a hundred more needles plunge into it as longing and undefined questions as to why he left us and what happened to him and to our mom, crept within me. I am lost in words. His brows furrowed like he didn't expect it.
"You didn't know Red has two bastards?" I saw a hint of dismay from his face and from the way he sighed. "What happened?" I asked him. He looked right into my eyes and though he seem to be a stranger to me, his eyes felt like I knew about him for a long time. "I..."
"Your father and I...we were...twins."
"Skip that part. What happened? Why have I not know anything about you?"
"I should be the one asking you that. Did they really think I was dead after putting me on a very dangerous mission and was chased by the freaking FBI?"
"What mission?"
He was hesitant for a moment. What could've really happened? I need to know. "There's this yakuza group, the Inagawa-kai."
"Our grandfather, Rafael, made a deal with Seijō, himself, to distribute meth and weapons from Germany to Japan in 1974 when he became the caporegime. This expanded to Hong Kong, China and Taiwan for a long time until Red became the next caporegime. Estella, your grandmother, invented weapons in 1992 and Rafael sold it for a very high price."
"How did Red end up with that position? If you didn't know, Red killed Rafael, his own father, after he tried to rape Estella. He was severely punished by the family." That's why he was in a wheelchair. I thought he got that from all the gang fights but it came to this. "He was tortured for days as part of the punishment and he sure was a weed to have survived that. Look at him grinning with that face. Tsk."
Why do I find something similar in the way we say things? No wonder who I got it from. Rain, stop. "Red continued the deal with the yakuza. However, they cutoff some of their deals because the yakuza thinks that if Red could kill his own father, so would he able to do it to them like in a form of betryal. Knowing Red, he has such a temper and he was competitive especially that he lost his legs."
"It continued for years and it keeps lessening. So, Red decided to do it the bad way. He assigned a mission to Rainer to make deals outside their deals, and steal those." He looked at me like I already knew what will happen next which I have comprehended. Rainer must've asked him to do the mission instead.
"You're right," he said like he had read my mind. "I declined. That's when Louise was involved. She and I..." He sighed midway and the pang of pain in his eyes didn't escape my sight. "She and I...we were engaged. And Red, that cunning hag, he threaten to destroy her if I don't do the mission. And I..."
"You didn't even know that she's pregnant." I stated. Though it was reasonable, I don't understand or even want to understand. Why didn't she tell him? Why didn't he discussed it with her? There are a lot of why's in context.
"She married my father, Rainer." I argued. A forced smile formed in his lips like he was longing. "I couldn't believe she married him when I told her I'll come back as soon as I finish the mission."
"You did what?"
"I begged my father to let me marry her if I succeed in that mission. I should've never trusted him. I was chased by the FBI after a tip. I already knew who it was from."
"You left her." That's all what I could say. If he promised to go back, he should've done everything he could to see her. But instead, he runaway. So, he should stop acting like he protected her when he clearly didn't and just saved his skin.
He opened a bottle of scotch and pour himself a drink. He looked at me once again before he jugged the drink. "Then what happened to grandma?"
He took another shot. "Why don't you ask your father. He knows exactly how terrible your family was."
"Stop beating around the bush!"
"I'm not. I'm really saying that because I, too, am curious of what exactly happened."
"Then what is this?" I lifted the pieces from my necklace. "You know what these are."
"The witch's knot."
We both turned our attention at the door when we heard a sound of gunshot. One of his men came running and said, "Sir, we have intruders." Like the job of our instinct, both of us pointed our guns at the door. "Damn it. They must've picked up the scene you made at the casino."
"Oh, so it's my fault now?" I got up the bed, at the boiling point of my anger, and walked towards him. He stood watch at the door while I'm trying to pick a fight with an old man. "Then tell me what is Ace doing there?"
"You know him?"
An enemy entered the room and we both shoot at it before he even gets the chance without even looking at it. He fell on the floor. "He bullied me at school!" Strange, but why am I yelling?
"He what? Ace is a good kid."
"Kid? What do you mean kid? He's twenty!" We immediately attacked the people coming in as we argue. "And why do you speak like he's your son?"
I grabbed the man in the neck and gave him a knee to his stomach. I shoot the man behind him as he did behind me. We continue to walk out of the room. "You're right, he's my son."
I stopped midway. "Lookout!" He pushed me down and we both fell to the floor. Then I saw the shiruken at the wall. "That's a Scott—" I wasn't able to finish my statement when I saw the eight shadows coming in. "You need to get out of here."
"What? What about you?"
"Weird how you were asking me that when a couple of minutes ago you were pointing a gun at me."
"Be serious! I still have a lot of things to ask!" He shoot at them and they were shooting back so we immediately look for something to shield us.
"There's a door on the right. Get in and look under the table's carpet. There is a secret door there to the underground garage. Take the car key. There will be a tunnel and it will lead you to a shortcut. Leave."
"I can manage myself, thank you." I said in full sarcasm. I never backed out of any battle or fight. "You don't understand. If they got their hands on the pieces, we will all die."
"What?"
"Just go! I'll meet you at the tunnel where I picked you up."
They were outnumbered. I can't just leave. "I'll just give a hand." Before he could even stop me, I run to the other wall and pulled the trigger to the men coming in. The lush red were filling the white marbled floor. "Queen," one of the eight shadows said. "We're not here for a battle."
"I know exactly what you're here for." I said when I was supposed to pull the trigger, I didn't see three shirukens coming at me. And I was hit with one on my arm which losened my grip to the gun. "Sh*t." I heard him cussed and run shoot two of the shadows that were running to me. Before I could even pick my gun, someone pulled my other arm.
Ace. "Don't just stand there," he blankly said. He dragged me away as he secured the way in to the room that Ruine mentioned. Yet, he was still dead silent as he was rummaging on the floor carpet under the table which he pushed away. As soon as he opened the door, somebody entered the room. "Pin." We both looked at him and his eyes drifted to Ace. He immediately pointed a gun at him and pulled me to his side. "If you want to be dead then go ahead."
I gestured Pin to just follow. He immediately shot the person who just came in. It's one of the eight shadows. "I hated that guy since day zero." He commented. He looked at my arm, ripped his shirt and tied it to my arm. "Can we go now?" Ace irritably said. He went in first, followed by me and then Pin.
We have reached the underground garage. There I saw a badass car. "Let's take that one," Pin said. "Tsk."
Immediately, we get inside. However, people were coming in from the other side of the way. "These jerks won't stop," he commented. He opened the sunroof and went outside. Ace drives the car while Pin was on the sunroof, shooting those who were coming at us. I did the same thing but on the passenger seat area.
Gokd thing the car is armoured. We were able to leave but there were still cars chasing us. "Are there any other guns besides these ones," Pin argued. Ace pointed at the back and there, Pin saw one of his favorite guns. "Oh yeah."
He positioned on top and shoot at them. He was able to shot the driver so the car bumbed into a rock and soon after, immediately exploded. "One down, two more to go."
***
The Night Queen
by jrhabellie