A/N: Above, you have the super old first version cover of The Prince of Thieves. Enjoy!
~
Leon and Hana suddenly found themselves back in the dangerous position of being under the spotlight. Tension had increased tenfold and if all eyes weren't on them before, they had the attention of every single gangster in the room now. Juan had turned back to whisper to Asier, who immediately left the room after.
"Your people, Federov?" the Police Commissioner asked.
Leon made a face.
"Not sure. I've been locked up, remember?"
He raised a fist and was about to strike him when Hana spoke up.
"It was me. I called them."
His gaze turned.
"You?" he sneered. He stopped short to let out a scoff before he made a gesture to his men. "Cut the ropes and bring them out!"
"Where should we bring them, sir?", a guard asked.
The commissioner nodded at Ichiro Yazumi.
"Time for you to take charge, my friend." He gave the man a pat on the back. "I can't be seen outside."
"And as for you, kid." He looked Leon up and down and laughed. "Adieu."
Hana looked on in dismay as he motioned to some men, then turned to leave. Was this it? Her uncle was going to be in charge after this man left? Was she going to die at her uncle's hand then?
To her mild surprise, he pushed aside a folding screen at the corner of the room to reveal a cupboard. Was this man and about ten of his followers about to enter that little cupboard?
"Did you really think this is how the day would end when you put on your socks today?" Leon called out as the man was about to stick a leg through the secret door.
He turned his head.
"Am I wrong?"
"The day hasn't ended."
He dismissed Leon with a disinterested wave of his hand and proceeded to take his leave. His men trooped in after him, one by one, as Hana watched on in amazement. If it wasn't for the gravity of their situation though, she would have ran after them to try out the door.
"It actually leads to the bathroom", a voice piped up beside her. It was Juan, and that was the first she'd heard him speak ever since she entered.
"The bathroom..." she echoed cluelessly. Why would they...
"Which has a secret staircase to the back of the house. He's scared of being caught, so he leaves the dirty work to us." She noticed the disgust in his tone. So he didn't like that man either, did he?
"You're right", he continued in a softer tone. He took over the guard on her right with his fingers to her arm as her uncle busied himself with ordering the guards about. "I don't like him much. He's in it only for the money."
She slightly tilted her head to his and lowered her voice to a mere whisper.
"And my uncle?"
"For revenge."
A shiver coursed through her spine. Of course. He'd been labeled a traitor, kicked out of the family, and sent to America without an inheritance. Of course he'd want revenge.
But he'd brought it on himself anyway.
"And you?" Her eyes boldly met his.
"Me?" His green eyes flickered to her dark ones for a moment and she could see the sadness in them. "I don't matter."
You do matter!, she wanted to say, but it was too late.
~
He'd heard them whispering, caught them staring at each other. What the hell was going on? His fingers itched when he spotted Juan's hand on her arm, and he almost did a double take when she leant into him to whisper something. The zip ties around his wrists suddenly hurt too much and he wished he could rip them apart so that he could...what? Pull her away from him? He was dreaming...wasn't he?
What's that thing called when captives start to like their captors? Stockholm's syndrome, is it?
And I'm still alive, for goodness sake! Can't you carry on when I'm dead?
"Ready for the show?" Ichiro Yazumi leered at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "I promise it'll be good! It's a pity your father couldn't join us though. I'll show them all what a bad mistake this was, signing a deal with the Federov's.'
"I don't know about you, but my business with Kai has only just started and it's going smooth," he muttered. "Anyway, before we leave, I'd like to speak to my wife in private."
"Hmm." Ichiro's beady eyes went back and forth between Hana and Leon, then he shrugged a shoulder. "Fine. Since you're going to die anyway, I can at least grant you your last wish. Would you need a room?"
His lips curled in distaste at the implied meaning.
"No."
~
Juan lightly pushed her in Leon's direction, who had stepped away from her uncle. The look on his face was more than thunderous, as if he was about to chew someone up and spit them out. Some privacy this is, she thought. There were definitely more than one pair of eyes watching their every move, and the guards who were suppose to watch them had their weapons at their ready. Was this part of Leon's plan?
Separate themselves from the rest of the gangsters to fight back?
But as far as she knew, he wasn't armed, and so was she.
They stood almost chest-to-chest and her cheeks flushed at the nearness. What did he want to speak with her about? Did he want to add on to the harsh words he'd said to her that morning? Her hand slowly travelled to her belly for reassurance.
At least, if what he told me this morning was the truth, we still have each other baby.
"Don't lose the scarf," he said, even before she could ask him what their little, not so private meeting was for.
She raised her eyes to his.
"What?"
'Once it starts, get to safety immediately.'
"What are you – '
His fingers grazed her stomach, instantly silencing her. She could feel the eyes of onlookers boring into their personal space, including those of Marie's. Looks like there isn't a chance of us getting out now, but I still have to try, don't I? I'm not a Yakuza for nothing!
"About what I said in the morning, I-"
"Leon", she cut in before he could continue. "If you're going to apologise for what you've said, then don't. I won't accept it."
He raised an amused brow. Juan had offered her safety if she were to kill him. That, he felt, was adequate to buy her freedom.
"Fine, then I won't say anything. But I was going to say that I meant what I said this morning."
He brought his bound hands to her forehead and brushed her fringe to the side with his fingers. Then, he leant towards her, his lips close to her ear.
"Do what is good for you, Hana Yazumi."
"We're done", Leon said to her uncle, his features calm. Guards came to grab onto him again and they walked him out of the room.
~
A cold wind whistled through the porch, whipping her hair into a frenzy. She wished she had tied it up earlier. Even worse, strands of her hair had stuck to his face and she didn't think he appreciated it from the annoyed set to his eyes.
"It's tickling me", he muttered after a while, eyes still straight ahead at the white washed landscape.
"Sorry", she murmured back. She could have reached up a hand to brush her hair away but a guard had a gun to her back and she didn't want him to think she was trying something funny.
She heaved a sigh, which escaped her mouth as a puff of white air. How long was this going to take? Chill seeped into her bones through the sweater she wore, and soon she was shivering.
Only her neck was warm.
Her uncle started to pace after a while, but he did his pacing behind them, using them as a shield of sorts. Was he waiting for them to freeze to death before starting on his morbid execution methods? She puffed her cheeks and wiggled her toes, glad that her toes could still move.
Was he cold?
She stole a glance at him.
Back straight, eyes focused, mouth set. If he was cold, he would never show it. Maybe she shouldn't have taken the scarf.
"This is outrageous", her uncle snarled. "They're not coming! We won't have a show!"
Ah, so he's waiting for Leon's men to show up so he can have an audience?!
Beside her, she heard Juan sigh.
"Do you remember what I promised you?", he murmured under his breath.
She slightly turned her head to him and pretended to look at the neighbouring house.
"About?"
"Letting you go."
She swallowed. Of course she remembered. Hana inclined her head, then faced back front.
"The offer still stands", he continued. "And you know this will go nowhere unless..."
He nodded at Leon.
I see. Of course. So this is how it's suppose to start?
Was this why her hands hadn't been bound? So that she could kill her own husband? She did understand what he meant, obviously. With no one on either side willing to move their first pawn, the end, quite frankly, couldn't begin.
Someone had to make a sacrifice.
~
A/N: We're almost there. Remember to comment and vote!