Masaki pulled the weapon he’d had holstered at his back. He followed Oshun’s suit, cocking his gun, and making certain he was prepared for anything that came at them.

He watched her take two steps toward the door when the room became shrouded in darkness. He pulled out his phone and tapped the flashlight app on. Once he could find Oshun in the room, he stepped in front of her, taking the lead to the door.

How had he let this happen? How hadn’t he seen Izzy for the conniving son of a bitch he’d become? They’d been friends since birth, raised as brothers. How could someone he trusted so much deceive him like this?

Masaki still couldn’t figure out what Izzy’s end game was. What would starting a war do for him? Even if Masaki had gone to war with Oshun and the Brownsville Council, how was that supposed to benefit his second-in-command?

“It looks like our comrades have plans for us. Any idea what those plans might entail?” he asked.

Oshun remained quiet until they reached the door, shaking her head when she leaned against the door frame.

“I haven’t the slightest,” she answered. “I have no idea what Aesop could be after. War with you would only hurt us. Even if his plan was to take my place, he’d have to deal with the rest of the Council, and worse yet, my father.”

He readjusted the angle of the phone to find the door knob.

“I can’t think of a reason why Izzy would want to do this either?”

“Does he want your spot?” she asked.

“He might.” He shrugged. “But he’s not going to tell me that. Not to mention, taking me out doesn’t guarantee he’d get top spot. I’m just the boss of this region. Any admin within the organization is hand-picked by an Oyabun, the big boss.”

He watched as Oshun pointed toward the door. “Can you hear what’s going on out there?”

Masaki leaned his head against the door and listened for movement. It was late when they’d entered the diner, so only a few patrons remained. He could hear the owner’s distinct baritone voice directing the handful of people, made up of diners and staff still present, out of the diner, asking them to walk calmly to the illuminated exit sign.

“The owner is getting everyone out,” he offered. “I don’t hear many steps, there can’t be but a few people out there.” He went to open the door and she placed her hand on top of his, stopping him.

“They could be waiting for us to open the door.”

She was right. He was certain there was some sort of ambush planned. He just had no clue what it was. This wasn't out of any playbook Masaki encountered. This was something totally new.

“I don’t think Izzy and Aesop are still in the dining area. With no windows in this private dining room, there’s really no way to tell if they’re still out there. But, this room is in the back, and they’d have to walk through the rest of the diner to get to us. It may be black in here, but there are windows throughout the rest of the diner. The streetlights outside would keep the diner lit enough for witnesses to see.”

Oshun nodded her head. Apparently, he was making sense to her, if only any of this made sense to him.

Whatever Izzy’s plan was, Masaki was going to make sure his underling lost his life before it came to fruition. He’d broken the father-son code of the Yakuza. There was no coming back from that.

“You think they’re outside waiting for us?”

“That would be my guess,” Masaki answered. “The parking lot is empty this time of night. Between the big windows in the diner, and the few cars in the open parking lot, there’s not much coverage.”

They were sitting ducks in this private dining room. They couldn’t see, which meant their ability to protect themselves was jeopardized.

“All right,” she said, her clipped tone pulling his attention to her. “Crack the door.”

He did as she said, and watched as she crawled through the doorway on her hands and knees. Staying low to the ground was a smart move. The windows stopped at the height of the tables. If someone was outside looking in, they’d need to be elevated to see them.

He followed her, closing the door quickly behind them to prevent tipping off prying eyes. They made it to the foyer. Enclosed completely in glass, there was nowhere for them to hide. Both coming to the same silent conclusion, they stood up and readied their weapons.

The side of the parking lot they entered was isolated. There were two vehicles in the middle of it, making the open space seem larger and more daunting than ever before.

A shrill squeal of tires filled the air, placing Masaki’s senses on alert. He pushed Oshun in the direction of a large SUV, and they both took off running.

As they sprinted toward the vehicle, Masaki heard bullets being fired through a suppression device somewhere in the parking lot.

Contrary to popular belief, silencers didn’t actually silence firearms. They only took the firecracker bang out of them. If you were close enough, you could hear the muted thwap, thwap sound of shots being fired through the air.

Masaki heard glass shatter around them. He didn’t have time to look to see what direction the bullets were coming from, he just needed to get him and Oshun behind the large SUV for cover.

Heart racing, breath coming in heavy huffs, Masaki fought to focus. He needed to figure out which direction the bullets were coming from. A quick peak around the vehicle, and he saw a flash of light coming from a sedan on Linden Boulevard.

He took another deep breath, then glanced over at Oshun, and nodded his head. She accepted his signal, and when there was a break in the curtain of bullets raining down around them, they rose just high enough to fire shots of their own.

A rapid exchange of gunfire took place. With both he and Oshun taking aim at the car, shattering the windows on the passenger side, they forced the shooter to get out of the car.

It was Izzy. The quick peak Masaki caught of him fleeing the car revealed a bloodied shoulder. It could’ve been from the shattered glass, but Masaki prayed that fucker had caught a bullet.

When he heard the click of Izzy’s empty pistol, Masaki took the opportunity to rush toward him. Gun blazing, there was no hesitation in his trigger finger. He wished his semi was an automatic, he couldn’t spray his bullets fast enough. When Izzy tried to run away from the car as Masaki closed in on him, Masaki fired a final shot and watched as it struck a running Izzy in the back of his head.

Masaki felt a twinge of celebration roll through him as he watched his target twitch and fall to the ground. He was so lost to the euphoria of vindication that he didn’t hear Oshun screaming his name from behind him.

He turned around, watching her running toward him with her gun pointed to the side. He followed her line of sight to see Aesop standing with a pistol pointed in Masaki’s direction.

He attempted to fire at Aesop, but there was nothing except the sound of an empty click. He was out of ammunition and standing in an open parking lot while an enemy pointed a loaded weapon at him.

He was a leader in the Yakuza. Masaki would not beg, nor would he allow fear to possess him in this moment. If this was how he met his end, he would do it with honor.

When Masaki heard the bullet leave the chamber, he held out his arms to his sides, and welcomed oblivion. His eyes were locked above him on the night sky when he felt the force knock him off his feet and onto the ground.

He blinked, waiting for the pain and burn of the bullet piercing his body. But, it never came. He felt a heaviness on top of him that forced him to pull his sight from the twinkling stars, and looked down to see Oshun lying on top of him.

He looked around for Aesop, and spotted his twitching body spasming on the ground.

“Damn woman, I’m so glad you’re such a good shot.”

He chuckled, expecting to hear her return his laughter, or at the very least, rip him a new one for being so careless. But, she didn't respond.

Masaki sat up as he awkwardly attempted to get them both in an upright position. When he finally did, he called Oshun’s name, but she didn’t answer.

He cradled her head in his arms, and pulled her closer to him. When he pulled them apart again, he saw blood on the front of their shirts. He looked down at his chest to see where the blood was coming from. He didn’t feel any pain. When he returned his gaze to Oshun’s torso, the crimson stain was darker, and worse, it was spreading.

“No…no,” he whispered as panic grew inside him. When his searching fingers found the oozing hole on the side of her chest, his panic turned to agonizing pain. Watching her life seep away through the bullet wound felt like a vise had been placed around his heart, squeezing and tightening until it ruptured like a damaged pipe. He’d come to this restaurant to control and destroy his enemy if necessary. He’d never conceived the idea that his enemy would save his life by sacrificing hers.