JAMIESON
Living in the mountains of Colorado, you recognize the sound of gunshot. Even with a silencer, its unmistakable. A gun was fired in Carli’s room. What the fuck is going on? Carli is trying to shy me away.
Banging on the door with every bit of strength I own, the solid wood doesn’t budge. I want in there so bad, my insides are on fire. I’m livid that I’m helpless to do anything out here. It’s wrong. I need to know what’s going on.
Pounding harder and harder, the door is finally unlocked. Slipping through quickly, I nearly knock Carli down as I barrel through.
“What the fuck is going on, Carli? I heard a gunshot.”
Touching her arms, I check her out. I don’t see that she’s bleeding, and that’s good. Peering into her sitting area, I find there’s quite a party going on. There’s Hiro, one of the bodyguards I met the other day, her two sisters, a guy I haven’t met, and Kato, the guy who’s supposed to be Carli’s right-hand man with a heavy-duty gun in his hand. Kato is controlling this. I have the feeling this is a coup.
On the couch, bleeding, is one of Carli’s sisters, Kano. Knowing now who was screaming and why, it’s awful, but in a tiny way, I feel better it’s not Carli.
“So nice of you to join us, Jamieson.”
Turning to Kato, the prick who has no right to address me as such, I sneer. I’m livid, but also cautious. He has the ability to knock us off before we can blink. “My name is Whiskey to friends. Mr. Crown to those who don’t know me, and only Jamieson to Carli. You, asshole, are no better than a piece of gum on my shoe shooting defenseless women.”
He shrugs off my comment with a wave of the gun. “Very well. Have a seat. Join us for a while as we settle a family squabble.”
“It’s a bit more than a squabble, Uncle. Wouldn’t you say?” Carli snaps back, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
Well there’s a twist. He’s her uncle. I know my family was messy, but they’d never hurt another this way. This is fucked up.
Looking at the girls, and especially Kano, I see the hole in her leg is oozing, but not flowing. No arteries were hit. Good. She won’t die on the couch as we figure out how to stop this.
“So,” tapping the gun on his lap, “Where were we again? Oh. Yes. We’re talking about how you’ll turn over control to me.”
Clearly frustrated and anxious to get to her sister, Carli speaks up. “Fine, it’s all yours. Are you carrying paperwork around that I can sign? Or is a notary ninja on the way here?”
We’re sitting close enough that I can touch her hand. Gripping it, giving it a squeeze, I’m trying to warn her to cool the quips. She doesn’t need to egg him into killing all of us. I may not like it, but Kato has the upper hand.
“Dear niece, it’s not that simple. I’m sure you understand that. There’s only one way out of the family.” Rising from the chair, he walks over, but stands just out of reach. Curling his upper lip, he shows his madness. “No one leaves.”
Without warning, he points the gun at Carli. I react as fast as I can. Pushing her to the side, tossing her off the bed, I hope to save her. With a sickening click, I hear her grunt out in pain as the bullet hits.
Lying motionless on the floor, Carli doesn’t make a sound as Kato turns the gun on me. “Tsk, tsk, Mr. Crown. You just stay right there. You have no business in this family affair.”
Even as he points it at my chest, I glare. “Fire away, you fuck. But make it count. I’d hate for you to miss.” I’ve learned over the years, living in the mountains, the cold can burn as harsh as fire. Wait until he finds out how cold I can be. If he misses, I’ll take his ass down.
“Oh, I intend to.” Spinning toward Miori and Kano, he shoots again, this time, nearly hitting Miori. Thankfully, she reacted and pulled both her and Kano to the floor behind the table at their feet. Hitting the couch instead of her, it gives me a moment when his back is turned. Rising fast, I place an arm around his throat, and grab his gun hand in the other, wrenching his arm around. Still trying to fire, he shoots wildly. Hitting the floor and around the room, we dance for control. I’m larger. I have more weight behind me, and it’s not my first time brawling. This fucker’s going down, even if I have to go with him.
Knowing the balcony doors are wide open, I work us toward that side. Still trying to control the gun, clipping off shot after shot, I finally gain the upper hand. Wrapping my hand around the hilt, gripping the warm semiautomatic pistol, I twist it enough that he releases it.
Pushing him away from me, pointing the gun at him, I take in the scene. Hiro, the big bastard, is on the floor where a stray bullet hit him in the head. The other asshole is hiding behind furniture, but he too didn’t escape unscathed. His wheezy breathing tells me he’s taken one to the chest.
“Miori, Kano, are you two okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” Still hiding behind the coffee table, their heads pop up. “We’re okay. Kaori?”
Looking over, she’s lying still on the floor, a small pool of red is pooling beside her body. “Check on her please, while I deal with this fucking piece of shit.”
Rising off the floor, Miori runs over.
I keep Kato in my sights. I’m not giving him another chance. “How is she?”
“Breathing, but she’s losing a lot of blood. We need to get her help. Kano, too.”
Pulling herself up, Kano sits on the edge of the chair and winces. “I’m fine. I’m just worried about her.” Pulling out her phone, I assume to call for help, Kano starts speaking in Japanese.
I pull my attention back to the wretched man in front of me. “You tried to kill your own flesh and blood.”
“You’d never understand this life. And your American lifestyle is so soft, it sickens me. Kaori was just the same. Weak and soft, always wanting to make things better for the slaves, the dirty useless trash that work in our shops. She was never going to be a good Obayun. Never,” he shouts, spitting the words like venom.
“Well, you’re right there. I don’t get your tradition and bullshit honor code, but there’s no honor in killing your family.”
Closing her phone, Kano pipes up. “The police are on the way, and one of the choppers are fueling to take her to the hospital in Osaka.”
“Thanks, Kano. How are you?”
“I’ll be fine.”
I turn to her sister. “Miori, has the bleeding stopped?”
“I can’t stop it, but I’m trying to keep pressure on it.”
“You don’t get it—” Kato starts.
“You’re right, I don’t, and I don’t intend to. So you just stay there while we wait for the police.”
Smiling darkly, moving forward, I raise the gun as Kato tries to advance on me. “Nope. You stay right there.”
With a sinister smile, he takes another step. “You won’t do anything, Jamieson. Soft, weak, spineless sad sack. You’ll do nothing.”
Clipping off a shot, straight out into the vacant air, it whizzes right by his ear. “Try me,” I say, determined to show him that I have no compunction about him living or dying.
“That was close, but,” he takes another step, “you still won’t do anything. I dare you, Jamieson.”
Man, I really hate this guy. “One more step and I’ll show you how cold I can be, Kato. You shot the woman I love, and both she and my child could be dying right now. Do you think your life is worth more than theirs?”
“I think that you’re too scared to take a life, that you won’t do what’s needed.” Tempting me, taunting me, he moves to step forward once more.
So I shoot.