90 – Alex
I didn’t want Joey in the same city as Jake, let alone the same room.
But there we were, sitting toward the back of the room, waiting for Jake and Yamota to be brought in for their ‘trial‘.
Hirano had converted one of his larger living rooms to a makeshift courtroom, and if it hadn’t been such a serious moment,
I would have laughed at how fucking ridiculous this actually was. There was no denying what had happened, or who was responsible. Just punish them and let us get on with our lives.
We had plans.
After I had slowly made love to her, Joey and I had laid away and talked about babies.
Of all things, we spoke of our future children.
We had decided on having at least two. A boy and a girl would be nice, but we would be happy with any kids. She’d even gone as far as to ring Yasu and book an appointment with him, to have her implant removed.
It was happening. We were probably going to be expecting by the end of the year, and the idea didn’t frighten me nearly as much as I thought it would.
Especially when Mom called me this morning.
I had told her a watered–down version of what had happened with Jake and Joey, and how badly her baby had fucked up, and he probably wasn’t coming home in a hurry… She had cried, and I had heard Pa in the background, swearing, but in the end, they had accepted his fate… and the offer from Yuka. Which meant, we would have generational help with our kids… I’d just have to make the rules when it came to pa’s okaasan. I would not let her treat any of my children, like she did me.
The door behind us opened and I felt Joey tense under my arm, which was casually draped around her shoulders. I turned my head, looking behind me, as I pulled her closer to me.
Yamota came in first. Waddled in with a Hirano soldier on either side of him.
He walked to the front of the room, and sat down at one of the seats, facing the room.
Then came Jake.
Pushed in a wheelchair.
He had survived the knife to his stomach, but he hadn’t done so well against the fists of the Yakuza soldiers. His face was a myriad of bruising and cuts and his left leg was in a cast, and I almost felt sorry for him- But it was fleeting, especially when through his swollen shut eye, he glared at Joey and me.
I put my hand against Joey’s head, holding her against me, as she shook in my arms. She was terrified of him, and honestly, I didn’t blame her.
She still had bruises too. Like the ones that wrapped around her throat, which were the reason that even in this dry heat, she was wearing a turtleneck sweater to hide them. And not to mention the nightmares. My lip still stung from where she had split it.
Once Jake had been placed at the front of the room, Hirano stood and turned, addressing the room. There were Yakuza from most of them who had attended the meetings, as technically, they’d been dragged into this. “Today is not so much as a trial, as a punishment setting venture. We all know what Yamota has done, and what Jacob Kazumi had done, at Yamota’s behest.”
Joey clung to the front of my shirt, but the shaking had stopped, and I kissed her forehead. That seemed to annoy Jake, and he glared at me again.
“If anyone would like to say anything before we bring down punishment, then may they say it now.”
Fuck.
That.
I wasn’t going to say shit to the little pric-
Joey moved beside me, standing. “I’d like to say something.”
“Jolene.” I said, grabbing her hand and I tried to pull her back down onto the seat next to me. There was no way in hell she was strong enough to be speaking to Jake, not after what he had done to her. “Joey, sit down.”
11/31
90–Alex
“Of course, Miss Brewster. Take your time.” Hirano said, stepping out of the center of attention, so that Jake was in full
view.
She shook her hand free of mine, and stepped out into the aisle, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket.
She’d written notes. For fuck’s sake…
I folded my arms over my chest, as she unfolded the page and looked down at it.
“Jacob. I wish you hadn’t gotten into this mess, been taken away from me… but you did.” She lifted her head and looked at him, lowering the page, and my gaze went to my brother. There seemed to be no emotion on his features. “I think I knew there was something wrong. And the hardest part… you didn’t trust me enough to tell me you were in trouble.”
I watched my brother, as the hard outer casing which he had seemed to have put up started to crumble. His swollen lips parted and he licked them, and swallowed, as if uncomfortable.
So, you fucking should be. Fucker.
You did this. You broke her…
“I wish you had told me you needed help… I would done anything to help…”
Fuck… I closed my eyes, as they started to burn with tears.
She wasn’t in love with him anymore, that was clear, from the way she called my name, while I fucked her… but it didn’t mean she didn’t love him still. The love had just changed.
I opened my eyes, as I saw Jake’s bottom lip tremble.
”
“I miss the little boy who liked to play chasey. Who picked me up when I fell over and shared his lunch with me. Who laughed at my silly jokes and held my hand, when I cried.” I looked at Joey, who had tears streaming down her face, and I had to resist the urge to get up and hold her. This was her moment. This was something she had to do. “But most of all. I miss you.”
My gaze moved back to Jake… as a single tear slipped down his cheek and his swollen eyes closed. Fuck…
Joey returned to the seat beside me and the piece of paper fluttered to the ground, as she turned and buried her head against my shoulder. “I’m sorry. I had to.”
“It’s okay, doll.” I muttered, putting my arm around her. “It’s okay.”
Hirano moved back to the center of the room and cleared his throat. “Well…”
The room fell silent for a little, then he spoke again.
“The council has decided the fate of Yamota. He will be sent back to Tokyo, and delivered into the hands of Akito Takada
and the Takada clan.”
A small gasp rose around the room and I closed my eyes, knowing what would befall Yamota.
He would be given over to Akito, and Akito would have him carved into a thousand tiny pieces and distributed across Japan… he would never be seen again.
“As for Jacob Kazumi.” I opened my eyes and looked at my brother. “There has been a call for leniency.”
Blinking, I stared at Hirano, as he picked up a piece of paper and read from it.
“This is a statement from Yuka Takada. Mr. Taylor, as a representative of the Takada clan, can you please come up and read this statement.”
I turned and looked at Ollie, as he stood his big ass up and stepped past Joey and me, and walked up to the front of the room. He took the piece of paper from Hirano and cleared his throat. “This is a statement, from Mr. Yuka. Takada. I, Yuka Takada, request that Jacob Kazumi be given leniency. He was brainwashed as a young child, and fed on his brother’s achievements, which fueled hatred and anger. In this environment, any child would have suffered, and it is only fair, he is given the chance of rehabilitation.”
Joey lifted her head, as Oliver spoke and stared at him, in as much confusion as I was.
“I request that Jocob Kazumi be given over to the Takada clan in Tokyo, where he will be reeducated in the proper clan ways, under the tutelage of my brother, Akito. There, he will learn humility, honor and compassion and hopefully regain respect, befitting the Kazumi name.”
Oliver handed the paper back to Hirano and returned to his seat beside me. I stared at him, and he frowned. “Sorry, Yuka
12/31
Soutine
90 – Alex
knew you wouldn’t want anything done and left to the council. But he sees potential in Jake.”
Potential? For what? To backstab us again?
I gritted my teeth and glared at my best friend. “We’re not done talking.”
He nodded, and I returned my gaze to Hirano.
“As you know, Yuka is very highly regarded in the council. His ways, while not traditional, show us there is a better future for the Yakuza. So, the council has agreed. Jacob Kazumi will be taken to Japan, and handed to Akito Takada, for rehabilitation. This meeting is done.”
The room broke in an uproar, and I stood, pulling Joey to her feet, and guided her out of the room. We peeled away from the crowd, and I turned her down a hallway and pushed her against a wall. “Are you okay?”
She stared up at me. “H–He’s going to Japan…”
“He will be fine, Joey. Akito will make sure he becomes a changed man.” Jake would want to become a changed man, because I knew, if he didn’t, Akito would no doubt kill him, while trying to eliminate the shit Yamota had taught him. “But right now, we have to stop thinking of him and think of us. What are we doing now.”
She frowned and looked up at me. “Aren’t we going back to New York?”
“Not straight away. Not if you don’t want to.” I pulled her into my arms and held her as she clung to me. “We can go anywhere you want. Just the two of us. Then we can go back to New York.”
Joey pulled away from me, “Vegas.”
I looked down at her. “Vegas?”
She nodded, her eyes big and wide. “Alex, take me to Vegas.”
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