Emperor of Havoc: Chapter 29

Sunlight streams through the windows and spills across the polished wood floors, soft and golden.

For the first time in what seems like forever, the Ishida house feels alive, not suffocating. My steps are lighter. My mood is elevated.

I’m enjoying it.

I’ve healed from the injuries from the crash and the masked biker’s attack. Takeshi has too, though he’d never admit that he was hurt to begin with.

Something shifted during those days of recovery, turning the twisted darkness or whatever it was between us into something more.

Something bigger.

It’s not just physical attraction anymore. It’s deep, turbulent, and messy in a way that makes me feel simultaneously grounded and adrift. Takeshi’s intensity still terrifies me, but it also draws me in, binding me in ways I never thought possible.

And whatever this is between us, it feels real.

Tangible.

Alive.

The thought lingers as I sit in the meeting room, surrounded by Ryu and several of the Ishida-kai waka gashira, discussing supply chain issues and concerns about some Triad-affiliated gangs near the seaport district who have been scoping out Ishida-kai warehouses.

I’m trying to concentrate, but it’s tough. Papa is in the hospital again, this time for the first of a few surgeries to clear the tumor from his spine.

I was there earlier this morning to hold his hand as they wheeled him into the OR. But the surgery is going to take eleven hours, and he’ll be out for a while after. I could stay and pace a trench into the linoleum of the hospital hallway until he’s awake again, but I know he’d rather I was here, sitting at the head of this table, leading.

So that’s what I’m doing.

“The Vorobev family has been quiet lately,” Ryu says cautiously as he glances around the table. “A bit too quiet.”

Apparently, Sergey is still pissed that his fuckwad son was summarily dismissed from contention to marry me.

Cue the tiniest violin in the world.

“Sergey is sulking,” I sign, shrugging. “We should remind him that he’s a big boy, and suggest that he pull up his big boy pants and move on.”

A few of my captains grin and chuckle when Nina translates.

“No, but seriously,” I continue. “We should keep an eye on them. This is Sergey’s way, not to announce anything loudly. If he’s going to try anything stupid, he’ll wait until he thinks we’re not watching.”

“So let’s make sure we’re always watching,” Ryu grunts to the table, his mouth pressed to a grim line.

Ryu has always been my fiercest ally. But with Papa in and out of the hospital more and more these days, and me basically sitting on the throne, he’s become my superhero. And though I’d never admit it out loud, his steadying presence has become a real source of strength for me. He watches over me like a hawk, and his loyalty is something I’ll never take for granted.

When the meeting wraps up an hour later, Ryu stops me as I start to stand.

“I think we should delay this next sit down,” he growls quietly in my ear.

I arch a questioning brow. We’ve got plans to meet with Li Fan, the leader of the Jade Dragons, in about two hours. He’s both the most powerful, and by all accounts, the most reasonable and level-headed leader of the Chinese Triad gangs that operate in Tokyo.

Since there’s been a recent uptick in Triad activity in our areas of the seaport, something obviously has to give. But rather than go with Ryu’s idea of sending in a small army to spill blood, I’d like to try the carrot before we whip out the stick.

“Li Fan seems open to negotiations,” I sign to Ryu. “And he’s vocally opposed to the actions of the other Triad gangs who’ve actively tried to take parts of our territory. I’m willing to let him have his own space, even do business with him, so long as he makes sure the other Triad organizations stay the fuck off of our turf.”

Ryu smiles. “Your father has raised quite the Queen. I hope you know that.”

I mime a dramatic curtsey, and he chuckles briefly before his look sours again.

“I agree with your plan to speak civilly with Li Fan. It’s a wise move. But we should have the meeting here, rather than the seaport district. I don’t like how much activity we’ve been seeing with the Triads in that area not under his control. I’m also concerned with the rumblings from the Vorobev family.”

I nod slowly, considering. Then I shake my head.

“I appreciate your concern. But I think moving the meeting last minute shows weakness and indecision. We’ll proceed as planned.”

Ryu scowls.

“We’ll bring an extra car full of men, well-armed,” I add.

Rya nods gruffly. “I can…live with that.”

“Good. Now, let’s go be diplomatic.”

“Ms. Ishida. It is an honor to meet you face to face at last.”

Li Fan is a tall, handsome man who clearly takes a lot of care with his appearance. He’s wearing a custom-tailored dark maroon suit—Armani—with a crisp black linen shirt beneath it. His black hair is buzzed on the sides and stylishly slicked back on top, and hints of Triad tattoo ink creep up his neck and out the cuffs beneath the Rolex on his wrist.

He bows low to me in a traditional show of respect before he straightens and offers his hand in a Western greeting.

“The pleasure is all ours, Mr. Fan,” Nina smiles, bowing toward the Triad leader and translating my signed response.

I don’t love the idea of her being in clandestine mafia meetings in seaport warehouses with unknown variables out the ass. Not because I don’t think she can handle herself.

Just that—I worry about her.

“Shall we sit?”

Li Fan gestures to a table set up in the middle of the warehouse surrounded by high stacks of shipping containers and wooden crates. I take a seat across from him, with Ryu and Nina on either side of me and a group of guards at my back.

“Do you mind?” Li raises a pack of cigarettes. I incline my head graciously, and he nods, slips one between his lips, and lights it.

Then he leans back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table as he speaks.

“First of all, I want to say that I have the utmost respect for both you and your father. I understand that there have been some”…he frowns… “incursions by other Triad families into what is unquestionably Ishida-kai territory. You have my word that the Jade Dragons are not involved in these provocations, nor do we have any inclination to be so.”

He grins as he exhales smoke through his nose.

“Ancient Chinese proverb: don’t fuck with the biggest kid on the block,” he chuckles. “I don’t plan to.”

Good. We’re off to a great start.

“Thank you,” I sign back as Nina translates. “I appreciate your candor. Given that your organization is not part of the instigations, I’d like to offer you a sort of partnership, if you’re open to the idea.”

He spreads his arms wide. “Of course. My only goal today is to stop any animosity between our organizations before it starts, and express my desire to…” He clears his throat significantly.

“Keep the territory you already have in the seaport?”

He dips his chin. “Indeed.”

I nod. “I see no problem there. If I’ve heard correctly, your father fought hard to establish your territory here. I respect that. So here’s my offer: you have influence with most of the other Triad families in Tokyo. Get them in line. Make it clear to them that the consequences for fucking with my organization will be painfully severe. In exchange, I’m prepared not only to leave the boundaries of your territory alone, but also to outsource ten percent of our seaport logistics operations to the Jade Dragons.”

Li can’t hide his surprise when Nina translates that last part to him. He glances behind him at some of his captains and advisors. But I can see his mind is already made up. This is an easy deal to say yes to.

“Ms. Ishida.” Li smiles widely, stubbing out his cigarette in an ashtray and reaching across the table with an open hand. “I’d say we have a d⁠—”

His words cut off with a wet, gurgling cough. Blood sprays into the air as Li Fan lurches sideways, wrenched out of his chair in a crimson mist as the sharp snap of a gunshot echoes through the warehouse.

“Get down!” Ryu roars. Instantly he’s crashing into me, tackling me to the floor as the windows of the warehouse shatter in a hail of glass and bullets.

Chaos erupts everywhere. Both Li Fan’s men and our own yank out their weapons and start returning fire through the windows as everyone ducks for cover.

Nina screams as she dives for the floor. I grab her when Ryu lurches to his feet and starts shooting, yanking her under the table and then tipping it over sideways, blocking us from view of the windows.

“Stay here!” I sign frantically before I spin, my eyes landing on Li.

Shit.

My heart pounds as I rush to him. He’s on the floor, clutching his arm where a bullet has torn clear through the flesh. Blood is pooling beneath him, and his face is twisted in pain.

“Stay still,” I sign frantically, pressing my hands to the wound to try to slow the bleeding. Nina is suddenly beside me, her face pale but focused as she glances at me and then turns to Li, relaying what I just said.

Li grits his teeth, his uninjured hand fumbling at his side. I barely register what he’s doing until he pulls out a pistol, raising it over my shoulder. The deafening crack of the shot startles me, and I whirl just in time to see one of the attackers collapse to the ground, a dark hole in his chest.

Obvious Bratva ink covers his forearms.

Fuck.

Sergey’s men.

“Stay down, Kat!” Ryu barks, firing his weapon as more gunfire erupts around us. Additional Vorobev men stream through one of the side doors into the warehouse, faces twisted with grim determination. There’s an earsplitting sound of wrenching metal as an SUV crashes through the main doors, tires screeching against the concrete. More Russians pour out, their guns blazing.

“Move!” Ryu yells, grabbing my arm and pulling me to cover.

“Help me with him!” I sign frantically to Nina, jabbing a finger at Li. She nods, her face pale but determined, and we grab the Triad leader under the arms and drag him as Ryu covers us.

But there are too many of them. Not enough of us.

Oh fuck⁠—

Nina screams as Ryu goes down with a grunt, blood blooming across his side. All four of us collapse behind a crate as gunfire sprays the back of it.

“I’m fine,” Ryu snarls, trying to push me away. “Get out of here, Katarina! NOW!”

“Like hell,” I sign, grabbing his arm, my hands trembling. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Take him!” Li grunts, gritting his teeth and checking the clip of his gun. “I’ll cover you!”

I shoot him a look.

“We have a deal, Katarina-sama,” he growls. “That makes us allies.” He chambers a round in his gun, takes a breath, then twists around the side of the crate, wincing in pain. He raises his gun, squeezing off a few shots before he ducks back. “Get the fuck out of here,” he hisses. “I’ll hold them off!”

The gunfire is intensifying, the air thick with smoke and the smell of blood as I lock eyes with Li Fan and nod. Nina and I drag Ryu away, crouching low, before we tumble behind a stack of crates as bullets ricochet around us.

“There’s too many of them!” Nina shrieks, her voice tight with fear.

I glance down at Ryu, my pulse pounding.

Shit. He looks bad. His face is pale, and his eyes wander aimlessly. Blood is puddling beneath him.

I glance around, my mind racing. The exit is blocked, and the attackers are closing in. I grab Ryu’s gun from his limp hand. My fingers tighten around the grip as I peer out from behind the crates, raise the gun, and start firing on the advancing Bratva.

One of my shots hits its mark, and a man goes down with a scream. But immediately more of them surge forward, their sheer numbers overwhelming. My breath turns ragged as I duck back behind cover.

“We’re not going to make it,” Nina whispers, her voice trembling.

“Yes, we are,” I sign fiercely, my hands determined. “We⁠—”

It all happens so fast. One second, it’s just Nina, Ryu, and I behind the crates. The next second, five huge Russians come charging around with weapons drawn.

Nina screams, kicking and fighting as two of them grab her, lifting her off the ground. I scramble to my feet, but before I can raise my gun, a hand cracks hard across my face.

Fuck.

Stars dance through my vision as gravity takes me down. I hit the ground sharply, wincing as everything wobbles and swims.

Ryu is trying to stand, but another Vorobev man kicks him hard in the face, making him collapse instantly.

No.

I jump up, my vision still blurry as I charge the men trying to drag Nina away, but it’s too late.

I barely have time to process what’s happening as I’m grabbed from behind. A strong arm wraps around my waist, yanking me off balance, and another hand wrenches the gun from my grasp. I thrash wildly, clawing at my captor’s arm, but it’s useless.

“Now, we teach you some respect,” a familiar voice hisses in my ear, low and menacing.

Rodion.

A jolt of terror rips through me as a bag is slammed over my head, plunging me into darkness.

The last thing I hear is Nina’s muffled cries.

Then something strikes the back of my head.

And after that—there’s nothing.