Koji - The White Dragon - 9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Hidden Past Emerges

I – Tomoyo Votes to Keep Andre Close

“Henri Lacome is suspected of owning the warehouse in Kobe. His investment firm provided money to Daye Chang. We can’t have his brother meddling in our case.”

“Ogun.”

“Tomoyo.”

“Koji seems to like Andre.”

“Koji found the children in that Kobe warehouse. You didn’t see his face when he did. The torture in his eyes. He should not have to help a man who made him suffer, made those children suffer.”

“There is more to the story. You know that.”

Ogun shook his head, his gaze on Andre through the one-way glass.

Andre was giving his statement to Hisao, while Luc gave his to Hisao’s partner in the next room. Both men insisted on Henri’s innocence, and insisted they were helping Sakura’s mother in return for evidence to clear Henri’s name.

“Exonerating Henri Lacome is not our purpose here.”

“But don’t you think it’s intriguing?” Tomoyo asked, folding her arms against her chest. “What are the odds that these two would walk into an investigation, and end up with so many ties with Daye Chang?”

“There are no coincidences in life,” Ogun stated.

“Exactly.”

“You think it was planned.”

Tomoyo narrowed her gaze. She wouldn’t say planned, just—

“The child’s name is Sakura.”

“Yes.” Ogun nodded his gaze on Tomoyo, confused. “What about it?”

“Before we left home,” Tomoyo said. “Koji’s art room was filled with paintings of a blooming sakura tree that then withers into ashes. He said, the tree withers first, and the flowers last.”

Ogun frowned.

“You can’t mean—”

“The mother, this Seiren, is in trouble. If anything happens to her, the child suffers, if anything happens to the child, the mother suffers. Do I need to remind you that Koji is not crazy? What he sees—”

Ogun cursed under his breath.

“Comes true. I forget,” Ogun sighed. “What is it like to live an ordinary life again?”

Tomoyo chuckled.

“Leave Andre Lacome alone. There is a reason for his appearance. We haven’t discovered it yet; don’t push him out before we do.”

“Fine, whatever you say,” Ogun agreed.

Tomoyo left the room and headed out in search of Koji.

***

II – Andre tells His Truth

Andre told the investigators everything he knew about Seiren, Daye Chang, and Henri’s investments. The door opened when he was finished. Koji, Tomoyo and their scary guard, Ogun, walked in to the room.

“Where is Henri now?” Koji asked, coming to lean on the table next to Andre.

Andre hesitated. He didn’t want his brother arrested. No matter the situation, an arrest would place his family in the spotlight. He always wanted to keep the Lacome name out of the spotlight.

“This investigation is private,” Koji said, and Andre looked up to meet liquid blue eyes. “Seems you have given up your secrets. I will offer one of mine. The Seiryu Organization is funding this investigation. The fourteen children missing were due to enroll into the Seiryu Academy in a week’s time. Sakura Toshiro is a wild card, one we didn’t understand how she fit. Thanks to you, we now do.”

“What is the Seiryu Academy?” Andre asked with a frown.

“A school we own, but small steps,” Koji answered. “As the investigation is guided by Seiryu investigators. Your brother’s location will not go out to the Kobe Investigation Team.”

“But—,” Ogun started, and Koji gave him a censuring glance.

“You have my word,” Koji said to Andre.

Andre gave Ogun a wary glance, but when he got a small nod from the man, he realized Koji had authority here. Meeting Koji’s gaze, he read promise in blue eyes.

“Henri is at our family home.” Andre sighed. “Villa Lacome.”

“That’s in France?” Koji asked.

“Yes.”

“You could have stayed there and no one would have known where to find Henri.”

“Henri doesn’t like to stay home,” Andre said, shaking his head. “He would go mad if I tried to force him to stay there. He lives for freedom, and I wouldn’t dare try to curtail that. The problem with giving Henri freedom is he doesn’t know how to differentiate trouble from goodwill. He got involved with Daye Chang thinking he was helping a good man. Daye Chang took advantage.”

“How similar yet different,” Koji murmured, drawing Andre’s gaze.

“What?”

“I’ve told you before, you remind me of someone,” Koji said, with a slight smile. “Although, your differences are also infinite. Your brother is safest where he is. Daye Chang is not gentle. He will rip Henri apart if he senses him close.”

“Meaning?”

“I found the children in Kobe,” Koji said, his gaze hardening. “There are others I didn’t find in time, Andre.”

Andre didn’t miss the wave of sadness in Koji’s eyes. Deep, profound grief—he wanted to draw Koji into his arms and offer comfort. He started to touch Koji’s arm but then Koji pushed off the table and moved away.

“Ogun, they’ll join the team,” Koji murmured. “The faster we can get into the Blue Dragon club, the better. Let’s make arrangements.”

“Koji,” Andre said, as Koji headed for the door. Koji paused in the act of opening the door to look at him. “Thank you for doing this.”

***

III – Koji meets Takino Yuki in an Unexpected Setting

The Blue Dragon club was everything Andre described.

Koji stood in the middle of the crowded dance floor, earbuds off, loud music filling his head. Eyes closed, he stood still just listening. This bliss was different from when he was with Andre. No, this one was like a cheat: a guilty pleasure that filled his blood with adrenaline.

The faster the beat, the harder the drop, the better.

The DJ was great. The music worth it.

Koji smiled and opened his eyes. Ogun had gone back to the Toshiro house to get Seiren’s picture. Koji wore his earbuds, and turned them on. He wasn’t surprised to find Ogun trying to reach him.

“Reply Koji or I’m sending in the cavalry.”

“Relax,” Koji said. “Have you found her?”

“Andre says there is a spot near the bar. He says she likes foreigners.”

“I hope you made arrangements then?” Koji asked.

“Arrangements?” Andre asked in the communications line.

“Koji doesn’t do hookups,” Ogun elaborated. Koji, someone is getting in place. He is blonde, and in blue. Move to the bar and you should see him.”

“You don’t do hookups?” Andre asked, as Koji made his way to the bar.

Koji chuckled, his brain filling with Andre’s kiss this morning.

Koji dared not kiss random people. He tried once with a boy he liked at the Seiryu Academy. They were in the same class, and Koji liked the boy’s smile. Their lips touched, and all the boy’s thoughts flooded Koji’s brain sending him into a seizure.

Koji passed out for three days, and decided then that kissing was not for him.

Until this morning, with Andre.

His first real kiss.

“Koji?” Andre’s voice cut through his thoughts, and he blushed, his cheeks flaming red.

Koji sat on a stool and pressed his palms to his face.

“Are you alright? You look flushed,” Ogun said.

Koji cursed CCTV and motioned the bartender, ordering a gunner.

“It’s hot in here,” Koji said.

“I bet,” Andre teased.

Koji took the glass the bartender placed before him, and took a quick sip. His gaze seeking out Ogun’s contractor. The man stood leaning on the wall with a beer bottle in hand.

Koji finished his drink. He was contemplating asking for another when Seiren appeared from a door behind the VIP staircase. Beautiful was a small word to describe her. Dressed in a fitting red dress that hugged her curves to perfection, she might have started wars in a previous life. Her gaze swept the dance floor for a minute, and then she saw Ogun’s contractor and quickly made her way to him.

“She works fast,” Ogun complimented, when the two moved to the corridor leading to the restrooms.

Koji got off his stool and strolled in their direction, hands in his pockets. He turned off the earbuds in his ears when he made it to the corridor. Ogun’s contractor saw him coming and shifted so that Seiren was holding him against the wall. She kissed the contractor with abandon, trailing elegant fingers along his neck.

Koji stopped behind her and touched her bare arm.

Darkness filled his mind’s eye, and for a full minute Koji thought he would read nothing, until the dark filtered away. Fear ruled Seiren, every second of the day and night, even as she stood here trying to channel it into passion with the contractor, she was afraid. Daye loomed in her head, a terrible overlord who had murdered men before her for the smallest transgression.

Koji closed his eyes at the number of deaths Seiren had witnessed working in the underground club. Debtors who could not pay their gambling debts. Suppliers demanding their money. Anyone who discovered the terrible secrets at the Blue Dragon. Politicians with too much knowledge. Daye Chang used Seiren to capture most of them and pulled them into his dark web.

Daye had turned her into a black widow, and it weighed on her.

Tears tracked down Koji’s face when he thought of Sakura and Seiren’s love for her daughter took center stage. Deep, profound, unconditional, the only thing that centered Seiren when she would have jumped off the Tokyo Tower. This love led Koji to a shadow tied into the fourteen children. The club had a basement connected to the building next door.

There was a lab of sorts—

“Who are you?” Seiren’s voice filled his head, and Koji stepped back to find her staring at him.

“The lab…” Koji trailed off knowing without doubt where to find the children.

“What do you want?” Seiren asked him.

Koji turned to Ogun’s contractor.

“Take her outside.”

“Who are—?”

“We don’t have much time,” Koji cut her off. “Don’t fight him. Daye Chang will use you as a scapegoat one of these days. Leave now. Use the service exit.”

The contractor grabbed Seiren’s arm, and led her toward the exit sign on the right side of the corridor, not giving her a chance to escape.

Koji turned on his earbuds.

“Ogun, the kids are in the building next door, basement level,” Koji said, when Ogun came online. “I’ll make a diversion.”

“Koji,” Ogun started to protest.

“Your contractor is bringing out Seiren, don’t lose her. She’s under our protection now.”

“What are you going to do? At least wait until I send someone in—”

“Too late,” Koji said, pulling out a black mask. He wore it, covering his nose and mouth. Taking glasses from his jacket, he jammed them over his eyes, tagging his black cap lower over his forehead.

“Koji!”

“The basements are connected,” Koji said, heading straight for the door Seiren had used earlier. He used the code she used and closed the door behind him.

Koji paused, staring down the stairs that led to a dim hallway. Thanks to Seiren, he now knew that Daye ran an illegal casino here. A section of the club beyond the casino that catered to eccentric desires. He didn’t want to explore there. It would throw him off track.

Koji moved with the shadows cast by the dim lighting. Pressing into corners when footsteps approached, not moving until they passed him.

His goal: Daye Chang’s office, hidden between the casino and the strange lounge filled with equal parts moans of pleasure and pain. Standing outside Daye’s office, Koji peered through the glass to see it empty.

Daye was probably wandering around the club. He was probably confident that no one would dare walk into his office down here. Either that, or there was nothing important here.

Koji entered the office and closed the door. He was armed with one dagger forced on him by Tomoyo. He decided it would do, since meeting Daye Chang would also be beneficial. Plus, Ogun was out there with Tomoyo. They would come get him in case of trouble.

Koji let out a soft breath and took in the office.

Daye spared no coin in here. The room was soundproofed. The decor boasted an ultra modern touch, though the paintings on the left wall looked very old. The branded furniture, elegant. Strange, but the place felt too refined, very unlike Daye Chang. The office felt wrong. It didn’t fit a man with such a terrible reputation.

There was a laptop on the large desk in the middle of the room.

“Ogun?”

“The Seiryu team entered the second building. You were right, and they’re now making their way into the basement. There is a lab. The children are in a holding room. Our teams are working on getting to them. Where are you?”

“I’m in Daye Chang’s office.”

Koji smiled when Ogun remained silent.

“I’m looking at a laptop. I don’t know how it can be of use to you. You’ll have to guide me.”

“I’m going to smack you senseless after this.” Ogun’s voice came back with a sigh. “Take the laptop. We don’t have time to do more.”

“I take it, and they’ll know someone was here.”

“I don’t think there is any need for secrecy, Koji. The alarms in the laboratory are set off. We have the police coming in. Get out of there, Koji.”

Koji closed the laptop. He was glad it was ultra-thin and light. Koji tucked the laptop into the back of his jeans, and pulled his leather jacket over it, keeping it secure. He started to walk around the desk. The art on the wall caught his attention again and he moved closer, his gaze on the closest canvas. It was of a delicate blue butterfly, wings in motion, drawing the eye. The next painting was a seaside landscape. Waves hitting the shore, wild and alive, he could feel the turbulence. Then came the last painting.

It drew a gasp from Koji.

Why had he not noticed before?

Why?

Koji stepped closer to the painting, staring with blank astonishment.

The woman in a vibrant blue kimono decorated with delicate white sakura flowers sat on a chaise looking back at Koji. Her hair, long and silky black, decorated with more sakura flowers. Her eyes a light blue shade. He recognized them. Koji’s heart tightened in pain. His gaze shifting down to her hands, and the ring on the woman’s right index finger. Similar to his own.

“Okaasan.”

The word wrenched from his lips.

“My, my,” a raspy voice said.

Koji turned to see a tall elegant man standing at the door, smiling at him.

“What have we here?” the man purred.

Koji gripped the laptop in his hand tight.

This was not Daye Chang.

“Who are you?” Koji asked, fighting to keep his tone casual.

His dagger hidden in the sleeve of his right arm.

“That should be my question,” the man said in a lazy tone. “You’re the one sneaking around in my office.”

“Your office.” Koji looked around, the paintings making sense. Daye did not seem cultured enough for paintings. Koji frowned. “Why do you have this painting?”

The cold man’s gaze moved to the painting of Misato Sukiyama, and then he smiled at Koji.

“A friend painted it,” the answer came. “She was the love of my life. You’re not leaving alive. I’m sure you know that.”

“How kind of you to let me know.”

Koji refused to leave his mother here. It wasn’t right. Her painting should not hang in this place heavy with the stench of the worst.

“You’re not Daye Chang. So, who are you?” Koji asked.

The cold man pushed his hands into his pockets, staying by the door, not moving an inch in.

“I’m Yuki Takino.”

Koji bit his lip hard.

“Basement with the lab secure,” Ogun said into his ear. “I’ve sent three men after you through the connecting door. They should be on you in two minutes. Stay calm, we’ll get you out.”

Koji stood still, staring at the man his brother claimed had murdered their parents. This man, who held all the answers to his parents’ deaths…

Koji allowed the thin dagger Tomoyo had given him to slide down his sleeve and into his right hand.

Takino’s gaze caught the movement and he chuckled at the sight of the dagger.

“Wow, that’s a sharp blade. I’m impressed. Who sent you?”

Koji stepped back to the wall. He pushed a lever on the handle of the dagger, extending the blade. With quick swipes, Koji made short work of cutting into the edges of his mother’s painting, freeing it from the frame.

Takino rushed toward him with a harsh protest.

Koji shifted to evade him, moving the dagger away from the painting. He swung the long dagger at Takino. The blade stopped inches away from Takino’s throat, the tip pressing on his jugular.

“Don’t move,” Koji ordered, pressing the blade deeper into Takino’s neck, breaking skin.

Takino stopped. With his left hand, Koji grabbed the falling canvas, leaving the frame empty. Koji kept pressure on the blade, taking a few steps round Takino.

Rushing footsteps came toward the office.

Koji risked a glance back in time to see Daye almost at the door. Before he could panic, Daye fell to the ground. Two figures in black gear appeared and Koji ran for the open office door. Jumping over Daye, Koji let the two men guide him out of the basement. He gripped the canvas from Daye – no, Takino’s office against his chest. The laptop secure inside his jacket and the dagger back in its original size in his hand.

***

IV – Andre Steps Deeper into Koji’s World

When Andre saw Koji appear from the building, he jumped out of the van and ran to him. Andre pulled Koji into a tight hug when he reached him, not caring what anyone thought. He had been caught in a cloud of worry from the moment Ogun announced Koji had decided to go after Daye Change, alone.

“Andre.”

“How could you do that?” Andre took in a deep breath, hoping to calm down. “They could have—”

“I’m fine,” Koji said into Andre’s chest. “I’m alright.”

Andre still held on, even when he saw Ogun and Tomoyo standing behind Koji. It was hard to explain the insane wave of fear that filled him the moment Koji decided to go exploring in the basement. Not knowing what was happening, not hearing his voice, listening to Ogun promise rescue, not being able to do anything drove Andre insane.

“I don’t know why, but I was worried the worst might happen to you,” Andre whispered into Koji’s ear.

“I’m okay,” Koji soothed. “Now, can I breathe?”

Andre loosened his hold on Koji, and grinned when Koji stepped away from him with a dramatic sigh.

“Did you get Seiren?” Koji asked, turning to Ogun.

“She’s in the van. She’s upset but we have her contained.”

“Keep her in Seiryu custody,” Koji said. “There are things I need to ask that have nothing to do with the police. The children?”

“We found all of them,” Tomoyo said.

Koji removed a laptop from inside his jacket and handed it to Ogun.

“Sakura?” Koji asked.

“Here they come,” Ogun said, just as a team in dark clothes came out of the second building, each seeing to a child.

Sakura’s rescuer carried her, and she was clinging to his shoulders.

Koji breathed out in relief. Her image had haunted him. Now that she was safe, Maki would be too.

“Don’t let her see her mother,” Koji said, as they watched the children head to the ambulances arriving. “She doesn’t need that image in her mind. Send her to her grandmother.”

“Time to ship out,” Ogun said, holding up the laptop. “Mr. Lacome, whatever we find here should help clear your brother’s name.’

“I’m coming with you,” Andre insisted, holding on to Koji’s arm drawing his attention. “You made me a promise. I need my brother’s name cleared.”

“I did make the promise.” Koji agreed.

“This will not go over well with the boss,” Ogun said. “Strangers aren’t allowed into the fold.”

“We have slept in the same bed,” Luc told Ogun with a smirk. “Can we really be called strangers?”

Ogun growled, making Luc laugh.

“Koji and I shared a bed too,” Andre supplied.

“Oh, get in the car,” Ogun waved them into the black unmarked car waiting at the curb. “We need to get out of here before the press shows up.”

Andre winked at Luc, and followed Koji into the back of a comfortable black van with tinted windows. Andre made sure to sit next to Koji, while Tomoyo and Luc took the back seats with Ogun taking the front passenger seat. The driver took off the moment the doors closed.

Andre was quick to note that they were not heading in the direction of Hotel Ume.

Koji held on to a rolled canvas, hugging it to his chest.

Andre tried to take it from him to help only to have Koji shake his head, and hug it closer.

Andre frowned.

“Are you alright, Koji?”

“I’m fine,” Koji murmured.

Andre sighed, his gaze sliding to Ogun who was watching him through the rearview mirror.

“What about Daye Chang?” Andre asked.

“If we’re lucky, he will be arrested. If not, we live to try again. He is a slippery fellow. It’s hard to pin any misdeeds on him without clear proof,” Ogun said. “Koji, what took you so long in his office?”

When Koji remained silent, Ogun met Andre’s gaze with a shrug, and they continued the rest of the journey in silence. Andre was not surprised when they arrived at a private jet hangar. He was happy he and Luc kept their luggage packed at all times.

“Your stuff was taken with ours.” Andre heard Tomoyo assure Luc.

The black van came to a stop and Koji opened his door, walking fast to a white private jet with staff waiting. The jet was unmarked, no name on its body to announce who owned it. He imagined it was for privacy reasons.

Andre climbed aboard feeling as though he was now officially on his own adventure, one separate from his little brother's troubles.

***