Bad Boy Obession

Chapter 3: Bad Business

Chapter 3: Bad Business

I’d been messing around with Taka for almost six months. I was supposed to be gathering intel but instead I found myself falling for him. So far, he hadn’t done anything worth putting the cuffs on him except a few speeding tickets.

I was lying on one of the chaise lounges, working on my tan, when he strolled out of the mansion. He was dressed in gray slacks and a white shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the collar hung open to show off a bit of his muscular olive skin. He paused by the chair.

“You left early this morning,” he said, looking down at me. “Where did you go?”

I looked up at him through my sunglasses. “I went out to breakfast with some friends.”

Taka put his hands on his hips. “Breakfast with friends, huh?”

I pushed my sunglasses up, squinting up at him. “What’s with all the questions this early in the morning?”

He chewed at his lower lip, watching. “Don’t play with me, Reiko,” he said quietly.

“I’m not playing with you, Taka,” I said quietly. “I went to breakfast with some friends. I haven’t been out with them in a long while. You were busy with business. I didn’t think I had to ask your permission to go out or have a little fun.”

I prayed that he would take my word and leave it at that. I didn’t particularly want to tell him about Jenna. She was my contact with the department since I couldn’t really talk to Charles anymore since we ‘broke up’. I reached over and ran my hand along his thigh. He frowned for a moment more then smiled.

“You’re free to do as you like,” he said finally. “Come on. Let’s have lunch.”

Relieved that he didn’t press me further, I nodded and followed him inside.

That was close.

*****

The ride to the restaurant was quiet. Taka kept looking at me as if he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to start. I glanced at him.

“You seem quiet today. Are you alright?”

He nodded. “Are you feeling ignored, love?” he asked, smiling.

“A little,” I said, pouting. “Have I done something?”

“I don’t know. Have you?”

My heart leapt into my throat. ”I don’t think so. At least I hope I haven’t.”

Taka smiled. “You’re fine.” He let out a breath. “There’s much on my mind these days.” He looked me in the eyes. “Someone is stealing money. My father wants me to handle it.” He leaned forward and rapped on the partition. It slid open and he spoke to the driver in Japanese. Out of habit, I opened my mouth to question him, but quickly stopped myself. Taka couldn’t know that I spoke Japanese. It was why McNamara put me on this case. But if I opened my yak now, it could blow my cover, cost me the case and possibly get me and my teammates killed.

He sat back and I pretended to fiddle with my phone. I looked out the window. “So where are we going? I was hoping that we could go to that restaurant you took me to that night.”

Taka nodded, staring at me. “Whatever you want.”

A shiver went through me. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t acting like himself. I looked out of the window, watching where we were going. We were in the warehouse district. What were we doing here? I patted my bag, feeling my baton and the makeup bag that held my small revolver. I sent up a silent prayer that nothing would go down today. Because if it did, I was so out of luck. I had no backup or the ability to call for any.

“Come on, love,” Taka said when the car pulled to a stop. “It’s time you learn who I really am.”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I slid out of the car.

Taka didn’t answer. I hurried behind him into one of the warehouses. I looked around, taking in the equipment and stacks of boxes. As I looked closer, I realized they were car parts. This must be one of the Kobayashi Warehouses. There was a car similar to the one that Taka had let me test drive parked near where we stood. The hood was up as if someone was working on it.

I turned my attention back to Taka who had stopped in front of a small group of men. I recognized the ones standing as being his personal guards. They were circled around another older man who was kneeling on the floor. As Taka approached, they moved to stand behind the man. I started to follow him but the driver grabbed my arm, pulling me back against him.

“No,” he said in Japanese. “Stay here.”

I had no choice but to watch the scene before me unfold. Taka stood in front of the kneeling man, looking down at him with disgust.

“So you steal from my father and I?” he asked the man.

“No! I’d never steal from you, Taka,” the man blubbered.

They were speaking in Japanese but I understood every word. I pulled against the man’s hold on me but he growled and held me tighter. Taka glanced over his shoulder at me.

“There are some perks about being a businessman, Ari,” he said quietly. ”And then there are the not so good parts. Such as right now.”

My heart leapt in my chest when he called me by my real name. How had he found out? I’d been very careful not to leave any of my personal stuff out and always carried my fake ID’s everywhere. Crap. I’d have to play it cool until I could tell just how far my cover had been blown.

“Reiko,” I said to him, meeting his gaze full on.

“Fine. If that’s what you want me to call you.” He shook his head. “My father spent years building this business. He poured his heart into it.” He looked back at the kneeling man. “He poured money that he didn’t have into it. And you want to take that from him?”

“I did nothing, Taka. I swear it.” He scooted forward on his knees to bow in front of Taka as if he were some sort of king. “I would never do anything to hurt you or your father. He’s been kind to me.”

“That’s funny,” Taka said quietly. “You say he’s been kind to you and yet this is how you repay him?” He shook his head again. “What’s worse is you’re trying to ruin the Kobayashi name.”

“What?” the man stuttered.

Taka gestured and two of his men hauled the kneeling man to his feet and followed. The man standing with me gave me a gentle push and we moved to where the car was parked with its hood up. Taka stopped and looked the car over before turning to look at me.

“Ari? What do you think of this car?”

I tried to keep cool though inside, I was shaking. Now I was beyond sure that he’d figured me out. He’d called me by my name twice now. I had to think and think fast in order to get myself out of this alive.

I shrugged. “It’s beautiful,” I answered truthfully.

“Come closer. Look at the engine.”

The man pushed me forward again and I dutifully looked over the exposed engine. I had no clue if what I was looking at was right or not. “It looks fine to me.”

Taka smiled and glanced at the man then back to me. “Have you met Ken Fukisawa?” When I shook my head, he continued. “He’s one of our buyers. He oversees the purchase of parts and engines for our cars.” Taka folded his hands behind his back, pacing in front of the car. “Kobayashi Motors prides itself on delivering top of the line cars. Now just how the hell do I do that with sub-par engines?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. Ask him.”

Taka gave me a look that I couldn’t quite read and turned on the engine. “Listen. Listen closely.”

I paused, tuning all of my senses into the sound of the engine. Funnily enough, it didn’t have that purr that the one I drove had. I looked at Taka. “No. They don’t sound the same.”

“Of course they don’t,” he said, looking pointedly at the other man. “Because they are not the same engines.” He suddenly spun around and kicked the man across the face. The man dropped, moaning in pain. Taka waved a hand and two of the men hauled the man back up to his knees. Taka squatted in front of him. “Where are my engines?” he asked softly.

The man rubbed at his cheek where it was swelling and turning red. “Those are your engines,” he mumbled.

Taka hit the man again and I cringed. “Those aren’t my engines. What are you doing with them? Selling them to someone else? Pocketing the money?”

“No! I’d never-”

One of the men handed a leather bound book to Taka. He thumbed through it, frowning. “According to this, you ordered and purchased five of the SR-3001 engines. My father signed off on them.” One long finger traced the line on the page. “It says they were delivered.”

I watched his finger slide along the page. A shiver went through me as I remembered how those skilled fingers felt moving along my skin and inside me. I closed my eyes, seeing images from just this morning. I looked back to where he stood over the man. He was so masterful, so strong. I’d watched him practice his kata enough to know that he could easily snap the man’s neck if he wanted to. And mine if he ever found out who I really was and what I’d come here to do.

“They were delivered,” the man said.

“So where are they?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

“Don’t you?”

“No! I swear!”

Taka smiled. It wasn’t a pretty smile and it sent fear into my heart. He reached into the pocket of the nearest guard’s jacket and withdrew his pistol. The man didn’t move a muscle or even glance at Taka. The soft click of the hammer sliding back seemed to echo in the large room. Taka slowly pressed the gun against Ken’s head.

“Taka, don’t,” I whispered.

He glanced back at me. “Don’t what, Ari? Don’t find out where my money is? Don’t teach this thief a lesson about what happens when you steal from people?”

“If he did, the law will take care of him. Let the courts handle it.”

“I will deal with him. My father expects me to take care of this.”

“You can’t kill him without proof.”

Taka looked over his shoulder at me. “I can.”

“Taka-”

He ignored me and pressed the gun to the man’s head. Ken whimpered and I tried to think of some way to get out of this without getting Ken or myself killed.

“I have all the proof I need,” Taka said softly. “You see, you didn’t bother to cover all of your bases, you idiot.” He waved the book in Ken’s face. “Did you stop to think that a client would call to complain or ask why his brand new car needed to be serviced after only six months? No? I guess that never crossed your stupid little mind. Especially since you’d already pocketed the money.”

“But-”

Taka pressed the gun harder against his head and Ken winced. “But what? My father found out. He thinks I’m not doing my job. So what do you think I should do to regain my honor in his eyes? Huh? What should I do?”

“Taka, please,” I whispered. “Let the police deal with him.”

He snorted.

“They will investigate. Ken will be arrested and serve time.”

Taka wouldn’t look at me. “Who will arrest him? You?”

My heart lurched in my chest. “I can’t arrest anyone.”

“Why not? You’re a cop, aren’t you?” He jabbed Ken with the gun again. “Aren’t you?” he shouted.

“Taka-”

But he cut me off. “You see what happens, Ken?” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “This is what happens when you start playing around with other people’s money. You get a case built against you. I’ve never done anything illegal in my life until now. There’s no worse feeling than to have your father look at you as if he hated you.” Taka’s lips trembled and I couldn’t tell if it were from anger or to keep from crying. “My father worked his ass off to make this company what it is. And it was supposed to be my inheritance. But it’s not anymore. All because of you,” he said to Ken. “And because of you, she is here. Have you ever fallen for someone only to realize they only came to bring you down? Someone’s got to pay.”

“Taka, killing him won’t get your honor back,” I said softly.

He spun around, aiming the gun at me. “Don’t you talk to me about honor!” he said from between clenched teeth in Japanese. “You come here, lying to me the whole time.”

There was no more need to pretend that I didn’t understand him. He already knew the truth. I met his gaze square on, not looking at the gun pointed at my chest. If I did, I’d lose my bravado. I had no back-up. No way to call for back-up. And ten armed men who wouldn’t let me leave this warehouse alive if Taka commanded them to.

“Let me help you,” I whispered.

“Help destroy me?”

“No,” I answered. “I can prove you’re not doing anything illegal.” I gestured towards Ken. “You have the proof in your hands and witnesses that will testify that it was him who was stealing from the company.” I slowly walked towards him. “Please,” I said quietly, reaching a hand to him. “Don’t shoot him. You’ve lost enough already. Don’t lose your freedom as well.” I closed my hand over the gun. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Taka stared at me. “How can I believe anything that you say? You’ve been lying to me for months now.”

I nodded slowly. “I came here under the assumption that I was going to bring down some big shot gangster.” I switched to English. “But along the way, I lost my heart. You’ve been nothing but kind to me.”

“And like him, you repay that kindness this way? By tricking me? Lying to me? Stealing from me?”

I nodded. “Yes, I hid things from you. And I wasn’t truthful with you because I couldn’t be. It’s my job. But I never stole anything from you.”

“But you did,” he answered softly. “My heart.”

For the first time since I’d become an undercover investigator, I felt bad about lying to my mark.

“Take him. Let the police deal with him.” He watched as the men hauled Ken to his feet. “But know that if I ever see you near me, my family or my business again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

The fear on Ken’s face was real. There was no doubt in the minds of anyone present that he meant what he said. He bowed before the men led him away. Taka turned to me. I stared at him, waiting to see if he would put a bullet through my chest.

“What should I do with you?” he asked me.

I shrugged. “Whatever you want, I guess,” I answered. “But I want you to know that though I hid my true identity and purpose from you, what I feel for you is real. I’m in love with you, Taka.”

His eyes roamed over my face as if looking for signs of untruth. “Would you stay with me?”

“If you asked, yes. I would.”

“You understand what you’re giving up?”

I nodded again. “I do. But I’d rather be with you.”

The sound of sirens pierced the air. Taka looked in the direction of the sound then back at me. I gestured to the car. “Get in,” I said. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t say anything else but slammed the hood down and got into the car. I pulled out of the warehouse and followed the directions he gave me to get back to his father’s home.

I glanced at him as I drove. “I’ll have to testify,” I said. “I’ll lose my job.”

“I can take care of you. I just don’t want you to regret your decision two years from now.”

That wasn’t going to happen.