RAY

“April!!” I shouted and caught her just as she stumbled.

Only if I didn’t shot Geisha on time, she would have killed April. I kept a hold on her, she felt dizzy for a second and almost fell. I observed her condition, and she was covered in blood and bruises. Fuck I’m late!

"Hey, you okay?" My voice softened as I searched her eyes. A fleeting moment, her gaze met mine and when she realize it’s me she yanked her hand separate herself from me. She starts walking slowly and I let her go because on that speed I would catch up on her, so I turned towards geisha. I shot the bullet aiming at her arm, she was sitting on the ground pressing her arm tightly, I sat down on my knees and she glared at me like a devil, breathing heavily with anger, but I’m not sorry for her. I take a look on her and she was not just bleeding from her arm but her leg and from a little cut on her face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you…" she spat in a weak voice, pressing her wounded hand against her chest. "She’s with the FBI, isn’t she?" she said. What a fool she is! I exhaled loudly.

“liu sheng!” I called him and he appeared.

“sir” he said behind me. I kept looking at geisha speechlessly.

“take her to the hospital and do not let her out of your sight, if she tried…” I said controlling my anger as much as I can “shoot her on my orders” I gave him my order and he stepped forward to pick her up but she resist him.

“I’m not going!!”

"Shut up!" I barked; I was barely holding myself back. "Who gave you the order to kill? You know it's either me or Father. What the hell were you thinking?" I shouted at her and she kept glaring at me. I hate to act like a superior with her.

Her expression shifted, anger fading into something else. Before she could respond, her body gave out, she’s getting unconscious from loss of blood. Liu sheng stepped forward once again but she still resist.

“don’t touch her” I said to sheng. Gimema has boundaries, I respect them. “can you get up then? Walk to the car before you pass out” I said and she nodded weakly, she managed to get up and walked to the car. Their car left the mansion and just there I saw April limping towards the gate. Her steps unsteady, like she might break at any second.

“April!”

She ignored me. I moved before thinking, even though I walk I reached her easily, grabbing her arm.

“You’re coming with me,” I demanded. She pulled her arm away with a fierce glare.

"Don’t touch me!” she spat, her voice thick with fury. “And I’m not going anywhere with you.” She resumed her walk. I breathe in and out, trying to understand the emotions swirling inside me right now. I'm so pissed off at her, speechless as to how she fights with Geisha, proud, frustrated, and wanted to bend her over and fuck this attitude right out of her. I ran towards her and lifted her forcibly onto my shoulder. 

"Ray! Put me down!" she yelled, kicking in areas she could reach.

"You didn’t leave me a choice," I replied, keeping myself cool as she fought against my hold.

I shoved her into the car and secured her in seatbelts around her before she could fight me off. She sat stiffly, chest rising and falling with fury, her blood painting the leather seats.

I sat in driving seat and my fingers curled over the steering wheel, driving in silence.

I couldn’t risk taking her to a hospital. Not now.

Miller.

That son of a bitch never worked with someone he didn’t know. If he sent April to that party, it meant he wanted her to be seen by Geisha, by me. He knew something.

She was silent beside me, her blood trickling onto her torn sleeve. My jaw tightened, and so as my grip on the steering wheel.

"You didn’t listen to me," I finally said, my voice low. "Why did you go?" I asked her, but the car was filled with her unspoken words. Suddenly, rain started pouring on the mirror.

Her face unreadable, her eyes locked straight ahead.

"What was your purpose, April?" I pressed. "You were trying to join the society? Why? Did you think of getting near to Uncle George?"

This time, she stirred. "How did you know I was there?" she said with a straight, plain face. No pain, no reaction.

I hesitated, a sliver of guilt slipping through the cracks.

She turned to me, eyes sharp. "You’ve been stalking me?" Her voice was eerily calm. "Since when?"

I gulp. "Since the day we met."

Her breath hitched. "Why?"

I exhaled, dragging a hand through my hair, scratching my scalp. "The answer to that is complicated, Precious."

Her next words sliced through me like a blade. "You could have saved my aunt, couldn’t you?"

The air in my lungs turned to ice. Yes, I could, but I didn’t know

I swallowed hard. "Yes. Maybe," I said heartlessly.

"Then why didn’t you?" Her voice cracked, raw and vulnerable.

I forced myself to face her. "I didn’t have the power back then. I didn’t even know that he went to Korea for that, and my past…” I paused, “It’s complicated."

"And so is mine!" she snapped. "So stay the fuck away from me." She said in a low voice and fell silent for the rest of the time until we reached her apartment.

I parked and stepped out first, moving to help her, but she resisted. I let her walk, let her struggle, watching as her body swayed under the weight of her wounds.

Inside, I sat her down, grabbed the first-aid kit, and pulled out the gauge, but it stopped in the air when she gave me a fierce look.

 "Take off your shirt," I spoke.

By slowly accepting that she couldn’t patch herself, she unbuttoned her shirt just enough for me to reach her arm. I worked carefully; my hands were steady despite the hammering of my heart. My gaze traveled from her arm to downward on her revealing stomach, onto a scar she got in that robbery incident.

I recall the night when Arthur told me about that incident. I was in Japan. I wish I could bring back those motherfuckers alive and kill them again and again.

I should’ve been there.

I finished patching her up, and she got up and walked towards her room.

“I can’t…” I left out a few words that stopped her. She turned to face me with a questionable face.

“You said to stay away from you in the car, so… I can’t,” I answered her. She crossed her hands on her chest.

“How did you do it for 8 years then?” she asked. I have no answer for it, maybe I can never be able told her how did I stayed away from her all these years. I stayed quiet.

“You are not my enemy, Ray…” she said, walking towards me slowly, “but you are not a saviour as well. You are nothing to me, you are just as equal a monster as your uncle.” She said, her words cut deeper than a knife.

“I will accept your hatred, your poison, your blame. I deserve it, I know, but I’m not going to be a crybaby or act like a victim.” I said standing up, I reached a hand slowly towards her, and she didn’t resist. I gently grab the back of her neck and meet her gaze with mine.

“I’m a man of actions; I will gain your trust. I promise,” I said, and she stayed silent. I don’t care if she’s convinced; I will prove her anyway.

“That drug? It’s manufactured in Kingston’s laboratory, isn’t it?” she asked, and, separating her neck from my hand. I squeeze my eyes to think, and connect to what she asked. Did the geisha show her the MX5? The one that has only been delivered to celebrities?

“Yes,” I answered April. How did she find out by the way? I walk backwards and sat on the sofa continue to listen to her, I love listening to her.

April

“I noticed containers being delivered with elements not used in the medicines and drugs officially manufactured by Kingston Laboratories. Also, I smell those elements in the same drug Geisha showed, so there must be another lab.” I counter him, but he shows no sign of expression. His face stays cold as ice, just like his heart.

He bends down his head, and I saw a hint of a smirk on his face.

“Yes, it was manufactured there,” he answered plainly. If it’s the same lab, then it must be the same where my father made synapse. The thought swirls up all my emotions, and I suddenly stop feeling the coldness of the floor. I become vulnerable.

“is it…is it the same lab where my father made…Synapse?” I ask him, constructing words barely, hiding my scattered voice.

“Yes,” he answered shortly.

A weird part of me wanted to run to the laboratory and search that lab because, weirdly, I still hope that maybe he was working there.

A trauma sometimes made you forget a lot of the bad memories, so you don’t have to face anxiety, that was me before my aunt got killed. Now, somehow, I remember only all those memories, and now I remember it with all those fucking details that I want to forget so badly.  I stopped asking myself “why” a long time ago. Now I want answers. Now I want payback, and I will have it even though I have to shake hands with this man. I saw him sitting atfront of me, carrying that dead face always. My eyes travel to his wrist where I can still see my hair tie. It’s been 8 years, I never met him after that night in hospital. His charm is hard to resist but I always thought he was some kind of rich fuck boy who just wants to have sex with me by being a knight in shining armor. I still have same views for him but this act of him keeping my hair tie for all these years, sometimes make me question, if he really is loyal to me.

He tilt his head and squeeze his eyes and I snap on the realization that I’ve been staring at him. Shit

I blink thousands times and turned from his face.

I breath in for what I’m about to say to him. I have a deal in mind.

“I have a proposition to make…” I said

"Marry me," he whispered. My words got hung in the middle and I caught my eyes become a full circle. i turned to face him.

"Excuse me?" I asked in case if I didn’t hear it correctly. That’s not the preposition in my mind.

"Marry me. I can protect you. I can help you get what you want."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?" I don’t know what’s in his mind.

"The man you want to kill raised me. You can’t reach him without me. You want revenge. I want to keep you alive."

My lips curled into something between disgust and disbelief. "I don’t need your protection." I spat.

"You do not understand this organization. It used to be a small mafia gang until they came into power with money, and after the Second World War, the US military reached out few mafia to protect their naval ships. After that, this gang started to multiply in all the powers: Money, Weaponry, and Substance. My uncle made all this happen after my grandfather; his hunger for power only grew over time.” He said, his voice was dangerously soft with a hint of British accent.

"This isn’t just crime, April. It’s politics. It’s a game of power. The man you’re after? He’s a god to them. He has strings in the government, the military, and the people. Who do you think you can trust?"

"Not you," I spat. "You want me to believe that you won’t betray the person who raised you as a father?"

he clenched his fists and stood up. "He didn’t raise me as a son, April. He raised me as his weapon. Everything I hate about myself, he taught me. I’m grateful to him for many things, but not for making me a sinner."

A sharp pain burst in my head.  Just then, the beeping of my apartment’s passcode broke the heat between us. We both looked towards the door.

“Who else knows your code?” he asked, getting instantly alert.

“Shin Ha Ri,” I replied. The door flew open, and Ha Ri stormed in with Austin close behind.

“What did you tell her?” I asked, as my voice turned on edge, I glared at him.

“Everything,” he replied, meeting my furious gaze.

“April Jean Meyers!” HaRi screamed as she charged toward me. I leaped onto the sofa, hiding behind it.

“Hey! I can explain!” I said, hands up in defense. My heart accelarting.

“Oh, you better, you bitch!” Ha Ri shouted and jump on the sofa to reach me but suddenly Ray quickly held Ha Ri back as she tried to kick the air in frustration.

“Leave me, Ray! I’m going to kill her!” she screamed.

“Over my dead body, sweetheart,” he said, holding her firmly as she struggled. My tongue froze along with my mind. I don’t now what to say, I don’t now how much she find out. Shit shit shit

“Ha Ri, it’s not what you think! I was just trying to protect you!” I tried to explain, but my voice started to get scattered with weakness. I feel only air in my body. I saw her movements getting stopped just as she realized my condition.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, looking at Ha Ri. I pleaded for forgiveness. Without another word, Ha Ri turned and headed for the door.

“Ha Ri, I—”

“Every time, April!” she yelled, her voice breaking. “You shut people out, even those who care about you. I might not be brave, but if I’d die for you, don’t I deserve to know why?” Her voice trembled, and she walked out quickly. Her every word is right.

I have no idea what they told her, but I want to kill them both right now. Extreme pain in my stomach stopped me from even uttering a word, and I sat down to hide. She is the only family I have, and I hurt her. I knew she would find out someday, but not like this.