Act II: The Second Circle - Lust

Chapter 5: The Mark of a Demon

The steel blade of the tantō gleamed under the amber glow of the kitchen lamp, its tip stabbed through the map of New York’s five boroughs. Kat, Rudy, Lang, Koeng, and Adrian stood in a circle over it, peering over the annotated guesses of Wu’s whereabouts.

Kat watched Rudy standing next to her father. The father and daughter furrowed their angular eyebrows over the map's details. Both of their dark irises glinted red under the warm kitchen table light.

“Dad, tell us what happened. How did you lose track of Wu Suk?” asked Rudy.

“Wu and I made it to the safehouse with no problem. That’s when I let Koeng know that we’ve arrived safely,” Lang crossed a firm set of arms and cracked his neck with a scowl. “That’s when Wu gave me a glass of water. I thought nothing of it, but after I drank it, I started to feel sleepy. I think he put some type of sedative in it. Before I lost consciousness, Wu told me that ‘our family is in great danger’ and that ‘I need to trust him.’”

Lang turned to Kat, his fiery eyes locked in with her cold gaze.

“When I woke up, I found Katherine here sitting in front of me. I asked who she was and where Wu was.”

“And I said that I should be the one asking that,” Kat reflected the question back as she crossed her lean arms and shifted her hips.

“Right—she told me that she was a Devil’s Tooth, here to kill Wu. I tried to fight her, but I was no match.” Lang gritted his canines at the last statement, ”She started to interrogate me about anything I knew, but that’s when Rudy came in to rescue me.”

Lang turned to Rudy, with a look of fatherly pride in his eyes.

“Never thought my own daughter would be crazy enough to fight a Tooth one-on-one.”

“You know, you can thank your daughter in nicer ways, Dad,” Rudy scoffed, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

“Very touching daughter and father moment here,” Kat sarcastically remarked. “You should be grateful that my knife ended up in your daughter’s mouth instead of her throat.”

“Eh? You wanna go again you bi—Argh!” Rudy winced as the sutures tugged on her cheeks.

“Should’ve kept that big mouth of yours shut,” Kat sneered.

They glared at each other, eyes like loaded chambers. Koeng and Adrian stood between, worried that the safehouse kitchen was about to turn into another warzone.

“Mr. Lau,” Adrian cut in, hoping to divert the tension between the wolf and the shadow. “Can you please tell us if Wu Gaa really is responsible for the First Finger’s death? You’re his younger brother and his right-hand man in the triad.”

Adrian went to grab the tantō to hold it in front of Lang.

“The only reason we Takagis are interested in your family business is because one of us may be secretly colluding with Wu Gaa. This blade is proof of that. Please, for the sake of both our families’ fates.”

The grizzled old wolf stared at the younger, larger shadow across from him. The lower half of Adrian’s face was covered with a black mask, but his dark eyes held an earnest gaze. A gaze reminiscent of a young man Lang once knew in the SDU.

Lang relented to the young man’s plea.

“I don’t believe Wu ordered the assassination of the First Finger. While it is true that we and the Rostov Bears have been at each other’s throats for decades, Wu’s plan was never brute force. I won't disclose the details, but he’s been laying the groundwork to bleed the Bears dry—politically, financially, and socially. Killing the First Finger this early would have netted us with repercussions that we wouldn’t be able to handle, such as a Tooth after our heads.”

Lang shot a side eye at Kat, who finally broke off from staring down Rudy.

“Assassinating the First Finger without first crippling the Rostov Bears is definitely not my brother’s style. Let alone with a Takagi,” emphasized Lang.

Adrian noticed Lang uncross his arms to rub at the worn wedding band on his left ring finger.

“The First Finger is responsible for the death of my wife and Rudy’s mother. If there is  anyone

Despite being in his late fifties, the old wolf still had a deeply burning ferocity to his gaze. Even the giant shadow could tell he was not someone to be trifled with.

“I see,” softly responded Adrian. “If Wu Gaa is innocent, why would he run?”

“Innocent or not, the Devil’s Hand has already declared him a dead man the second they made him my assignment,” pointed Kat. “This is the Underworld, Adrian. No one here is truly innocent."

"I see," said Adrian

He gripped the tantō in his hands for a moment, letting the reality of the Underworld sink in.

"Lemme take a look at that, Adri," spoke Kat.

Adrian gently handed it to

“Rudy, do you really not know how this blade ended up in your shipment along with the First Finger’s body?” asked Kat.

“Nope,” answered Rudy, “Koeng Suk, did Hong Kong have any idea about this?”

“Hong Kong said they’re just as surprised as we are,” Koeng responded.

“Hmmm… Adrian, can you look into who this blade belongs to?” asked Kat.

“Yes, the bladesmith should have stamped their proof mark and production year in the blade’s tang. I will have to disassemble it,” Adrian turned to Rudy. “Do you have any tools in this house that I can borrow?”

“Yeah, there should be some in the basement. Koeng, show Adrian where they are.”

“Over here kid,” waved Koeng.

Adrian followed Koeng down the basement stairs as the rest continued their discussion.

“Dad, where do you think Wu Suk would be? He’s not the type to do something crazy without a plan.”

“Wu always has a plan, but I wonder why he didn’t tell us what it was this time,” Lang pondered, his hand touching the stubble rising on his angular jaw.

“I figured out why,” answered Ming, reading the message on his burner flip phone.

“DEVIL’S TONGUE WIRE:

[FOX IN SNARE] – WU GAA LAU HELD HOSTAGE BY VITALE FAMILY. FOOTAGE CIRCULATING. CLAIMS HE ORDERED A TAKAGI TO KILL THE FIRST FINGER.  RANSOM NEGOTIATIONS FOR IDENTITY OF TAKAGI WITH DEVIL’S HAND: PENDING.

—CL”

“Wu Suk is being held hostage?!” exclaimed Rudy.

“What the hell is he thinking?” Lang growled, palming his face.

“Dak Lang, looks like your brother just threw everything you said out the window. He’s dug his own grave, and now he’s dragging my family into it with him by making our involvement public!” hissed Kat. “This some part of the ‘cunning strategy' he’s known for? How the hell are we going to get answers from him now with him being held hostage by the Vitales?”

Lang held out a hand in front of the shadow prowling in front of him.

“Wait, Katherine, I still believe that my brother didn’t do it. It may be a bluff to buy him time!”

“What the hell do you mean buy him time, Dak Lang?” spat Kat.

“Wu must have known you were coming for him. That’s why he sedated me and disappeared before you arrived at the safe house. He must be bluffing that a Takagi killed the First Finger, because the Devil’s Hand can’t kill him yet until they find out which Takagi it is. He’s buying time and using another gang to get caught in the crossfire instead of us.”

“But why would he not tell us that if that was his plan?” asked Rudy.

“Because we would have tried to stop him from doing something so crazy,” pointed Lang.

“Damn right, I’d rather fight a Tooth than let him serve himself on a silver platter to the Vitales. Fuck that sad excuse of an Italian mafia.”

“Exactly,” agreed Lang. “Your uncle is crazy, but he’s not an idiot.”

“Bluff or not, we still don’t know which Takagi killed the First Finger. I intend to hear the truth behind this mess from the Fox himself,” harshly reminded Kat.

“We’ll confirm with Wu Suk ourselves, and soon,” stated Rudy. “The Vitale family is small fry. The Devil’s Hand wouldn’t bother negotiating with them. They’ll prob send one of their own to mop them up and interrogate Wu Suk themselves. Ming, look into where the Vitales could be keeping Wu Suk and prepare for an exfil*.”

“Aye doei zoeng,” responded Ming.

“I’m coming too,” interjected Kat. “Wu Gaa is as much as my business as yours if his claims are true.”

“Stand down, Katherine,” growled Rudy. “Wu Suk is our family. The Wolves specialize in hostage situations. We don’t need a Takagi getting in the way and getting one of our own killed in the process.”

“You think you can stop me?” shot Kat.

The Lau captain stood firm in front of the Takagi, completely eclipsed by her towering shadow.

“Onee-chan, I’ve found out the year the blade was made,” interupted Adrian, who just came up from the basement with Koeng.

Kat drilled Rudy one final look before she turned back to Adrian.

“What did you find out?” asked Kat.

“It was made in 2012,” Adrian solemnly announced.

“Wait, that year was when…”

“Millie completed her coming-of-age trial and received her tanto blade,” Adrian.

“She died nine years ago! How did her blade get in the First Finger’s throat? Are you sure there were no other Takagis who completed their trial that year?”

“Only our sister, Millie.”

“What the fuck?! Millie Takagi? The Demon of the Takagi Clan? You’re telling me that monster is your sister?” Rudy blared, her face a contortion of horror.

With a glare that could've flayed skin, Kat hissed, “That monster

“Everyone in the Underworld knows what she's done! She’s the deadliest Tooth to ever exist! Entire organizations would be wiped out, overnight, single-handedly by her. She was the one that the Devil’s Hand sent to personally end bloodlines down to the goddamn cradle! Hell, she makes the rest of you look merciful in comparison! She’s an actual fucking demon.”

Smack

Rudy felt the right side of her cheek burn from Kat’s slap.

“Hey! Stop it! We need to focus on finding Wu Gaa. Fighting each other won’t help!” Adrian pleaded, pulling back his sister. “C’mon Kat, let’s talk about this elsewhere.”

The two withdrew upstairs as Rudy touched her right cheek in silence, stunned.

“You two sure getting along well,” commented Lang.

“Tch, that’s what you get for working with a Takagi.”

“Rudy, the Takagis have family too, just like us. Sometimes it’s the only bond we can rely on in this fucked up world we live in.”

Rudy’s eyes clear at her father's words before she notices him hand her a small black briefcase.

“Here, something I kept from my days with the SDU. Might be a little old school for you, but I figured you’d still find it handy.”

“Huh? You’re giving me your hand-me-downs?” Rudy scoffed. “This some sad excuse for a late birthday present?”

She opened the briefcase, and her fangs flashed into a smile.

“Oh, I’ll definitely find a use for this…  dō ze saai, baa*.”

Lang returned Rudy’s toothy smile with his own.

“Put her to good use; she’s served me well.”

Lang turned his gaze upstairs, where Kat and Adrian were talking.

“Rudy, you’re the Alpha here in New York. If you want the Takagis to be part of our pack, you’ll have to earn their respect. You know what you have to do.”

“Cheh,” Rudy stared at the ceiling, weighing her father’s words.

She put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath in—then out.

“Fine.”

Rudy treaded back up to the bedroom where the Takagi siblings were. The same bedroom where she first met Kat.