The ring of light circled the table. Only three hands lay in its center this time.

“Wu Gaa Lau is currently being held ransom by the Vitale family. They claim that Wu Gaa has confessed to the assassination of the First Finger and that he ordered a Takagi to do it. Wu Gaa refuses to give the Takagi’s name, so the Vitales want to make a deal with us, the Devil’s Hand, for Wu Gaa in exchange for 200 million dollars,” apathetically stated the Second Finger.

Her hand slid forward a picture into the middle of the ring. It was a picture of a sharply dressed Cantonese man being held at gunpoint—Wu Gaa Lau, The Fox of the East. The Second Finger’s cardinal red nails shone in the amber light as they crept back and interlocked with her other fingers.

“Wu Gaa used one of our Teeth to assassinate the First Finger?!” exclaimed the Fourth Finger, his weighty hands now curled into fists. “This is betrayal by the Takagis on the highest level. Was it Dr. Takagi who did it? She failed her mission to assassinate Wu Gaa and has now gone rogue. She must have been colluding with the Laus since the assassination of the First Finger. I think Dr. Takagi is the First Finger’s assassin.”

The Fifth Finger picked up and studied the photo on the table as the Fourth Finger raged on. Despite his dire situation, the Fox kept a cool expression on his tapered face. He wore glasses that had the left lens blacked out; shrapnel scars splayed out under the black lens. His side-parted hair was in disarray from the rough handling of his captors. The silver streaks along his temples betrayed not age, but experience—experience surviving a world that has death lurking in every dark corner. In the darkness, the Second Finger noticed the Fifth Finger’s gaze lingering on the photo of Wu. A gaze that perhaps lingered a second too long.

The Fifth Finger laid the photo gently back in the center before she spoke.

“Now now, Khun Wu still hasn’t stated who the Takagi is yet,” calmed the Fifth Finger, her palms facing up, as if to clasp the Fourth Finger’s tightened fists. “Dr. Takagi is very loyal to her clan; she wouldn’t do anything extreme to put them in danger. She might have heard that the First Finger’s assassin is a Takagi and is looking for them herself, trying to resolve things internally before the news was leaked.”

“Either way, Dr. Takagi has still gone rogue, and her failure to assassinate Wu Gaa, the one who now confessed responsibility for Mikhail’s death, makes her a top suspect for his assassination. That means that we need Wu Gaa, alive, to determine which Takagi really killed Mikhail,” stated the Second Finger.

“Do petty coin chasers like the Vitales really think they can negotiate with us? How did they even manage to capture someone as smart as the Fox? This must be one of Wu Gaa’s schemes. I don’t trust it,” the Fourth Finger spoke, waving his hands horizontally.

“Has Khun Fernando been updated on the situation yet? He sure left in a hurry to claim Khun Wu’s and Dr. Takagi’s heads,” asked the Fifth Finger.

The Second Finger first addressed the Fourth Finger.

“You are right, Your Eminence, we don’t have time to negotiate with the likes of the Vitales and go along with Wu Gaa’s ploy.”

Before the Second Finger addressed the Fifth Finger, she unlocked her fingers and pointed them together, like an edge towards the photo of Wu.

“Kanyarat, I have already updated Fernando on the situation; he’s on standby with El Quetzalcōātl in Brooklyn at the moment, near where they're keeping Wu Gaa. The Devil’s Tongue and other Underworld information brokers have already disclosed this hostage situation to their clients, but news of their location hasn't leaked yet. The Laus must be preparing to rescue Wu Gaa themselves as we speak. With Fernando already on the field, we can have him take Wu Gaa for ourselves. No need to negotiate with the Vitales if we already have La Cuchilla at their throats.”

“Agreed, show the Underworld that we don't negotiate with street rats,” stated the Fourth Finger. “Il tempo stringe*, with the Teeth compromised, Fernando will have to act as our blade for now.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to have Khun Fernando in charge of this? He isn’t exactly ‘delicate’ in hostage situations. If Khun Wu dies, we may never get the answers we need,” expressed the Fifth Finger, her hands hovering over Wu’s photo, shielding it from the Second Finger’s pointed hands.

“Hmm? What’s this, Kanyarat? You seem to care quite a lot about whether or not Wu Gaa lives or dies. That reminds me. You were the only Finger who didn’t vote for Dr. Takagi’s deployment to assassinate him. Don’t tell me you’re fond of that old fox?” prodded the Second Finger, her wedged palms slicing closer to Wu’s photo.

“And you seem quite eager to have the only person who knows the truth behind Mikhail’s assassination killed. Like you’re afraid of what Khun Wu might say?” Kanyarat’s dark orchid finger nails clawed around the photo, rooting themselves against the incoming lance of red nails.

The Cardinal planted his palms like a wall between the Second Finger and Kanyarat.

“Signore*, Fernando knows how important it is that we need Wu Gaa—alive,” the cardinal interjected. “Even he knows not to cross the line with the rest of us.”

“Hoh… if you say so,” the Fifth Finger said, drawing back her hands just a bit, but still primed to protect the photo. “Then what about Dr. Takagi?”

“Wu Gaa takes priority at the moment, but she is sure to follow, if she’s colluding with him, or hunting him for her own questions. Once Fernando has Wu Gaa, we can use him to catch our own rogue Tooth.”

“I see, the shadow always follows the flame,” spoke Kanyarat.

“Any objections then?” asked the Second Finger, her hands locking back together.

“No, signora,” answered the Cardinal.

“No... none from me either,” added Kanyarat.

“Then we will proceed as planned and get to the bottom of the First Finger’s assassination,” stated the Second Finger, stabbing the nail of her index finger onto the photo of Wu.