깡패
The Ginza Tiger
"Boss, the cop's here." One of the boys, Kosei, said, bowing. I spun the large, golden coin on the desk again, listening to it spinning.
"Let him in," I said, watching it fall. Kosei bowed again and opened the door, showing in the cop. He walked in easily, not looking afraid or worried, which was unusual for an officer of the law in my presence. Because I was intrigued, I might let him live. He stopped awkwardly in front of my desk, waiting for my word to sit. I motioned for it, rather than offering it vocally. He sat in a huff. "Tell me something good."
"I'm the sheriff's right hand," he said, bowing a little. "I'm here to represent him." He paused, waiting for me to speak. When I didn't, his next words came out quicker. "He says he'll make you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" I asked, sounding uninterested.
"He said if you split the profits with him, he'll let you deal in downtown Tokyo," the young cop said, crossing his arms and leaning back. A telling posture. "He's not open to negotiation."
I laughed. "Look around you, boy," I said with a smile, gesturing to the five men standing in various parts of the room. "It looks like you're not much in a position to negotiate, either." I leaned back in my chair, lighting a cigarette and watching the young kid's face. He was surprisingly unfazed. "I think we all know who really has the power here, when push comes to shove. Let's not take it to that point, eh?
"I'll give him five percent, tops. Nothing more, and I want absolutely no interference with any of my business, you got that? I mean that I'm going to be dealing all over the city, not just downtown."
"We couldn't cover up everything you do. That would be impossible."
"We can cover up most of it on our own. There's not much you'd have to do. And we can provide some extra incentive for your cooperation."
"Like what?"
"That, I'll talk to the sheriff himself about."
He shook his head. "Sheriff says fifteen percent, and you can deal downtown. That's the offer, take it or leave it."
It was kind of cute how he thought he was in control of me. I watched him for a bit. He shifted under my scrutiny and forced himself to hold my gaze. I saw beads of sweat forming on his forehead, though it didn't seem to be from nervousness. He wasn't shaking and he didn't have that look about him just yet. It was easy enough to tell what he was thinking: he thought the police were in control here. Perhaps the sheriff thought so too. It was time to change that.
"You're not very bright, are you?" I asked, taking a drag of the cigarette. "See, it's convenient for me to pay you and your little buddies off while I go about my work. I don't really care about dealing with you, but if you become annoying enough, I will have to do something about it. I've got more men loyal to me than your whole force combined and my men have more training and more reason to fight. They aren't afraid to put a bullet in a man's head if it means they get fed and someone taking care of 'em. Do you catch my drift?"
"Threaten all you like, Machii, but we won't budge." He tried to stare me down. I smiled.
"Then I'm afraid it's about to get real ugly for you, kid." I waved Kosei over. He balanced the underside of a handgun on the cop's shoulder, slowly putting a silencer on the end. It clicked into place and he balanced the gun against the cop's temple.
"If you kill me, you'll alert the force and they'll come in here and tear the place apart," he said confidently. The fool really believed that.
"Then I guess I'll just have to kill them all," I said, standing up. I tossed the cigarette into an ash tray between us. "Starting with you."
Kosei shot the man in the head. It was a quick death, but a bit messy. Blood pooled all over the table and ruined my playing cards. I'd seen death so many times in my life that I was no longer affected by it. For a while, I'd been fascinated. I wanted to hear a man's last breath, to feel if his body really twitched as he died. I wanted to be the last thing that he saw before entering the afterlife. Then, as quickly as it had interested me, it became boring. It became repetitive and menial. I didn't kill because I wanted to. I killed out of necessity- to hide my tracks, to eliminate competition, to quiet a witness.
I gestured for the boys to dispose of his body. Kosei stayed behind, wiping blood off his handgun with a blackened cloth.
"Do me a favor, would you?" I asked, staring out the window. As expected, there were no cops jumping out of hiding places or sirens in the distance. The night was deep and cool, and the air seemed bloated with endless possibilities. "Search his body for a bug. After that, write the sheriff and tell him I don't accept messengers."
"Let him in," I said, watching it fall. Kosei bowed again and opened the door, showing in the cop. He walked in easily, not looking afraid or worried, which was unusual for an officer of the law in my presence. Because I was intrigued, I might let him live. He stopped awkwardly in front of my desk, waiting for my word to sit. I motioned for it, rather than offering it vocally. He sat in a huff. "Tell me something good."
"I'm the sheriff's right hand," he said, bowing a little. "I'm here to represent him." He paused, waiting for me to speak. When I didn't, his next words came out quicker. "He says he'll make you a deal."
"What kind of deal?" I asked, sounding uninterested.
"He said if you split the profits with him, he'll let you deal in downtown Tokyo," the young cop said, crossing his arms and leaning back. A telling posture. "He's not open to negotiation."
I laughed. "Look around you, boy," I said with a smile, gesturing to the five men standing in various parts of the room. "It looks like you're not much in a position to negotiate, either." I leaned back in my chair, lighting a cigarette and watching the young kid's face. He was surprisingly unfazed. "I think we all know who really has the power here, when push comes to shove. Let's not take it to that point, eh?
"I'll give him five percent, tops. Nothing more, and I want absolutely no interference with any of my business, you got that? I mean that I'm going to be dealing all over the city, not just downtown."
"We couldn't cover up everything you do. That would be impossible."
"We can cover up most of it on our own. There's not much you'd have to do. And we can provide some extra incentive for your cooperation."
"Like what?"
"That, I'll talk to the sheriff himself about."
He shook his head. "Sheriff says fifteen percent, and you can deal downtown. That's the offer, take it or leave it."
It was kind of cute how he thought he was in control of me. I watched him for a bit. He shifted under my scrutiny and forced himself to hold my gaze. I saw beads of sweat forming on his forehead, though it didn't seem to be from nervousness. He wasn't shaking and he didn't have that look about him just yet. It was easy enough to tell what he was thinking: he thought the police were in control here. Perhaps the sheriff thought so too. It was time to change that.
"You're not very bright, are you?" I asked, taking a drag of the cigarette. "See, it's convenient for me to pay you and your little buddies off while I go about my work. I don't really care about dealing with you, but if you become annoying enough, I will have to do something about it. I've got more men loyal to me than your whole force combined and my men have more training and more reason to fight. They aren't afraid to put a bullet in a man's head if it means they get fed and someone taking care of 'em. Do you catch my drift?"
"Threaten all you like, Machii, but we won't budge." He tried to stare me down. I smiled.
"Then I'm afraid it's about to get real ugly for you, kid." I waved Kosei over. He balanced the underside of a handgun on the cop's shoulder, slowly putting a silencer on the end. It clicked into place and he balanced the gun against the cop's temple.
"If you kill me, you'll alert the force and they'll come in here and tear the place apart," he said confidently. The fool really believed that.
"Then I guess I'll just have to kill them all," I said, standing up. I tossed the cigarette into an ash tray between us. "Starting with you."
Kosei shot the man in the head. It was a quick death, but a bit messy. Blood pooled all over the table and ruined my playing cards. I'd seen death so many times in my life that I was no longer affected by it. For a while, I'd been fascinated. I wanted to hear a man's last breath, to feel if his body really twitched as he died. I wanted to be the last thing that he saw before entering the afterlife. Then, as quickly as it had interested me, it became boring. It became repetitive and menial. I didn't kill because I wanted to. I killed out of necessity- to hide my tracks, to eliminate competition, to quiet a witness.
I gestured for the boys to dispose of his body. Kosei stayed behind, wiping blood off his handgun with a blackened cloth.
"Do me a favor, would you?" I asked, staring out the window. As expected, there were no cops jumping out of hiding places or sirens in the distance. The night was deep and cool, and the air seemed bloated with endless possibilities. "Search his body for a bug. After that, write the sheriff and tell him I don't accept messengers."