STORY WARNINGS:
– This is YaoiMale/Male manga genre often created by female authors and aimed primarily at female audiences.
Rating: Mature. ADULTS ONLY. Contains graphic violence, some coarse language, explicit sexual content both consensual/non-consensual, forced/willing submission, light bondage.

A/N: I'm back already!

I should have known, you like long chapters and super quick updates, right? XD You'll be pleased to hear that I've already done a rough draft to the end (I'm actually a reeaally slow writer, I wouldn't manage a 5k word chapter in 3 days otherwise!). I'll aim for long, and depending on rewriting and editing (and life!), updates should be fairly quick. I'll do my best! And if you keep reading and enjoying it, you'll make me happy. (^-^)

So you remember that Asami's a crime lord, right...? Hope you enjoy this next bit!

~ Nyx ~

DISCLAIMER: The Finder series and all recognisable characters belong to Yamane Ayano sensei.


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Chapter 3

Tuesday.

"I'll investigate the shit out of you!"

Akihito ploughed headlong into the Sion Global HQ tower full of blazing determination. He'd been caught unawares the previous evening and let himself be intimidated and manhandled, but never again. He was on a warpath. Z4m4 M1r0, Spotlight, breaking news. Somehow, someday, Asami Ryuichi was going down.

His colleagues were back, still a little green but well enough to return to work. Akihito happily handed back all Helpdesk responsibilities along with on-call responsibilities for the 32nd floor. He'd never been so pleased to return to his security programming.

It was mid-morning when he headed to the vending machines for a recharge of Pocky. When he returned, Mitarai was ranting away to Ogawa.

"I've never been called! Never! It's always you, it's never been me, and now he goes when we're away for just a day?"

Mitarai found something to grumble about most days, so Akihito ignored them and headed back to his desk, breaking into the Pocky packet.

"They call me because I've been here for years, they know me," Ogawa reminded with forced patience. "What are you getting so worked up about?"

Akihito tuned them out. But his peace didn't last past the first mouthful when Ogawa's phone rang, leaving Mitarai to promptly round on Akihito.

"So what happened, Takaba? It was already late in the day but you couldn't go home? It was so urgent you had to deal with it? You couldn't leave it for me today, huh?"

"Wha' are you on abouf?" Akihito mumbled around a full mouth.

Mitarai shoved the previous day's support log under Akihito's nose, his finger jabbing at the end. Akihito stilled as he saw Asami's name on the job ticket, and his own as the attending Helpdesk staff.

"You landed us in so much shit on Saturday!" Mitarai fumed. "I could've dealt with this! It could've been my chance to fix things with Asami-sama!"

Akihito swallowed, the Pocky going down like a lump of rock.

Mitarai had no clue just how desperately Akihito wanted to delete the whole encounter. It wasn't even about what had happened – or nearly happened – but what happened after.

Akihito had intended to sort things out with Risa but he'd been too rattled and bone weary by the time he'd dragged himself home. He didn't even have the energy to argue when she picked up on him sounding like he was on death's door and insisted on coming over to cook dinner. Feeling supremely guilty, but drawing some much needed comfort from her current inclination of playing the concerned girlfriend, he fell into their old routine as they spent a quiet evening in and then the night together. It was when he'd obligingly put the fluffy pink handcuffs that she liked on her and was sheathed between her legs and she tightened beneath him, that his mind decided to launch off in a totally alien tangent – it was an image of piercing, golden eyes accompanied by an arrogant smirk that suddenly had his balls squeezing and toppled him over the edge.

Mitarai had no clue whatsoever!

"His computer packed up and he couldn't do any work," he tried to reason, "what was I supposed to have done?"

Mitarai frowned like a child who'd been denied ice cream.

Akihito rolled his eyes. "It's not a big deal, Mitarai. His computer crashed, I rebooted it. End of."

Mitarai sighed, his aggravation easing just a bit.

That was, until Ogawa appeared beside them, looking dazed as though he didn't know how to believe what he'd been instructed. "Takaba, you're needed upstairs. The CEO has asked for you personally."


Arguing with Ogawa for someone else to go in his stead had turned out to be pointless. His boss had been given strict instructions by Asami's assistant and he wasn't budging.

Which was how Akihito found himself glaring at an equally grim-faced Kirishima as the elevator doors parted on floor 32.

"Yeah, I'm not happy about this either," Akihito snapped, striding ahead towards Asami's office before Glasses could lead the way. "So let's just get this stupid thing over with. And if he tries anything, and I mean anything, I'm laying down the law!"


"You have got to be kidding me." Akihito crossed his arms. "You called me up here for this?"

"You made it abundantly clear yesterday that I wasn't to do anything to cock everything up."

Akihito stared, unable to believe that Asami was throwing those words back at him.

Asami smirked and his tone became blatantly sensual as he held up a cable. "And I had no idea which hole to thrust this into."

Akihito spluttered. He coughed, valiantly biting back some choice names he so wanted to call Asami right then, and snatched the cable. "Give it here," he grumbled and grabbed the docking station. He wasn't bothering with any pretence at professional civility today. Asami didn't deserve it after yesterday.

Asami's mood seemed lighter today. But a lighter mood seemed to make him more playful, which made Akihito far more concerned about being groped than being shot. He couldn't decide which was worse.

He tried to steer the conversation to safer grounds. "What happened anyway? It was all fine yesterday."

Somehow, all the connecting cables and power cords had been yanked out overnight.

"There was..." Asami searched for the right description, "an unruly associate."

"Another one? You need to find better associates." Akihito narrowed his eyes. "What d'you do, hit him with them?"

Asami shrugged. "He tried. First with the screen, then when that failed, he tried to throw them all at me. One after another."

Akihito snorted. He would have loved to have seen that. He would have helped. "What did you do to make him so mad?"

Asami's eyes widened in a picture of innocence. "Me? Why, Takaba? How could I possibly piss anyone off to such a degree?"

Akihito had no problems imagining his fist slogging that infuriatingly self-satisfied face. His fuming silence must have betrayed his thoughts, for Asami smirked in that smug, knowing way of his.

Akihito carefully placed the keyboard back on the desk and not in Asami's face. "Geez, I wonder," he muttered sardonically.

It only took a second to reconnect the monitor and mouse. He hesitated before he dove under the desk with the power cables, glancing warily at Asami, but the desire to finish up this ridiculous task and get out of there was too strong.

He would've bet his right hand that Asami was staring at his ass. He could practically feel the intense gaze running over him as he struggled on his hands and knees to reattach the power cords, having to stretch to reach into the back far corner. Damn Asami and his absurdly large desk!

He backed out from under the desk and dusted himself off. "Don't even think about having any more fights in here 'cos I'm not... gonna..." He trailed off as he turned, the look on Asami's face bringing him up short.

Lust. The golden eyes were dark with it, hungry and heated, as they climbed from where Asami had indeed been staring at Akihito's ass up to the startled face.

Slowly, like a cat that got the cream, Asami's lips curved in a wicked grin. "It's like I hit F5. That's quite a refreshing view you've got there."

Akihito's eyes flashed. "Well you can refresh yourself the hell out of it and whatever freaky shit's going through your head. You stay the hell away from me, you hear?"

Akihito was perfectly prepared to smash the keyboard over that striking, conceited head if Asami raised so much as a single finger to stop him from leaving. But the tall man merely watched him go, a thoughtful smirk playing on his face.

Akihito would've loved to have taken the arrogant bastard down a peg or two. That was the only reason for the sliver of disappointment, and the adrenaline thumping through his veins.

There was no other possible explanation. None whatsoever.


Wednesday.

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

They all sighed. This again.

"No! Send Mitarai." Akihito walked away.

"Takaba!" Ogawa yelled after him.

"I said no!" Akihito even went so far as to walk out of the IT department, heading up the marbled stairs to the vending machines. He dawdled, sitting with his much-needed box of Pocky in the quiet alcove.

Akihito was in full evasion mode. Ridiculous computer problems he could deal with. But that look? It wasn't just winding him up with inappropriate words anymore. Asami all but looked ready to devour him. Akihito didn't care how hopping mad he made his boss, he was going to avoid Asami like the plague.

Akihito only headed back after he'd leisurely munched his way through the whole box of Pocky. Ogawa gave him the stink eye as he returned to his desk.

Mitarai was gone. Ignoring a pang of something he couldn't identify, Akihito resumed his programming. He couldn't quite focus, however. He kept glancing up at the doors, his eyes straying every few minutes.

Finally, twenty minutes later, Mitarai returned. He glanced briefly over to Akihito, his expression troubled, before heading back to his desk. Akihito observed closely, trying to gauge what might have happened. Mitarai had a slight frown creasing his brow as he checked through his in-tray, flicking through some post. Glancing at Akihito, who pretended to be looking at the calendar sitting on his desk, Mitarai threw his post back in the tray and slid into his chair.

Akihito kept glancing that way. Mitarai kept glancing this way. They kept his up for ten minutes before Mitarai gave a groan of irritation and marched over to Akihito.

"Is he always like that?" Mitarai demanded.

A horrible feeling squirmed in Akihito's gut, stealing his voice. So Asami had only been toying with him, as he likely did anyone else. Akihito didn't know why he was so surprised. Or so upset... Or maybe Mitarai meant the gun? Civilians couldn't carry firearms in Japan except in very few, strictly controlled, usually life-dependent circumstances. It wasn't like Yamazaki's gun that Akihito had seen so many times over the years that he barely noticed anymore, but his friend was a detective in Major Crimes. Asami with a gun was a whole other definition of badass...

Mitarai's frustrated voice cut through his mental litany. "He was so... dismissive!"

Akihito blinked. "Huh?" He had no shortage of adjectives he could have thrown at Asami but that certainly wasn't one of them.

"He completely ignored me! Well, he told me what the problem was first, then he ignored me!"

"Ignored you?"

"Yeah, he just sat at the meeting table – you know, the glass one? He was reading over a bunch of things, then his secretary came in and joined him. He didn't even look up when I left."

Akihito was having a fuzzy feeling that he couldn't identify. "Did you expect him to show you out? Be fascinated in what you were doing? Serve you drinks?" He barked a laugh – but then he stilled at his own words. Asami had always been there, watching over his shoulder, pestering him with questions. And Akihito belatedly recalled the tea and dorayaki that had materialised when he was hacking the flash drive. Had Asami brought them?

"No, but..." Mitarai sighed. "I was super polite, very courteous, bang on etiquette. I thought he'd at least thank me or something..." He was mumbling by the end, seeming to realise how daft he sounded.

"He's the CEO, Mitarai. What did you expect?"

Mitarai shrugged silently.

"What was the problem, anyway?" Akihito asked. He hadn't decided whether it was all an act or if Asami was actually an electronic stumblebum.

"He, uh, he'd accidentally flipped his screen display upside down which made him accidentally delete a bunch of files."

There was a flabbergasted pause before Akihito burst out laughing. "Did you tell him he's an idiot?"

"What? No!"

"You should have," Akihito grinned.

"Would you?" Mitarai threw back.

"Hell, yeah."

Mitarai looked at him like he'd sprouted a second head. "Yeah, right."

Akihito smiled sweetly. "You know me and my sparkling personality."

Mitarai shook his head. "You're crazy," he muttered as he returned to his desk.


Thursday.

It was quickly becoming déjà vu. Kirishima called for him, Akihito flat out refused to go, Mitarai went in his stead. But this time he returned barely a few minutes later, irritated that he'd gone all the way up to the top floor only for the secretary to inform him that something urgent had come up and Asami-sama would call for assistance again later.

The call never came and they all forgot about it as the busy day swept them up.

Akihito stretched his arms, easing out the kinks. All in all it had been a good day, he'd cracked a bug that had been hindering things for a few days. Mitarai was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed as his computer shut down. Grinning, Akihito grabbed an empty Pocky box...

"Hey!" Mitarai yelled as it landed on his face. He leaped from his chair and chased after Akihito, not even needing to ask to know who'd thrown it.

"Boys," came Ogawa's rebuke. It was half hearted at best, a token nod at his job as their boss, full of habitual exasperation.

Laughing, Akihito led a merry chase. His Pocky-fuelled sugar rush made him leap over chairs and even over Ogawa's desk, earning himself a yell as he scattered a bunch of old headsets. Mitarai grabbed an industrial pack of paperclips as he followed. The R&D guys on the other side of the office didn't even look up. Akihito had only been here a month but they were already used to him and Mitarai winding each other up.

Mitara cut in between two desks and threw himself at Akihito. He crashed them both into the wall and emptied the whole pack of five hundred paperclips over the blond head.

"Argh! Cold! Cold! Cold!" Akihito yelled as hundreds of bits of cold metal shimmied down his top. He tried to shake himself out, hopping and shaking his legs too when some of them slithered down his trousers. Mitarai was no help, too busy laughing his head off.

Until his laughter abruptly cut off, choked to silence. It took Akihito a moment to notice. When he finally followed Mitarai's frozen eyes, he could only stare in horror.

Asami's tall silhouette filled the doorway.


Impeccably dressed as always, Asami towered worlds apart from the humble cave dwellers beneath Sion HQ. He strode into the middle of the office, surveying the cluttered desks and computer equipment squeezed in every which way before turning to the two young men with an arched brow. His secretary accompanied him, looking as disapproving as ever.

Ogawa rushed forwards, bowing low. "Asami-sama, our most sincere apologies for disturbing you with all the noise!"

Of the two offenders, only Mitarai looked ashamed, hurriedly bowing along with everyone else. Akihito alone stood upright, wondering if he could make it out of the door if he ran fast enough...

"May we be of assistance in any way?" Ogawa pleaded, sure that his job was flashing before his eyes.

"There's no need for apologies, Ogawa-san," Asami waved off graciously. "I'm interrupting. I was passing and thought to collect Takaba on the way."

"Takaba?" Ogawa repeated dimly.

"There's a technical issue we need him to look over."

All eyes swivelled to Akihito. He shook his head adamantly. "No way. I was just about to head home."

"Takaba!" Ogawa exclaimed.

"That's quite alright, Ogawa-san," Asami said understandingly as he approached the startled young man. Akihito didn't buy it for a second. "You've all been working hard all day and no doubt you're tired. I don't blame Takaba for wanting to head home."

Akihito backed away but there was only the wall behind him. With everyone watching, he couldn't object when Asami dropped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing too hard for the gesture to be friendly.

Asami leaned in to murmur in Akihito's ear. "You can walk or I can drag you. Either way you're coming with me."

A chill spread through Akihito, his face going pale.

There was something about Asami that was... off. Akihito could feel it now, being this close to him, or perhaps it was the biting grip on his shoulder coupled with the hard edge of his voice. It was like Monday night all over again. With the flash drive. And the gun...

Asami spoke at normal pitch again, seeming to address Akihito but he knew it was just an act for everyone's benefit. "This can't wait. But as soon as you're done I'll have my driver give you a lift so you can get back to your evening. Would that be acceptable?"

It wasn't a question. Asami would drag him kicking and screaming if necessary, no matter whoever else might get caught up in whatever mess this was. The warning gleam in his eyes said it all.

Akihito couldn't put them at risk like that. "Fine," he ground out, shrugging off the heavy hand. "I'll just grab my stuff." He crunched his way through the scattered paperclips to gather his things at his desk and slipped the rucksack over his shoulder. His tread was heavy as he gave everyone a half-hearted wave on his way out.

"See you tomorrow," Ogawa called out, just before Asami and Kirishima's dark suits blocked Akihito from view.


It was almost seven in the evening and there was a steady stream of employees heading home. The spacious glass foyer was congested as they emerged from the basement, but nevertheless a clear circle of space remained around Asami as he strode forth, cleaving through the crowd. They were surrounded by an undulating sea of bowing heads, enough to make Akihito a little nauseous even, with many murmured greetings and expressions of gratitude or such like. It was poles apart from Akihito's usual jostling, elbowing journey home.

Instead of heading out, however, Asami lead them to the elevators. Maybe Akihito had glanced a second too long at the revolving glass doors; escape was just too tempting a prospect. Asami grabbed his shoulder as they waited, uncaring of who saw them or Akihito's attempts to shrug him off.

Akihito stewed in edgy silence as they waited, Kirishima still a step behind while on his phone. As soon as the elevator doors dinged open and released its rush of employees, Asami pushed him in and claimed the elevator car, deterring anyone else from joining them with his tall presence blocking the doorway.

In a way Akihito was glad that it just the three of them. His nervous tension practically exploded as soon as the doors closed.

"What the hell, Asami?"

Still on the phone, Kirishima threw him a shocked glance. Asami ignored him, checking a message on his own phone.

That just riled Akihito up even more. "Are you so annoyed that Mitarai's been coming instead of me that you had to come all the way to the basement just to prove a point?"

Asami finally looked at him. "You think I came to get you because of your little sulk?" he sneered.

The darkness roiling in the golden gaze actually made Akihito take a step back. Asami was seriously pissed off. Akihito would have even described it as murderous. What the hell had happened?

Just as he was rendered uncharacteristically mute, Kirishima hung up.

Asami turned to him immediately. "Well?"

The secretary cast a look at Akihito. The meaning wasn't lost on either of them.

"Report," Asami snapped.

Kirishima hesitated for another moment before complying. "They have one of them, sir."

"Then squeeze for every drop. I want them all found."

"They're on it, sir."

With no specifics they could have just as easily been talking about lost oranges as what it actually sounded like. Akihito felt his gut squirm. It wasn't a healthy conversation to be privy to.

"And Kirishima?" Asami rumbled darkly. "Don't ever second guess me again."

"Forgive me, Asami-sama. But I cannot be negligent where it concerns matters of security." The secretary bowed low. He only straightened as Asami made a dismissive sound and let it pass.

Akihito had to hand it to Glasses, the guy had balls. He'd never have thought it of the prim and proper secretary. But then again it was most likely a prerequisite to be able to stand working for someone like Asami.

Akihito wondered if they'd rigged the elevator since they didn't stop at a single floor on the way up. The ride up was so much faster like this. Too fast. All too soon the doors opened on the top floor and this time Asami grabbed his arm, making no bones about keeping him secured.

Akihito could only hope that Asami didn't bring him all the way up here just to kill him. "Why am I here?"

There was no reply as he was dragged down the corridor and shoved into the huge office. Asami turned at the door, expectantly holding out a hand to Kirishima bringing up the rear.

"Asami-sama, forgive my reservations but are you sure about this?" The uncertainty in Kirishima's voice didn't make Akihito feel any better.

"Enough."

That single word from Asami, not even snapped or shouted, but it was loaded with finality and a warning that could only be described as dire. Kirishima finally passed a laptop case into Asami's waiting hand and bowed a swift retreat.

Asami closed the door, leaving Akihito trapped with him.


Asami strode forward, hitting some buttons on the wall which set all the blinds closing with a soft electronic whir. He steered Akihito as far as the glass table, where he slid off his jacket and cast it carelessly over one of the black armchairs before heading for his desk.

Akihito couldn't take his eyes off the gun that was now in plain sight, the holster strapped over the waistcoat. Asami dropped the laptop case from Kirishima on his desk and pulled out a near-empty decanter and a crystal tumbler from a bottom drawer. Dark amber liquid sloshed as he poured himself two fingers and knocked it back. He allowed a second to let it burn before pouring another and drinking it just as quickly. He poured a third but this time he nursed it in the crystal.

Something had happened. Of course it was potential fuel for the Spotlight fire but Akihito actually found himself so nervous that he didn't want to know what could have made Asami pissed as all hell. Akihito glanced surreptitiously at the door –

"If you run and force me to come after you, I will tie you up."

Akihito paled. "What?"

"Come here."

Akihito didn't move. He couldn't.

"Or are you going to run out that door?" Asami smirked. It wasn't a kind look.

Akihito quite liked the door option, thank you very much. The tying up? Not so much. "That depends on why you dragged me all the way up here."

Asami indicated the laptop case on his desk with his tumbler. Akihito looked at it, at Asami, at the gun snug against his ribs. Asami waited, quietly swirling the crystal.

It took Akihito another second or two to force his legs to unlock and he managed to walk over stiffly. It was a nondescript black laptop case. Possibly new. Akihito opened the zipper and flipped it open.

One look and he promptly closed his eyes. "Oh, no way..."

He'd done it this time, really done it. Stepped right up to the shit-covered fan, pressed his face against it and punched it to maximum.

It was a laptop with holes. Five impacted holes, their edges curving inwards, each one wide enough to fit a finger. Bullet holes. There was nothing else they could be.

Akihito dealt with firewalls and files, codes and crypto. He didn't do face to face and he most certainly didn't do bullets. Panic rising, head shaking, he backed away –

His back collided with Asami's chest, making him jump out of his skin.

"The hell?" Akihito spun around, his heart hammering. He'd have to go around –

"Last warning before I tie you up, Takaba," Asami growled impatiently.

Face ashen, Akihito frantically searched his brain. "What warning?"

"Stop trying to escape."

"Then stop scaring me!" he blurted it out before he could stop himself. His pride wasn't enamoured by the idea of admitting that Asami scared the living daylights out of him.

Asami might have been amused if his mood hadn't been so sinister. He waved towards the desk with his tumbler again. "See if you can retrieve anything. Anything at all."

"You mean this thing riddled with bullets? Because they are bullet holes, aren't they?" Akihito retorted acerbically, his fear and anger making him run his mouth. He didn't make any move to take a look. "That'd be a No. In case you hadn't noticed, it has bullets in it."

Asami's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh really? Then pray tell, what use are you to me?"

Akihito shrank back. "Wait, you're not going to shoot me...?"

Asami simply indicated the laptop by way of answer.

"You can't just –!"

Asami made a show of reaching for his gun, deliberately slowly. Probably – hopefully – just for show, but Akihito couldn't risk it.

"Alright! Alright!" He dropped his rucksack to the floor and turned to the damaged laptop. "Just keep your stupid gun away from me," he grumbled.

Eyeing it like it was personally offending him, Akihito tried switching it on by the power button. As expected, nothing happened. He flipped and turned it about in his hands, even peering into the holes from different angles to see the internal damage. Three of the bullets had missed vital organs, but two of them were problematic, buried in the hard drive.

"Well?" Asami was clearly impatient.

Akihito shook his head, replacing the laptop in the case. "I can't do anything about it here. If I took it home I can take it apart and see if any sections of the hard drive can still be accessed but it's a long shot at best. It looks pretty smashed up."

"This stays with me," Asami said, unsurprisingly.

"Then I can't help you."

Asami pulled out his phone and placed a call. It was answered quickly. "Any progress with Suoh?" he demanded, knocking back his drink and slamming the tumbler down on the desk.

Akihito waited, not sure what else Asami wanted him to do, but the man seemed focused on his phone conversation. "Good. Tell them to stay put. We need eyes on them around the clock, especially now."

Akihito had done what Asami wanted so he could go now, right?

"Use a three-man detail, have them on rota. Tell them to keep out of sight."

But then there was that whole tying up thing... As Asami listened to the reply from the other end, Akihito slung his bag over his shoulder again and edged towards the door. He made a token effort to catch Asami's eye so the man wouldn't think he was trying to 'escape', pointing towards the door and whispering, "I'll just get out of your hair..."

He'd only gone another two steps before Asami grabbed his arm again. Akihito didn't fight him as he was pulled towards the glass table.

"Good. Hold them in the usual place, I'll question them later myself."

Akihito stared wide eyed. Asami remained focused on the phone conversation as he none-too-gently manoeuvred Akihito into an armchair and emphasised with a warning finger. Stay. So much for escaping.

"No, Kirishima, I want them all. Find them, and relocate them. Permanently."

Asami seemed to be dishing out one dire order after another. Nothing explicit, nothing that would stand up in court, but plenty for Akihito to imagine the worst. And the fact that he was listening to it didn't bode well for his own future.

Still on the phone, Asami headed back to his desk and grabbed his briefcase. "Warn Kuroda and Matsui. I don't want the police anywhere near this."

Bloody hell, Akihito grimaced. Now that wasn't even remotely subtle.

Asami clicked the briefcase open, dropping the damaged laptop in it along with several files from the bottom drawer of his desk. "You know what's at stake. Find the accomplice." He slammed the briefcase shut. "And have the limo ready out back, we're going to plan B."

Asami hung up. Grabbing the briefcase, he advanced on Akihito. "We're leaving."

The rage clearly simmering beneath the surface had Akihito on his feet and backing up a step as the taller man approached. Asami paused to pull his jacket back on.

"Leaving? Where?" Then Akihito realised something worse. "Wait, we're leaving?"

Asami grabbed his arm again and propelled him into the corridor. Kirishima was nowhere in sight but two other guards in black suits melted out of the walls and flanked them.

"Hold on, Asami. Why am I going with you?" Akihito cursed himself. He should have legged it earlier, threats be damned. Things were only looking worse by the minute.

There was a third guard already at the elevators, holding the doors open.

Asami ignored Akihito's question, addressing the door-duty guard instead as they all rushed in. "Override to level two."

"Yes, sir." The guard turned a key at the top of the control panel as he hit floor 2 and returned the key to his pocket.

Level two had a private elevated concourse at the rear of the building reserved for the top execs, allowing them to avoid the basement parking levels. The elevator was bound to stop frequently with all the people still heading home and Akihito primed himself to make a run for it. If he caused a commotion, or legged it fast enough, or caught Asami by surprise...

But he soon realised what 'override' meant. The elevator didn't stop, not even once.

Asami caught his arm again in an iron grip as the doors parted to level two and Akihito knew he was doomed.