Chapter 11
Road Rage
I drop by Aisha's while Johnny is out. She serves me a coffee and we sit at the coffee table telling stories. I hadn't met Aisha until I first turned up here. I knew that Johnny was dating her while I was boarding but never got to officially meet her and therefore sit around and have coffee with her. Suddenly Aisha jumped up to answer the door. Duncan walked in unsure.
"Where's Johnny?" He asked scratching the back of his head and taking a seat beside me.
"Oh I sent him out to the store, he should be back-" She was cut off by Johnny walking in with a Ronin biker. "Who the hell is that?" Aisha asked in a worried tone.
"Our new house guest baby...caught this arsehole dragging around our turf." Johnny explains lowering the Ronin member onto the table.
"Got something you want to tell me?" Duncan asked and the Ronin member spat in his face.
"Go to hell." I raised my eyebrow intrigued to see what comes next.
"That wasn't very nice." Johnny says and I look away as he lifts the Ronin bloke and smashing him back onto the table.
"Johnny! I just bought that table!" I shudder to think how much trouble Johnny was in when Duncan and I left.
"Sorry about that... Why the fuck are you here?" Johnny asks pressuring his foot onto our guest's back.
"Whatever you do to me is nothing compared to what Mr. Akuji will do to you." He replies.
"No shit... When's he coming?" Johnny questions.
"I'll die before I tell you." Johnny draws his gun as Aisha scatters off.
"Yep." And now there's blood on the carpet.
"Johnny!" I heard Aisha yell.
"It'll wash out!"
"It better!" She calls back to Johnny.
"What the fuck's an Akuji?" Duncan asks as Johnny puts his gun back into his belt.
"Kazuo Akuji is the father of Shogo Akuji, the arsehole running the Ronin." Johnny informs.
"Okay so who cares?" Duncan shrugs.
"This guy's a fucking boogayman. When I was in jail I would listen to some of the Ronin talk about what this guy did in Japan...it was not pretty." Johnny explains. As Duncan rises he spits on the Ronin's body.
"You think he's all talk?" He asks.
"I dunno, but I'm looking forward to finding out." Just as he says that Aisha turns up with a mob and daring eyes.
"No probs, we've got this." I say waving goodbye to them both as I usher Duncan out the door. I slide behind him and hold him with my left arm around his waist.
"Hold on." He warns shooting off with smoke dragging up behind the back tire. He speeds along the road never truly slowing down as he twists and turns. As soon as I spot some Ronin they're dead. I pull out an SMG and begin my bit of the job. Duncan pulls out a pistol and fires off some rounds too. Suddenly a couple ride beside us. I jump off Duncan's and onto another barely managing to keep balance as I boot off the driver and shoot the others. While the boss takes the roads I take the higher ground. Driving off-road along footpaths and cutting them off as I ride off the edge and smash onto the road. One barely makes it to the bridge before Duncan rams his bikes into the other guy's and they both go flying from the bridge. Duncan a little calmer than the other guy.
"Sup?" The boss asks when I call him an hour later.
"How was your swim?"
"Cold. I'm back at HQ now, see you later?" I shiver thinking what he could mean- not as though I haven't been thinking about it to.
"Nah, I'm going to stay back and hang out with Aisha for a while longer. Talk to you later, night." I smile hanging up and going back to talk with Aisha.
As we settle for dinner Johnny goes out to take care of business while Aisha and I stay there and continue to talk. Suddenly we hear knocking on the door.
"...Hope Johnny had fun cleaning." I laugh answering it while she washes up. I open it to a bald Ronin member. At first instinct I go for my gun but it's not there...Duncan still has it. I'm held against the wall and hear Aisha as she curses at the Ronin bloke. We're tied to the dining chairs but all I do is sit there fiddling with the rope around my wrists.
"I take no pleasure in this." The Japanese man with a bald head says after what feels like hours...and is hours.
"Then let us go." Aisha says.
"That depends on you." He replies as I untie one wrist and have a small victory breath for myself as I work on the other one. I watch as Aisha gets on her really worried look. "You're going to kill us aren't you?" He leans forward and I work all my anger into getting this other wrist untied which is easier said than done.
"If your remain calm, help us find the money, and do what I say, I give you my word that you will live." Liar!
"Ish, you home?" Johnny calls in a wavy voice. I notice the door move, he has some idea that something is up. The Japanese man hushes us and gestures orders to the others. I look at Aisha as she looks from them to the door warily. No! No. No. No. I mouth and we both watch as he slowly unsheathes his sword slowly. I lift my hands and show her that I'm out as the door squeaks open another inch. Aisha's jaw drops.
"Johnny it's a-" Her blood sprays over me as I jump onto the table and haul a chair across the Japanese man's head. He stumbles and stairs back at me as Johnny and Duncan burst in.
"Ish!" Johnny cries as I leap over the Japanese baldy and take his other sword. During school I did fencing and out of school some karate with weapons, I have some skills with a sword. I draw my arm back and find myself a comfortable stance. His eyes shrink as he glares. "Jackie, step away, he's mine." Johnny says and I spin in time to throw the sword at a Ronin trying to sneak up on Duncan. I take Johnny's pistol as I roll past him and kill the woman with the SMG. Another rolls out and Johnny holds of his opponent to slit the throat of our recently rolled in friend. The Samurai took advantage of this and kneed Johnny in the ribs sending him onto his back. An honourable swordsman he waited. Two more burst in. I leaped over the lounge and used it for my barrier as I shot at them. One looked at Johnny and raised his gun but the Samurai yelled at him and the Ronin dropped as Duncan shot him. None fired at Johnny.
"Gat, get out of the way!" Duncan yelled and as Johnny turned the Samurai impaled him. I took a sword and threw it, it sliced the Samurai's leg but it was merely a cut. Duncan and I shot after him but I slid beside Johnny.
"Call someone!" I scream at Duncan who immediately dials a number. We drag him out onto the street and wait for the ambulance.
