Chapter Five ~
Two weeks later
"So what are you planning to do with the information?" Lee asked Kazuya as he lit another cigarette. "I mean you just can't walk up to San Gi and say 'hey, I know you're bribing your uncle and I want a cut of the action'. You know how she will react to that."
"I'm thinking about using this to my advantage, Lee," Kazuya said as he leaned back in the executive chair. They were in Kazuya's office, discussing the find on a computer disk in which Kazuya paid an employee inside SG Pharmaceuticals to get for him. "Only a cold-heated individual would go as far as to launder money through a relative's company then threaten to hand them over to the authorities if they don't comply."
"Sounds like something you would have done if dear father was still alive."
Kazuya frowned at his brother, tempted to hurl something at him for that remark but he decided to brush it aside. "What if I blackmailed San Giacomo into helping us with the little problem back home?"
Lee took a long drag from his cigarette then said, "You mean take care of Sukahara for you? I don't know. She'll probably tell you to go to h**l and say some other not so nice things."
"How can I go to h**l when Satan and Diandra San Giacomo are one in the same? You know the b***h isn't called 'Satan in a skirt' because she likes fire and torturing people with a pitchfork, though I believe the latter is true. She's a ruthless b***h who doesn't give a d**n about anyone but herself."
Lee acknowledged that Kazuya had a point. "Even if you do blackmail her, do the benefits outweigh the consequences of such actions?"
"What do you mean?" Kazuya asked, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
"Remember what happened last time when you tried to take advantage of San Giacomo? She nearly took your a** out with a single gunshot."
"Yeah, thankfully you had the sense to kick the gun out of her hand just as she was about to fire that shot. At least you proved yourself worthy to me in that sense, Lee."
"If you feel that way about it," Lee replied, "then next time she wants to kill you're a**, I'll be more than happy to hand her the gun."
Kazuya shot a hateful gaze in Lee's direction as he nonchalantly put out his cigarette. The president of Mishima Financial had more than enough matters on his troubled mind, and the last thing he needed was Lee being smart with him. Diandra San Giacomo was a threat to Kazuya, the Mishima Financial Empire, and the Syndicate. He needed to deal with her swiftly and quickly before things got way out of control. "What will you do about her?"
"I have something in mind for the b***h; a nice pleasant surprise that she even won't be able to outdo. I'm sure one phone call from the US Attorney's office will have her running for cover."
Lee snickered as a smiled appeared on his brother's face. Kazuya then picked up the phone and dialed a number to a house in Upper Manhattan.
???
Even though it was almost twelve o'clock, Diandra was still dressed in her nightclothes. She wore a black nightshirt that came down a few inches below the tops of her thighs, a long dark blue crushed velvet robe, and a pair of faux fur slippers. She pushed a wavy lock of her raven hair out of her eyes as she padded downstairs to the kitchen. Once she got there, Diandra set about making herself a strong cup of coffee. As she waited for the coffee maker to heat up, she saw that the maid had left her mail on the kitchen counter.
"Bills, bills, junk," Diandra said to herself as she leafed through the stack of mail. Then a postcard caught her attention. On the front was a drawing of a nude Turkish odalisque reclining on a couch with her master. Diandra frowned as she turned it over; there was no postmark on the back. Whoever left the postcard must have known what time the mail carrier came. The timer on the coffee had gone off before she had the chance to read the first sentence on the card. She laid it down on the counter then when to get a mug. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, Diandra sat down at the counter and began reading the back of the postcard:
Hello Diandra,
Remember me? The person you tried to kill all those years ago. Well, it's my turn to make your life hell, San Gi. I want payback. Better start looking over your shoulder from now on. I have your lovely face in my sights and the vision of your precious blood dripping from my hands. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Farwell to the flesh, my lovely Diandra.
The color drained from Diandra's face as she laid the card back down and set her mug down as well. She had received death threatens before and they didn't scare her, but there was something about this one that made her skin crawl. Who else was watching her besides Kazuya? She cautiously picked up the card again as thought it was a sleeping serpent and re-read it, hoping to find a clue to the sender's identity. Just then, the phone rang, distracting her from her thoughts. "Hello," she said when she finally answered.
"Hello San Gi." It only took her a moment to recognize the deep male voice on the other end as that of Kazuya Mishima.
"What the h**l do you want this time?" she hissed.
"When will you ever learn to be nice to me?"
"The day the coroner pronounces you DOA."
"Ouch, you cut me to the quick, Diandra," Kazuya said in a hurt tone. "I only called to ask you something."
"Make it quick. I have better things to do besides being irritated by the likes of you."
"How would you like to receive a visit from the US Attorney's Office?"
Diandra laughed and said, "Oh really, Mishima? That's the best joke I've heard in ages."
"I'm serious, Diandra. I know about the illegal funds you've been receiving from your uncle. What have you been doing to make him pay such a high amount every month?"
"None of your d**n business!"
"Oh and I was just about to ask you for some of it to keep me quiet. Oh well, have it your way."
"You're one to be threatening me, bastard! By the way, thanks for the f**king porno card you sent me."
Kazuya was silent on his end. He cleared his throat and asked, "What card?"
"Quit acting like a f**king retard, Kazuya. You know the postcard you had one of your lackeys drop off in my mailbox. Cute, real cute."
"I have no clue to what you're talking about, San Gi. Whatever it was you received in the mail did not come from me."
"Go to h**l," she viciously hissed as she slammed down the phone. As she plopped back down on the barstool, Diandra began to reason that Kazuya might not have been the one who sent her the postcard. After all, he would have mentioned it the phone call just to irritate her. She picked up the card once again and re-read its haunting message. Only one person could shake her up like that, a person whom she thought was long dead. The past had finally come back to Diandra San Giacomo.
???
Diandra eyed the crowd in The Dinner Club suspiciously as she pretended to read the menu before her. The events of that morning still haunted her mind. Whoever sent her the postcard had been watching her for a very long time; they wanted her to be paranoid of her surroundings. "Is everything okay, San Gi?" Tony asked her when he noticed her discomfort.
"Everything is fine," she snapped back. "Mind your business and keep a lookout for Mishima."
"You're the boss," he sighed as he resumed reading his menu. "What do you recommend?"
"Try the T-bone steak. And why are you asking me these irritating questions?"
"You seem distracted by something and I was only trying to loosen you up a bit."
"Well, do me a favor and quit while you're still ahead. Remember, I always hurt the ones who ask dumb questions every five seconds."
Tony kept his mouth shut and honored his boss' request. Whatever it was on her mind, it was sure making her unusually irritable that night. He then checked out her figure in the strapless dark green dress she wore. The thigh high split fell open to reveal lots of thigh and leg, needless to say, Tony was impressed. Just as his eyes fell upon her cleavage, she sneered, "What the f**king h**l are you staring at?!"
"Nothing, Diandra. Geez, what the h**l is wrong with you?" he sighed.
He immediately came to regret those words when Diandra grabbed him by his necktie, yanked him over to the side, and then put a knife to his throat. "Come again, b***h. I'm sorry; I didn't hear you the first time."
"I'm sorry, San Gi," he whimpered as she pressed the sharp edge of the blade into his skin. "I didn't mean it, really."
"The next time you decide to disrespect me, Tony. You'll be sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the Hudson." She then nicked him with the tip of the knife, drawing blood, before releasing him from her grip. Tony felt the side of his neck then looked down at his hand for blood. He then wiped the red smear on his napkin then looked at his boss once again. She simply gave him a satisfied smirk before return to her menu.
~~~?~~~
Kazuya adjusted his red silk necktie once more before heading into the living area of his posh New York apartment. He and Lee were going out to The Dinner Club in hopes of talking some sense into Diandra San Giacomo. He had to admit that the young woman had more guts than he had given her credit for, namely the balls to step on the toes of the old-timers. As he was adjusting the band of his gold Rolex watch the doorbell rang. He raised an eyebrow as he eyed the clock over the mantle of the fireplace. 'Who the h**l could this be?' Kazuya thought to himself as he walked to the front door. Through the peephole, he saw what appeared to be a woman wearing a black hat and a black leather trench with her back to the door. Cautiously, Kazuya opened the door and the woman turned around to face him.
"YOU! What the h**l are you doing in New York?!" he said, his voice dripped with deep anger and hatred.
"It's nice to see you too, brother," she casually replied as she squared her shoulders and meet the anger in his eyes with a calm stare of her own. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"You must think I'm a dumba** b***h, Anyah. I thought you were dead."
"As you know, Kazuya, I have nine lives. I'm beginning to regret ever having to save your life."
Kazuya's eyes narrowed even more as he stepped aside and allowed Anyah into his apartment. She casually walked passed him and into the living room. "Nice place you've got here," she said as she removed her hat and shook out her long, black hair. "You've done quite well for yourself I see."
"Cut the small talk, Anyah, and tell me the real reason why you're here."
"You have some way of making your own sister feel welcome."
"You're not my sister. You are merely an experiment that father created to be a killing machine."
Lee then entered the room pulling on his black leather blazer. "Kaz, are- oh my God", he said. "Anyah? Is that really you?"
"In the flesh," Anyah replied with a sly smile. Lee immediately embraced his sister and spun around with her in his arms. "It's really you. And for all this time I thought you were dead."
"Panthers are always hard to kill," she quietly replied as he set her down. "Especially this one."
~~~?~~~
Diandra sighed deeply as she rested her head against the backseat of the limo. All the stress of the day was finally getting to her and all she wanted was to go home and take a hot shower. 'This is some fine s**t that's annoying me,' she thought to herself. Tony was smoking his menthol cigarettes as they rode in silence back to the San Giacomo estate. She gave him a slightly annoyed look but didn't say anything, after all she had put him through enough that evening at dinner. She felt a slight twinge of rare guilt for cutting him with the knife but she quickly pushed the guilty feeling out of her mind; she did not want people thinking that she had all of a sudden gone soft.
Tony looked over at his boss as he exhaled a large smoke ring. "Um, thanks for the dinner," he said softly to her, breaking the tense silence between them.
"You're welcome," she replied without turning to face him. "Just do me a favor and learn when and when not to open your cakehole next time."
"Yes ma'am," he murmured. Diandra San Giacomo was one difficult woman to know. Even though he had worked for her for nearly four years, there was still a lot about her that he didn't know about her. Diandra rarely spoke about her personal life and he dared not ask for he didn't want his throat slit. The heavy silence settled back over them as the limo took the entrance ramp onto the loop; both completely unaware that they were being followed by a SUV.
"Do you want a drink, Tony?" she asked him as she opened the bottom of the left jumper seat and pulled out a bottle of Smirnoff Ice Lime.
"No thanks."
"Whatever." She has just opened the Smirnoff when the limo was struck violently from behind. The impact sent Diandra flying to the other end of the limo and knocked Tony into the door. "What the f**k?" she mumbled as the limo was struck again. Tony struggled to regain his balance as he pulled out his Glock. He took aim at the windshield of the assailant vehicle and fired off several shots just before the SUV gave the limo another violent shove.
"D**n," Tony said under his breath as he quickly reloaded the gun. "This bastard is persistent." Diandra crawled on the jumper seat and held on tight as she braced herself for another vicious impact.
~~~?~~~
"What the h**l? What do you mean he's still alive?" Kazuya hissed at Anyah. "I thought Diandra had killed the bastard!"
"No," Anyah calmly replied. "He's alive and well and out for blood. He has it in for both of you."
"Why?"
"He feels that you betrayed him and that you could have prevented San Giacomo from attempting to kill him."
Lee looked from his older brother to his younger sister in amazement. Even though they were of no relation to each other or so he thought, Lee was stuck by the similarities between Kazuya and Anyah. They both had wicked tempers, both were excellent fighters, and could out cursed any person in a single breath. Nevertheless, Anyah was more even tempered than Kazuya for it took a lot to push her to the brink of losing her temper. Lee knew better than to piss either one off for the consequences were very severe in both cases. "Anyah, how come you didn't take him out when you had the chance?" Lee asked his sister.
"It wasn't my place, Lee. Besides, I'm not as dumb as genius Kazuya."
Kazuya raised his hand and backhanded her across the face. Anyah's head snapped to the side as she fell on to the floor. She quickly got to her feet and straightened her clothes as Lee stepped evenly between her and a glowering Kazuya. "Kaz, chill out. She meant nothing by it."
"Get that f**king freak of f**king nature out of my apartment, Lee," Kazuya growled under his breath.
"Kazuya, you can't do that to Anyah. After all, she is family."
"That's alright, Lee," Anyah said as she wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, "I have to go anyway." Without another word, she picked her hat up from the table and headed for the door. After she was gone, Lee gave Kazuya a disgusted look then shook his head.
"Was it necessary for you to slap the h**l out of her, Kaz?"
"She was asking for it with that smart little mouth of her, Chaolan."
"She didn't mean it, besides, she's our sister."
"Anyah Oshida maybe your sister, Lee, but she sure as h**l isn't mine. Come on, we're already late for our meeting with the others."
Lee shook his head once again as he followed Kazuya out of the apartment. The night was still but the heaviness in the air told him that there was more to come before the night was over.
~~~?~~~
Diandra groaned softly as she regained consciousness. "Are you alright?" she heard a voice say to her. She struggled to open her eyes and when she did, a bright light nearly blinded her. She was inside an ambulance.
"What-what happened?" she whispered as a jolt of pain shot through her body.
"You were in an accident, ma'am," the EMT replied to her. "The limo you were riding in was struck from behind by another vehicle. We're taking you to the hospital to check you out."
"Where's Tony? What happened to the man who was riding with me?"
"He's alright, ma'am. He was shaken up and worried sick about you. Does anything feel like it's broken?"
"My whole f**king body feels like its been through h**l," she mumbled under her breath. The medic gave her a shot of morphine and not a moment later, Diandra closed her eyes and drifted into the arms of unconsciousness.
Two weeks later
"So what are you planning to do with the information?" Lee asked Kazuya as he lit another cigarette. "I mean you just can't walk up to San Gi and say 'hey, I know you're bribing your uncle and I want a cut of the action'. You know how she will react to that."
"I'm thinking about using this to my advantage, Lee," Kazuya said as he leaned back in the executive chair. They were in Kazuya's office, discussing the find on a computer disk in which Kazuya paid an employee inside SG Pharmaceuticals to get for him. "Only a cold-heated individual would go as far as to launder money through a relative's company then threaten to hand them over to the authorities if they don't comply."
"Sounds like something you would have done if dear father was still alive."
Kazuya frowned at his brother, tempted to hurl something at him for that remark but he decided to brush it aside. "What if I blackmailed San Giacomo into helping us with the little problem back home?"
Lee took a long drag from his cigarette then said, "You mean take care of Sukahara for you? I don't know. She'll probably tell you to go to h**l and say some other not so nice things."
"How can I go to h**l when Satan and Diandra San Giacomo are one in the same? You know the b***h isn't called 'Satan in a skirt' because she likes fire and torturing people with a pitchfork, though I believe the latter is true. She's a ruthless b***h who doesn't give a d**n about anyone but herself."
Lee acknowledged that Kazuya had a point. "Even if you do blackmail her, do the benefits outweigh the consequences of such actions?"
"What do you mean?" Kazuya asked, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
"Remember what happened last time when you tried to take advantage of San Giacomo? She nearly took your a** out with a single gunshot."
"Yeah, thankfully you had the sense to kick the gun out of her hand just as she was about to fire that shot. At least you proved yourself worthy to me in that sense, Lee."
"If you feel that way about it," Lee replied, "then next time she wants to kill you're a**, I'll be more than happy to hand her the gun."
Kazuya shot a hateful gaze in Lee's direction as he nonchalantly put out his cigarette. The president of Mishima Financial had more than enough matters on his troubled mind, and the last thing he needed was Lee being smart with him. Diandra San Giacomo was a threat to Kazuya, the Mishima Financial Empire, and the Syndicate. He needed to deal with her swiftly and quickly before things got way out of control. "What will you do about her?"
"I have something in mind for the b***h; a nice pleasant surprise that she even won't be able to outdo. I'm sure one phone call from the US Attorney's office will have her running for cover."
Lee snickered as a smiled appeared on his brother's face. Kazuya then picked up the phone and dialed a number to a house in Upper Manhattan.
???
Even though it was almost twelve o'clock, Diandra was still dressed in her nightclothes. She wore a black nightshirt that came down a few inches below the tops of her thighs, a long dark blue crushed velvet robe, and a pair of faux fur slippers. She pushed a wavy lock of her raven hair out of her eyes as she padded downstairs to the kitchen. Once she got there, Diandra set about making herself a strong cup of coffee. As she waited for the coffee maker to heat up, she saw that the maid had left her mail on the kitchen counter.
"Bills, bills, junk," Diandra said to herself as she leafed through the stack of mail. Then a postcard caught her attention. On the front was a drawing of a nude Turkish odalisque reclining on a couch with her master. Diandra frowned as she turned it over; there was no postmark on the back. Whoever left the postcard must have known what time the mail carrier came. The timer on the coffee had gone off before she had the chance to read the first sentence on the card. She laid it down on the counter then when to get a mug. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, Diandra sat down at the counter and began reading the back of the postcard:
Hello Diandra,
Remember me? The person you tried to kill all those years ago. Well, it's my turn to make your life hell, San Gi. I want payback. Better start looking over your shoulder from now on. I have your lovely face in my sights and the vision of your precious blood dripping from my hands. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Farwell to the flesh, my lovely Diandra.
The color drained from Diandra's face as she laid the card back down and set her mug down as well. She had received death threatens before and they didn't scare her, but there was something about this one that made her skin crawl. Who else was watching her besides Kazuya? She cautiously picked up the card again as thought it was a sleeping serpent and re-read it, hoping to find a clue to the sender's identity. Just then, the phone rang, distracting her from her thoughts. "Hello," she said when she finally answered.
"Hello San Gi." It only took her a moment to recognize the deep male voice on the other end as that of Kazuya Mishima.
"What the h**l do you want this time?" she hissed.
"When will you ever learn to be nice to me?"
"The day the coroner pronounces you DOA."
"Ouch, you cut me to the quick, Diandra," Kazuya said in a hurt tone. "I only called to ask you something."
"Make it quick. I have better things to do besides being irritated by the likes of you."
"How would you like to receive a visit from the US Attorney's Office?"
Diandra laughed and said, "Oh really, Mishima? That's the best joke I've heard in ages."
"I'm serious, Diandra. I know about the illegal funds you've been receiving from your uncle. What have you been doing to make him pay such a high amount every month?"
"None of your d**n business!"
"Oh and I was just about to ask you for some of it to keep me quiet. Oh well, have it your way."
"You're one to be threatening me, bastard! By the way, thanks for the f**king porno card you sent me."
Kazuya was silent on his end. He cleared his throat and asked, "What card?"
"Quit acting like a f**king retard, Kazuya. You know the postcard you had one of your lackeys drop off in my mailbox. Cute, real cute."
"I have no clue to what you're talking about, San Gi. Whatever it was you received in the mail did not come from me."
"Go to h**l," she viciously hissed as she slammed down the phone. As she plopped back down on the barstool, Diandra began to reason that Kazuya might not have been the one who sent her the postcard. After all, he would have mentioned it the phone call just to irritate her. She picked up the card once again and re-read its haunting message. Only one person could shake her up like that, a person whom she thought was long dead. The past had finally come back to Diandra San Giacomo.
???
Diandra eyed the crowd in The Dinner Club suspiciously as she pretended to read the menu before her. The events of that morning still haunted her mind. Whoever sent her the postcard had been watching her for a very long time; they wanted her to be paranoid of her surroundings. "Is everything okay, San Gi?" Tony asked her when he noticed her discomfort.
"Everything is fine," she snapped back. "Mind your business and keep a lookout for Mishima."
"You're the boss," he sighed as he resumed reading his menu. "What do you recommend?"
"Try the T-bone steak. And why are you asking me these irritating questions?"
"You seem distracted by something and I was only trying to loosen you up a bit."
"Well, do me a favor and quit while you're still ahead. Remember, I always hurt the ones who ask dumb questions every five seconds."
Tony kept his mouth shut and honored his boss' request. Whatever it was on her mind, it was sure making her unusually irritable that night. He then checked out her figure in the strapless dark green dress she wore. The thigh high split fell open to reveal lots of thigh and leg, needless to say, Tony was impressed. Just as his eyes fell upon her cleavage, she sneered, "What the f**king h**l are you staring at?!"
"Nothing, Diandra. Geez, what the h**l is wrong with you?" he sighed.
He immediately came to regret those words when Diandra grabbed him by his necktie, yanked him over to the side, and then put a knife to his throat. "Come again, b***h. I'm sorry; I didn't hear you the first time."
"I'm sorry, San Gi," he whimpered as she pressed the sharp edge of the blade into his skin. "I didn't mean it, really."
"The next time you decide to disrespect me, Tony. You'll be sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of the Hudson." She then nicked him with the tip of the knife, drawing blood, before releasing him from her grip. Tony felt the side of his neck then looked down at his hand for blood. He then wiped the red smear on his napkin then looked at his boss once again. She simply gave him a satisfied smirk before return to her menu.
~~~?~~~
Kazuya adjusted his red silk necktie once more before heading into the living area of his posh New York apartment. He and Lee were going out to The Dinner Club in hopes of talking some sense into Diandra San Giacomo. He had to admit that the young woman had more guts than he had given her credit for, namely the balls to step on the toes of the old-timers. As he was adjusting the band of his gold Rolex watch the doorbell rang. He raised an eyebrow as he eyed the clock over the mantle of the fireplace. 'Who the h**l could this be?' Kazuya thought to himself as he walked to the front door. Through the peephole, he saw what appeared to be a woman wearing a black hat and a black leather trench with her back to the door. Cautiously, Kazuya opened the door and the woman turned around to face him.
"YOU! What the h**l are you doing in New York?!" he said, his voice dripped with deep anger and hatred.
"It's nice to see you too, brother," she casually replied as she squared her shoulders and meet the anger in his eyes with a calm stare of her own. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"You must think I'm a dumba** b***h, Anyah. I thought you were dead."
"As you know, Kazuya, I have nine lives. I'm beginning to regret ever having to save your life."
Kazuya's eyes narrowed even more as he stepped aside and allowed Anyah into his apartment. She casually walked passed him and into the living room. "Nice place you've got here," she said as she removed her hat and shook out her long, black hair. "You've done quite well for yourself I see."
"Cut the small talk, Anyah, and tell me the real reason why you're here."
"You have some way of making your own sister feel welcome."
"You're not my sister. You are merely an experiment that father created to be a killing machine."
Lee then entered the room pulling on his black leather blazer. "Kaz, are- oh my God", he said. "Anyah? Is that really you?"
"In the flesh," Anyah replied with a sly smile. Lee immediately embraced his sister and spun around with her in his arms. "It's really you. And for all this time I thought you were dead."
"Panthers are always hard to kill," she quietly replied as he set her down. "Especially this one."
~~~?~~~
Diandra sighed deeply as she rested her head against the backseat of the limo. All the stress of the day was finally getting to her and all she wanted was to go home and take a hot shower. 'This is some fine s**t that's annoying me,' she thought to herself. Tony was smoking his menthol cigarettes as they rode in silence back to the San Giacomo estate. She gave him a slightly annoyed look but didn't say anything, after all she had put him through enough that evening at dinner. She felt a slight twinge of rare guilt for cutting him with the knife but she quickly pushed the guilty feeling out of her mind; she did not want people thinking that she had all of a sudden gone soft.
Tony looked over at his boss as he exhaled a large smoke ring. "Um, thanks for the dinner," he said softly to her, breaking the tense silence between them.
"You're welcome," she replied without turning to face him. "Just do me a favor and learn when and when not to open your cakehole next time."
"Yes ma'am," he murmured. Diandra San Giacomo was one difficult woman to know. Even though he had worked for her for nearly four years, there was still a lot about her that he didn't know about her. Diandra rarely spoke about her personal life and he dared not ask for he didn't want his throat slit. The heavy silence settled back over them as the limo took the entrance ramp onto the loop; both completely unaware that they were being followed by a SUV.
"Do you want a drink, Tony?" she asked him as she opened the bottom of the left jumper seat and pulled out a bottle of Smirnoff Ice Lime.
"No thanks."
"Whatever." She has just opened the Smirnoff when the limo was struck violently from behind. The impact sent Diandra flying to the other end of the limo and knocked Tony into the door. "What the f**k?" she mumbled as the limo was struck again. Tony struggled to regain his balance as he pulled out his Glock. He took aim at the windshield of the assailant vehicle and fired off several shots just before the SUV gave the limo another violent shove.
"D**n," Tony said under his breath as he quickly reloaded the gun. "This bastard is persistent." Diandra crawled on the jumper seat and held on tight as she braced herself for another vicious impact.
~~~?~~~
"What the h**l? What do you mean he's still alive?" Kazuya hissed at Anyah. "I thought Diandra had killed the bastard!"
"No," Anyah calmly replied. "He's alive and well and out for blood. He has it in for both of you."
"Why?"
"He feels that you betrayed him and that you could have prevented San Giacomo from attempting to kill him."
Lee looked from his older brother to his younger sister in amazement. Even though they were of no relation to each other or so he thought, Lee was stuck by the similarities between Kazuya and Anyah. They both had wicked tempers, both were excellent fighters, and could out cursed any person in a single breath. Nevertheless, Anyah was more even tempered than Kazuya for it took a lot to push her to the brink of losing her temper. Lee knew better than to piss either one off for the consequences were very severe in both cases. "Anyah, how come you didn't take him out when you had the chance?" Lee asked his sister.
"It wasn't my place, Lee. Besides, I'm not as dumb as genius Kazuya."
Kazuya raised his hand and backhanded her across the face. Anyah's head snapped to the side as she fell on to the floor. She quickly got to her feet and straightened her clothes as Lee stepped evenly between her and a glowering Kazuya. "Kaz, chill out. She meant nothing by it."
"Get that f**king freak of f**king nature out of my apartment, Lee," Kazuya growled under his breath.
"Kazuya, you can't do that to Anyah. After all, she is family."
"That's alright, Lee," Anyah said as she wiped the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, "I have to go anyway." Without another word, she picked her hat up from the table and headed for the door. After she was gone, Lee gave Kazuya a disgusted look then shook his head.
"Was it necessary for you to slap the h**l out of her, Kaz?"
"She was asking for it with that smart little mouth of her, Chaolan."
"She didn't mean it, besides, she's our sister."
"Anyah Oshida maybe your sister, Lee, but she sure as h**l isn't mine. Come on, we're already late for our meeting with the others."
Lee shook his head once again as he followed Kazuya out of the apartment. The night was still but the heaviness in the air told him that there was more to come before the night was over.
~~~?~~~
Diandra groaned softly as she regained consciousness. "Are you alright?" she heard a voice say to her. She struggled to open her eyes and when she did, a bright light nearly blinded her. She was inside an ambulance.
"What-what happened?" she whispered as a jolt of pain shot through her body.
"You were in an accident, ma'am," the EMT replied to her. "The limo you were riding in was struck from behind by another vehicle. We're taking you to the hospital to check you out."
"Where's Tony? What happened to the man who was riding with me?"
"He's alright, ma'am. He was shaken up and worried sick about you. Does anything feel like it's broken?"
"My whole f**king body feels like its been through h**l," she mumbled under her breath. The medic gave her a shot of morphine and not a moment later, Diandra closed her eyes and drifted into the arms of unconsciousness.