Chapter 31: Fighting Dogs

Usagi fidgeted with her hands as the men in front of her considered the offer given to them. She had suddenly become acutely aware of the fact that she and her men were cornered, facing the entrance to the alley where the strangers now stood. If they liked, they could have her right where they wanted her. But for the moment, it looked like they were happy enough to continue negotiations. The man in charge was tall and lanky and he never looked like he could get comfortable in his oversized navy pinstripe suit. His hair was long and slicked back and he had a small goatee on his chin.

"Where ever did you come from, princess?" he asked after an extended silence. "I know this city like the back of my hand and not once has your pretty little face caught my eye. Like a shadow you came to us. But the Kan Sözü sees you now, little girl." The Kan Sözü were an offshoot of the Turkish mafia here in Roanapur who operated independently of anyone else. While the actual Turkish mafia had no presence in the city, the organisation based in Turkey and throughout Europe was said to have close ties with the Italian Cosa Nostra. It was unclear if the Kan Sözü were allowed to exist on their own terms or if the Turkish mafia viewed them as a splinter group that needed to be eradicated.

"Have you considered my offer, Mister Batuhan?" Usagi asked. She was growing both anxious and impatient with the lack of progress, here.

"Your offer," Batuhan echoed. "I spit on your offer. You are nothing, little girl. What makes you think we need anything from you?"

"As I said," Usagi began, subtly gesturing to her own people to stay their hands as they became poised for a gunfight. "I need assistance to operate in Roanapur undetected, and the Kan Sözü need money and manpower to continue to exist on their own. I'm willing to offer you both." Batuhan did not say anything. Usagi sighed. "I'm given to understand that your people will not survive for much longer without assistance. It must have been difficult to sustain yourselves for this long without getting the attention of the Turkish mafia and their friends. You might have others in this city fooled, but not me. I know they would have you all crushed if they knew you were operating here." That was like a red rag to a bull and Batuhan completely lost his temper.

"You little bitch!" he roared, reaching into his suit jacket and taking out his Berretta M9. The Coterie enforcers readied their own weapons as well. "We don't need anything from you or your pathetic Coterie! You must have lost your marbles if you thought we would ever help you."

"And yet, you did agree to meet us." Batuhan struggled to come up with a retort and his gun trembled in his hand. Usagi watched him to see if he would pull the trigger or if he was just letting his anger get the better of him.

"Shut your mouth!" he blustered. Usagi almost giggled. "Don't think I don't know about the enemies you have in this city, either. I could easily have an anonymous tip passed along to Fry-Face and tell her she's got a rat problem in this city."

Usagi carefully and firmly locked eyes with the Turkish man when she heard those words and it became clear what she had to do. Before, it was going to be problematic to get the Kan Sözü onside. Now, there was no choice but to end this before it got out of hand. She had a contingency in place for that, and it should have been in motion right at this moment.

"Nothing to say? Gone quiet all of a sudden, princess. After this, I'll see you use that mouth again. Come on, show us a smile, will you? It's the least you can do afte-!" Batuhan never got to finish his sentence and they were all taken aback by the sound of smashing glass. When the Kan Sözü turned around towards the street, one of their men had been thrown through a car windshield and the vehicle's alarm was now sounding. The Turks and Coterie both went on the alert in anticipation of what was happening, all of them in a state of fear. Except for Usagi. The young woman was as calm as a summer's evening, and remained so even as the second of the Kan Sözü was sent reeling with a swift punch to the jaw. They saw a shadow slink into the alleyway and begin tearing the Turkish men apart, sending one of them flying into the wall before kicking him in the face and snapping his neck. One of the men attempted to shoot the newcomer, but the Wolf was too quick for him and ducked just in time so the shot was sent in the other direction. Then, the assassin grabbed his would-be attacker and threw him over his shoulder to crash through the door of the same car whose windshield had been destroyed by the first man.

"Kill him, fucking kill him!" Batuhan roared in panic, but they all knew it was too late and the Kan Sözü would meet their end tonight. As Batuhan watched the last of his people die, he went to fire on the Wolf, but he was knocked on his belly with a swift backhand. Then, as he attempted to crawl away, Wolf caught him by the throat from behind and twisted his neck with one swift motion. His body went limp and he plunged to the ground, dead. Without saying a word to Usagi, the assassin turned away from her and walked towards the mouth of the alley. There, he came to a stop, as if he was waiting for her to approach him. There was something hanging in the air. Usagi dismissed her enforcers with a gesture of her hand and they fled from the alley to wait in the car so they could take her away. They would probably prefer to flee the scene as soon as possible to avoid drawing suspicion, but she seemingly wanted a word alone with the Wolf.

It had started to rain, now. After a few moments of idleness, Usagi walked towards the street and came to a stop to the assassin's right-hand side. Again, there was silence, but Usagi felt it was best to let him speak first.

"I don't know what you're playing at with this shit," he grumbled, staring ahead at the lamplit street. "You said you were going to be careful. Is this being careful?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," Usagi argued. "We'd agreed to meet in advance and my people made sure the Kan Sözü had no ties to any of the major gangs in the city. There was no chance it was going to get back to the wrong people that I was here."

"But he threatened to expose you, anyway," Wolf reminded her. "And I had to put them down to protect you." Usagi frowned at him.

"I'm confused as to why you think you're here. You agreed to come when called upon. This is why I need you, for when things get out of hand. I had no delusions about what it was going to be like when I decided to do this. I am going to make enemies. And you will put them down." Wolf turned to glare at her. She was so determined, so uncharacteristically firm in the face of danger. It was a far cry from the naïve little girl who stepped off the Lagoon so long ago.

"So, that's it, huh?" Wolf asked. Usagi took a moment, but she quickly nodded in affirmation.

"That's it," she told him. After a few tense seconds of silence, her eyes went to something behind the assassin and a look of uncertainty crossed her face. "Someone you know?" Wolf turned around and spotted a stranger on the other side of the street, watching them. It was difficult to make out through the rain at first, but Wolf soon recognised who it was.

"Yeah," Wolf responded calmly. "You could say that." The priest waved at them politely. Somehow, Wolf didn't think he was here to see anyone in particular and had instead come upon this scene while going about his own business. But it was curious that he was in the city at all, after he was supposed to have returned to Venezuela with the Lovelaces.

"I should get going," Usagi said.

"Yeah," Wolf answered coldly, keeping his eyes on the priest as he did so. He then began to cross the street and left the Coterie to their own devices. When he reached the sidewalk, he came to a stop. "Pius."

"Wolf," the priest returned his greeting. "Wasn't expecting to see you again."

"Likewise, brother."

"You know that girl?" Wolf looked over his shoulder at the car Usagi had just entered and watched as it sped off.

"She's an old friend," the assassin explained. "That's all you need to know."

"I won't pry, then." There was silence for a few seconds after that. "You want to get out of this rain? Go somewhere we can talk?" The assassin nodded and the two men made their way inside a nearby diner, settling into one of the booths across from each other. It was surprising they were open so late.

"You must be wondering what I'm doing here," Pius began.

"It crossed my mind. When I saw you get on that boat, I was sure as shit that was the last I'd be seeing of you."

"So was I," he admitted. "I had some business to see to. I'm only here for a few days. Got word some of Hawke's people were hanging around."

"You really think they'd be stupid enough to come after you?"

"No. They couldn't care less about us anymore, now that the head is cut off the snake. But you can never be too careful. Better to be sure." Wolf glanced out the window, not even acknowledging that he had heard that. "I hear Alejandro is in the city, as well. The New Order will never really be gone as long as he's alive."

"He never shared Hawke's delusions of revenge," Wolf reminded him. "He won't be a threat to you."

"Like I said, you can never be too careful. I'm taking no chances." More silence followed that.

"How are the others?" asked the assassin finally. Pius smirked.

"They're well. A little rattled after everything, but that was to be expected. They settled back in well enough."

"And Roberta?" Pius glanced at the Irishman over the rim of his sunglasses for only a moment.

"Better," the priest responded. "It's…unlikely she'll walk on her own again. But she's alive. That's a miracle by itself." That it was. Despite the fact that she was in good condition the day she left Roanapur, there was no guarantee she would not succumb to her wounds and exhaustion during the trip home. Wolf was glad that wasn't the case and she had the chance to live in peace. "Shortly after we arrived home, I spoke to Garcia about returning here alone to make sure we would not be followed. He was reluctant to see me leave, at first. I think he was just paranoid about being left in the estate in case trouble found his family." Pius shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "I have a confession to make, Wolf. I came out here tonight hoping to find you. The Young Master…he asked me to pass along an offer I believe he made to you before, an offer for you to come back with me when I leave this place and return to the Lovelace Estate. He wanted you to know there is still a place for you in his home."

Wolf hadn't been very talkative or reactive tonight, but for the first time since he sat down he seemed to hang on Pius's every word. Clearly, the fact that Garcia would welcome the assassin back to Venezuela was as much news to him as it was to the priest. After everything that had happened, after what Wolf had done to destroy the Lovelaces' trust in him, it was nothing short of unbelievable that he had been forgiven. But it was never so simple. He looked out the window to where the bodies still lay, their blood soaking the concrete beneath them and trickling into the street with the rain. Despite his objections to what Usagi was doing, he couldn't let her do this alone. She was dead set on continuing down this path, but without him protecting her she was sure to get herself killed. He couldn't bring himself to abandon her now.

"I can't," Wolf said simply. The disappointment was visible on Pius's face.

"You've been in this city too long, Wolf. Won't you take the chance to get away while you have it?"

"I can't," Wolf said again. "I…appreciate the offer. If there is a God up there, he knows I don't deserve it. I just…I have things I need to do here. It's not so easy for me to walk away." Pius looked out towards the bodies as well and it seemed he understood.

"The girl." She was not all of the reason, but a large part of it nonetheless.

"If I followed you back, I'd be leaving her to fend for herself. I'd also be putting your family in danger, again."

"How so?" Wolf looked out into the night sky and he wondered how this was all going to end. Right now, things were quiet, but it would not be long before he and his foe were locked in battle once again. Only one wolf would emerge victorious.

"Ashur will follow me wherever I go," the assassin explained. "He won't stop until I'm dead. I can't put you all in danger like that. I have to kill Ashur first. It's the only way this will end." Pius took on a look of melancholy, but it seemed he saw where the assassin was coming from. After a while, he rose from the seat and started to leave.

"The offer stands, Wolf," he said as he went to the door of the diner. "I hope you can accept, someday." The priest ventured back out into the rain and went on his way. It was unlikely Wolf would see him again.