SNAKESKIN (Tangerine) ✓

十六

The Cobra

Tangerine didn't have much time to grieve before his phone rang. He reached down, digging around his pocket, before withdrawing the device. He stared a the caller ID for a second, sighing in recognition.

"It's the White Death."

He showed me the screen where No Caller ID was displayed.

How do you know?" I asked in confusion. "It could be one of his associates."

Tangerine just shrugged, answering the call and holding the phone to his ear. In the split second it took for the call to connect, he managed to compose himself. He straightened his back and raised his head, plastering a look of annoyance on his face.

I couldn't hear what the person on the phone was saying but judging by Tangerine's reaction, I had an idea.

"Well," h said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at me. "Cat's out of the bag now, innit?"

I cocked my head in confusion, as Tangerine wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He noticed, glancing around the empty car, before moving the phone away from his ear and putting it on speaker.

"You were responsible for keeping my son safe," the man on the phone said. His son? It had to be the White Death, then. "For keeping my money safe."

Tangerine just chuckled humourlessly. "You know, I don't know a thing or two about being a parent. But you know what I would do?" He paused, taking a breath, while I shot him a warning look. "Being that it's your son and your money? I'd stop crying about your dead wife, get off your fucking lazy ass, come here and finish the job yourself."

"Tang," I hissed, shaking my head in warning. "Too far."

He ignored me. "But, as we're having a bit of a heart-to-heart, I've got a couple of things to tell you. Your son's a complete bell-end and he fuckin' deserves to be bleeding out of his eye sockets." I rolled my eyes, leaning back against the seat. "And as for your case, I haven't seen it since Tokyo. And I hope someone's fuckin' found it, put it all on red, and they're having a fucking wonderful time!"

The line was silent for a moment after Tangerine stopped talking. I was in shock. I knew he had a temper and wit, but even though he was grieving, I didn't think he would act so rashly. This was the man who was famous for being heartless, soulless and cruel.

"I will meet you at Kyoto Station," the White Death said, his voice deadly quiet.

"Oh, how wonderful," Tangerine responded sarcastically. "I can't fucking wait."

"I want to look into your eyes when I kill you." Tangerine's jaw clenched and my eyes widened. "And your brother."

I was about to snatch the phone from Tangerine's hand and end the call, but I was distracted by the expression on his face. He seemed almost emotionless as if the mention of Lemon didn't bother him, but I could see his eyes. The hurt, betrayal and anger were so fucking obvious that I couldn't help but reach over and touch his shoulder.

He just pressed his lips together into a tight-lipped smile. "My brother..."

He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath, while I gently rubbed his shoulder with my hand. He opened them and turned to look out the window, where the early dawn had begun to turn the horizon a milky blue.

"Morning rush hour's rolling in quite nicely," he commented, a slight bounce to his voice. "What's your plan, mate?" He turned back to face forward. "You gonna fuckin' waltz up here and blow my brains out in front of a whole fuckin' carriage of witnesses?"