❝𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈? 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒕'𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.❞
Japanese-American, Megumi Nakamura, decides to abandon the comfort of home after graduating to go live with her cousin in Asia...
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"Do I look like a motherfucker who kids around?"
Taka patiently listened through the phone as Arlo spoke to someone who had interrupted their call.
Arlo Curran was the only person left in the world who could ever be considered Taka's superior. Though the American man lived in Seattle, the two had met around eight years ago in a hotel lounge in Tokyo. They only started working together seriously a couple years back when Arlo began assembling the Black Web.
The Black Web was essentially a partnership between Arlo and six different mafias, though he was constantly networking and forming new connections with the goal of expansion in mind. Taka Odashima was one of seven men to make up the Ring, however, making him one of the most important individuals within the entire criminal organization.
Taka had doubts about the whole thing at the beginning, but from the first day he met Arlo, it was apparent to him that the guy was a fucking genius. Arlo definitely had a couple screws loose between his ears and absolutely no one would be surprised if the man was a clinically-diagnosable sociopath, but it didn't change the fact that he got shit done.
It had been less than five years since the first official meeting between all seven men, and they were now dominating the underworld on a global scale.
"Actually, scratch that," Arlo said casually, "Since I've apparently given you the impression that I'm Mr. Comedy Man, here's a little joke for you."
Taka suddenly heard a clicking sound and knew Arlo had pulled a pistol on the poor bastard.
"Knock knock."
Silence.
"Well don't leave me hanging," Arlo taunted, "Knock knock."
"Who's there?" a distant voice asked hesitantly.
"Next time."
"Next time...who?"
"Next time it'll be your big-ass head if you don't do exactly what I fucking asked."
The gun fired and the sound of hurried footsteps faded out. A few more seconds passed and a loud clank indicated that Arlo had tossed the gun down onto his desk.
"You shoot him?" Taka asked, almost with amusement.
"Nah," Arlo said with boredom, "I just gave his toes a warning shot. I really need him to pick up my dry cleaning."
"Don't you have other people around to do your bitch work?"
"Fuck off," he scoffed, "I'm going to a fucking wedding in two hours and I'm on edge. Ugh, where were we?"
"The mole."
"Right," Arlo started, "You know I've been doing business with a couple men in China and Korea over the years. Bringing them into the mix has come up once or twice recently, but I suspect that someone in one of their circles is working against me—and I think it's personal. I need you to help look into it since you're close by."
