𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐄𝐃

VII - followed

As always, the meeting took place in a neutral zone.

Countless men had come to the gathering. Despite Masahi having advised him to try for a more private arrangement, Ryu knew better than to trust that the Imai boss would keep his word. He was as shameless as they came, and thus, the only solution was to bring a large group of his underlings, each of them armed to the teeth. If a fight broke out, he was determined to emerge victorious.

It wasn't his style to conduct meetings in an old warehouse unit, but he would sooner die than invite the rival group onto his turf, where they could do all sorts of damage. Likewise, he had no intention of stepping foot in enemy territory and risking his safety purely for a talk. The whole thing was nonsensical to begin with. They should have known better than to cross him.

"Ah, Ryu! I'm glad to see you've made it!"

Ryu could already feel a migraine coming on. He would never get used to that mocking, arrogant tone. With Masahi's encouragement, he grit his teeth and reluctantly turned to face his long-time rival, Tatsumi.

At first glance, he didn't look the type to be part of the yakuza. He had a practiced smile, and his demeanor alone implied that he was intelligent and highly educated. Most people would probably never assume that he was in fact a criminal.

But for all his poise and eloquence, the fact remained that he was as ruthless as they came. Not only that, but the man had no fear. He seemed to carry out orders without worrying about the repercussions. He was convinced that he was untouchable, and that no one would ever dare to challenge him. No doubt due to the fact that he'd been groomed for this position ever since he was a young child. He was nothing more than a spoiled, entitled brat.

"Let's skip the formalities," Ryu glared. "You know as well as I do why I've called for this meeting today. Not long ago, I got word that one of your men was selling drugs on our turf. I believe I warned you before that I wouldn't tolerate this kind of disrespect. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Tatsumi chuckled, obviously unbothered. "Now, now. It's been a long time since we've spoken. The two of us go way back, don't we? There's no reason to get so aggressive."

Absolutely shameless. Though Ryu would have been a fool to expect anything different.

"You don't want to test my patience. I can guarantee you will come to regret it."

"Of course not. I would never think of doing such a thing." Tatsumi looked at him with furrowed brows and an all-too innocent expression that had Ryu trembling furiously.

"Cut the shit. You did not respect our terms and sent one of your men to do business over on our side."

"I can assure you, I was not informed of this. Whatever happened, I certainly had nothing to do with it."

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "So then, what? You're saying that one of your men acted without permission?"

"It would seem so," Tatsumi smiled. "I'm telling you, I'm just as confused about this whole thing as you are."

One of Ryu's men gently nudged him on the arm. "Boss, that boy there near the back... I believe that's the same one we saw that day, before he took off in his vehicle. I recall him looking rather young. He's probably just a teenager."

It didn't take long for Ryu to notice who he was talking about. The boy was of modest stature, and could do little to hide the fear on his expression. He looked just about as guilty as a person could be, but Ryu wasn't an idiot, no matter how determined Tatsumi was to treat him as one. It was practically unthinkable that the boy had run out to deal drugs with the approval of his superior.