Mobster Boy

10

The show is nearly over when Hideyoshi saunters in, obviously looking for company. "Hey guys. Awfully quiet around here today."

"Marcus's on TV again." He takes a glance at the screen before laughing, rolling his eyes.

 "Oh man, is he still at that? Someone's gotta tell that guy he's embarrassing himself." I feel like I should defend Marcus, as much as I don't really care for him.

"How weird...that's what he keeps saying about you." Chance fires back. I laugh, smiling. Despite his words, Hideyoshi stays until the show is done. Then he claims the control, switching from channel to channel until we see something that makes all of us pause.

"Oh." The Governor is on screen, the one deep in Giovanni Santora's dirty pockets. "Ugh." Hideyoshi changes channels again but Chance stops him.

"Put it back. Let's see how the local news is covering him." Hideyoshi does as he  says.

"Positively, I assume...I've never seen a single paper ever try to drag him through the mud." I furrow my brows in thought.

"Probably because they'd wind up dead if they did." I didn't doubt that for a second, considering all the things I've seen now. 'This dark world goes a lot deeper than I ever even imagined...' To think just a few days ago I was ignorant about all of this...

The Governor goes on a long spiel, charismatic and patriotic. By the end of it Chance is gritting his teeth. "What a load of bullshit. At least have the balls to be honest." Pulling out his phone, Hideyoshi starts tapping something into the search engine. When he finds what he's looking for, he tosses the phone over to Chance, who catches it in one hand.

"Looks like he's having a rally later downtown. Pretty rude to throw a party and not invite his boss's sons, don't you think?" Hideyoshi smiles mischievously.

"What, you're going to crash it?" Hideyoshi grins at me, full of reckless abandon.

"It's a public event. Maybe he didn't invite us because it's a given we're going to show up." I can tell he's trying to rationalize whatever devilish idea put that spark in his eyes. Looking to Chance, I wait for him to protest or agree. His expression is carefully neutral, sculpted to give nothing away. Then he checks his watch before standing up, pulling on his jacket with a decisive tug.

"...Let's go. We can make it downtown if we leave now." In the car, Chance explains himself. "At the rally, there's bound to be some of Giovanni's people. We'll take Adrian there and see if anything or anyone rings a bell." I slump in my seat.

"Of course." I mumble.

"Hey, you want to find your parents, right? Quit whining. We're doing something exciting." Hideyoshi grins, jittery in his seat. 'The question of whether or not I want to find my parents is becoming more and more debatable as time goes on.' 

~~

We arrive downtown quicker than expected, given the traffic. Chance finds a place to park, which was a feat in itself, and we walk the rest of the way to the rally. "This place is packed. I had no idea the Governor had drummed up so much support." I think out loud, my eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What, don't you pay attention to local politics?" Hideyoshi's teasing, but it actually strikes me a little too close to home and I get slightly defensive.

"I had more pressing issues to deal with." I mutter.

"Quit talking and focus. We're here on a mission." 'A mission huh? Does he hear himself when he talks?' Hideyoshi seems to be on the same page as me.