CH325

CH324
Ryuu

"Shall we break their limbs as well?"
"Of course."
Jaki nodded. "It will be done."
Jaki turned, gesturing for a few men to follow him. Soon, the sounds of talking, of shrieks of pain, and the crunch of bones filled the air. People gasped, cowered, and stared with big, fearful, wide eyes, but I didn’t bother to address them. It was lovely music in the absolute silence. Hotaru didn’t move, didn't speak, didn't flinch, but he was growing paler as he lost more blood.
I smoked on, eyeing him, deciding the best course. The urge to kill him was strong enough. I could make it painful, draw it out, maybe just beat him senseless until I felt better. But that wasn't enough. Making him actually be a decent person would burn more, force him into a slow, steady downward spiral. Forcing him to his knees, making him bend and break in all the ways he'd made so many others, including Ren, was a much better, more vicious path forward. I would have plenty of time ahead to beat him to death, and I had to see to Ren.
“Let's see, since it's your birthday," I drawled. "I'll start off easy. The first of your reparations are simple enough. You’re going to pay for Ms. Black’s hospital bills.” My voice was calm, almost conversational. “Her rehabilitation, whatever therapy she may need… You’re also going to pay for her living arrangements for the rest of her life since your subordinate couldn’t be a decent man and ensure that his girlfriend took care of her daughter.” I let that sink in, then added, “And since you’ve pissed me off with this disgusting ploy, I’ll be taking thirty percent of Yuma’s GDP until I feel like you’ve suffered enough.”
The room was suffocatingly silent. Even the surviving guards barely dared to breathe. I tilted my head, watching the flicker of resistance in Hotaru’s expression.
“Go ahead,” I murmured. “Argue. Give me a reason.”
His mouth opened then snapped shut. He wanted to fight this. I could see it in the way his fingers curled into fists, the way his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might crack. But he wasn’t an idiot. He'd broken so many rules of engagement between our two cities, our two syndicates, that the next step was all-out war.
I was being deceptively nice. Merciful even.
For now.
“Good,” I said when he said nothing. “Smart choice. Killing you now would have been boring. Ms. Black deserves better.”
Jaki returned with Adele whose face was bloodied and bruised. Her other daughter, Nami, wasn't even conscious. Her face was fully swollen and turning colors, bleeding. It looked like she'd broken her nose. Nara didn't look all that great, either. Then, I realized that all three of them were pale in pain and their arms and legs were at awkward angles. It almost brought a smile to my lips.
I glanced at Hotaru. "Did you do that to them? The women."
His lips curled back. "No."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Then, Nara."
"Based on what was said," Jaki interrupted. "I believe Ms. Black is responsible for Adele and her daughter's states. Though Ms. Black did injure Nara several times today."
I smirked at that. I shifted my gaze to Adele, who was trembling, looking up at me, her face pale and tight.
"Drop her."
Adele fell into a heap, shaking. "I… I…"
I crouched down in front of her, breathing out a plume of smoke into her face, not caring how she coughed.
“I’m inclined to gut you." Her eyes widened. She flinched. "I'm inclined to drop you off in one the new Yuma's whorehouses for the deplorable before I revamp and let you get a taste of what you likely had planned for Ms. Black." Her jaw trembled. I could see in her eyes the fear that I would do just that and the fact that she knew how horrible it could be and what would likely happen to Ren whether she remained under Hotaru's control or was dumped in one of those places when he was done with her only made me want to kill her more.
But that too would be too easy. In death, she would not suffer. Ren had suffered for years in too many ways to count and in too many ways that led right back to her decisions.
"But you are in luck that all of that is far too merciful for you. From tonight on, you will pretend that Ren was never your daughter, the way you always have. You will figure out how to pay your own debts, starting with returning every single cent—plus interest—that Nara has taken from Ms. Black and all of the living expenses you should have been covering as her parent.”
Her face twisted, but I didn’t give her the chance to argue.
"You're a bit old, but there's a market for you all the same." I glanced at Nami. "You'll need to make the money to get you and your daughter patched up. I'd suggest you work hard. Perhaps the two of you together might work your way out of all of this before you're too old to be of much use, hm?"
Her eyes widened and she looked at Nami with true fear in her eyes. Let her worry about the daughter she gave a damn about. Let her do all she could to keep Nami from the life that she had been so ready to sell Ren into, and let her fail. I looked forward to her despair. I stood and rolled my neck, lifting my hand in a simple gesture.
“I'll deal with Nara and Hotaru in a bit,” I ordered my men. “Reparations are due from more than just them tonight. No one leaves here until I say.”
I glanced at Hotaru in warning before turning to leave.
"I'll leave you here, Sano. Anyone who resists, burn them alive."
And with that, I left, heading through the mess of the house, surveying the damage. How much of it had Ren caused? How much of it had been there long before she had attempted to escape? Hotaru had a reputation for throwing wild parties.
"Have the surveillance footage pulled from the entire house. I want to know exactly what happened."
"It will be done, boss."
I reached the front door and exited. Yusuke was already waiting beside the car. He looked furious, and I could only guess that Ren was in the back seat.
"I've called ahead to the private hospital to have a room ready for her. I'm also having some clean clothes brought."
He opened the door, and I saw her curled in the backseat, swathed in my jacket, her face pale with pain. She didn’t look up as I slid into the car beside her, staring out the window with this lost, dazed, glazed-over look.
Shock.
"Thank you, Yusuke."
I slipped into the car and he closed the door behind me. Ren barely flinched. I looked over at her. She trembled. Her hair was a mess, caked with mud and blood. I kept expecting her to look at me. To say something…