Page 3

AJ

Once I got a taste of my old lifestyle of boosting cars, things began to look up. Don’t get me wrong; I was still bored out of my mind half the fuckin’ time, but the last couple of months of boosting had helped curb that to a good extent.

The only days I still spent half annoyed were on my days off because there was nothing going on.

I spent longer hours at the gym on those days, but I could only work out for so long before even my body wanted to fight me.

More often than not, after going back and getting a shower, I’d wind up in one of the local pachinko places again.

And since my money had gotten tight, spending long hours at one place wasn’t cutting it anymore.

So, I hopped between two or three of them.

My favorite was attached to a bar, and tonight, it was pretty packed.

I sent another pachinko ball flying in the machine, hoping it would win since I was down to my last few balls, but it was another loss. I quickly sent my remaining balls, and none of them won either.

“Son of a bitch,” I growled under my breath, giving the machine a shove.

The old man at the machine next to me glared in my direction as I stood up and walked over to the bar. I got the cheapest beer on the menu.

That was when I noticed her for the first time.

I hadn’t seen a girl who turned me on since I’d arrived.

Not saying the women here weren’t sexy in their own way, but I missed the curves of the women I was used to seeing in LA.

But there she walked, hips swaying side to side as she approached the bartender across from me.

He leaned in intently, listening as she said something in a hushed undertone.

I couldn’t pick up what was being said because of all the noise coming from the parlor behind me.

For a split second, her eyes met mine, and I felt my dick harden.

I finished my beer before I pushed off the counter and made my way toward her. The bartender walked away and made a drink as I slid up and grabbed the seat to her left.

“What’s happening, baby girl?” I said as I smirked at her.

She turned in her seat to look at me. Her beautiful, straight black hair hovered right above her shoulders.

Her eyes were a deep green. They sat perfectly above her rosy cheeks.

She had a fair complexion, but not as fair as most of the people here.

Had to be half Japanese. She was also taller—at least five-eight.

“American, huh? Sorry, tough guy, not interested.”

With that, she turned back to face the bartender, who set a drink down in front of her.

“Thank you,” she said to him as she slid her money on the counter.

That was when I noticed a tattoo peeking out from beneath her jacket on her forearm. It looked like black feathers. Ink wasn’t something I saw too often here unless it was on some guys who were into some shady shit.

Which was kind of ironic, seeing as my arms were covered in tattoos and that I also toed the line of the law. But not like the other guys around here. I’d learned a lot of them were a part of the local yakuza, the Japanese gang, and I tried to steer clear of them as much as possible.

“You don’t even know what I’m offering yet, baby. How do you know you’re not interested?” I said as she took a sip of her drink.

“Trust me, I know all about what guys like you offer, and again, not interested. Let me drink alone, please.” She took another sip before sighing loudly. “You’re really not going to go away, are you?” she asked as she glanced up at me.

“Not when the view is so good from this seat,” I said as I watched her finish her drink.

“So persistent. Well, if you’re going to sit here and interrupt my peace and quiet, the least you can do is pay for my next drink.”

“Only if you tell me your name,” I said as I leaned in closer and waved the bartender over.

“Raven Kobayashi,” she whispered.

“It’s a sexy name,” I said.

I placed some cash on the counter when the bartender approached us, ordering my regular drink. He took the money with a nod and walked away.

“You can call me AJ,” I said as I looked back into her eyes.

There was something about them that pulled me in. She smiled, but it never reached the dark green colors swirling in her irises. They held a lot of emotions behind the unbothered exterior she showed. They reflected similar feelings I’d been working hard to keep at bay since I’d left LA. Left her .

Not now. Come on. Be a man and don’t let your memories of Rosalie fuck up your first chance at getting with a girl here.

“AJ. Here I thought my name was short.”

I smirked at her. “It’s the only short thing about me, baby,” I said as I tilted my head toward her.

“Oh, no, I was worried that you were going to be like every other man who had sat down and bought me a drink at a bar, remember? Not doing a good job of proving me wrong.”

“Just putting it out there, in case you were concerned about details you might want to know for later,” I said as the bartender brought over her drink and set it in front of her.

“Thanks, but like I said, I’m not interested in anything you have to offer outside of a strong drink and company here.

Now, if you are done trying to get me to leave with you to a love hotel, why don’t you tell me what an American like yourself is doing in Japan?

Are you here for work? Pleasure?” she asked as she took a drink.

“I’m always down for pleasure, no matter where I go. But, nah, I’m here on a business opportunity. What about you, baby girl?” I asked as she glanced my way, attempting to hide the smile that threatened her lips at my response.

Before she could answer, there was a commotion at the front of the parlor that drew both of our attention.

Two men in suits walked in. But they weren’t overly formal, and they had tattoos showing on their hands and around the base of their necks.

One even had one on the side of his face.

I couldn’t help but notice that they had the same dragon tattoo on their right hands that disappeared up their arms. One was shorter and lean, wearing shades on his forehead.

The other was brawny. Bet he could throw a mean punch.

They had an air about them, like they owned the place.

Yakuza. Had to be. They scanned the room, and their gazes came to a halt on Raven sitting next to me. I glanced at her, and her whole body was rigid as she met their stares.

“Oh, great,” she muttered as she slowly lowered her drink from her lips.

They made their way through the parlor toward the bar, and people hurried to get out of their way. No one wanted to get involved with the Japanese Mafia. Hell, even I steered clear because I didn’t want the hassle.

“Friends of yours?” I said as they got closer.

“Not the word I would use. More like business associates,” she said as they rounded the bar and came to a stop behind us.

I turned and stood up, leaning against the bar and looking at them closer.

“Time for you to come with us, Raven,” the bigger man said as he folded his arms over his chest.

Our eyes met, and I flexed my muscles slightly with a smirk on my face. Couldn’t let this motherfucker think he could punk me.

“I told him I would be there tomorrow,” she said as she took another sip of her drink.

“Enough of this!” the skinny one said as he grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward, causing her to pop off the stool and drop the glass.

It shattered as it fell to the ground, but the bartender kept his eyes trained on the floor behind the bar, as if he didn’t hear the commotion happening right now.

“Ouch! Let go of me this instant! If you hurt me, he won’t be happy,” Raven snapped at him as she struggled to pull her wrist away.

His grip was firm, and he chuckled. “He said we were to bring you to him now. He didn’t say in what condition. You remember, until your relationship is solidified, you have no control over what we do.”

She glared at him, but her body relaxed, like she’d given up fighting because there was no point to do so. She gave me one more passing glance as they started to walk her toward the front door.

Her eyes were full of sorrow and desperation.

I waited until they got halfway through the parlor before I made up my mind and followed them.

They made a left outside the doors and then wandered into a nearby alleyway. I took bigger steps once I heard one of them raise their voice, and flipped my hood up over my hat.

“Get in the car, bitch!”

The lean one again. Man had a mouth on him for being someone I could knock out in one punch.

I rounded the corner just in time to see him shove her down onto the back seat of a newer-looking Toyota Century with a white-and-gold exterior. She was struggling against him, but it was clear he didn’t care about what she wanted. But for some reason, I did.

“It doesn’t look like she wants to go with you two, so why don’t you leave her alone?” I said with a smirk on my face as I tucked my hands into my sleeveless hoodie pocket, knowing damn well what their answer would be.

Damn, my brass knuckles might have been helpful against the big guy. But I’d taken down stronger men than him with my bare hands before.

“This is none of your business. Get out of here before you regret it, gaijin !” the lean one spit at me.

I didn’t move. I knew what that word meant—outsider—and knew it was used as an insult for people not from here. I waited for their next step, which didn’t take long since the smaller one had a short fuse and a big ego.

Shoving Raven one more time in the car before turning toward me and reaching into his pocket, he wrenched out a small knife and flicked the blade open, bringing it up to his face. He tapped his cheek.

“Oh well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But now, I’m going to see how much you bleed.”

He rushed forward, and when he was three steps away, I moved.