The Devil Inside Read online

  They must be desperate if they're going after a place like this.

  It takes them a while to notice me.

  Adele is behind the counter. Her eyes are wide, the lines of her body tense. She's frightened but ready to fight.

  Even like this, she's beautiful. I spare a moment to drink in her caramel eyes. Her heart-shaped face is pale and lovely, with a delicate, pert nose and lips shaped like a cupid's bow.

  I admire the way she's brave, despite her fear. Only fools are never afraid.

  I tear my gaze away to focus on the idiots harassing her.

  They see me now. The lead guy sizes me up and smirks. He's full of swagger and cheap, street-born arrogance. Acting like he owns the fucking place.

  I should teach him his place.

  But I won’t. As much as it grates, I'll play along. For Adele's sake.

  Adele

  “Adele, leave.” I jump at the words. Kaito sounds different, as cold as winter ice. He’s lost the glasses; his eyes are hard.

  I open my mouth in protest. He silences me with a glare, moving in front of me. It’s noble of Kaito to think he can play the hero, but what can he do? He’s just an accountant. The two thugs staring me down look like they crack heads on a regular basis.

  Kaito had better not try anything dumb.

  “What are you doing?” I whisper, but he ignores me. He reaches into the till and takes out a stack of hundreds. With slow, deliberate steps, he walks around the counter and faces the thugs.

  “Is this what you want?” He waves the money around, as if he’s taunting them. Is he trying to get us killed? “Take it, and leave.”

  The stiff line of his jaw betrays his anger.

  Kaito levels his dark gaze at me again. “Adele, go to the back.” His tone of voice leaves no room for argument. I agree this time, thinking I should call the cops. Angelo shakes his head, pulling a nasty looking knife from inside his jacket. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going? Stay here.” He snatches the wad of notes from Kaito’s hand, stuffing them in his jacket. “I want both of you to understand something. This is not a robbery. This is payment.”

  “Payment?” Kaito’s voice is soft. “For what?”

  Angelo shrugs. “You pay the money, we make sure no trouble comes to this place. I’m sure you understand the principle.”

  Kaito closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. He doesn’t say anything for a while. It’s as if he’s weighing up something in his mind. I move to his side and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Kaito,” I murmur. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

  He opens his eyes. He’s rigid under my touch. I sense the anger rolling off him. The way he’s looking at Angelo and Vic, I’m scared he might do something stupid. I’ve never seen him tense like this. This isn’t the annoyingly reserved guy who comes in to do the books. This Kaito is full of controlled rage.

  “You should do your research before trying to extort protection money,” he murmurs, ignoring me. That seems to piss Angelo off even more.

  “For fuck’s sake,” he snaps. “Don’t you get it? This is our turf. You owe us money. And we will be back here, every week, to collect what’s ours.” He turns to his partner. “This fucking chink doesn’t understand respect. I think he needs to learn respect.”

  I cringe inwardly at the crude racial slur. If it bothers Kaito, he doesn’t let it show. I step forward, sensing the violence that’s simmering just beneath the surface. “You guys have the money,” I plead. Just take it and go. We don’t want any trouble.”

  “Honey, if you want to keep that pretty face of yours intact, stop making excuses for him.” Angelo makes a slashing motion with his knife. As he moves, I notice the bulge of a gun tucked into his waistband. This is really, really, bad. I need to find a way to go out back, to call the cops. But I don’t want to leave Kaito, either.

  Maybe Kaito hasn’t been in LA long enough to understand that the gangs here are vicious. He’s going to get himself killed.

  The bearded man called Vic is a brute. He’s got a scar over his left eyebrow and the words LOVE and HATE tattooed on the fingers of each hand. He hasn’t spoken the whole time, and for some reason, he scares me a hell of a lot more than Angelo. I get the feeling Angelo’s the mouth and this guy is the muscle. Vic advances on Kaito, with slow, purposeful steps. Kaito hasn’t moved.

  “Sometimes, respect has to be taught.” Angelo steps out of the way, making room for his partner. “This prick doesn’t seem to understand how things work in this country.”

  Savage anticipation crosses Vic’s features. The guy’s got about a hundred pounds on Kaito.

  My eyes dart towards the back door. I wonder if I can get there in time to lock it behind me and call the cops. I don’t want Angelo to go in there after me.

  But that would mean leaving Kaito out here to get the crap beaten out of him. Because it’s obvious that’s what’s going to happen.

  Vic rushes at Kaito, fist raised.

  Kaito doesn’t move. He doesn’t flinch, duck or anything.

  Vic’s fist connects with his face. I hear a sickening crunch.

  Kaito staggers back, but doesn’t make a sound. He rights himself, touching the side of his face. He blinks, then glares at Vic. “You have what you want. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Are you stupid or something?” Vic rushes at Kaito again, this time slamming his fist into Kaito’s stomach. Kaito doubles over in pain, gasping.

  “Stop it!” I yell, moving to put myself between Vic and Kaito. I’m not thinking anymore. I just don’t want Kaito to get hurt. Behind me, Kaito is slightly hunched, a flicker of pain crossing his face. He hides it quickly.

  “Get out of the way, bitch.”

  Thick hands grasp my shoulders, and I find myself being shoved out of the way. Vic’s breath is tainted with stale beer and soy sauce. I feel like I’m going to puke.

  I try to resist, but he’s way too strong.

  Kaito straightens to his full height. “Don’t you fucking touch her,” he snarls, his voice full of venom. He’s staring right at Vic with eyes that are cold and hard.

  Vic rushes at Kaito, fist raised.

  Somehow, Kaito steps out of the way, throwing the big guy off balance. Vic slams into the counter and turns, but by that time Kaito’s moved across and caught Angelo by surprise with a vicious low kick to the shin. Angelo doubles over and Kaito grabs his wrist. Angelo cries out in pain, dropping the knife. Kaito slams his fist into his gut, at the same time lifting the gun from his waistband. Angelo drops to the floor, crashing into a chair.

  Angelo lets out a groan as Kaito cocks the gun and points it at Vic, who’s about to swing a chair at him. Arm outstretched, Kaito keeps the point of the gun steady as he plants two well aimed kicks into Angelo’s gut.

  Vic lowers the chair.

  The wad of hundreds spills out of Angelo’s jacket and onto the shiny, tiled floor. His partner is frozen in shock, eyes wide as moons in his hard face.

  I must have the same expression on my face.

  My throat is dry, my heart hammering, shallow breaths rasping in my throat.

  Holy. Shit.

  What the hell just happened?

  Kaito walks towards Vic, puts the gun to the side of the head and pulls him close. His face is devoid of any emotion. “You’re right. Sometimes respect has to be taught.”

  He turns to look at me, his dark eyes empty.

  “Go out the back now, Adele.” His tone leaves no room for argument.

  I glance to my side and see Angelo writhing in pain on the floor. He’s doubled up, clutching at his stomach.

  Clearly, Kaito has this situation under control. I nod and slowly make my way to the staff area.

  “Don’t leave yet. And don’t bother calling the cops.” His voice echoes behind me in the empty restaurant.

  Something about the way he says it freezes me in my tracks.

  What was I supposed to tell them? That the two mafioso thugs who trie
d to collect protection money from a small neighborhood sushi train have been beaten up by the accounting guy?

  I’m not sure Kaito would appreciate that. And he sort of seems like the kind of guy you don’t want to cross. I’m not exactly running to grab my phone. I’ve had a lifetime of not calling the cops. My father taught me all about that.

  I don’t want any trouble. I’d much rather forget about tonight, when it’s over. I hope to hell that Kaito agrees with me.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Adele

  Untying my apron strings, I disappear into the door marked “staff only”.

  It’s been a busy night. I’m tired and my feet are sore. I don’t really care what Kaito does with those two assholes. Especially after that Angelo guy tried his little groping stunt on me.

  I make my way into the kitchen. The stainless steel benches gleam, wiped clean after a busy night. I hear the rush of water and someone humming. It's Jun, one of the cooks. He's out the back, washing up. The harsh scrape of vigorous brushing and the clang of dishes against the steel sink reaches my ears. Jun obviously hasn't heard the disturbance out front.

  There’s a tin of green tea in the cupboard. I drop the triangular teabags into two mugs and fill them with hot water from the autoboil. I watch as the teabags puff up and swirl around, inhaling the comforting, slightly acrid aroma.

  A muted scream echoes from the dining room. It’s Angelo. I hear whimpers, then nothing.

  Silence. It feels like none of this is real, as if I’m stuck as an extra in a violent movie.

  I try to stay calm, but my heart’s pounding in my chest. I don’t know what Kaito’s doing out there. I really should leave right now, but I don’t want Kaito think I’ve gone to the cops. I’m a bit worried about what he might do. Would he come after me?

  Besides, cops don’t do shit after-the-fact. I learned that a long time ago.

  I like this job, I really do. It’s easy. I get along with the people here. It supports me while I try to juggle part-time study and work on my art. I have a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art. I draw, do graphic design. I’m trying to build up my portfolio, bit by bit. It’s a labour of love, but it doesn’t yet pay the bills.

  Waitressing pays the rent.

  With this job, I’ve even been able to save up a little cash. Soon, I’ll be able to afford a car.

  So somehow, I have to convince Kaito I won’t tell anyone about his dirty little secret. Because I want to keep working here. It’s obvious he used to be someone else in a past life. Maybe that’s why he came to the States. Maybe he’s running from something.

  I’m not about to ask.

  I don’t really want to know what Kaito is mixed up in. Violence seems to come to him so easily. It unexpected, and it scares me. But somehow, I get the feeling he would never hurt me.

  I hope I’m right.

  After what seems like an eternity, Kaito appears in the kitchen. He finds me leaning over the stainless steel bench, staring into my half-empty mug of green tea. At first, I don’t speak. I don’t know what to say. What happened out there isn’t exactly a conversation starter. And I’m still not sure where I stand in all of this.

  I’m a witness. Is that going to be a problem?

  I push the other mug of tea towards him. “Um, I made you tea.” It sounds lame. I glance up and see that Kaito has shed his black suit jacket. He’s wearing a white long-sleeved business shirt and tailored black pants. I’ve always thought he dresses too formally for a guy who just comes in to do the books in the evenings.

  An angry bruise has blossomed under his left eye. There’s a graze on one cheek and his lip is split. Blood has trickled down his neck and dried, smearing the edge of his pristine, white collar.

  Kaito takes the mug into his hands. He has long, elegant fingers.

  I wonder if he’s killed anyone with those graceful hands.

  My gaze drifts back to his face, and I’m relieved to see his expression soften. That terrible, empty look in his dark eyes is gone.

  But he's staring at me intensely and I find myself drawn to him. Kaito has razor-sharp cheekbones and a long, straight nose above full, expressive lips. His black hair is a slicked-back crew cut, slightly longer on top.

  Underneath the cuts and bruises, he’s actually a beautiful man.

  Kaito takes a sip of his tea and moves closer to me. I lower my eyes, embarrassed. There are serious problems to discuss and I’m checking him out.

  Kaito offers me a small bow. “Sorry you had to see that, Adele. Are you all right?”

  He’s back to the normal, reserved Kaito. I’m relieved, but at the same time struggling to understand how he can switch from ruthless violence to calm politeness in the blink of an eye.

  I play with the teabag floating around in my cup, unsure of myself. “You didn’t kill them, did you?”

  Kaito laughs, but the sound is flat, devoid of humor. “Of course not. I was planning to give them the money, let them beat me up. I wasn’t going to fight. But then he put his hands on you.”

  I stare at him, speechless. Talk about a hair-trigger temper. He flipped out because that asshole touched me? My heart beats a little faster, fueled by a sliver of fear and the intensity in Kaito’s expression.

  He seems to sense it, because he lays a hand on my arm. His skin is warm, his palm rough and callused, but gentle. I’m hyper-aware of his touch, the sensation of his long fingers caressing my skin. It’s electric. “Adele, you have nothing to fear from me.” His voice is soft, almost pleading.

  The skepticism must be written all over my face. Kaito withdraws his hand, and something close to self-loathing crosses his features, hidden so fast I almost miss it. “I can see how you might have difficulty believing me.” A small, bitter laugh escapes him. “In Japan, I wasn’t what you would call a ‘good person’. But I’m finished with that life now.”

  I almost want to believe him, but there’s something a little bit desperate about the way he’s telling it, as if he’s trying to convince himself, too.

  I put my tea down, running a hand through my hair, which I’ve taken out of its ponytail. I sigh. “They’ll be back in bigger numbers, you know. And the cops won’t do anything because we can’t give them proof.” The CCTV footage would be perfect evidence, except it shows Kaito kicking the shit out of Angelo and lord knows what else.

  Self-preservation tells me to quit this job now. I have enough money saved to live off for a few months. Maybe it’s time to take a chance and go full-time with my art, see if I can survive.

  Tonight has shaken me more than I care to admit.

  Kaito tries to reassure me. “I’ll make sure they won’t bother you again, Adele. Forget this ever happened.” He raises an eyebrow in an ironic way. “And please, keep this quiet.”

  “I’m not about to go running to the cops,” I assure him. “But how can I forget it? They said they worked for Lucini. Do you know what that means? They’re mafia, Kaito.” I shake my head. Kaito’s only one man. Even if he knows how to kick ass, you don’t go against the mob. I don’t know what he did to those two thugs, but if he didn’t kill them, they’ll be back. And they’ll be pissed.

  Kaito doesn’t even blink. “The owners will fix things.” He seems so certain of himself. It’s bordering on naive.

  I shake my head in frustration. “It’s the freaking mob we’re talking about, Kaito. They’re not so easy to shake off.”

  A small, enigmatic smile curves his lips. “Don’t let it bother you, Adele. Nothing has to change because of this. You can’t run away because of one bad night.”

  His last statement digs little claws into me. I hate to admit it, but he’s hit a sensitive spot. I have a habit of disappearing when things get rough. Call it a preservation instinct. Years of living with my family taught me all about self-preservation. The way Kaito seems to be able to read me is a bit unnerving. My irritation starts to rise.

  He’s found the stubborn streak in me that rears its head every now and then. “I didn’t sa
y I was planning to quit,” I snap. “Stores around here get held up all the time. If I quit every time this kind of thing happened, I’d be out of a job.”

  “That’s true.” Something like approval gleams in Kaito’s eyes. His lips quirk, as if he’s amused. The goddamn nerve.

  But then the expression is gone, and I’m left wondering. The man is so damn inscrutable. It’s infuriating.

  “Thanks for the concern, but I don’t need it. I’m not going anywhere. I need to go and close out the till.” I take my empty mug and brush past him, feeling his dark eyes on me.

  “The money’s all there. Need help?”

  “Nope.” I exit the kitchen, not looking back. I’m confused. Underneath Kaito’s polite act is something unpredictable, something scary. Rei was right. He’s not what he seems to be. I should stay the hell away from him. I don’t want to uncover that darkness. But there’s also this flutter of excitement I’m finding harder and harder to ignore.

  The attraction hasn’t died. It’s grown even stronger. This could be a problem.

  I shake my head. This beautiful, scary, walking contradiction called Kaito is someone I should definitely keep at arm’s length from now on.

  Kaito

  I offer Adele a lift as we leave Fat Dragon. She refuses, shaking her head. She tells me she’ll doesn’t live far from here, and she’ll be fine. There’s a trace of fear in her eyes.

  I’ve scared her. Shit.

  I don’t like the idea of Adele walking home on her own after what happened in the restaurant, but I know those men aren’t going to bother her tonight. Not after what I did to them. They’ve probably gone to the ER to try and get shithead’s finger sewn back on.

  Nothing I can say will get her into the car with me, so I let it be. I don’t want her think any worse of me than what she already does.

  We say a terse goodbye and I get into my white Toyota and drive through the streets of West LA until I find myself downtown, in Little Tokyo. Everything about me in America is nondescript, even my car.