Dirty, Dirty Liars [Mature/Editing]

[16] 十六

My adrenaline rushed when I saw the knife. Unsheathed or not, the message was the same.

The man's pupils were wide, as if under the influence of something other than the desire to defend his turf. Ryuzo tucked me behind him, saying something to the man. He ignored Ryuzo's warning and flipped out the blade with a twisted smirk.

"Mina, leave us," Ryuzo said in a calm voice.

I pinned my lips between my teeth, fighting the protest that wanted to fly out of my mouth, but this was the line I knew I shouldn't cross. Still, my feet wouldn't move, and I knew why.

This wasn't the first time an incoherent man threatened someone I cared about and I just . . . stepped aside. Suddenly, I was back on the exterior hallway of that rundown apartment building, yelling at Vince over the stupid shit he had just admitted to me, the angry man arriving at his door when I left, me stepping aside, going back to my room, never to see Vince again.

"Mina," Ryuzo brought me back to the present.

I looked at him with hesitation, but did as he said.

My feelings were just projection — not applicable in this situation. Walking away wasn't what got Vince killed, I told myself. Walking away won't get Ryuzo killed, either.

I didn't get far, only to the end of our path. Safely shielded behind the corner of a building, I watched and listened, ready to run back the second things went south.

The man continued to mouth off while Ryuzo stood unaffected, like a mouthy rookie attempting to intimidate the heavyweight champ before the fight. But the champ is the champ for a reason.

In a flurry, Ryuzo grabbed the man's arm, knocked him off balance, and flipped him over his back and onto the ground. The large man fell hard, an impact from which most people would not easily recover. Ryuzo stomped on the man's wrist, making him drop the blade, then kicked it away.

"Do you know who I am?" I heard Ryuzo ask the man. He pulled his collar aside, revealing something on his chest.

When the man stood to go after Ryuzo again, his companion ran over, stopping him with two hands on his chest. He pushed him back, barked angry words at him, then pointed at Ryuzo.

In an instant, the man changed his demeanor, lowered his sleeve, and bowed in apology. "Forgive me, I didn't know."

Ryuzo looked the apologetic thug up and down, then tossed a response to the other. "You will handle this?"

"Yes. Sorry again."

Ryuzo strolled away as if nothing happened, throwing another glare over his shoulder.

He came to me. A small gasp of surprise left him when I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around his neck to hug him close. He melted into me, returning my embrace.

"Everything is fine," he said in a gentle tone.

"I know," I said, my wavering voice sounding less convincing than I meant.

. . .

The rest of the walk back to the hotel had been quiet, but my mind had been loud. He took me in through the back entrance again, adding to my soured mood. While he showered and changed clothes, I made a decision.

He walked out of the bathroom, shirtless, pants on but unfastened, drying his hair vigorously with a towel. When he spotted me packing my bag, he froze. "Mina-chan? What are you doing?"

I tore my eyes away. "I'm going home."

"What? Why?"

The answer to that wasn't clear to me either. I kept packing rather than answering.