Dirty Money

Chapter 23 - John

            Kim had a full head of white hair and reading glasses; he was sporting a button up tee shirt and slacks as he sat at the table covered in cash; counting it as seven of his generals sat around smoking cigars helping and watching the small television sitting on top of the fridge. The room reeked of cigar smoke and Korean food; evident by the left over containers sprawled about the room. 

            “Father, this is Brendan, my new security advisor,” Rai said, as he entered; Fin shut the door when Rai’s group entered and resumed his post.

            Kim finished placing a stack of cash into a bag on the floor and made notes in a notepad. The boss looked up at his son without any emotion then at Brendan and nodded, “Take a seat,” he said pointing to a pile of chairs mounted up against the far wall. Rai’s bodyguards made their way over and retrieved five chairs and placed them around the table.

            “This the club funds?” Rai asked.

            Kim nodded, “The night spots nearly rival our gun trade.”

            “Good thing we have both,” Rai said, impressed at how well they were doing. His father started out with two hundred dollars, three guys, and a sword – now he had an empire.

            Brendan looked around at the walls covered in Korean memorabilia, sporting heroes and other people he did not recognize.

The seven generals occasionally whispered to each other in Korean and would look at Brendan cautiously, probably wondering if he could understand them.

            “Rai, my son and his pals took over The Kraken Bar Friday night,” A general with thinning white hair, smoking a cigar said, as if he wanted Rai’s praise.

            “Congratulations Bok,” Rai said.

            Some of the other generals shook their heads laughing at Bok’s attempt to impress the second in command of their family.  The generals muttered to each other in their native language and glanced at Brendan again; Rai met them with a dirty look and they continued about their business.

            “Son, this meeting with the Giuseppes is important we must make progress,” Kim said, warningly.

            Brendan could sense Rai tensing up, “Of course father,” Rai said.

After a long hour with Rai, the generals, and Kim, Brendan was glad to be out of there. He took a huge breath in and out and felt happy to be alive for the first time in years. It was as though he was bleeding in a tank full of sharks and managed to stay alive under the guidance of his instructor, Rai; he had a lot to learn from him, possibly more than he could off Chuck.

He pictured Fin again, the man did not look as big and as Philip, but he was surely more menacing, “That Fin guy seems brutal,” Brendan said, casually as Rai’s hung up the phone; the van was taking them all back to Chuck’s office.

“He’s more than brutal, Fin is not someone to get on the wrong side of,” Rai warned.

“Seems to respect you though, right?” Brendan asked.

            “Of course…he is loyal to my father, he killed three guys with his bare hands once,” Rai whispered, so his three bodyguards could not hear.

            “Fuck,” Brendan mumbled and looked around at Rai’s three suited bodyguards and imagined Fin taking them all out with ease, it was a frightening thought.

            “You know what? I actually liked Benny,” Chuck said, sighing.

            Michael and Brendan looked at each other confused, “Really?” Michael asked, wondering if he just fucked up by snuffing Benny’s lights out.