Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch12

“I don’t like to toot my own horn, but it’s nice to be famous.” Nina stood up while pretending to look shy.

The wind elemental stared at her. “I don’t even know who you are.”

Nina froze, then bared her teeth. “I was making a joke, but now I want to see how well your ass would be covered for this blatantly illegal shit.”

“I’m the police. My ass is always covered when I kill people, particularly little demihumans like you.” The wind elemental reached out and attempted to poke Nina in the head.

The lioness bared her fangs, her gauntlet shimmering with amber light. Clatters echoed around the nearly silent space as the REAT officers grabbed their foci in a hurry.

Before the wind elemental touched Nina, a shimmer wall of distorted air cut across the doorway, intercepting the elemental’s arm. She froze in place and a furious sneer distorted her face.

The Miura twins stood resolute before her, all fourteen of their tails glowing bright white. One conjured the telekinetic wall while the other held a loose posture Vince vaguely recognized from martial arts movies and Nina’s training sessions. That twin’s eyes glowed a soft purple. He was hiding empowerment magic at the same time he prepared a telekinetic spell.

Yeah, Vince would have been obliterated if he’d tangoed with this obnoxiously handsome duo. The indolent popstar twins vanished, replaced by a pair of hardened fighters ready and willing to tango with one of the greatest forces in the city.

“This is an establishment of the fox clans of Houou,” the frontmost twin said, voice echoing off the walls like soft thunder. “You will show respect for its rules and guests.”

“Respect? I am a police commander—” the wind elemental began to shriek.

“This is not your domain, Kreesa,” Toya snapped. “You should not have come here. Inaba will not overlook this transgression so easily—and do not lie and tell me they granted you permission. I understand all too well what their clan guardians truly think of you.”

The wind elemental, Kreesa, closed her mouth reluctantly. Fury visibly warred with self-control as her eyes dimmed and brightened and her hair shifted colors. Eventually, her feather-like hair settled into a soft range of blues.

“Lower your barrier,” she said simply.

The twins looked at each other.

Without waiting another second, her eyes turned solid green. Immense magic surged through the restaurant, pressing against Vince’s senses.

A funnel of wind, so dense it was visible, formed around Kreesa’s arm and tore a hole in the telekinetic barrier. She withdrew her hand. The barrier reformed a moment later.

Behind her restaurant staff had ducked for cover as everything not bolted down flew across the restaurant. Marble chopstick holders, tea cups, napkins, plates, and decorative pictures and plants lay strewn across the main serving area. The same had nearly happened in their private room, before one of the foxes used telekinesis to hold everything down.

Nicki pressed herself against the table, quivering in fear. Vince rubbed her back for a moment before standing.

“This is a mistake,” Toya said.

It remained unclear who he was addressing.

“You know, I thought Frost pushed things when he arrested me after the Yakuza tried to assassinate me,” Vince said, ignoring the clan head. “But at least then he had the excuse of a cop being killed and a major intersection being trashed during the big conference. This smacks of…”

He frowned as he looked over at the foxes, then scratched his head.

“Well, I’d say it smacks of corruption, but I’m not sure who hired you,” he finished.

“Cute. I heard you talked a lot.” Kreesa placed a hand on one hip and smirked at him. “With all the damage enforcers are wreaking on the good city of Aulfair, it’s important they’re held to account.”

The condescension in her eyes was plain as day. Vince wouldn’t even describe it as veiled, as that implied at least a token effort to hide the fact she viewed him as an ant.

“My staff have already taken responsibility,” Toya said. “All damages will be handled on my account, including any personal penalties applied to the enforcer responsible.”

“Yet there remains another enforcer who has not been accounted for.” Kreesa took a step back before elegantly extending her arm toward Vince. “Law and order in Aulfair hangs in the balance. Allowing such an egregious violation to go unchecked is not like another drug slipping over the border, but an entire container ship laden with illicit goods to unload in plain sight.”

“Oh, I’m sure you care a great deal about law and order and being consistent,” Nina said. She sneered and placed a hand on her own hip. “I recognize you now. You’re the elemental who got transferred out of Albion after mysteriously letting everything go to hell the past several years. Are you here to shake down your former employer for protection money?”

Kreesa’s eyes flashed, while the foxes looked studiously innocent. Toya sipped his tea.

Rather than respond to Nina, the elemental turned to face the fox clan head. “Mister Miura, the rules of your clans only extend so far in civilized society. I am here to enforce the law of the land. Contrary to your earlier words, this is my domain. All of Aulfair is.”

“That can be changed with little arrangement,” Toya said without even looking at her. “Only one of us still holds the ear of the mayor.”

Daji let out a low whistle as she conjured herself on the other side of the barrier. “You know someone is holding a winning hand in cards when they talk like that. He’s not even hiding the blatant corruption at work here.” She ran a hand along the body of the elemental, then shook her head. “I’m not sure I even want to hear her cry out beneath you. She has curves in all the wrong places. Sometimes I wonder if elementals created their bodies after hearing about humans from a friend of a friend who was half-blind.”

Vince felt Daji was being too harsh. Kreesa was, at worst, a little tall, angular, and lacking in the bust department.

The REAT officers behind Kreesa shuffled nervously, and she raised a hand. They stopped moving.

“I’d rather not make this an official request,” Kreesa said. “I am placing these enforcers under arrest for questioning regarding today’s incident, as well as past collaboration with cartel operations. I trust that you do not wish to be involved in that?”

Silence fell once more. Nina’s eyebrows vanished behind her bangs and her jaw fell ajar. She glanced back at Vince with a look of disbelief.

“You’re arresting an independent enforcer for potentially working with the cartel?” Vince asked, while Nina regained her voice. “Is that right? I’m being accused of actual criminal activity, along the lines of what you’d charge a corporate enforcer or the sham-independents of the cartels?”

“Oh, so you do know how it works.” Kreesa clapped her hands and tilted her head, while a mocking smile split her face. “I believe you were deeply involved in the incident last week that led to the injuries of numerous police officers and significant damage to businesses and public facilities due to a cartel raid downtown.”

Last week…

Vince realized Kreesa was referring to the attack the cartel launched after the heist. Ironically, she wasn’t entirely wrong. He had warned Gaby about a likely police trap.

But that had been it. There wasn’t a chance in hell the police could make these charges stick. At least, not without fabricating evidence.

But he recalled what happened with Frost. That fine he tried to levy would have prevented Vince from working as an enforcer, even as he appealed it. This likely worked the same way. Criminal charges would mean no enforcer work, and he’d get hit with charges that would stick if he kept it up.

Meaning all his plans to go after Mei fell apart.

As well as any plans to use him in Houou’s civil war. Suddenly, the pieces came together.

“You picked up on this quickly,” Daji said. She blinked to his side and her tails cocooned him. “If she worked for Houou, and presumably Hatoyama, against the Lionettis in the past, it’s safe to assume she’s still on their payroll. The very fact the Miura clan wants to recruit you suggests that you’re known to the power players within Houou. It’s best to view all actions taken against you through the lens of the pending civil war.”

As if Vince were a pawn to be used, promoted, or taken. He wondered if this related to Quintus’s job to assassinate Hatoyama.

Toya’s teacup hit the stone table with a noticeable clink, breaking the silence. While everyone stared at him, he picked up a tea pot and refilled his cup.

“You are crossing a line that cannot be uncrossed, Kreesa,” he said, his expression unreadable as he stared into the dark green liquid filling the vessel. “The anti-cartel laws are already a cause of concern, given they impinge on the notion of independent enforcers in order to pierce the cartel’s structure. The moment you apply them to mere association, it will be assumed that any and all independent enforcer activity can be criminalized.”

“I am only questioning Vince and his…” Kreesa looked at Nina and pretended to try to recall her name, then glanced at Nicki. “… Assistants over cartel activity. As intended by the law.”

Toya snorted, then raised his teacup. “Blather as you will. Lower the barrier.”

“Sir…?” the twins asked together, confused.

“You can only warn someone that they’re about to run off a cliff so many times before letting them find out for themselves.” Toya looked up at Vince, who met his gaze. “We’ll speak after this is all sorted. I’ll be curious whether you even make it to the police station before the state police intercept you.”

Kreesa burst out into laughter, throwing her head back and holding her hands to her belly. “The state police? You think that cocksleeve of a governor will do anything other than write sternly worded letters? You Miuras truly do live in a bygone era.”

When the barrier lowered, Kreesa snapped her fingers. But the police officers didn’t budge.

“Sergeant,” Kreesa said slowly.

One of the officers raised her visor, revealing the familiar face of Livia’s sister, Via. “They aren’t resisting, Ma’am. It’s also against protocol to intrude on the Miura’s dining room without invitation or good reason to.”

None of the foxes said anything. Goro appeared furious, but Cora kept a hand on the back of his neck, as if preparing to slam his face into the table at the slightest provocation.

Nina bit her lip and unclenched the claws of her gauntlet multiple times. Her tail swayed uncertainly.

“We’ll come along,” Vince said. “Like Toya said, I doubt this will amount to much.”

When Nina nodded at him, he bent down and assuaged Nicki.

“Um… I’m not an enforcer,” Nicki said, looking around with a terrified gaze.

“You have been actively associated with criminal activity and are needed for questioning,” Kreesa said.

This time, the REAT officers showed obvious disquiet. Their captain didn’t spare them a glance, however.

“It’ll be fine,” Vince said. He rubbed Nicki’s back. “Remember what happened last time?”

The harpy nodded ever so slightly. Her lip wavered.

“Come on,” he said.

They rose. The twins kept a close eye on the police as Nina, Vince, and Nicki crossed the threshold of the room.

If Kreesa expected her officers to rush them and slap cuffs around their wrists, she was disappointed. Via took the lead while the other armored cops surrounded them on the sides. Getting through the restaurant took a little bit as they needed to wait for the staff to move aside. They were picking up everything Kreesa had sent flying.

More officers milled about outside the restaurant. They’d brought two or three whole squads for this.

The receptionist remained firmly in place as they left. She gave very tiny bows of her head to Via and the other cops, before performing the perfect ninety-degree bow for Vince. Her movement surprised him, and her head blocked the exit.

“My apologies, sir,” the catgirl said as she rose. “I hope to see you again, soon, sir.”

While her face was a perfect mask of that mix of professionalism mixed with fear, experience allowed Vince to see something different in her eyes.

A familiar spark of mischief.

He caught her fingers running across her hand and looked down. She made a repeated motion of rubbing her ring finger.

“I hope so, too,” Vince said. “Tell the chefs the food was perfect.”

“Of course.”

They trooped out and Kreesa gave the receptionist an odd look. But if the Miura twins hadn’t noticed Anzu’s illusion, Vince doubted the wind elemental would.

When the officers reformed around them, Vince took the opportunity to slide the anti-scrying ring off his finger. Nobody noticed.

Yet if he’d doubted Toya’s prophecy before, he knew the likelihood he’d make it to the police station had fallen to zero now.

He and Nina remained by Nicki’s side as the police formed a blob around them on the way to the elevators. Staff stood by the open doors, and all the elevator cars were on this level. The other guests must be furious.

Frustratingly, Kreesa forced them to separate. He, Nicki, and Nina were bundled into a separate elevator car along with REAT officers. Thanks to Kreesa’s size and the sheer number of cops, they couldn’t all descend at once. Didn’t they usually use the stairs for situations like this?

Then again, Vince did not want to walk down however many flights of stairs right now.

The doors opened up to the lobby, revealing an opulent black marble interior with plants lining the path to reception and colossal windows open to the street. Muffled noise from cars and the outside crowd barely reached them.

Yet more police officers stood near reception, and a mass of civilians gathered on the far side of reception, where a lobby restaurant stood. At first, Vince assumed Kreesa had brought half of REAT to arrest him.

Then he saw the ordinary uniforms of several officers and a regular sergeant arguing with a REAT officer. Everyone appeared tense, and the hotel staff panicked.

“What the hell is going on?” Via asked as she strode out of her elevator car. “We didn’t call for backup.”

One of the REAT officers jogged over upon spotting them. “Sergeant! Thank La Lupa you’re here. There are a bunch of officers here talking about some cartel attack and they want Commander Kreesa to intervene.”

“Attack?” Via’s eyebrows shot upward, before she scowled. “Of all the times…” She shot Vince a dark look, before nodding at her subordinate. “I’ll deal with it. Rhodes, with me. Everyone else, stay here until the Commander comes down.”

Another REAT officer joined Via as they dashed over to reception. The rest of them stood near the elevators in varying levels of confusion.

Nicki rushed to Vince’s side, her wings quivering. He wrapped an arm around her and looked at Nina.

“Funny how we keep getting arrested on trumped up charges, huh?” he asked Nina.

She didn’t answer. His girlfriend stared out the windows, past the plants lining the walkway, her lion ears flat against her head.

He followed her gaze.

Even through the plants, he saw the crowd. A small army of people, phones out, including whole teams of reporters mobbed the far sidewalk across from the hotel. Police officers kept this side clear, but the arrival of several REAT vans and numerous police cruisers and motorcycles had summoned the press in droves.

“I don’t think we need to worry about messaging anyone about where we are,” Vince said drily.

“This is what Toya was warning her about,” Nina said. “I bet they know what’s happening too. How the hell did the elemental know we were here when we were teleported? And now all these extra cops and press show up?”

“Given what we’ve been discussing all morning, I think you can guess what’s going on.”

She shot him a sharp look, then nodded.

Nicki glanced between them in confusion. “Um, I’m lost. Why the hell are you so confident we’ll be fine? Why are there a billion cameras out there? Last time you got bailed out because the governor and mayor intervened. Fining Vince for defending himself during a public assassination was crazy.”

“This is crazier,” Nina said, ignoring the nervous glances and shuffles of the REAT officers. “Making it criminal to have anything to do with the cartel effectively criminalizes independent enforcers. Half the city’s enforcer population could be charged with crimes at any time. And arresting a non-enforcer flier? Every conglomerate relies on non-enforcers to help them, and this is basically an attack on the Special Corporations Act that protects them.”

“This is political, then?” Nicki asked.

“I’m not sure I’d say that,” Vince said. “This is more like terrorist activity, from the perspective of everyone trying to maintain the status quo. Quintus was worried about the hit on me damaging the position of independent enforcers. This is like setting off a grandmeister-tier spell by comparison. All that talk about maintaining the appearance of law and order would mean nothing.”

Which is probably why Toya assumed the state police would intervene. If Immanuel or the vampires took action, it would all but destroy the police force. But if the governor arrested a police commander, it would only trigger a minor constitutional crisis.

Ironic how that would be preferable now. Funny how breaking the law to remove a corrupt official could save a lot of pain later.

The elevator doors opened and Kreesa walked out. She scowled at them.

“What in the name of the four winds is going on?” she asked. “Where is Sergeant Viarra? Why are there non-REAT officers present? And why are the press here?”

“The sergeant is talking with the other officers. Apparently there’s been a cartel attack—” one of the REAT officers said.

Kreesa hissed and stormed off. Uncertain, the other cops moved forward. Vince and company followed.

Via stood near a large set of revolving glass doors, all done up in gold trim. Numerous police officers of varying ranks stood near her. Including Ronin, dressed up in his riding gear and sporting the chevrons of a police corporal. He appeared to be talking with Via.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kreesa asked. “If there’s work to be done, you should be doing it.”

The officers all turned to face the elemental, and Ronin took a small step forward. She focused her attention on him.

“The Hornstriders are riding through the north of the city center,” Ronin said, face so stern it might as well be carved from stone. “Our orders since last week’s incident are to wait for approval before engaging with cartel forces. With Commander Frost busy down south, you have command of all precincts that can respond.”

Kreesa scowled and nearly turned to glare at Vince. She stopped herself. “That stupid unicorn. I suppose the cartel are rotating in the gangs that didn’t exhaust themselves last week. You have your approval. You should assume you always have it.”

“Those aren’t our orders, Ma’am,” the sergeant from earlier grunted. “You’re filling in for Commander Frost, but you can’t contravene his orders. Especially not when they’ve come down from the chiefs.”

“Fine. Then try to call me—”

“Commander Kreesa, you and the REAT officers with you have been uncontactable for over thirty minutes,” Ronin interrupted, earning himself a glare that could have stripped skin if Kreesa tried. “The situation has deteriorated significantly. We require your direct intervention. The potential damages and loss of—”

“Fine!” The elemental pressed her hand to her forehead and took a deep breath. “Corporal Rhodes, prepare our squads to intercept and deal with the Hornstriders. I can’t do much about Princess Vargas without causing a diplomatic incident, but we can clap the rest of her gang in chains.”

“Ma’am!” The REAT officer that went with Via earlier saluted before snapping orders at the other REAT personnel.

Via remained still while the other armored cops rushed past her to their vans. Kreesa gave further orders to some of the assembled police officers, and they joined the REAT personnel.

But most remained, and their expressions turned uncertain.

“Corporal Kilpatrick, although the cartel are a thorn in our great city’s side, we must be capable of handling more than one incident at once.” Kreesa swung an arm outward, as if gesturing to the assembled press. “They are all watching us. We cannot falter. See to it that these enforcers are brought safely to the precinct for their protection and questioning.”

While Ronin nodded, the skeptical looks of the other police remained in place.

Reading the room—or perhaps she’d anticipated this all along—Kreesa turned to face Via.

“Sergeant Viarra, assist them with their duties. I know I can trust you to do the right thing,” the elemental said, her voice almost like a croon.

“Of course, Commander,” Via nodded at her commanding officer.

Vince was pretty sure that was the normal reaction. Police didn’t usually salute each other.

With those words, Kreesa swept out of the hotel. The REAT vans roared off along with several police cruisers. She rose on a cloud formed from roaring winds and shot off behind them. Hundreds of cameras followed them as they pushed through the traffic jam surrounding the hotel.

Rolling his shoulders, Vince stepped forward. Via and Ronin looked at each other. The air filled with tension thick enough Vince worried it would only be broken with a fight.

“Sergeant,” Ronin said carefully.

Via glanced around, her eyes looking for something Vince couldn’t see. She raised a hand and cast an anti-eavesdropping ward.

“Let’s cut the shit, Kilpatrick,” Via said. “Are you here on Frost’s orders?”

“Close enough,” Ronin said carefully after shooting Vince a wary look. His friend shook his head at Vince, as if warning him not to do anything stupid. Or maybe that was a warning to Nina. “I’m fulfilling Frost’s orders to prevent anything like this happening. But for ass-covering sake, he did give me orders when I called him fifteen minutes ago.”

“He anticipated this?” Via threw her arms up, and even pointed at Nicki. “I know he’s got a rep, but I’m worried a worm ate Kreesa’s brain. We’re breaking every rule and protocol I was taught at the academy about handling enforcers, including the special stuff we learn to join REAT. Hell, aren’t you doing that shit, now?”

That was news to Vince.

Ronin ignored her last comment. “He expected something to happen regarding Houou. Once Frost knows the full context, he’ll be so furious he might turn into a fire elemental. Even if this is confusing as hell, I know I’d regret not acting.”

“That makes two of us.” Via sighed and removed her helmet. She shook her long blonde hair free and her massive cat ears twitched wildly. “Maybe I’ll get demoted for this. Dunno. Maybe they’ll put me in the waiting lounge like Sis. But if nobody does what they actually said they’d do when they joined the force, there might not be a force in a few weeks. Take them. Or let them go.”

“It’ll cause too much trouble if we let them walk out.” Ronin shook his head even as he relaxed. “Thanks, though.”

Realizing he’d somehow escaped being arrested, Vince stepped forward. “Via, right?”

The serval catgirl in question glared at him. “I’ll let that pass once because I know Liv never calls me by my full name. I’m Viarra.”

“… that’s not your last name?” he asked.

Didn’t they usually combine ranks with surnames?

“No,” she said drily. “When there are two sergeants with the same last name in the same unit, it gets confusing. Everyone calls us by our first names. Anyway, get the hell out of here. You can bask in the fact you’ve helped destroy the careers of both me and my sister.”

“I think it’ll be the right decision in the long term,” Ronin said.

“You would say that, boy scout.”

A few other cops chuckled, earning themselves glares from Ronin.

The group stepped outside, and the various police officers rushed to their vehicles.

“We’ll need to make this look normal at first,” Ronin said. “Where’s the closest safe place we can get you to? You mentioned you don’t live at the apartment anymore.”

Technically, that would be Ally’s place, but even with Kiho present, Vince didn’t want to put her under so much pressure.

“The Lionetti penthouse,” he said. “Just across the bridge.”

“That works. I know some people I can warn,” Ronin said.

“Don’t we both?” Vince joked. “I bet you still chat with the girls from that night.”

His friend’s cheeks reddened, and Vince knew he’d hit the mark. With a laugh, Vince elbowed Ronin in the side.

“Um…” Nicki shifted in place, her wings flapping nervously. She looked between the cruisers and the motorcycles. “Do I have to get in the back of one of the cars?”

Ronin shook his head and waved at a police bird flying overhead. A massive eagle as big as Nina flew down.

“What’s up?” the eagle asked.

“Gates, can you fly with Nicki and follow the convoy?” Ronin asked. “She doesn’t like being cooped up.”

“I don’t either,” the eagle said with an easy grin. “We can fly as low or high as you like. Just don’t get too far away or it gets awkward.”

“Sure.” Nicki blinked a few times, then pinched Vince’s jacket.

For some reason the eagle looked at her hand, then changed his posture subtly. His grin became a touch more professional.

“Let’s roll,” Ronin said.

Vince looked back at Via, who crossed her arms even as the cameras no doubt caught everything.

“Thanks,” he said. “I know a lot of threats got thrown around up there, but I don’t think many people would make the right decision in your shoes.”

“We’re kind of famous for not making them,” Via said with a grimace. “Cops wouldn’t have so many shit names if we actually lived up to what we claim to be. Can’t fault the doggos for calling us blackshirts if we live up to history, can we?”

“I don’t think you should call the wolves ‘doggos,’” Nina said, protecting the honor of the Lionettis even in their absence.

Via rolled her eyes and shooed them away.

Nina and Vince piled into the back of a police cruiser. The driver and his partner looked familiar. A younger cop with one of Ronin’s drinking buddies. They’d been the ones to respond to the incident downtown and nearly died for it.

The younger police enforcer looked back and snapped off a two-fingered salute with a wink. “Nice to be responding to a safer call this time. Unless you know of any Yakuza assassins inbound.”

On that note, Vince slid his anti-scrying ring back on. With police intervention, he worried more about the Yakuza trying to kill him than not being found by the rescue team that Anzu had arranged.

“Harry, right? How’s the arm?” Vince asked.

The younger cop’s smile slipped a little. “Basically perfect, but I’d be lying if I don’t sometimes get twinges from when I nearly lost it. Don’t know how some enforcers bounce back after worse.”

“Lots of infusions and magic-laced booze,” the other cop—Blake, if Vince remembered correctly—grunted as he joined the convoy leaving the hotel. “You can relax back there, V. We’ve got your back. Dunno what the fuck Kreesa was thinking, but this is the one time I’m glad I have real orders I can safely follow.”

Nina leaned forward. “What, so if you didn’t have any orders you’d have hung us out to dry, Blake? What if Ronin mounted an earnest resistance?”

“He’s a corporal. His orders technically count.” Blake laughed even as his partner glared at him. “Not sure for how long, though. He’s been training to join REAT since he started a stint with the cartel unit late last year.”

That explained Via’s comments.

While Nina made small talk ,Vince finally took the chance to check his phone.

Far fewer messages than he expected. Presumably because most people knew he wouldn’t be able to respond.

The most important one was a message from Anzu—or Agent, as his contact card still showed—telling him to sit tight and wait for help. He messaged her back and said the police were escorting him to the Lionetti penthouse.

Anzu replied instantly. Or maybe Momo did. They might share a phone in situations like this.

Figured that once your pal showed up, the message read. Thanks for the confirmation. Saves us from embarrassment. It’s easier to break you out of a convoy than a precinct.

He messaged both Lucia and Fia to let them know he had a police escort to the penthouse. Given he was supposed to have lunch with Ally, he told her to meet him at the penthouse if she could, or he’d be good for a raincheck.

Aware of what might have happened when he took his ring off, he then messaged Quintus. I think the situation is fine. Ronin intervened.

Thank you for the update, Quintus messaged back. Leave Kreesa to me. And give Officer Kilpatrick my kudos. It seems I underestimated him and his determination.

Yeah, Vince didn’t plan to pass that on. Ronin would have a conniption if he learned Quintus Hierum approved of his actions.

But damn, Vince truly had become the center of some corporate bullshit. No wonder Toya offered him millions to get him on-side.

His coming conversation with Alessia would be awkward as hell. But he needed to have it. With his confidence reaffirmed, and numerous offers in his pocket, Vince knew what he was worth and that he still wanted to work with the Lionettis.

But first, he really wanted to flop down on Alessia’s massive couch in her penthouse.

- - - - -

Commentary: This book continues to be harder to write than I plan. I didn't even realize it took me over a week to get this chapter done. May has not been a good month for me (I think I've always been unproductive when the weather gets colder here, to be honest, and we've had a very late onset of colder temps in Australia).

Kreesa is a fun-to-hate villain, who comes with some baggage of past police corruption from prior books. I recently rewatched Death Note, and some of my favorite scenes in it are when the police find their spines and stand up to Kira. I wanted to invoke a little of that here with Ronin and his pals.