Mob Sorcery 5 - Ch11

The twins remained unmoved by their boss’s arrival. Both men maintained their positions, one kneeling atop the struggling Goro while the other stared down Vince and his dragon.

Despite their very real presence, the twins appeared almost like imaginative illusions. Flashy suits, perfect hair, obscenely handsome—Vince would guess they were popstars before he came close to their true vocation.

Yet those seven tails and reputations belied their true power. Sweat dripped down Vince’s face. It sure as hell wasn’t from his dragon, and the shaking of his cane confirmed the fear rushing through his veins.

If he’d been worried about four five-tails earlier, the appearance of what he guessed to be the entire Miura clan hierarchy spelt certain death. What happened to Quintus’s comment earlier about the police limiting action by powerful enforcers like these?

“A chat?” Vince asked with a sarcastic smile. “Or do you mean you’ll take me somewhere private and put me down?”

The old fox, and presumably the head of the Miura clan, cut through the air with a slash of one robed arm. His seven deep crimson tails remained dead still behind him. Irritation showed in the creases on his face and the way his long handlebar mustache bristled.

“Enough,” the old fox snapped at the twins. “You’ll dishonor us with this display. He is no danger, and I will not play into self-destructive whims.”

Neither Vince nor the twin blocking him budged. Vince’s dragon drooled lava and began to coil around its master.

The twin kneeling on Goro rose however, allowing the younger fox to shoot to his feet as if teleporting. Before Goro’s mouth did little more than open, his father closed it. An invisible force slammed Goro into the ground face-first, creating a small crater in the concrete while leaving the fox’s barrier intact.

None of the tails of either the twins or their boss had moved. No white light had shined around them. The only sign magic had been used was the sharp ripple of magic that Vince felt after the spell forced Goro to kiss concrete.

“Do not test me,” the old fox said with a withering glare at his son. He rolled his shoulders and looked at Vince, the anger in his eyes fading.

Yet Vince saw a deeper fire burning inside the fox. His brown eyes smoldered with fervor and intensity, and Vince knew that a powerful figure lay beneath his elegant robe.

“I am Toya Miura, head of the Miura clan and inheritor of our family’s legacy.” The old fox glanced at Vince’s dragon, which remained summoned. “There is nothing to gain from continuing this fight. Accept my grace or be destroyed, Vincent Keys.”

Vince almost automatically squared his jaw and his knuckles whitened around his cane.

The twin opposite him narrowed his eyes and flicked his pristine white bangs by tossing his head. “Offer of a lifetime, kid. I’d rather you back off and let me enjoy a drink, but it’s no skin off my back to remind the city of how things work.”

An uncomfortable silence rang in Vince’s ears, accompanied by the pounding of his blood. He still had the egg—

A fluffy appendage slapped him in the back of the head and stopped him from making a rash decision.

“Calm down,” Daji said. “Your pride can survive backing down here, but your body won’t if you don’t. I know this man. Centuries ago, he helped seal me away. He wasn’t a clan head then, but he only had six tails. Your battle against Mei would be like child’s play compared to fighting him, especially as he would recognize my magic immediately.”

Vince took a deep breath and straightened. Toya nodded and raised an eyebrow at his dragon. Neither twin moved, even as Goro pulled himself free of the concrete. The young heir gulped at the sight of the standoff and wisely kept his mouth shut.

A new voice broke the tension, as Cora rushed over from the devastated garden she and Nina had destroyed.

“Lord Miura!” Cora chirped. “I apologize deeply for causing this disturbance and demanding your attention.”

The young fox nearly bent over double as she bowed, both arms at her sides. She’d lost her suit jacket while battling Nina, and the cleavage she showed thanks to some lost buttons risked putting her modesty at risk. Numerous small scratches and scuffs covered her. Presumably, Nina had shattered her barrier at some point.

The twins stared at her in disbelief, then shook their heads as one and grinned at each other. Goro grimaced.

“It’d be a shame to spill your blood on little Cora,” one of the twins said while giving an exaggerated shrug. “I’m pretty sure the boss’s chat is just a chat. Why not end the drama?”

Toya waved a hand at Cora dismissively, and she shot to Goro’s side. She began trying to straighten up his clothes. Curiously, Goro’s barrier acted much like Vince’s and let her hands through—or perhaps he somehow allowed her to move through it.

“I will not repeat myself,” Toya said.

He crossed his arms in a way Vince had only seen in movies, pressing the wide sleeves of his robe against each other to hide his hands. His tails remained eerily still. Had they even moved an inch since the clan head had appeared on the scene?

Boots clicked on the concrete as Nina approached. She wound her arm back and forth, almost like an old-fashioned train coupling rod. Her amber barrier remained intact, along with her clothes.

“Drop the dragon, Vince,” Nina said, eying Toya. “Look, REAT’s swarming and this is way beyond what we can and want to handle. If Houou wanted us dead, we’d be dead. Three seven-tail foxes don’t hang around in public for shits and giggles.”

True to Nina’s words, the police finally moved in. Livia’s sister and the other REAT officers began creeping forward from both sides of the strip mall. Nearly twenty heavily armored cops, foci out and barriers active, walked toward them in formation.

So much for avoiding a fine. Vince sighed and unsummoned his dragon. He kept his barrier up, however.

If the foxes wanted to kill him, he’d at least make them put in some effort.

The nearby Miura twin finally lowered his guard. “Finally. By Inari, you’re stubborn.” The tension left the fox’s body and he ran a hand through his hair, transforming into the pop idol appearance the girls loved back in high school. “Punching through a dragon formed of pure magic would have been way too much effort when I’m supposed to be on break.”

“You are representing the clan to business associates. There was never a break,” Toya said, his expression aging from exasperation.

When the twins smirked at him, he shook his head. Snapping his fingers in the air, Toya summoned a small army of hangers-on from nearby. A dozen more suited foxes with four and five tails, plus a six-tail fox woman that appeared as old as Toya and wore Japanese robes as well.

“Deal with the authorities,” he ordered, speaking to the six-tail. “Use your discretion.”

“Understood, my lord,” she said with a ninety-degree bow.

Then she began snapping off orders in Japanese, sending the other foxes scattering across the strip mall. Vince watched in bemusement as an army of foxes capable of taking out almost any gang in Aulfair intercepted the encroaching wall of REAT officers and brought them to a confused halt.

The shutters of some of the nearby stores began to rise. Faces peeked out from beneath them as staff checked that the cessation of noises meant the fight was over. Vince caught the gaze of the terrified staff member from the clothing store.

“Don’t shut them again,” Nicki said, voice muffled by the thick metal barrier between them. “Listen, if they’re not blowing each other up then it’s safe. Enforcers like to hear themselves talk.”

When the harpy emerged from the store, bending down and wrapping both her pairs of wings around her body, she froze. Not because she saw the standoff, but because everyone was staring at her.

“Is that really what you’ve gotten from months of flying me around?” Vince asked. “That I like to hear myself talk?”

“Everyone in your line of work likes to hear themselves talk, including your bosses,” Nicki said.

She gulped as she looked at the foxes. For a moment, Vince thought she’d react the same way as the girls from school.

Instead, Nicki clicked her way across the concrete and hovered behind him. She gripped his jacket and peeked around him.

“We’re, uh, leaving, right?” she whispered.

“Gotta handle the politics first,” Vince grunted. “So? Care to chat?”

Toya nodded. “But not here. I interrupted an important business meeting to deal with this matter.” His expression turned stormy as he looked at Goro, who merely grimaced. “My associates can wait, but I prefer to conduct important discussions in more pleasing surroundings.”

“I really hope this isn’t a way to get us somewhere we’re not being recorded by fifty cellphones,” Vince said.

“Vince, if they wanted to—” Nina tried to say.

“We’d be dead. But as Quintus would say, there are always consequences to acting rashly.”

The three seven-tail foxes raised their eyebrows at the mention of Quintus. But it was Goro who spluttered.

Turning to face his father, Goro said, “I did this for us, father. To prove that Vince was either unworthy of his reputation and our time, or that he truly deserved the acclaim he receives. It harmed our honor to let the situation fester.”

“If we dueled every being who challenged our dominance then the clans would never have banded together with Knightsgate to protect Japan,” Toya said. “And what part of this looks honorable to you?”

The old fox gestured at the devastation surrounding them. The garden that lined the concrete pathway had been practically obliterated, with the many trees and plants reduced to stumps, shattered sticks, and shredded greenery. Craters dotted the pathway itself, and at least one window had been destroyed. The crowds that previously shopped now crowded behind security shutters or fled past the police barricade REAT formed.

Goro’s face reddened and he glared at the ground. He bit his lip. “You taught me that we need to act before it becomes too late. That inaction is what brought us this low to begin with.”

“I also taught you to take considered action,” Toya said. His gruff voice turned almost gentle, while the twins shook their heads with exaggerated gestures. “A poorly executed plan is often worse than doing nothing at all. With that said…” He looked at Vince again. “Will you join me elsewhere, or must we demean ourselves by continuing this discussion so publicly?”

Vince nodded and finally dismissed his barrier. Nina followed suit. She took the opportunity to lean against him and wrap a tail around his leg. Remaining behind him, Nicki gripped his jacket.

“If you tell me where to meet you, we can—” Vince began to say.

Only for magic to rapidly well up in all three seven-tail foxes. The closest twin stepped forward and pressed his palm to Vince’s arm.

Fury roared forth from Vince, matched by Nina’s stifled shout. They attempted to summon their own spells. Too slowly compared to the clan guardian.

The world blinked and they found themselves inside what appeared to be a hotel atrium, except some ten or fifteen stories in the air. Uniformed staff stood by a reception desk by the elevators and a nearby sign demarcated the current area as the teleportation booths. A single security guard stared at them with barely concealed fear. The wand at his side looked like one of the cheaper options Vince had turned down at the chain stores when he’d first found Ally months ago.

“What the fuck!” Nina snapped, her barrier surrounding her as she slammed her foot into the ground. “Warn us before you teleport us, asshole.”

Toya ignored them and strode past the security guard. Goro and Cora brushed themselves off, although Cora tried to hide her abundant cleavage.

“Relaaaaax,” the nearest twin said while wiggling his fingers at them. “You weren’t in any real danger.” He paused. “I mean, you were, if I cared enough to kill you. But with your barrier down, it would have been a lot easier to flatten you than teleport you into a rock or to the bottom of the bay.”

“But you could have done it,” Vince said, struggling to hide his disquiet. His fingers ran across the top of his cane while Nicki shuddered against his back. “I thought everyone had an intrinsic resistance to teleportation.”

“You do. But my tails aren’t just for waving at chicks and wasting my time with all the maintenance they need.” The twin smirked and ran his fingers across the tips of his seven tails, which were a shade darker than the rest. “The reason teleportation isn’t a useful weapon is that it requires at least as much energy as turning your body into a funeral pyre from the inside out. And all the tricks we use to get around that fact only make it harder.”

“Like spatial tunneling.”

Both twins froze, then chuckled while flicking their annoying hairdos.

“Right, forgot you know Kiho.” The closest twin gave Vince a closer look. “I saw the security footage we recovered from the facility. It’s not my style to pulverize weaklings, but our young master is right about one thing. Proving that you’re not just hype is important.”

Security footage? Vince opened his mouth to ask about it, but a cough interrupted him.

“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I believe Mister Miura requires you,” a hotel staff member said.

Toya stood at the far end of the reception area with a neutral expression. He’d crossed his arms inside his robe again.

“Oops. Boss is pissed.” The twins dashed ahead and fell in behind their employer, lord, or whatever Toya counted as.

The rest of them followed more sedately. Cora broke away to whisper something to one of the receptionists, who nodded and produced a plain black jacket from nearby. It appeared to be too small for Cora to button-up, and she gave up.

“The truth of magic is that many things once deemed impossible remain impossible,” Toya said when Vince and the others reached him. “It is not that we grasp the sun with our bare hands, but that we learn to conjure up a facsimile that serves a good enough purpose. Just as your domain spells do not truly make you a god, we often do not teleport directly.”

“I don’t think anyone thinks my spells make me a god,” Vince said.

That security footage was bad news. It meant Houou knew both his meister-tier spells, including their full effects and the time required to cast them.

Toya gave him an unreadable look, then turned and strode down the hallway.

He led them to a modern Japanese restaurant. Plenty of stainless steel and stone, plus a water feature out the front. The display out front lacked any prices, but given they were all set menus, Vince suspected if somebody had to ask, they couldn’t afford the place. Or probably this hotel. He guessed they’d moved a few blocks away. The logo on the uniform was vaguely recognizable, but he knew next to nothing about hotel chains.

“Lord Miura!” the receptionist gasped. She was a young catgirl with a black bushy tail. “I wasn’t aware you’d left.”

Her eyes ran over Vince and the others, while skipping the twins. She pressed a palm against a phone built into her counter.

“My associates can wait,” Toya said. “I need a private room to discuss business. Bring refreshments.”

“Yes, my lord.” The receptionist mimicked the perfect ninety-degree bow Vince saw people like Kiyoko and the foxes do, and showcased that it took a great deal of skill.

Without another word, Toya strode through the restaurant. It wasn’t lunchtime yet, so the stone tables were practically empty. Several wooden sliding doors lined the walls and a staff member gestured them toward one.

A long stone table sat inside the private room, which overlooked the harbor. Or used magic to pretend it did. Vince was certain their view should be obstructed by the many skyscrapers along the bay.

Toya sat with the twins on either side, and Vince mirrored him. When Goro sat on the edge of the table, close to the door, Cora looked around in confusion before settling in on Vince’s side of the table.

They’d barely sat down when the staff brought in several pots of tea and a tray of ornate clay tea cups in multiple colors. Water came in both a large crystal pitcher and bottles of an expensive brand of sparkling water. The sort of water that pretended it was hand-drawn from wells in the mountains of France by monks, but was actually carbonated tap water from the state supply.

“This is a lot of effort to go for, just to make up for Goro trying to kill me,” Vince said.

Nicki stared at him as if he’d said something stupid, while Nina, Goro, and Cora nodded in agreement.

“Seriously?” Nicki asked. “He tried to kill you. In public. You know, like the last group of assassins that gave the cops an excuse to raid the Yakuza after doing nothing for months.”

“It was a duel,” Goro said, sticking his chest out.

“Duels don’t mean anything,” one of the twins said. “Enforcers are allowed to fight in public, though. We can get fined for public nuisance or endangering people, but they only act if we’re actually causing problems.”

The other twin nodded while pouring himself a cup of tea. “The real mistake the Yakuza made—beyond killing a civilian and a police officer—was causing trouble during the conference. Contrast that to today. Numerous city blocks are effectively under martial law, so the worst the young master will get slapped with is a public nuisance fine and the repair bill.”

“So I’m not going to be fined hundreds of thousands, like Vince was?” Goro blurted out.

Toya’s cup froze halfway to his mouth. His mustache shifted. “Frost truly tried to fine you that much? I had assumed it was an absurd amount when the governor intervened, but that is a corporate-level fine.”

“And that’s why you would be fined that much.” One of the twins slapped Goro on the back. “We don’t work for Houou, but we’re all registered under a corporate subsidiary. I think our fines go into the millions?”

“They are uncapped,” Toya said. “As we learned following the dispute with Immanuel twenty years ago.”

“You don’t work for Houou?” Vince asked. “That’s ridiculous. You’re—”

“A clan head, yes.” Toya topped up his tea cup, which was already nearly empty. “Miura is both part of Houou and isn’t. Much like the Lionetti branch families. While many of my enforcers assist Houou and the Golden Path, I keep the Miura family separate from Houou’s affairs. That includes this meeting. Despite…” He trailed off while glaring at Goro again.

“I was defending Teru Nanba’s honor, as a member of our clan,” Goro said.

“Be that as it may, she died as an enforcer of Houou and your actions align with the Golden Path’s. Hence Vincent’s confusion.”

“He prefers being called Vince,” Goro corrected.

The twins snorted, while Toya nodded.

“A better way to put it is that the Miuras are the faceless men that run Houou behind the scenes,” Nina said. She tried one of the teas—a thick green one that was likely matcha—before sticking out her tongue and drinking the lighter colored one favored by one of the twins. “You also protect a huge patch of territory around the HQ and have massive investments. Like this place.”

“No, this is owned by the Inaba clan,” Toya said. “But my clan owns similar investments. You mistake their purpose. They are how we maintain our connection to the people, so that we do not become completely divorced from reality and drown in our own wealth and image. It is our duty as lords.”

Nina narrowed her eyes, and Vince predicted something fiery for her next words.

He wasn’t disappointed.

“You say that, but didn’t Houou and Immanuel fire fucking everyone who wasn’t an immortal a few years ago? Or is that connection only to foxes?” Nina asked, her gauntlet resting on the table.

“We did.” Toya swirled his drink and stared over their shoulders. “A political move. A mistake, in my opinion, and one undertaken only by Houou, unless you believe the demihumans serving us to be foxes in disguise.”

“If Inaba owns the place, Anzu or Momo themselves could be serving us,” one of the twins said.

The other laughed. “Could you imagine Momo doing that? She’s so stuck-up. Anzu, though…”

Toya glanced at them. “If you believe either of them incapable of pretending to be a server and poisoning your tea, then perhaps I should request Inaba to retrain you.”

The twins straightened up so fast Vince wondered if they’d used their telekinesis. Both scowled into their tea and he sensed the faint use of magic.

“Really? Only checking now?” Toya chuckled. “This city truly has made you soft.”

“Oi,” both twins muttered at once.

“I remember the big firing,” Vince said. “Right after Davis got elected, right? Was it really a mistake when it got Kochhar elected a mayor, given he’s in your pocket?”

Toya shrugged. “Kochhar’s schemes are short-term. So are many of our recent actions. This isn’t relevant to why you’re here, however.”

Someone knocked on the door to the room, before the staff entered with multiple platters of food. Sushi, sashimi, and those tiny sandwiches caterers loved.

Had they brought out the sandwiches in case Vince, Nina, or Nicki didn’t like sushi?

Numerous varieties of mostly raw fish glistened before them. Tuna of varying fattiness, salmon, octopus, marinated eels, scallops, squid—the list went on. Freshly grated wasabi and soy sauce sat to one side, alongside small serving plates. Nicki passed Vince and Nina plates.

Toya didn’t waste time with manners, however. He picked up a piece of fatty tuna with his bare hands and gulped it down.

While Vince was no expert on how to eat Japanese food, he was pretty sure sashimi was usually eaten with chopsticks, not fingers.

“He does that,” Goro said with a distasteful glance at his father. “Feel free to use chopsticks for the sushi as well, but we do use them for sashimi.”

“One doesn’t worry about chopsticks when on the hunt, and it hardly matters when eating alongside warriors,” Toya said.

Nicki smirked but said nothing as she grabbed plenty of expensive fish. Apparently it had been long enough since breakfast for her to grow peckish. Vince felt the same, but held back given he had lunch with Ally later.

Although he might want to reorganize where they’d eat after today. He’d flick her a message when they left, assuming he hadn’t made the news already.

“I do not serve Houou, but I am not blind,” Toya said. “The clans share intelligence, and your file is long. Inaba has kept a close eye on you since Hatoyama started this mess like the fool he is.”

“I wonder if those cute twins keep their more personal notes to themselves,” Daji said. “Anzu is absolutely the type to take meticulous notes about how hard you plow your women. Perhaps I should dig them up once you claim her.”

Vince hid his cough with a well-timed sip of tea. “Are you really going to pretend this is a coincidence after telling me that? The cops even held off until you showed up.”

“A troubling fact.” Toya’s mustache shifted. “My intention was always to make you an offer, but not in such… Odd circumstances.”

“How convenient that your son sets this up?” Nina said.

Goro glowered at her, and Cora joined in this time. Funny that the fox bodyguard never glared at Vince or Toya.

“I can set up a meeting like this without attempting to kill you publicly,” Toya said flatly. “I am no pathetic gang lord trying to convince you of my ability. Even if you had zero intention to accept work from me, only a true idiot would turn down my invitation.”

Nina grinned at Vince. He hit her in the arm and her tail wrapped around his leg beneath the table.

“I mean, there’s idiocy, and then there’s idiocy,” one of the twins said.

The other twin looked pointedly at Goro, who ignored them.

“What I need is simple,” Toya said while ignoring their antics. He toyed with a piece of sushi with one hand. “I have no lack of warriors, and the city drowns in those desperate enough to trade their lives for coin. But not every problem is a nail, even if I only have a hammer. It helps to hire those with the necessary tools and skills.”

“I would definitely describe myself as a hammer,” Vince said.

“Yeah, gotta agree there,” Nina added.

“All enforcers are hammers,” a twin said.

“A mere hammer would have died against Teru. What hammer could have hoped to walk away from Mei Suwa?” Toya ate his piece of sushi before leaning forward. “I am hopeless at politics and trying to talk around a topic, I’m afraid. While I may be of the main Miura family, I was a mere samurai, much like Kiho. I only inherited the family by walking through the waterfall of blood and gore that Knightsgate turned our home into forty years ago.”

Vince stared at him. “That’s not a metaphorical waterfall of blood, is it?”

Toya grinned, but the expression lacked a hint of mirth. “We helped protect Tokyo and the land near it. If we were anything less than the greatest warrior clan that Amaterasu ever bore witness to, then we’d have been wiped out beneath the boundless army Knightsgate threw at us. I and many others fought free.”

The temperature of the room lowered several degrees. The lackadaisical expressions of the twins gave way to grim countenances, while Goro looked away guiltily.

“I wasn’t there either,” Cora muttered, as if trying to soothe Goro’s spirit.

Vince frowned, uncertain as to the meaning behind Goro’s reaction.

Toya sighed and fished out another piece of sashimi. “My son was training as a purifier with the Fujiwara family at the time. Even as old as he is, Saito fights like a kyuubi. While I and the main family fought to survive, Saito obliterated the attackers. Without his power, we’d never have been able to rally and escape Japan.”

“So the Fujiwaras escaped relatively unscathed?” Nicki asked. “I’m guessing that’s why they’re in charge.”

“No,” Toya said simply. His eyes stared into the distance, looking far beyond this room. “Even a man as great as Saito can only protect those around him. We are not gods, no matter what delusions Mei Suwa may labor under.”

Silence fell over the room. The clinking of chopsticks against plates and tea cups clunking on the stone table broke it repeatedly, but they ate and drank in silence for over a minute.

“My apologies.” The clan head sighed and ran a hand through his silvered hair. His tails lowered ever so slightly behind him. “As I was saying, I am no politician. The reason I wish to hire you, Vince, is that the clans behind Houou approach the point of civil war. Saito Fujiwara has led us for forty years, but he is an old warrior like me and tires. We need a new leader. The threat of Knightsgate and recent failures against the Lionettis has spurred the other clans into finally taking action.”

“And you want to be that leader?” Vince guessed.

Toya threw his head back and laughed uproariously. The twins joined him, if less loudly.

“You think this old coot could lead us, if they’re kicking out Saito?” one twin asked.

“I mean, we could take over, but it’s way too much work.” The other twin struck a pose that looked right out of a fashion magazine. “We’re warriors, not politicians.”

“Really? Warriors?” Nicki asked, eyes wide. “I thought you guys were male models.”

Everyone stared at her.

She scoffed. “Come on, I know they’re clan guardians. But they’re in as many magazines as Anzu Inaba! And she’s Houou’s head of intelligence.”

“Wow. Being called lazy compared to the Inaba twins,” one of the Miura twins said, grimacing. “Anzu spends most of her time flashing her cleavage online, and Momo drinking expensive champagne with rich assh—” He coughed when Toya glared at him. “With influential businessmen. Maybe we’ve gone too far.”

The handsome twins looked at each other, then shrugged and went back to drinking tea without a care. Nicki glowered at them.

“I would kill for that confidence,” she muttered.

Cora patted her on the back.

“No, I don’t want to control Houou,” Toya said with a smile. “I may be a lord, but the Miura clan serves. Perhaps one day that will change…” His eyes flickered to Goro. “But while I will not sit back and do nothing, as those without principles so often do, I will not dishonor the family name by seizing power we do not deserve.”

“So…” Vince frowned, then let his mind actually do some thinking. “You want to back somebody else. Which implies there are people aiming to control Houou that you don’t support.”

“Why else would there be a civil war? Us Japanese are good at those, although perhaps America will start a second.” The old fox half-smiled. “As I said, I need more than capable enforcers. There will be numerous foxes, and the Golden Path will doubtlessly be weaponized against ourselves if things grow truly dire. It’s a good thing you lack any ties to it.”

Nina casually raised her arm.

Toya dismissed her with a wave of a piece of sushi. “Past employment is of no concern. Especially as you have time to broaden your skillset, Miss Hayes.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” The lioness crossed her arms. “Definitely a new experience to be playing second fiddle when people want strength.”

“I hate to ask this, as I can’t say I’ll accept, but are you actually offering anything?” Vince asked. “This is some nebulous future, and I’m spoken for.”

“Yes.” Toya finally ignored the food and turned his full focus to Vince. Those fiery eyes bore into him. “It would be a retainer position. Payment up-front for accepting the retainer, another payment when you the retainer is activated, and additional payment per job at market rates.”

He looked at the twins, who frowned at each other.

“Expensive,” one said.

“You can’t really buy enforcers who can tango with us. Or a six-tail fox, even. Hatoyama offered a quarter-mil each to those poor saps that got killed trying to take out the Lionettis,” the other said.

“I’m not getting involved in a civil war between Houou for a quarter million,” Vince said. “The heist was bad enough, but that was a one night job. This sounds like weeks of dealing with foxes.”

“Per job,” Toya said.

Nina’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull. “Wait, you’re not offering a long-term package? That’s crazy. I’ve only heard of retainers for stuff like bodyguard positions. This is… Stupid.”

“No, it’s what money can buy.” Toya leaned back. “If you are working for me, then you can’t take offers from others to interfere. A few million is worth that security. I have no reason to war with the Lionettis or Immanuel, but their enmity with us is apparent. So—”

He suddenly clammed up at the same moment the guardian twins stood up. The tails of all three foxes began moving, and Vince saw a white barrier spring up over Toya.

The door slammed open and several heavily armored REAT officers stood on the other side. In front of them stood a towering woman in a police uniform. A high-ranking woman with the twin bars of a police captain.

She was no mere woman, however. Her short hair looked like feathers that changed color as they caught the light. The police captain’s uniform was standard, but her lack of armor or vest made her trim bust apparent. She towered over even Nina, marking her as nine feet tall or more. Oddly bright blue eyes stared down at them. Vince swore he saw them sparkle.

A wind elemental. One of the police’s precinct captains and seniormost officers, equal to Frost.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” the elemental said. An odd smile nearly split her face in two. “I just wanted to verify the statements of my officers. There’s been a lot of trouble downtown of late. I don’t want to antagonize the mayor any further should I let one of the city’s most famous enforcers slip away after causing another ruckus.”

- - - - -

Commentary: Sorry for the delay. This has been one of the nastiest bouts of writer's block I've bumped into as I didn't like the original version and got stuck for a week.

At this point, I'm basically consigned to the fact dealing with Mei is going to be an entire book. The Yakuza arc has been all-consuming, and we're over 50k words in and haven't even formed the full team necessary to fight her, let alone handle the aftermath of Vince's soul-searching, argument with Alessia, and moving house.