Page 28 of Bound By the Yakuza

The cop looked up. He was young and probably new to the force; but not new enough to be unable to recognize a yakuza when he saw one. His face went white and after a moment of silent consideration, he rolled down his window.

I didn’t wait for him to say a word. “What happened here?” I demanded.

The cop stuttered before speaking. “The-there was a raid,” He said. “Wait, why are you asking? This is between the police.”

I rolled my eyes at his incompetence. How did these idiots even pass basic training? I put my elbow on the door and leaned down to look at him fully. The cop shrank back in his seat. Intimidating new cops was too easy.

“You’re going to tell me what happened in there or I’ll make you regret the day you were born.”

-

I shoveled cash into a duffle bag. I kept thick wads of 5000 yen bills under the kitchen sink for safe keeping. Having an extra couple million around was good for bad times - times like this.

I couldn’t let Karina rot in jail or get deported just because of the gang wars. She was caught in the middle - just like that worthless landlord. The cops had bigger issues than small time cash shops. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that they were using her to get to me.

I counted and recounted the money just to make sure I hadn’t missed a single yen, threw the bag over my shoulder, and lit a cigarette.

The sun was rising over the horizon and streaming between the narrows spaces between the closely packed buildings. I turned towards the police station and didn’t look back.

Kenichi was going to kill me for this.

-

“Good morning, gentlemen.”

I strode into the police station, oozing confidence and looking the two men at the front desk right in the eye. I made no effort to hide my tattoos that crept out from under my shirt collar. I kept the bag of cash thrown over my shoulder.

The two cops were young, probably new recruits. One swallowed hard before speaking. “Hello, sir, how can I help you?”

I smirked. I slammed the duffle bag down on the desk. “I’m here to pay some bail.”

The other cop’s eyes flicked to the cash-heavy bag and then to me. “I’m sorry, the superintendent is not here and administration will not be in until nine o’clock.”

I frowned and leaned it to look at him fully. “You know who I work for, right?”

The young cop squeaked and nodded.

Damn, it was so fun to throw my weight around sometimes. These new cops were scared to death of the yakuza. It was perfect: the older generations were corrupt and the younger ones were too afraid to fight back. It was rare that any lawman ever had the guts to face us with honor.

“What’s going on here?” An older man walked in.

From his uniform, I guessed he was a sergeant and probably the one in charge at this odd hour in the early morning. I gave him a diplomatic smile. “Hello sir,” I said. “I was just discussing how to pay bail with your subordinates here.”

The sergeant’s eyes narrowed. He glanced at the duffle bag and then to me. He motioned for me to follow him. “Come to my office.” He turned at the two cops at the desk. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

I threw the bag over my shoulder and followed the sergeant to his office. The name plate on the door read: Fukunaga. Why did that name sound familiar?

The sergeant closed and locked the door behind us. He motioned for me to have a seat. “So, are you from the Himura-gumi?”

I nodded.

Fukunaga sat across from me. “Interesting.” He smiled. “You know, I haven’t heard much from you guys since the Kumicho died.”

I bowed my head in respect of the dead leader and Kenichi’s father. “Yes, it has been a difficult time for us.” I said and then looked at him straight. “How do you know about that?”

The sergeant chuckled. “One does not spend twenty-five years as an office in Shinjuku and not learn about the gangs that run underneath the city. I’ve worked up the ranks, but I know how this world of ours works.” He paused. “Lucky for you. I’m on your side.”

The yakuza had a long history of keeping the peace better than the actual police. It was a unique relationship of cat and mouse. I hated cops, but their corruption usually worked in my favor, so I learned to play the game.

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