A Dame to Kill For

[Zuka]

SPOILER: Click to show

I couldn't help myself with the name >.> also, this takes place before 'Thingy' >.> I really need better names lol

Jaya picked up the glass from the desk and reclined back in her chair as she watched the clock on the wall tick away. She had been sure to keep herself locked indoors in Laos mansion for a few days to give the illusion that something was wrong. Being a ‘favorite’ had its perks and Jaya had her own room and office in the mansion to use at her leisure. It was nice, lofty and comfortable so her house arrest was at least less of an annoyance.

With all of her free time Jaya used it to make sure her plans were set.  She had been a busy woman, making and setting up calculated moves against any opposition she might have once this night was over. There couldn’t be anyone that could challenge her claim and when the time was right she would pull the rug out from under them and leave her as the lone victor.

First, there was a problem she needed to get rid of.

Removing her eyes from the clock Jaya looked at the phone and took a small drink from her glass. She stared at the dial for a few minutes before finally sitting forward and setting her glass down. Once that was out of the way Jaya picked up the phone and dialed a number, knowing he would be there to answer it.  Kenji was predictable in that way, always working late.  As she waited for the number to connect she got herself into character, making her voice sound raspy like she had been crying.

Once the phone clicked over and she heard a voice on the other end Jaya began her act.

”Kenji” she said in a low, weak whisper like she didn’t want anyone else to hear her ”Kenji I need you. Lao…he knew I was going to leave, I don’t know how but he found out and now I’m stuck. He won’t let me leave his side.  I tired to escape the mansion but they caught me.” Jaya sounded so desperate and fragile but as she sat there her face was calm and emotionless ”please, I can’t take anymore, he’s going to kill me.” As she kept on Jaya reached for the top drawer of her desk opened it and then shut it hard to make it sound like someone was coming. ”I-I have to go…please, please help.” With that she hung the phone back on the receiver and picked up her glass once more and took another drink and sat back.

Jaya had been set to meet Kenji two days ago, he had arranged for her to leave the city but she had missed that appointment. He probably figured she had left him again but her phone call let the pieces fall into place and gave the illusion that she had been caught in the act. To sell it even more Jaya had taken a few hits to the face and sides in the sparring ring which had bruised nicely and she gently brought her free hand up to the area around her eye and gingerly touched it which made her wince in pain.

Yes, she would say that had completed the the look.

Looking back to the clock Jaya didn’t know how much time she would have but she knew that he would take her bait. Jaya had planted those seeds the first time they had reconnected and each time after that they grew a little more.  She knew what his weakness was and knew that he would be there soon so she had better put herself in position. Throwing back the rest of her drink Jaya stood from her chair and began walking to the door but as she passed the mirror on the far wall she stopped and looked at herself.

After tonight all of her hard work would pay off, the scheming and the planning would all be worth it.

After tonight she would be sitting on that throne.

With one final glance Jaya exited her small office and made her way back to Laos. Security was somewhat light in the house as most of the men patrolled the outside perimitor of the mansion. In anticipation for tonight Jaya had convinced Lao to send some of his more powerful guards to oversee a new shipment of Cao. She told him that with whoever kept stealing from the Triads still out there they couldn’t afford to keep losing product. He agreed and sent them to the docks with the others. Kenjis journey here would still be difficult but Jaya had made sure he wouldn’t come across too much trouble.

As she entered the office Jaya made her way to the back of the high backed leather chair Lao was sitting in while he worked and she ran her hand across his shoulders tenderly before she moved her other to his shoulder and began to massage them.  

Now it was all a waiting game.

[Kenji]

"Please, please help.”


Her voice kept ringing in his ears as his feet stabbed at the pavement. He tried to block it out, tired to ignore it. He kept trying to tell himself that whatever it was she was getting what she deserved. He had already stuck out his neck enough for Jaya, he just needed to walk away.


"Please, please help.”


Still her voice was ringing in his ears, making it difficult for him to think and felling like he was cornered even though he was out in the wide open city. Suddenly a spike of...he wasn't sure, anger, frustration, maybe just confusion rolled over him and he lashed out at a wall, his fist punching a neat little hole into it. He finally let out breath and said "Okay."


He shook his head and then said quietly under his breath as he said " Just get in, get her, and get out. Once she's clear you don't have any more to do with this."


It sounded so real and so natural even he almost belived it.


***

Time seemed to blur and before he knew it he was suited up and pulling his mask over his head, getting into the sleek black Satomobile and revving he engine and taking off into the night. He moved with a quick almost predatory pace as he went from downtown, to uptown, and soon the city began to thin as he began to head toward the hills. Where the mansions of the rich and the criminal were. It was still close enough to the city to be there, but just far enough into the hills to separate it from the rank and file and the new money in the city.
They say Hiroshi Sato had had his place up here before all that Equalist business.


That was where Lao's mansion was. Kenji had known this for sometime but he had never been stupid enough to go in alone and head on.


Until tonight it seemed.

He parked the car far back and off the road, so no one could see it coming up and it would be there for what would no doubt have to be a quick escape, then it was a quick hustle toward the gated mansion.


Kenji moved along in the shadows of the wall looking at the opulent place. It was quite a sight,he would give the Triad boss that. However while the construction was nice, Kenji saw the real problem. Which was that he was sure that side from a few things here and there, most of this place was made of marble, earth, and metal. This wasn't just a mansion, this was a weapon.


A weapon that the guards patrolling the place would certainly use if they caught him. He'd have to move quick.


Kenji dropped down the side wall, landing softly on the ground and waited in the shadows. Then when a guard came close to him, he shot a line out and it wrapped around the guard throat as kenji pulled it back. The guard tried to call out, but that was hard to with a metal line choking you and soon his eyes rolled up in his head as he passed out.


Keni hid the guard amongst some of the bushes and tree on the grounds, then without wasting any time, he sprinted across the grounds. Jumping unto the walls, this time letting his earthen boots stick to it fully allowing him to do a full run up the mansions wall and to a nearby window on the second floor.


He opened up the window, and slid inside, making only the slightest of noises as his boots hit carpet as he shut the window behind him. He knew it wouldn't be to long before the other guards found their passed out comrade and sounded the alarm, but he was already inside, and if he moved quiet enough he could be in and out before this got messy.

Kenji began to walk down the hall, quietly checking the room before continuing on.

[Zuka]

Jaya moved her hands from Lao’s shoulders to the back of his neck and squeezed. It would be so easy for her to just wrap her hands around him and end it all right here, right now. Jaya had thought about it many, many times. She had Lao’s complete trust, she could get close and intimate with him whenever she pleased and it would have been so easy to just snuff him out and claim her new position but, while she could do that Jaya knew it would cause more problems than it fixed. If she was the one to kill him that would start an internal war, there were people that were loyal to her but more were loyal to Lao and Jaya didn’t know if she could win that fight.

However, if someone else were to kill him she could rally his loyalist behind her and gain their trust and loyalty for herself without having to sacrifice any of her men in the process. It was a long con, Jaya had been at this game for years, working her way in and moving herself up the ladder of power and now she was finally where she needed to be and had everything in place.

Well, almost.

Whenever Kenji got here he would serve his purpose and then all her planning and scheming would come to fruition. Whenever he got here…

Jaya knew that she shouldn’t be impatient. She had waited all this time she could wait a little more but she was so close to having what she wanted she could almost taste it and all she needed was her final piece.

She could feel her hand starting to tense as the desire to choke intensified and she forced it to relax, glancing at the clock instead. There was still another part of this plan that needed to be put into action and it should be happening right…about….now.

Inside the office the phone rang and with a sigh Lao lazily reached his hand out and blindly started grabbing for the receiver. It took a few tries but he finally found it and picked it up, bringing the phone to his ear.

”What?” He asked annoyed, not wanting to be interrupted.

Jaya did not stop the massage but she listened carefully to the conversation. The voice on the other end was low but she knew what was being said.

Slowly, there was a shift in Lao’s demeanor, his relaxed shoulders immediately tensed and Jaya saw his hand grip the phone tighter.

”WHAT!?” Lao yelled into the phone while lifting his head from the slumped position it had been in. Jaya dropped her hands and took a step back as Lao continued to scream into the phone at the man on the other end and a small smirk curled around her lips. The second part of her plan was complete.

The shipment of Cao that was coming in tonight had been a large one, one that was supposed to set up the Triad for a while and keep their business running comfortable while they tried to figure out who kept hitting Triad caches. It was a risk but one Lao was willing to make because he had a plan. It had been a good plan, Jaya would give him that. Once the shipment reached the dock it was to be divided and immediately moved to various Tera safehouses around the city so even if The Talon or Ghost did find it it would only be a small fraction and their business would still be safe.

It was a good plan but she couldn’t let that happen.

To make Laos death seem more like a Ghost revenge scheme Jaya knew she had to make other sacrifices. As much as she didn’t want to let all of that money go up in smoke she opted to destroy it all and blame it on the Talon, making it seem like the two had planned the hit on the Teras all along. Jaya honestly had no idea if Kenji knew or was working with the Talon but it didn’t matter, they both served a purpose in advancing her plans.

”Find whoever did it and bring them to me!” Lao yelled into the phone before slamming it back on the holder. For a moment he sat there in silence but Jaya could see the tension building and in a instant Lao pushed his chair back and stood, grabbing the phone from his desk and yanking it free of its cords before throwing it at the mirror over the office fireplace with a yell.

The sound of his scream and glass shattering filled the room as Lao found other things to pick up and throw out of frustration. Pushing his hands over his desk and knocking everything down before stepping around to pace the room.

Calmly, Jaya knelt down to pick some things up that had been knocked over and she remained crouched near the desk. After that display and if Kenji had indeed taken her bait like she knew he would Jaya had a feeling she was going to need to slip into character sooner rather than later.