Freedom Earned Page 18

  He laughed. “That sounds about right.”

  “Well, damn.” We were almost there. “I’m glad you’re with me, now.”

  “Me too, man. Let’s teach that crazy lady a lesson.”

  I hobbled along the sand until we were moving between those beams, then we slowed. The two of us stayed close, as I needed him to help me walk.

  “Sroy Wu,” I called. “It’s over.” Nothing in response.

  “If only it were that easy,” a whisper sounded.

  A flashing light from an old tractor nearly blinded me. She appeared like a wraith in the darkness, but she had misunderstood her advantage. Even if I was injured, I was a Marine and there were two of us. As she swung at my leg with a metal bar that connected and hurt like hell, I threw myself at her. Too many people try to back up and avoid the blow when their attacker has an object like a baseball bat. The key is to close the distance to take away their advantage. That’s what I did, and in my rage of pain managed to get her on the ground, attempting to catch her in a joint lock while Jason came in to help.

  She was quick, though! She scurried out from under me, delivered an elbow and then ducked behind the tractor. Her metal rod was on the ground, though, so I snatched it up and tossed it after her. It hit with a clunk and she stumbled and fell to her knees. A groan of pain escaped her lips.

  “Tyler!” a shout came from behind, and I turned to see Kosum approaching, the larger form of Prenie not far behind her.

  “In here,” I yelled. “We got her.”

  More agents, I assumed, were coming up behind the two… But that’s when the first explosive went off, and Sroy started laughing. The whole place rumbled, two more explosions going off and taking out support beams. It was all going to come down on us.

  “Go!” I shouted, and you’re damn right we left her there. She had dug her grave, we would let her fall right into it.

  Dust and debris flew up as bit by bit the pier and building above fell in, but with Jason and Kosum helping me, I cleared it. The car that had been in the distance wasn’t so far off, now. It stopped, and shots came from it. When the agents with us returned fire, those who had emerged quickly got back in and drove away.

  At least for the moment, it was over.

  27

  One explosion too many, I guess. Lying there in that Thai hospital, I watched the news and wished I understood what they were saying. Images of the explosion showed for the tenth time that morning, along with reporters interviewing a Thai police chief who seemed to be taking all the credit. That was fine by me. All I wanted to do was get the hell out of the hospital room and check on my buddies.

  To my relief, they checked on me. The door opened to reveal Jason first, and he held up a little teddy bear holding a heart. “I wuv you.”

  “Shut up,” I said with a laugh, then held my side. “Dick.”

  He tossed it over and I caught the stuffy. “Seriously, man…that was badass. You doing okay?”

  “Doing well enough. Hey, we’re all alive, right?”

  “About that…” His expression grew dim. “You actually died. Sorry. Right now you’re a ghost, and I think the only way to move on is to admit that I’m the best friend you ever had. Some vacation, right?”

  “The best,” I said, but my eyes had moved past him to where Prenie stood in the doorway. “And don’t joke about… all that.”

  He turned back, saw her, and stepped out of the way. Judging by his look of confusion, he wasn’t spun up on everything.

  She stepped in, held out a hand, and said, “Prenie.”

  “Jason,” he replied, and then motioned over his shoulder to indicate he would be waiting in the hall. “Oh, and Tyler?”

  “Yeah?”

  “They said you get out today. Got us a ticket back to Tokyo. Up for that Yakitori place you love?”

  “You know I am.”

  He left us alone, and Prenie approached the side of the hospital bed, eyeing me with concern. “Now that the excitement has worn down a little…” She shrugged.

  “You regret the kiss?” I said, softly.

  She frowned. “What? No. I was just saying… Maybe we need to find something else to occupy our time.”

  “That your way of asking me on a date?”

  “Yes. So?”

  “Prenie…” I shifted, pushing myself up. It hurt, but I would be fine. “Anytime, anyplace. That said, I have to report in soon. My command will be pissed.” Except, as the words left my mouth, I realized that they might not know any better. As far as they were concerned, I was still in Tokyo. A little laugh escaped, and I shook my head. “Actually, I still have a few days of leave. Any chance you want to come with us to explore Tokyo? My treat.”

  “Yeah. My other plans are shot anyw…” Horror mixed in her expression at the choice of words, her lower lip trembling. As tough as this lady was, everyone had their moments.

  “Come here.” I held out a hand.

  She took it, sitting at my side so that I could give her a half hug as best I could. “We’ll get through this. Okay?”

  “Life… right?”

  I nodded. Life could be a bitch sometimes, that was for damn sure.

  A throat clearing drew our attention to Kosum at the doorway, dressed in a blue pants suit. Another woman and a man were at her side, all looking quite the agent parts.

  “We only need a second,” Kosum said. When she saw Prenie’s eyes, she said, “Oh, sorry. We can come back—”

  “No,” Prenie interrupted. “I need to buy a ticket, anyway.” Turning back to me she said, “I’ll coordinate it with your buddy. Yeah?”

  “Sounds good.” I gently squeezed her hand, watching with affection as she exited. Turning my gaze to the agents, I nodded. “What can I do for you?”

  “First, I wanted to thank you,” Kosum replied as she and the other two entered the room. The man went to the window, clearly checking outside for problems. The woman remained near the door, doing the same.

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  “Protection,” Kosum answered. “Thing is, we’ve dealt a major blow here. But you… you’re on their radar. As long as you’re in Thailand, I fear you’ll be in danger.”

  “Ah, that.” I nodded. “We’ll be out of your hair soon enough.”

  “I know… and that’s what worries me.”

  “Oh?”

  She offered a friendly smile. “At least here, we can try to protect you. Back in Japan, keep an eye out, yeah? Be careful.”

  “Promise,” I said.

  She motioned to the woman, who revealed a folder with some papers for me to sign. Basically, my guarantee that I wouldn’t repeat any of this to the news or post about it on social media. She would work with Prenie to contact Alex’s family and see if they could retrieve the body, based on our description of where we had put it in the water. The last thing the Thai tourism industry needed was a body washing up on a tourist beach.

  As they turned to go, I said, “Kosum?”

  She turned back. “Yes?”

  “Thank you. For all of it. If you ever come to Okinawa, say hi, yeah?”

  “You got it.” She followed the other two out, then paused and stuck her head back in. “Although, if I do come, can you try to ensure that I have a more relaxing vacation than yours was here?”

  I laughed. “Promise.”

  She left with a slight bow of her head. For another moment, the news went on, then switched to an old rerun of Darkwing Duck—an American cartoon from the nineties. For the next twenty minutes I was in bliss, simply sitting there and remembering a childhood of Saturday morning cartoons and wondering if a whole generation of Thais was now getting my upbringing in this form, or if this was a one-off.

  Jason and Prenie returned, the doctor behind them to sign me out, and we were ready to get back to our old lives. First, to my relief, Jason had picked up some clothes for me from a nearby market. Shoes, loose black pants, and a fake Armani shirt. The clothes would do for now, but the shoes were a
lifesaver. I quickly changed while they turned around, then we started moving.

  “Wait,” I asked Prenie as we entered the government car that would escort us to the airport. “You still never told me what you do.”

  “Didn’t I?” She shrugged. “Just having fun. It’s not a big deal.”

  “So…”

  “At the moment, I’m a ‘meter maid,’ although I hate that term with a passion.”

  “You’re a cop?”

  She grinned, nodding. “Hoping to make the big time, someday. Maybe detective, I don’t know.”

  “Wow.” I rubbed my chin, then saw Jason looking back at us from the front passenger seat with a silly grin. “What?”

  “This is so cute. You two… and here you thought you weren’t going to find any loving in Thailand.”

  “Hey, now.” Prenie shot him a warning look. “We’re simply getting to know each other. Don’t go making assumptions.”

  “Don’t mind him.” I took Prenie’s hand. “He’s getting married, soon.”

  “Oh, congratulations!” Prenie leaned into me, head on my shoulder. “Congratulations to all of us, I guess. I can’t wait to see Tokyo—I’ve never been!”

  With a wink Jason’s way, I closed my eyes and rested as we drove on. On our journey back to Tokyo, Prenie showed how truly exhausted she was by sleeping through most of it. Getting to know her more was high on my excitement list, but having her rest on me like that was great, too. The rest would come, in time.

  The plane had newer movies, but when I saw they were showing The Wild Bunch, you bet your ass I put it on. As I was about to plug in my headphones, though, Jason nudged me.

  “Dude…” He grinned, then nodded at Prenie. “You’re welcome.”

  “What?” I lowered my voice so I didn’t wake her. “Are you somehow implying this is thanks to you?”

  “It was my idea to come. Now, you’re not only a hero, but you’re bringing a girl back with us. I’d say that’s pretty awesome. And again, you’re welcome.”

  I chuckled, unable to believe this guy. “Dude, I love you, but shut the hell up. If you’re going to accept the good, then you’ll have to say her friend’s life is on your hands, too. That all the B.S. I went through was because of you. Is that what you’re saying?”

  He frowned and held up a menu. “Beer or whiskey?”

  “A beer will do.” I thought of the talk of buying Prenie a beer, and grinned, plugging in my headphones to finally enjoy the movie. I must have drifted off, because at some point William Holden turned and it was me going into a shootout on a Thai island while wearing full cowboy getup.

  When I woke, Prenie was staring at me with affection. “We’re here,” she said, and took my hand.

  “Where do we start?” I asked, nudging Jason awake.

  “First, I need a damn shower,” he said. “Let’s stop by my place, maybe nap a little, then head out to Hachiko Mae?”

  “It’s a plan,” I replied, then explained to Prenie that Hachiko Mae was the meeting spot near the main Shibuya intersection that was featured in so many movies.

  “Oh, like Lost in Translation!” She gripped my arm in excitement, and as we walked out into the airport, her eyes were already lighting up the way foreigners’ eyes always do when taking in this strange, exciting world that is Japan for the first time.

  It came as a surprise, then, when our taxi stopped outside a taped-off pile of rubble. Glances around showed the same tall, orange building next to Jason’s place, along with the vending machine selling coffee and alcohol next to it.

  “Dude, where’s your house?” I asked. He put a hand to his mouth, then swore loudly.

  “We’re in the right place?” Prenie asked.

  “Yup,” I replied.

  “At least I won’t have to confess about losing the key,” Jason said.

  I stared, shaking my head, unable to believe he was making jokes at a time like this. Eyes darting around at the surrounding cars, my mind began to put the pieces together. That man I had thought was watching me when we first arrived had indeed been watching me. So much for my paranoia being out of left field. It had been earned. And apparently, they hadn’t seen us leaving out the back and assumed we were still in there when they bombed it. That is, until they learned about me crossing into Thailand and then decided to try and involve me in a larger affair that, in the end, they had wrapped Jason into. Luckily, we had stepped in and gotten him out of there, and now it was over.

  Or was it only the beginning? Only time would tell.

  28

  While Jason had understandably freaked out at first, after a good fifteen minutes or so of swearing and kicking empty air, he turned to us and smiled.

  “Double date?”

  “What?” I asked, completely caught off-guard by the question.

  “Sakura—she’ll be waiting, no doubt, and… I could use your help to back up my story, you know?”

  “Girlfriend?” Prenie asked.

  “Oh, I haven’t filled you in on that whole situation?” I laughed.

  “Fiancée,” Jason interjected, shooting me a look that told me he would prefer it if I didn’t add anything else for the time being.

  “That could be… fun,” Prenie said, eyes darting between the two of us. “I mean, we’re kind of winging all of this, so what the hell.”

  “I’ll give her a call, ask her to get the tickets.”

  “Tickets?” I asked.

  “To Kyoto. Wouldn’t that be something?”

  “Dude, I gotta report back in, I…” Actually, there was no rush I realized. My leave still had a few days left, and as far as my command knew, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Fine, but… Tokyo first, yeah?”

  “He did promise to show me that Shibuya place,” Prenie chimed in.

  Jason nodded. “Sure, sure. She can meet us there. We’ll hop on the train in the evening, be able to sleep our way over. No problem.”

  “And… this?” I asked, indicating his apartment.

  He waved it off, with only a slight twitch in his left eye. “Why do today what I can put off for a few days from now? I imagine there’s some sort of insurance system here… or hope, anyway. Whatever—let’s party.”

  “Is it safe?” Prenie turned my way.

  I frowned, uncertain, then shrugged. “You know, I don’t have a clue. But my guess is that we dealt them a big blow, and for the immediate future, they’ll be occupied with trying to pull themselves together while Kosum and her friends hit ‘em hard.”

  “Damn right.” Prenie took my arm. “Let’s hit the town.”

  The train ride into Tokyo was pleasant, with time to look out over scenes like the bamboo growing thick, or that house standing all alone on a hillside, and I wondered what it would be like to live in Japan, out there without neighbors. Rice paddies followed, then gray houses and apartments that all looked alike for blocks on end. A temple with its upturned edges on the roof. When we drew close to the city and had to transfer trains, we were ‘lucky’ enough for Prenie to experience the rush hour traffic, men with white gloves helping to shove passengers in like sardines in a can. Being pressed up against her like that could have been the most intimate we had been yet, if it weren’t so uncomfortable and with Jason pressed up against me on the other side equally as close.

  He grinned. “Love this.”

  I laughed. “Shut up.”

  A couple of foreigners glanced our way, likely their first trip to Tokyo and finding some bond between gaijin in this place. When a hand grabbed my ass, I turned to Jason to scold him, but he was simply staring off at a video ad for toothpaste on the wall.

  “Over here,” Prenie said, and she was grinning. “Too much?”

  “No complaints from me,” I replied, and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  “So, what do you have in store for me?”

  “Lots of crowds, grilled meat… some karaoke.”

  Her smile widened. “Sounds great. All this…. And this,” she squeezed m
y ass again. “So different from Thailand.”

  I nodded, trying not to let the flashes of violence and sorrow hit at that moment.

  “Sorry, shouldn’t have mentioned it.” She started to pull back, although she couldn’t with all the people there. Plus, I wouldn’t let her.

  “Hey, it’s where I met you. The memories are what they are, the good and the bad.”

  Instead of a response to that, she simply laid her head on my shoulder. Maybe we weren’t being very Japanese about our public displays of affection, but hey, we were gaijin. Why fight it?

  The train arrived at our stop and we filed out with everyone else, then headed over to a section of a sky bridge where we could watch the hordes of people crossing below. Fluorescent lights and large, shifting billboards lit the area, and thick clouds overhead threatened rain.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “You know it,” Prenie replied.

  Jason had his phone out, checking it. “Sakura will meet us—she says she’s at Hachiko Mae.”

  We headed down the escalator, found the waiting area with the dog statue—the dog’s name being Hachiko—and turned around, searching for her in the crowds.

  “Sakura?” Prenie exclaimed, and hit me. “Wait, you don’t mean—Sakura Haruuki? No…”

  “Oh, damn,” Jason said, shaking his head. “Please don’t tell me—”

  “I’ve seen all her videos,” Prenie replied with a laugh. “Oh, this is going to be fun!” She took a step back, grabbing me close as she watched the two hug and Jason give us an awkward smile before kissing his fiancée.

  Hey, who was I to judge? And if our new predicament brought Prenie joy, great. My only question was why she was watching so much porn. Again, not my place to judge.

  For now, I decided to leave it be, and was glad to see that she did, too. Our first stop was beers and yakitori, followed by karaoke and Sakura singing to her favorite band, Mongol 800—a classic from the early 2000s, and to my joy, an Okinawa band. I followed up with Kemuri, then Prenie did her thing with some Taylor Swift, and yes, by the end of it we were all shaking it off.

  A fun end to an insane trip, and I had a feeling that we were going to have a lot more fun together. Of course, that might have been the beer speaking.