I recite internally to myself,You are a no one here, Hurricane.
Chapter Three
Hurricane
The brothers take their seats around the wooden table with ornate carvings. The thing is a work of art as I stand with my back against the wall. Pono turns to me and gestures for the seat at the end of the table. “Brother Hurricane, take a seat. You are welcome at church anytime.”
I slide in, sitting at the table as requested before Pono bangs his gavel. “Welcome to Oahu, Hurricane. It is our honor to receive you today, and you have come at a time when our club could do with the help of anotherhaole.One whom the people of our island don’t know.”
I sit taller after being referred to as a non-Polynesian, intrigued by his situation. “I’m here on my honeymoon, but if the job isn’t too involved, I’d be willin’ to help however I can.”
Pono glances at Mauka,and he rolls his shoulders. “Thing is, Hurricane, it involves Malia and my daughter, Nalani. We believe she is involved with our rivals, more specifically, the son of our rival.”
Grimacing, I let out a heavy exhale. “That shit isnevergood. Who are you at war with?”
Pono scowls, sliding a folder across the table toward me. I place my hand on top to stop the folder from sliding off the end, and he dips his head. “Their information is inside, but they’ve been on the island for as long as we can remember. They do all their business out of Chinatown and call themselves The Ministry. In the folder, you’ll see a dossier on their business dealings and their three main players.”
My lips turn down, wondering exactly what the fuck Pono and Mauka want from me regarding this? But my curiosity gets thebetter of me, and I open the folder to view the pictures of the men, heavily tattooed, each with an upside-down cross on their chest, surrounded by other tribal markings. My eyes widen as I let out a small laugh. “Upside down cross, great start,” I mumble.
“It’s the cross of Saint Peter, but it is speculated that The Ministry is into satanic rituals, and that is the use of their cross. Getting it tattooed on them is their initiation into The Ministry.”
I flick through the pages, looking at the three people.
Jun Liú—head of The Ministry. Seems to run a tight ship and keeps his men under control.
Cheng Xú—second-in-command. The quiet assassin, by the look of it. This guy keeps to himself, but if you want something done, he is the go-to guy who gets shit taken care of. People don’t tend to make it out alive if they cross paths with him.
Park Liú—the only son of Jun and heir to the throne of The Ministry. He’s young, though, and impressionable. Only twenty-one, he has a long way to go to get to a top-ranking level.
Turning the page, I scan the rap sheet to view the shit they dabble in—money laundering, gambling rings, prostitution, and the list goes on and on. These guys do it all.
Raising my brow, I glance up, letting out a small chuckle. “And what is it exactly you want me to do that involves assholes like these?”
Mauka places his closed fists on the table, leaning forward, his eyes somber as he rubs at his salt-and-pepper beard. “Our daughter, Nalani, has gotten close to Park. Too close. And we think he is brainwashing her against us, or maybe using her to get information on us and what we do.”
“That’s unfortunate, but without me knowin’ what it is you do and what you’re askin’, I don’t know how I can help.”
Maukalooks at his president, and he dips his chin in acknowledgment. “We may be a small club, but we run a big operation…” He pauses momentarily to get his words correctbefore speaking them. “We make methamphetamine for the island. The Ministry wants to cut into our profits. They know we have the market, but they want to know everything about our process and how we are theonlyones on the island doing this. They want to cut us off at the knees so they can add our market to their list of earnings. But it’s our only source of income for the club. They cut that off, and our club goes under. If Nalani spills the beans, Oahu Defiancewillbleed… in more ways than one.”
“So what do you want me to do?” I ask again for clarity.
“None of us can frequent the local haunts where The Ministry hangs out. We want to get to Nalani and try to lead her away from Park and the rest of those assholes. We need to convince her to return to Defiance, but we can’t get close enough before all hell breaks loose. But ahaolegoing in, someone they don’t know, a stranger if you will, perhapshecould pull her aside and talk to her. Tell her what is at stake, then maybe…maybeshe will come home to us.”
Rolling my shoulders, my thoughts instantly cross to my pregnant wife outside. I don’t want to disappoint her on our honeymoon and run off doing damn club business.
But these are my brothers, and if I can help them, Ihaveto try.
“If I do this, Kaia stays here under your protection while I’m gone.”
They all nod, but Pono speaks, “You do this for us, brother. You get Nalani home. Then Oahu will be forever in your debt. You do anything you need to bring her home to us, Hurricane… just don’t get caught. Of course, we will have your back, but those Ministry men don’t play. They will have you on the ground before you even have a second to think, let alone react, if they are made aware you are there to cause a problem.”
Inhaling deeply, I crane my neck to the side.Great. “Okay, tell me where to go. I’ll make my way there now. Let’s fuckin’ do this!”
Wipeout types something into his laptop, then spins it around to face us all. “Tracking Nalani’s watch, it pings her at a sushi train in Chinatown. Generally, that is where The Ministry has its meetings with new clients. Nalani must be there with Park while his father and Cheng discuss business.”
“So how the fuck do I talk to her if she’s gonna be with Park the whole time?” I ask.
“Wait till she goes to the bathroom?” Chopsticks states with a shrug.
