"That was not my fault, and you know it," Des pouted.
"Maybe not." He released Des and then grabbed his jacket off the sofa. "I'm heading out. See you in a couple of days." Othello was out the door with one last kiss, leaving Des with conflicting thoughts, like whether he was good enough to hold on to a man like Othello. Or better yet, could he trust him not to break his heart? Maybe it was finally hitting him that he'd jumped into things too quickly with Othello and should have taken things slower than they did; maybe he wouldn't feel so out of sorts.
It waslate into the next evening when Othello got to Tokyo, Japan. He had thought about calling Des, but it was too late in the States, and he didn't want to delay things. The sooner he was done with his business, the quicker he could return to his sweet lover. Not only was he meeting with the Kurohue clan leader, but he'd made an appointment with the Kurohue's rivals.
He hadn't told Alessandro or Iago what he was doing and only brought two of his soldiers with him. He was supposed to be in England, but he was far away from where he was supposed to be. He had a reason for his subterfuge. Although he had told Iago to look into why Kurohue had backed out of their meeting, Othello couldn't wait for the results and needed to speak with the man face to face. Othello might not have lived in Japan, but he knew of Kurohue's habits. He liked to frequent Kuroyuki, a host club that offered more than just a friendly ear. Before he could take a step into the club, he was stopped by the bodyguards. His menwent to reach for their weapons, but he stopped them and spoke to the guards.
"Tell your boss The Shadow is here to see him," Othello said in fluent Japanese. After the Romanos adopted him, Othello took advantage of the privileged education and learned everything he could. From art to different languages, he even traveled in college to learn about different cultures before returning home and immersing himself in the family business.
One of the guards went inside and came out a few minutes later. "Come this way," he said, stepping aside for them to enter. Then, both guards escorted them to their boss. He recognized the elegance in the decorations but knew there was more to it, such as a bathhouse and special rooms that offered the guests a happy ending before they walked out the door. Not to mention, the club was a front, similar to his own establishments. So, there wouldn't be any security cameras anywhere in and out of the building. Othello and his men were led to a private room, with Kurohue sitting on the couch, surrounded by gorgeous men and women.
"I didn't expect Othello the Shadow Moor to appear on my doorstep?"
"Get rid of them," Othello told him.
"You dare to walk into my club giving me fucking orders," Kurohue said, but Othello leisurely sat down and waited for the man to do as he said. Kurohue waved his hand, and the people fawning over him got up and left, except for the bodyguards, who stayed while they talked. "You didn't have to come all this way for a canceled meeting."
"Why?" Othello asked. "We had an agreement, and you backed out at the last minute. I get annoyed when shit like that happens."
"I was offered a new deal I couldn't refuse," Kurohue smirked. "I was willing to meet with you until I found out some things about your family."
"Oh yeah?" Othello asked. "And what's that?"
"Your family is too clean for my kind of business," Kurohue told him, then snorted a line of coke. "Arms and weapons are all good and shit, but do you know what makes money flow into your hands like water?" He paused as if waiting for Othello to respond, but continued, knowing that he wouldn't. "People, it's what makes the world go round." He cackled.
"It seems my trip here was truly a waste of time," Othello said, flicking lint off his pants.
"I wouldn't say that. Give me a better offer, and I will go with you. Just like that." He snapped his fingers.
"I can't trust you to keep your word anymore, Kurohue." Othello watched as the man snorted another line and as the drugs took effect.
"I like you, Moor, so I'm going to help you out. You have a rat in your nest, Moor," Kurohue said, slumping in his seat, leaning his head on the back of the couch.
"How do you know that?" Othello asked, feeling pissed that family business got out, and he didn't even know who the fucker was.
"They were the ones that put me in touch with my new business partners."
"Who are they?"
"That I wish I could tell you," Kurohue said. "I simply got a text saying to cancel my appointment with you, and that someone else would contact me later."
"And you followed through, just like that?" Othello asked, snapping his fingers.
"No, I waited to hear the deal and went with them because it sounded too good to pass up. Like I said, people make the world go around, and put money in my pockets."
Othello really hated men like Kurohue. They had no loyalty. "Give me the number."
Kurohue stared at him for a few minutes, then reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and rattled off the number. Othello dialed the number, with Kurohue watching him, and remained stoic when he dialed an out-of-service number.
How clever of him.
Putting his phone away, Othello stood. "You said my family is too clean for your business, but do you know what I detest? It's people like you who don't keep their word. When you make an appointment, it might sound silly to you, but I live by a code of ethics. Never break your word."
Just as Othello finished speaking, two of Kurohue's bodyguards were dropped, followed by two more before the drug-addled man knew what was happening.
"What the fuck a..." A silent bullet entered the center of his forehead, stopping anything else he had to say.
"Search his pockets and bring me his phone," he told the man closer to him. Othello smirked. His people really knew him well. No one would call him sensible, traveling so far to get answers, and then having the man killed. But Othello had every intention of finding out why he canceled the meeting and nothing else. But who told him to try to pull a fast one on Othello?
