The Devil Inside (7 page)

We enter a small office. A large, wooden desk dominates the room, and there are photographs on the walls of men posing with beautiful women. To my surprise, I recognize some of those faces. There are a couple of B-grade actors and a singer whom I vaguely remember. I think he had one or two modest hits back in the 90s.

The woman sitting at the desk bares a tight smile. She’s wearing a sleek, tailored pantsuit and carries an air of authority about her. This must be the boss-lady. “Rei-chan, I wasn’t expecting you at all.” She nods at the bartender, who bows and leaves the room.
 

Rei dips her head in greeting. “Good evening, Mama-san.” She gestures towards me. “I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Adele. She’s looking for work.”

“Is that so?” Mama-san looks me up and down. “You bring me a rough diamond to polish?” She laughs, the corners of her eyes creasing into crow’s feet. Mama-san stands and circles her desk until she is in front of me. She offers a slender, manicured hand. “Pleased to meet you, Adele. You can call me Mama-san. All the girls do.”

I take her hand. Her fingers are soft and cool. Mama-san is polished and composed, but there’s a calculating glint in her eyes. “So. You want to work here?”

“As a waitress.” My voice is hard and invites no argument.
 

“You mean hostess.” Mama-san chuckles, but she must sense my nervousness, because she puts a hand on my shoulder. “Relax, Adele. We are not what you think. The girls here serve drinks, make a bit of small talk, help these single men feel a bit less lonely. We’re in the business of friendship, that’s all.” Her hand reaches my chin, and she tilts my face upward. “Look at you. Very beautiful. American girls like you are always in demand. You’ll do well here.”

“So that’s all it is? Serving drinks and a bit of companionship?” I’m doubtful. In the end, it’s always about the sex.

“Exactly.” Mama-san relents, withdrawing her cool fingers. “And if you do it right, you will make a lot of money. It’s not a bad gig. Many girls put themselves through college, this way. Except Rei-chan. She’s stubborn, this one.”

Rei crosses her arms, rolling her eyes. “I would if I could, Mama-san. But our world is small, you know that. People talk. If dad found out, he’d kill me.”

“Have it your way.” Mama-san turns to me. “So. Adele. You in?”

I hesitate, looking back at Rei’s expectant face. “I’m in,” I nod. It’s just for a short time. Just until I get my family out of trouble. Just until I can convince my mom and Mina to move out. I’ll have to take a week off from my work at Fat Dragon. Hopefully, I’ll still have a job when I return.

It’s only serving drinks and making a bit of small talk. I can do that. How bad can it be?

Kaito

On my day off, I have nothing to do. It’s strange. Being alone has never been a problem for me. In the past, I’ve preferred it. I live on my own, work on my own. It’s always been this way for me.

But now, I’m thinking about the girl who works at Fat Dragon Sushi.

Adele. She invades my thoughts and fills me with lust.
 

I head to the small gym in my apartment complex and pound the treadmill until my legs burn. The one other guy using the gym stares at me. He must be wondering why the hell I’m wearing long sleeves and track pants when I’m sweating like crazy.
 

It doesn’t bother me. I’m used to hiding the ink. The intricate, colorful art that covers my back and creeps down my arms and the tops of my thighs is a part of me I usually keep concealed.
 

It doesn’t fit with the image of an ordinary salaryman. The last thing I want to do is draw unnecessary attention. The fading bruise around my eye is already too much.

When I’m exhausted to the point that my limbs are leaden and I walk with a slight tremble, I head back to my apartment. The workout hasn’t done me much good.
 

I’m still thinking about her.
 

In the steam of the shower I’m thinking about her. I’m restless, imagining her naked. Nothing can satisfy me but her the smooth curves of her body next to mine. My erection is hard and almost painful under the rivulets of warm water.

My mind tells me not to get close to her, but my body has instincts all of its own.
 

I need to go somewhere to clear my head, get my objectivity back. I can’t go chasing after her like a lovesick schoolboy. She’s already wary of me. She saw the missing finger on my left hand and her barriers went up. I hated the suspicion that clouded her eyes.
 

But she’s right to be wary.
 

Doesn’t matter that I lost that finger for shitty reasons. I was always bad at collecting debts.

I dress, get into my ordinary little car and head to the one place I know I can find something close to peace.
 

The sleek, pale curves of The Getty Museum beckon to me as I step off the white tram that takes visitors up the hill. The small, minimalist carriages remind me, oddly, of Tokyo.
 

Masa would have a fit if he knew I wandered around art galleries in my spare time. It’s something I would never have thought about doing in Japan. But when I arrived here, setting foot in a foreign country for the first time in my life, I wanted to see the attractions.

I’d never been a tourist before.

Set away from the raucous chaos of downtown, this place, with its stillness and calm, gets me every time.

I remember seeing The Getty used as a set in a Star Trek movie. The futuristic reference is fitting. When you step beyond the entrance, it’s like entering a modern utopia. A fantasyland.
 

I can come here and pretend I’m someone different, an ordinary person with an ordinary life. A person who goes to art galleries during his time off. There’s beauty beyond the mess of my small existence.

I wander around in the cool, cavernous spaces, taking in depictions of life, sex and death.

There’s violence amongst the beauty.

I stop in front of a Monet. It’s called
The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in Morning Light
.
 

That painting is a sublime thing. I’m taken back to the days when I was a child, sitting in the bright, still morning light, a chill hanging in the air. He’s captured that feeling; the pure silence of the early day, the warm glow of the rising sun.

Morning washes away the sins of night.

I remember that old house in Tokyo, where we lived. In the mornings, I’d be the only one up, my mother still asleep, having worked late into the night. Her clients would sometimes stay, snoring loudly beside her. I’d long since learnt to block out the noise, falling asleep at night despite the voices and shouting and laughter.

Then the sound of their fucking would seep through the paper thin walls.

In the early morning, I’d creep through the silence, picking up empty beer bottles and emptying ashtrays. I’d drop used needles into an old glass jar with the greatest care.

I remember the stillness of one particular dawn. I’m standing over the dead body of the piece of shit who tried to strangle my mother. The serene figure of the Amida Buddha stares up at me from his tattooed back. Only the innocent twitter of birds punctuates the silence.

In my hand is a baseball bat, the one I got for Christmas, flecked with his blood.
 

Mother, in her panic, in her relief, takes the bat from my trembling hands and washes the blood from it. Then she calls somebody, makes up a story. The guy was drunk, she says. Fell down the stairs and hit his head. I don’t know if anyone believes it but some men in dark suits turn up and the body is taken away. It’s all discreet. No questions, no fuss.

I’m twelve years old.
 

I have no remorse. He tried to kill my mother.

It’s the start of my descent into a violent career.

I blink, shaking the dark thoughts. Pointless to remember those things now. I head outside, putting on my shades as the harsh California sunshine washes over me. I walk to a sweeping balcony overlooking the sprawling downtown of Los Angeles.
 

I decide I’d like to bring Adele here, and share this view with her. I’ve never wanted to do anything like that before. I lean over the railing, taking in the view.
 

Maybe we could come here together, like a regular couple.

Is that too much to hope for?

Will she accept me, in all my fucked up glory?

A hand taps me on the shoulder and I spin around, startled. But it’s only a wandering couple. They look like tourists, both young and tanned, wearing easy, relaxed smiles.

A flash of envy courses through me.
 

“‘Scuse me, mate.” The boyfriend holds out a camera. “You mind taking a photo of the two of us?” His accent tells me he’s not from around here. Australian, maybe.

“Sure.” I take a few snaps of the happy pair as they stand in front of the city skyline, beaming. They thank me and move off to the far end to get a few more shots of each other.

I turn and walk away, feeling out of place in the beautiful sunshine.

Kaito

By the time Tuesday comes around, I can’t take it anymore. I spend the day visiting Kuroda owned businesses around town, balancing accounts, taking laundered cash, depositing money into the bank, making wire transfers. It’s a standard day’s work.

But I’m distracted the whole time.
 

It must be a sickness of some kind. Maybe this is what happens to guys who go too long without pussy.
 

I find an excuse to swing by the Fat Dragon on my way home. I don’t usually turn up there this early in the week, but I need to see Adele.
 

I have this weird thought that I might just ask her out to dinner.

It’d be a first for me. I’ve been with many women, but I’ve never asked one on a date.

When I arrive, the place is busy. Welcoming calls of “
irrashaimase”
echo from inside the restaurant. There’s a line again, snaking out the door and onto the sidewalk. They’re running some kind of promotion. All plates two dollars.
 

I walk in and see Rei and some other waitress I don’t recognize working the floor.
 

Rei’s eyes go wide when she sees me. I pull her aside. “Adele not working tonight?”

Surprise flits across her face, before she masks it with a smile. “I’m sorry, but she’s called in sick tonight. Do you want me to pass on a message?”

Her eyes dart around the room and I can tell she’s lying. It’s written in her artificial smile and the way she won’t look at me directly. I’ve always been good at catching lies.

She’s hiding something. I don’t like it.
 

I lean in close, switching to Japanese. “You absolutely sure she’s off sick?” My voice is soft, but she doesn’t miss the intent. She flinches. I know she’s suspicious of me. I caught her looking at my severed finger the other night. My fault for being distracted. I usually keep it tucked underneath. Even some non-Japanese put two and two together when they see it.

Rei swallows and gives me a flat stare, before looking down at her feet. “It’s none of your business,” she murmurs.
 

“I’m making it my business.” Seeing the fear in her eyes, I relent. She’s only trying to protect her friend. “I’m not going to cause any trouble, Rei. I’m just worried about her. Seems like there’s something going on. Maybe I can help.”

“You’ve got a thing for her, don’t you?” Realization dawns on her and a small, almost-smile appears. She’s still not sure whether she can trust me.

“What do you think?” I sigh, suddenly feeling like the awkward one.

“You’re serious about this.”

“I am.”

“You’re not going to let it go.”

“No.”

Rei considers me for a long time, searching my face for something, I don’t know what. “You’re not who you’re pretending to be, Araki-san. Is that going to be a problem for her?”

“That’s for Adele to decide.” Customers are lining up to pay. Rei shoots them a nervous glance. I gesture at her to carry on. “I’m interrupting your work. Think about it. I’ll be in the office when you have a moment.”
 

Rei nods and heads for the till.
 

When business dies down, Rei finds me in the small office, going over some figures. “Why are you looking for her, Araki-san?”

I shrug. “I wanted to ask her on a date.”

“A date?” She blinks, twice, taken aback. It’s probably the last thing she was expecting to hear. “That’s, er, unexpectedly romantic.”

“Do I not seem like the romantic type?” I raise an eyebrow mockingly. Rei chooses to hold her tongue, rather than reply to my sarcasm.
 

“Is this going to end up with Adele getting hurt?” Instead, she hits me with a blunt question.

“That’s not my intention at all.”

“Doesn’t mean it won’t happen.”

“Just tell me where she is, Rei.” I stand and move close to her. She’s a small girl, the top of her head reaching only to my chest. “If she’s in some kind of trouble right now, I can help her.”

“Your kind of help is not without conditions, I’m sure.” Rei shrinks back, wary as a cat.
 

“No strings attached.” I spread my hands, trying to appear less intimidating. “I’m not into those kinds of relationships. I’m not a fucking
sarakin
.” I use the Japanese term for loan shark. Locking people into impossible agreements they can’t ever hope to fulfill; that just isn’t my style.

Rei looks at me through narrowed eyes for a long time. She’s gauging me, trying to figure out if she can trust me. I don’t blame her.
 

“She’s working at Black Rose,” she blurts eventually, breaking the awkward silence.
 

“What?” I demand, wild thoughts taking over. Anger, so familiar and raw, courses through me. I’ve lived with the emotion my entire life, harnessed it, used it. But right now, I’m on the verge of losing control. I can’t stand the thought of another man touching her. And Black Rose isn’t what it seems, on the surface. It’s owned by the Kuroda Group. I know what goes on behind closed doors in those places. “Did you introduce her to that shit, Rei?”