Part 61 (1/2)
”<how long=”” have=”” you=”” been=”” a=”” part=”” of=”” all=”” of=”” this?=””>”
”
He walked down into the room while he adjusted his gloves and examined Lauren and Nick. His eyes flashed before he continued, ”I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but there are more important matters that need tending to than your reunion.”
It took Lauren a moment to recall where she'd seen Mizuno before, but when she did she looked between him and David and asked, ”<he's your=”” boss?=”” the=”” detective=”” from=”” paris?=””>”
”Yes,” Mizuno answered for David, ”Now please, in English from now on so I don't have to translate everything you say for Nick.” He turned to Jian and Long and thanked them in Cantonese for their help. ”<you're free=”” to=”” take=”” some=”” time=”” off=”” and=”” return=”” home=”” if=”” you'd=”” like.=”” i'll=”” contact=”” you=”” as=”” soon=”” as=”” anything=”” else=”” comes=”” up.=””>”
The twins nodded in understanding, received a sum of money from Mizuno, and took their leave.
”Bruce, David, Ke, and Alisa, you're free to go as well. Your money is already in your bank accounts and you can expect to hear from me in about a week,” Mizuno told them. Ke and Alisa started for the door, though Bruce and David remained. Mizuno continued and addressed Mithra, Melanie, and Afifa, ”Head back to the hotel, we're leaving tomorrow for the next operation. Mithra, if you don't mind please translate what I've said to Afifa and take them back.” Mithra nodded and walked the girls out while he explained the situation to Afifa in Arabic. Mizuno waited until they left before he asked Kyle how he felt. ”I did my best to patch you up but obviously it's going to take time for you to fully recover.”
Kyle stopped what he worked on and admitted that he wouldn't mind some rest. ”Yong and I could return to Seoul, unless you need him for the next operation that is. You know I can fully play my part from our place.”
Mizuno nodded and said Yong wasn't needed. ”Head home and rest and Yong,” he made eye contact with him, ”Take care of Kyle, okay?”
Yong nodded dutifully and said it would be his pleasure. ”Is there any chance we can fly home in first cla.s.s seats?”
”If you get the h.e.l.l out of here then I don't care.”
Yong grinned and helped Kyle with his belongings. The boys were nearly out of the room when Yong stole a few stacks of South Korean won and stashed it away before Mizuno could take notice. He then rushed Kyle outside in hope that Mizuno might never realized the money was stolen.
Mizuno asked David why he lingered. ”You're not needed here anymore.”
”I'm going to hang around for Lauren.”
”Really?” Mizuno's eyes gleamed, ”That is so kind of you David. Are you going to be there for her like you were for your mutual friend Reine Forestier after her best friend overdosed on heroin? If I recall correctly, you two drank a little too much and one thing led to another and the next morning you woke up in her bed with her in your arms.”
Lauren frowned and asked David if it was true. ”<did you=”” really=”” sleep=”” with=”” reine?=””>”
David swore and told her it was a mistake, ””
”<like they=”” got=”” out=”” of=”” hand=”” with=”” melanie=”” and=”” alisa=”” on=”” more=”” than=”” one=”” occasion?=””>” Mizuno interjected.
David stopped. He rubbed his eyes and admitted to those incidents as well. ”<that doesn't=”” have=”” anything=”” to=”” do=”” with=”” you=”” though,=””>” David tried to a.s.sure her, ””
”<really?>” She took a step toward him and asked, with tears in her eyes, whether their intimacy back in Paris meant nothing to him as well. ””
”
”” Lauren quietly to leave.
Mizuno seconded the request and ordered him to leave. ”I'll let you know when I need you again, but please leave.”
David tried to get another word in but Lauren would not listen. She backed away and returned to Nick's side. Nick remained still through the whole conversation and watched David finally relent and leave without another word.
Mizuno turned to Lauren and asked what she wanted out of him. ”Normally I wouldn't offer any a.s.sistance, but since Nick managed to escape with you when he fled the hotel and because you now know about this organization I feel somewhat obligated to compensate you for what happened.”
”What do you mean?”
”If you'd like, I can arrange to send you back home or to your family in Quebec, though I imagine whichever you choose there will be a great deal of aftermath from your parents' death. You'd no doubt inherit their home and wealth once you and a few lawyers sort through your parents' will, but you could live a decent life either way. So let me ask again, what would you like me to do for you?”
Lauren let out a tense breath and said she wasn't sure.
Mizuno rubbed his eyes and told her it was simple, ”Make a decision. I wouldn't even offer you one if Nick hadn't made such a mess.”
”What are you talking about?” Lauren glanced at Nick and back to Mizuno. ”Nick didn't know someone was going to kill my parents, what could he have done?”
”He could have done what I asked and delayed your parents and would have been able to act as guard against the a.s.sa.s.sin who killed your mother and father. But he dawdled and chose to contact you first. Not to mention he should have shot the killer and saved your father's life and spared you of becoming an orphan.”
”It wasn't his fault though.”
Mizuno scowled and asked her how long she'd known Nick for. ”You met him at six forty-one last night and all you know about that timid young man is he saved your life and is a part of this clandestine organization. What you don't know is that I've spent the past four weeks training him to be able to handle that exact kind of hostile situation, should it ever occur.” He turned to Nick and asked why he failed.
Nick kept his eyes fixed on the floor and only offered an apology. ”I...I don't know what happened. I just froze. I was scared.”
Mizuno didn't look away from him. ”What did you think all of that training was all for Nick? I wouldn't have even wasted my time if I knew you were going to choke at the last second and not only let the man you've wanted to apprehend kill more people, but escape as well.”
Bruce stepped forward and tried to get Mizuno to back off, but Mizuno sharply told him to stay out of the conversation. ”Why the h.e.l.l wouldn't you just pull the trigger and kill him?” Mizuno waited a moment for Nick to respond, but the young man remained silent. ”You could have killed him, avenged your brother and dozens of others, but you didn't.”
”I was scared,” Nick admitted.
”Scared of what?” Mizuno barked. ”What could he have done to you Nick? You were twenty feet away from him. He couldn't shoot you, he couldn't attack you without giving you sufficient time to defend yourself, and you could killed the charlatan and saved her father, so why didn't you?”
Nick trembled where he stood and after a few rea.s.suring breaths he admitted that he was afraid to kill someone. ”I-I don't want t-to kill anyone.” He confessed that he worried that if he had killed the charlatan that he worried he might become a murderer too.
Mizuno rolled his eyes and told Nick to stop stuttering. ”I understand that you don't want to become a murderer, but there is a difference in killing one man who will harm many and robbing an innocent man of life. If you really wanted to preserve life and keep blood off your own hands you would have killed the charlatan, because Nick, it's your fault her dad is dead. In fact every single person he slays from now on is your fault because you were a coward and unable to do what was needed.” He waited for Nick to respond, but Nick remained quiet and braced himself for the rest of the scolding. Mizuno ma.s.saged the bridge of his nose and muttered that there were worse things he could do than kill someone. He turned back to Lauren and repeated his query, ”What do you want to do? Would you like me to send you back to Paris, or to your relatives in Canada, or what?” He waited for nearly ten seconds before he added, ”I'm perfectly fine with leaving you here to sort it out on your own, so if you want to go home or to your family, what's left of it, you'd better speak up.”
Bruce finally intervened, ”Mizuno, you need to go easy on them.”
”Why?” he snapped. ”Because she's just lost her mother and father and Nick's completely incompetent?” Mizuno glowered at him and said it was a mistake to think that Nick held any potential at all.
”He made a mistake.”
”No,” Mizuno corrected him, ”A mistake is an unintentional error. Nick let an a.s.sa.s.sin escape without even wounding him.” He glared at Nick, who continued to look away, and told him he screwed up.
”And what about us?” Bruce asked. ”We did just as poorly as he did.”
”Hardly,” Mizuno objected. ”We managed to save a dozen people despite the fact that we went into our mission without knowing about Jeremy Dalton or the bombs he'd placed throughout the building. And we walked out with minimal casualties and injuries.”
”And Nick didn't know this other a.s.sa.s.sin would show up.”
Mizuno admitted that was true, but reminded him that Nick could have killed the charlatan and averted the entire crisis. ”All it took was one shot Nick, that's all, and you would have accomplished everything you wanted to when you joined this group.”
”He hasn't ever done anything like this before Mizuno. He hasn't even shot a living thing, let alone another person,” Bruce reminded him. ”You need to be more understanding.”
”No I don't,” he barked. ”I've spent the past four weeks breaking him from being such a d.a.m.n coward but apparently he isn't willing to take the most necessary step forward. Nick,” he waited until he had Nick's full attention and then asked, ”What makes you think you could ever become anything more than your stepfather's footstool if you aren't willing to change?”
”Mizuno”