XLI

Rei finished her breakfast and was searching through her pockets for money when she happened to glance out the plate glass windows into the parking lot. She scowled as she saw a man crouched down beside the infirmed Honda, reaching beneath it.

"The fuck…" Rei whispered to herself as the man finished whatever he was doing near the back of the car and moved toward the front, still crouched. Rei pulled a small wad of money out of her pocket and tossed it onto the table before rushing toward the kitchen. Ignoring the protestations of the employees she burst through the back door and ran toward the front of the store, behind where the man would be expecting her to emerge from. There you are you creepy fucker, Rei thought to herself as she rounded the corner. The man was still crouched beside the car staring at the front of the restaurant while feeling beneath the car.

Steeling herself for the impact she ran at him at full speed. Too late he heard the tapping of her tennis shoes behind him. He turned slightly toward her, reaching for something inside his jacket when Rei lowered her shoulder and barreled into him. His head snapped back and impacted the side of car with a low thud and he collapsed like a wet sack onto the ground. Rei felt her shoulder go numb from the impact of his head and stumbled forward, bouncing off the car herself and landing hard on the ground beside him.

"Ssss," she hissed, feeling her shoulder gingerly. It was sore but not dislocated. "That's gonna bruise." She looked down at the man sprawled out beside her and shook her head. He was far taller than she was and looked to be in his early forties with graying black hair. She searched through his jacket and found a phone a set of car keys and a deadly-looking gun. She took all three and began pressing the remote door lock button on the keychain. A moment later an expensive looking BMW beeped in response and Rei smiled before turning back to the man on the ground. "Now, let's you and me have a little talk, friend."

"Oh, good!" Rei said brightly as the man's eyes fluttered open. The man glanced around to find himself trussed up with duct tape like a chicken in the backseat of his own car. He looked up at Rei and shrugged, smiling.

"So you tied me up in my own car, how devious," he said simply.

"The Honda smells like crap so I took yours. Hope you don't mind," the man shrugged again noncommittally but remained silent. "What's your story, then? What were you doing under the car back there?"

"I was planting remote charges," the man replied.

"Huh?" Rei blinked at him.

"Which part of those five little words exceeded your knowledge, pet?" The man asked. "I was planting remote charges. I planted one charge on your brake line and one on your steering assembly. I activate them with a phone app while you're driving. The first takes out your steering, the second your brakes and then you crash and die."

"Wh-what?" Rei stared at him in horror.

"I'm already tired just from this small interaction," the man sighed, slumping back against the seat absently and adjusting his shoe with his tied hands. "You really are as stupid and tiresome as you look."

"That wasn't even my car," Rei said, trying to wrap her mind around what he was talking about.

"I know exactly who's car it was and who was driving that car," the man replied, his cold brown eyes not leaving her face.

"I don't understand," Rei shook her head.

"You're not very bright, are you?" He sneered. "Let me spell it out since, obviously, you need some help with the concept. I was hired to kill you and make it look like an accident."

"Why?" Rei demanded, shaking her head. The man chuckled once again and shrugged as well as he was able.

"Do you ask the delivery guy why he's got a package for you?" The man teased. "I don't concern myself with whys. There is only a job with instructions and a paycheck at the end. A man's got to eat, right?"

"Who hired you?" Rei demanded.

"Tch," the man sucked his teeth in disappointment. "That's no way to get the answers you want. Come on, pet, challenge yourself, here."

"I'm not your pet," Rei snapped.

"Of course you are," the man replied with another shrug. "We're all someone's pet."

"How very fatalistic of you," Rei rolled her eyes.

"Technically, it was metaphysical," the man said.

"I don't give a fuck what it was," Rei snapped irritably as the conversation seemed to be spiraling out of her control. "Why the hell were you trying to kill me?"

"Oh my fucking God," the man sighed dramatically. "We've been over this. I was trying to kill you because I was hired to. Come on, girl."

"Fine, I'll play your goddamn game," Rei snapped. "Do you know me?"

"Nope," the man replied.

"Do you know the owner of that car?"

"Nope," the man repeated.

"Do you know who hired you?" Rei asked.

"Nope."

"How long were you following me?"

"Since you left the house back there," the man said.

"Why didn't you just kill me before now with your things, there?" Rei asked.

"I had instructions to kill you on the highway on the way to Tokyo," the man replied.

"You knew I was going to Tokyo?" Rei asked haltingly. The man's lips curled into a smile and he nodded meaningfully. "The only person who…oh holy fuck."

"Apparently you know the person who hired me far better than I do," the man said.

"Amanda," Rei whispered to herself in horror. "But why would sh…Akari. Fucking shit. We're going to the police.

"Good," the man said, settling back on the seat. "I'll enjoy watching you go to jail for assault and wrongful imprisonment. You're going to have to drive, I'm just all tied up and can't manage it right now."

"I'll just tell them the truth," Rei snapped. "You were going to kill me."

"The police don't care about truth, they care about what you can prove and you can't prove anything. So I was going to kill you? With what? A cell phone?" The man chuckled.

"With those charges on the Honda!" Rei protested.

"Oh, the charges that look just like thick bits of tar?"

"Then with this gun!" Rei snapped, holding the gun up with a smug grin.

"The one with your fingerprints all over it?" The man sighed.

"Fuck," Rei scowled.

"Do you see the quandary we have?" the man responded. "This was far too complicated for my taste to begin with but it's less and less worth my while to continue this foolishness. So, since we seem to be at an impasse, here. I propose an arrangement. You let me leave the car and I let you have it to go do what you have to do."

"I keep the phone," Rei replied.

"I haven't sabotaged my own car," The man smirked.

"I bet you have evidence on this phone, though," Rei said, feigning cool detachment.

"You'll never get through the password," the man replied with a shrug. His eyes watched the gun barrel carefully. It barely moved at all. The girl was plainly tougher than he had given her credit for being. "But, fine, I'll even write the password down for you. I never should have taken a two part job as it was. It raises my profile too high."

"Hell no! You get out of the car with the tape on," Rei replied.

"Whatever, I don't care anymore at this point. There's a notepad and pen in the glove box," the man sighed in agitation. Rei reached unsteadily for the glove box and pulled the pad of paper and pen out.

"Ready?" The man asked. Rei nodded, trying to pay attention to both him and holding the pen at the same time. "It's rooDehTnOhtoB1912." Rei finished writing it down and then unsteadily tapped it into the phone. Sure enough the pass screen vanished and she stared at a Hello Kitty themed home screen. She glanced up at the man and cocked an eyebrow.

"I like Hello Kitty. So what?"

"What kind of stupid password is that?" Rei asked.

"Jack and Rose could have both fit on the door in Titanic, don't you think?" The man asked. Rei stared at him blankly. "Can I go now?"

"Fine, yes, go," Rei said, leaning back heavily. "Before you go…you said this was a two part job. Who is the second part?"

"You were the second part," the man grinned, manipulating the handle with his tied hands and rolling back and out of the car.