My Yakuza, A.J. Llewellyn [best book clubs TXT] 📗

had so many things to say…so many things he wanted to do with Shiro. He wanted things to work…but could they?

These were tough decisions and ones that he had run out of time to work on. The trial began in two days, and he had to concentrate on that.

They fell asleep, Shiro atop Kono. It seemed as if seconds later his cell phone rang. It was Jerrell.

“Okay, here’s how we’re going to do this, Kono. A van will pick you and Shiro up at the house where you’re at. You’ll be transported into the city and down to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse where the trial is set to take place. You will change in the van and be dressed in SWAT gear, which will cover your face as well as put you in body armour. You’ll enter the courthouse with other SWAT officers and proceed to a holding room near the courtroom. There you’ll change into a suit, which will be waiting for you. You’ll exit the same way so that we can remove you from the scene safely. Sound okay so far?”

“Yeah, it does. What about Shiro?”

“Shiro will wait in the van with one officer. The windows will be blacked out so he’s safe inside the van. Once you’re settled into the conference room, we’ll move Shiro across the bridge and into Jersey where he’ll be put up at a safe house. Is that okay, Kono?”

“No. I don’t want him to be sent into Jersey where we have even less ability to protect him than we do in the city. I want him to remain with me, Loo, okay? And by the way, where am I going after testimony for the day is completed? They’ll know I’m alive and every Yak in the city will be gunning for me so I don’t show up for day two.”

“I think you’ll like this. We’re going to house you and I guess now, Shiro, on Fire Island for the duration of the trial. We have a detail of cops over there now setting things up. We’ve rented a house with a large wall all around it and we’re putting the access routes to the house under surveillance with SWAT teams. For anyone to get at you there going to have to get a boat to take them over and we’ll have police boats in the water as well.”

“Okay, I like that. Who came up with that idea?”

“I did, who else? You two be ready at five a.m. Monday morning for the pickup. You won’t be returning to that location so pack everything you’re bringing with you and have it ready. Oh, and there will be a ton of press at the courthouse because no one can figure out how the state is going to win without you there to testify.”

“Okay, we’ll be ready. Will you be at the courthouse?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I wanna see the look on Harada’s face when you walk into the courtroom.”

Me, too.

Kono hung up and told Shiro what the plans were.

“Fire Island? Wow, never would have guessed that in a million years but it makes sense since it’s not summer season yet and there’s only a small community of people there. Does this house have enough room for us and a bunch of cops?”

“I’m sure it does or they wouldn’t have rented it.”

* * * *

That Sunday night, Kono and Shiro made love as if they would never see each other again. It was a mixture of joy, passion and fear as they realised it might be the last time they made love…if something went horribly wrong.

Monday morning they were ready when a black SUV pulled into the driveway. SWAT members secured the perimeter while Kono and Shiro loaded what little luggage they had into it and climbed in together. They silently sped off towards Manhattan at a high rate of speed being careful to monitor the traffic around them. Kono changed into his SWAT gear and Shiro sank down into his seat in misery. He was worried about Kono’s safety far more than his own. He had come to realise that he had fallen in love with Kono and that his world was beginning to revolve around the man. Shiro considered the possibility to moving to New York even as that idea added to his stress.

Within an hour they were in the city, and in another twenty minutes they were pulling up to a side entrance of the courthouse that was secure. Doors slid open and more than a half a dozen SWAT officers swarmed out and entered the courthouse. They were exposed to the public no more than five seconds. Other officers were inside waiting for them and had an elevator being held, and as soon as everyone entered, they travelled to the criminal courtroom floor and headed into a secured conference room. No one was even in the courthouse yet with the exception of security, police and some law clerks. The general public would not be admitted until seven thirty.

One of the three vans then departed from Manhattan and headed to Sayville to catch the Ferry across to Cherry Grove Fire Island. They decided to use the ferry instead of a chopper, which would have drawn more attention to who was going to the island. Once Shiro and his escort were safely on board and departed the dock, Kono was notified that they were en route to the safe house.

Kono changed out of his uniform and into a suit. The District Attorney, Ken Saunders, who was handling the case, himself, came in to go over Kono’s testimony. He seemed very tense. This was a big, juicy case that could make or break the guy’s political career.

“More than likely, I’ll be able to call you around ten o’clock. I had to let the other side know you were giving testimony, since I can’t by law spring a surprise witness on them. I had papers delivered to him last night. Haven’t had