CLOAK AND DAGGER

Agnieska's point of view

The mansion was reserved for meetings and holiday celebrations, furnished with luxuries; it had spacious rooms and apartments for family members and visitors with a lush garden that was tended to by a live-in gardener named Theo, he had worked for my family even before I was born and was now considered a family member.

The house exuded grace and elegance, the pools, courts and lounge were masked with sophistication. The interior decoration and tapestries are modern and give an air of comfort. This finely furnished piece of art spoke and projected tranquility serving as home to the mafia lord, Ryuji, my father.

A long corridor designed with marble stones led to a dim lighted room which served as our meeting place. The ten men squad; men with power and authority in their different fields walked through this corridor discussing their families and laughing heartily. We got into the room and settled down around a table made of fine wood, decorated to perfection, and at the centre of the table was the katana, our symbol of authority. My father, his friend Asahi and two other members had originally formed and found this family that gave not just protection but brotherhood in the whole sense of the word. Our families were closely knitted, keeping and protecting each other's secrets. We each had a tattoo that showed not just membership but loyalty to the family.

The smoke from the thick wad of blunt filled the room as tension hung around us. The goal for the emergency meeting was to bring justice to a common enemy, one who sought to jeopardize our business, Victor Itsuki.

Our organization had been at enmity with his for a long time now but things completely went out of hand when he sent his goods into our own turf to be sold. This single act heightened the beef and almost took us to war. Then it was decided that an emergency meeting to discuss this should be fixed to get everyone's opinion and prevent rash actions.

We all settled in our seats, Ryūji cleared his throat and the room was filled with a dead silence; one that showed respect and obedience to the patriarch.

"I have called this quick meeting so we can agree on how to solve the plague at hand without it directly being traced back to us."

He said this going straight to the point as he does, he was never one to beat about the bush. The silence remained and he continued.

"Victor has been intruding and doing business on our territories, and it's best we nip him now to save ourselves"

He looked sternly around not focusing on anyone or anything in particular

"We must make this decision as quickly as possible and be precise about it, anyone with an alternate solution should let us know so we can proceed". He added this, somewhat impatient.

"I have had my men dig up dirt on him and with what they found, we can put him behind bars for years, afterall killing him might get messy and probably start a war we're not prepared for, we just need to get rid of him for a while, that way his organization is weakened and our business will thrive as usual." I suggested after a long silence

"We are always ready for war"

Ryūji bellowed and the room went silent for a minute. Everyone present knows better than to speak unnecessarily or say something out of place at this point.

"The child is right, brothers," said Asahi, "it won't do us any good to start a war now, we can regain our territories with Victor in jail and that works well".

I frowned at being called a child but I was equally glad someone saw my point and not just anyone but the only person who had somehow managed to change my father's mind on several occasions, even my mother; his wife never had this power over him. Their relationship often kept me wondering if there was more to them than the brotherhood, they sure were much closer to each other than with any other member of the gang. I really hoped Asahi's agreement would be able to convince my father once again to refrain from killing Victor and starting a war.

"We just gained territories in the southern part of the city, if we mess things up now, it will affect our distribution and we'll end up losing what we've worked for. Let's just take him out in a way that buys us time then end him at our convenience, that way we have him trapped". He added and this jerked me out of my thought

"How are we going to use this information you have, Agnieska?" Another member of the gang asked looking intently at me

"We know someone who will pull off the job perfectly, we just have to hand her the information and she'll take it from there," I said, hoping this will be enough to convince them and make them reach a conclusion fast.

"A she? Who brings a woman into such delicate discussions?" Roared Dom, a middle aged man whose voice always sounded coarse and he never believed women to be efficient enough for jobs outside their natural bearings. We once had discussed bringing a woman into our circle and he vehemently refused saying he would agree to it over his dead body.

"She's the best in the field and she's quite dedicated and will definitely put the information to good use, we just need to toss this on the law and let it play out, besides we won't be losing anything by this."

I had done a thorough research about this lady myself prior to this meeting and I found it worthwhile to bring her into the case, not just because she had a record for solving all the cases she was assigned to but chiefly because she had a personal experience with this sort of crime.

"And what if this woman and the law fails to do as we expect?" Dom inquired.

I rose to answer this, hoping to finally convince them if I show them what I know about the woman and how determined she was to investigate cases especially drug related crimes when Asahi nudged me to sit.

"Like he said, we won't be losing anything by this, let's take caution and act otherwise only when necessary. As much as we want to eliminate our enemy, we equally want to sustain relationships so our businesses can flourish as they usually do. If Agnieska says the woman is the best for the job, we should trust and let's see how it is handled."

A deep silence ensued, everyone thought deeply of what was said and at the end they all agreed that an enemy's head wasn't worth the countless deaths that would follow if they went to war.

After a few minutes, the members unanimously decide to play wisely instead of resolving to send their soldiers into a covert operation and the meeting ended with a traditional sake ceremony to symbolize unity and allegiance to the brotherhood.

Though he agreed with the rest of the gang, I could literally see the disgust on my father's face. He had always complained of the fact that the men were losing heart, becoming more like women by the day. He did not only believe in extending punishments and vengeance, I had always seen him give out grave punishments to the deserving: even on his own family whenever they disrespect his orders. He always gave his retributions severely, when due and at the right dosage, which was always a lot.

For a while they had considered themselves the law, maintaining order through war and bloodshed, now my father often complained that the men were gradually turning into cowards by their peace talks.

The men rose to go out to the garden for drinks and to discuss less serious matters and I joined them but stopped halfway when my Dad called out from the room and I stepped back in.

"Close the door." He bellowed and I knew he was not in agreement with the outcome of the meeting

"What on earth made you come up with such a stupid idea, did you really think this through?"

"It was the only way to solve the issue at hand amicably"

"Amicably? He scoffed, "and you think killing him and the members of his organization wouldn't serve the same purpose?"

"Sometimes, it's best to fight intelligently, killing everyone will only lead to the death of our people too."

"We have never been afraid to sacrifice a few for the growth of the organization. One must always be ready to make sacrifices when necessary."

"Even at the expense of family?"

"Family are those we decide to live with, a truly strong man should be able to let go of attachments when the need arises."

I watched quietly as he turned, looking out the window and I wondered if he truly meant what he said, if he would truly sacrifice his own if the need were to arise.

"I'll watch and wait to see how this little plan of yours unfolds and if it doesn't quench the issue at hand, I'll have to proceed with mine"

"And what's your plan?"

"We'll just have to wait for it". He said and walked out towards the garden