Shadowed , page 9
“I believe the money you’ve collected, plus the injuries he’s suffered, are sufficient to cover your costs.”
Dinks put a hand on my arm. “Wait a second, I want my money back!”
I kept my eyes on the gokudō boss.
“As I said, Gichi-san, you keep the money you collected, and my friend keeps his life, his family, and his business.” Dinks took the hint and kept his mouth closed. “Will this be acceptable?”
The nekomata made a show of considering the proposal. His tails were moving slower now.
“I see no profit in continuing our current course. I shall inform my organization of my desires.”
I gave Gichi a long, low bow. “Thank you for your generosity.”
“And now, if you don’t mind, I have some business to attend to.”
I didn’t let my guard down until Dinks and I were back in my Crown and well away from Smile Time. Dinks stared out the window. The sky had taken on a slate color as a precursor to sunrise. Dinks looked relieved, despite the yellowing bruises on his face. I was, too.
“You think we’re good?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think we’re good.”
“Well, do us all a favor and make sure that video’s safe.”
“There’s no video, Dinks,” I replied.
He turned his head fast enough that he yelped in pain. “What?”
“I needed to give Gichi a way to save face in front of his crew. But the threat of the video isn’t why we’re alive.”
“Then why are we still alive?”
“Because I showed Gichi the kind of person he was dealing with.”
“And what kind of person is that?”
The kind who doesn’t mind living in the grey spaces.
THE END
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The Little Yōkai series continues with Caged (available at Amazon and free to read with Kindle Unlimited).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Walker adamantly believes pizza is a food group, Han shot first, and Serenity is still flying somewhere out in the 'verse. Over the years, he's designed, crafted, and shared storytelling experiences across a variety of experiences, including collaborative world building, tabletop gaming, and live-action role-playing. While Scott's imagination takes him to lands of mystery and wonder, he always returns to his hometown of Los Angeles. At least, he's pretty sure it's Los Angeles.
Check out Scott’s other books, follow him online, or send him an email - he loves hearing from readers!
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https://scottiswriting.com
scott@scottiswriting.com
COPYRIGHT
Shadowed
© 2021 Scott Walker
scottiswriting.com
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
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All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
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Published by Firefly Tales, LLC
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Book Cover Design by MiblArt
Scott Walker, "Shadowed"
