Just because Jin was dead, didn’t mean his business with the detectives was over. There needed to be a careful examination of the body. The reports from Aiko and the team confirmed that it was indeed Jin who they had fought and who had died that night, but doing things by the books meant providing the proper evidence. The death of the One of the biggest crime lords in the city needed to be carefully documented. Any evidence on his person could be used to further investigate the Black Diamond and lead to more justice for the city.

  Emi was present for the examination along with the coroner. While it was not her specialty to participate in these kinds of examinations, she had a keen eye when it came to evidence and clues.

  It wasn’t long before they found little bits of evidence. The dirt on his shoes revealed that he’d been somewhere with red clay, narrowing down locations for potential Black Diamond hideouts. The material underneath his fingernails didn’t have much to show and neither did a hair follicle test. No drugs or substances were detected in his system or on his person. Emi found herself searching for an answer. Why did you jump off that roof? Why did you kill yourself after all you’d been through? There’s no way you would have just gone out without one last fight.

  Upon further examination of Jin’s corpse, an envelope was found in the inside of his coat pocket. Emi slowly pulled it out, her gloved hands careful not to tear it. There were several pages of what seemed to be a letter. She opened up the first page and started to read. Her eyes opened with sudden interest.

  As she read, she found herself truly captivated. It answered every question she had. It was the key to it all. “I’ve got to get this letter to him,” she said.

  MC had been in a bit of a funk since Jin’s death. He was having a hard time figuring out what to do with himself now that his biggest motivator in life had been essentially conquered. He’d moved back into the clubhouse after apologizing to both GM and Sora. After a stern lecture from GM a never ending nagging session from Sora, all was right again. It was like he’d never left.

  MC and Aiko spent time together when she was free from detective duties, but MC was abnormally quiet. Aiko had expected him to be cheerful after finally ridding the world of that wretched man, but he wasn’t.

  Aiko poured them both a glass of tea and came to sit next to MC on the couch in her apartment. “MC, have you been alright? You’ve been a bit quiet and I’m a little worried.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  “Oh please, don’t give me that. I know something has been on your mind. You can tell me,” she said with a reassuring smile.

  MC sighed. “You’re right. I don’t feel how I thought I would. I feel almost sort of empty. Jin dying didn’t fix my mother’s condition and of course I knew it wouldn’t. It didn’t bring my dad back from the dead either. I thought I’d be able to accept the reality of it. The Black Diamond is still out there. Jin wasn’t the only person who was pulling strings. There’s still senseless violence and more going on. I almost feel obligated to continue fighting the Black Diamond.”

  “You never made anyone choose to join the Black Diamond or to commit senseless violence and crime. Don’t you think you should live a normal life now? Leave all that crime fighting stuff to us detectives and the police. You’ve accomplished a lot.”

  “But I know I can do more. I’ve worked so hard to become this strong. I’d feel guilty knowing that the Black Diamond is still out there when I could easily keep fighting against them. I know it’s not my battle to fight, but I want to help the people of this city.” MC stood up. “Sorry Aiko, but I think I need to go and be alone with my thoughts for a while.”

  “This is a big change for you. I’ll be here when you’ve got your head sorted out.” She stood up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left.

  On the third day after Jin’s death, MC received a call from Emi asking him to come into the office to discuss some closing matters. He waltzed into the detective office and headed up the stairs. Upon reaching the top he saw that the office was empty aside from Emi sitting at her computer station. She looked up as he came into view at the top of the stairs.

  “You wanted to see me?” he asked.

  “Yes. I have something for you. It’s a bit of a private matter, so I arranged for just us to be here today.”

  “Uh huh. So what is it?”

  “I think you’d better read this,” she said, getting up holding the folded pages of the letter found on Jin’s person.

  “What’s this?”

  “It was found in Jin’s jacket pocket while performing the autopsy.”

  “He wrote this?”

  “Yes, we confirmed his handwriting to previous evidence we’d collected. It has his fingerprints all over the pages as well. There’s no doubt.”

  “And why do you want me to read this? Jin is dead. I don't have a care about him anymore,” he said, raising his voice in frustration.

  “Awful strong words for someone who apparently doesn’t care. Listen, I know you’ve been a little off since that night. You feel robbed. You spent years trying to kill that man and then he goes and does the job himself.”

  MC clenched his fists and began to boil for a moment before releasing the tension with a sigh. “I’ll never forgive him. I still feel like I’m stuck. Like I can’t move on. His death didn’t change much. I still feel like the helpless kid who couldn’t do anything while the city continues to spin out of control.”

  “I know, but trust me. This is likely to clear some things up.”

  “Alright, just give me the damn papers already.”

  “Here you are,” said Emi as she passed him the letter. “I’ll give you some time to yourself. I’ll be downstairs in the break room if you need me.”

  Jin’s Letter:

  My son,

  If you are reading this letter, then I am surely dead. It probably doesn’t mean much, but I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I’ve been very selfish and I don’t expect you to forgive me even in my death. The life you’ve lived has been anything but an easy one. This letter is to be an explanation so that you may understand why these events have transpired. Let me start with the beginning:

  The smell of hot dogs and burgers grilling on a charcoal barbecue filled Jin’s nostrils as he walked around the house to the propped open side gate. As he rounded the corner into the backyard, he realized there were more people than he’d expected to see. Kids ran and jumped into the pool causing an overflowing splash. Upbeat music played over a speaker system as people stood around and chatted. Beers were abundant and from the look of things that delicious smelling barbecued meat was about to be ready to eat.

  Jin made his way through the backyard and greeted William who was flipping burgers on the grill.

  “Hey, new guy. Glad you could make it,” said William. Jin handed him a bowl filled with salad and took in his features as he did. He noticed William’s trendy sunglasses and colorful swim shorts. His physique showed that he spent a lot of time training.

  “Of course. I figure coming to something like this would help me get to know some more people from work.”

  “We’re glad to have you here. Feel free to make yourself at home. Jump in the pool if you wanna cool off.”

  “Thanks, “ Jin chuckled. He noticed Gil standing against the tall wooden fence to the side drinking a glass of wine by himself. He grabbed a beer from an open cooler and went over to converse with him.

  Gil saw him coming and greeted him with a handshake. “So are you getting to know everyone at The Organization yet?” asked Gil.

  “So far I haven’t met any other team leaders except for you. I only know a handful of other members.”

  “Yeah, that’s one of the perks of being out in the field. Wouldn't want to be stuffed into an office all day having to do all that name learning and small talk bullshit.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. So far my experience on the squad tells me it’s a lot more exciting than that to say the least.”

  “I know I’m your team leader, but we haven’t really got to talk much about things other than regular daily business. What do you think about the pay so far?”

  “Man, I’ve never seen so much money in my life. I already went and bought a brand new convertible,” Jin said with a smile. “Pay is way better than what I was doing before. Casino security guard and construction jobs were so boring and obviously way less pay.”

  Gil laughed. “I bet. Welcome to the good life. It might seem easy for now, but I’m sure you’ll find your own challenges soon enough.” He lowered his voice a little, “We’re in relatively peaceful times with the Black Diamond and the cops staying off our asses for now, but who knows how long that’ll last. Let’s just enjoy ourselves for the night.”

  “I’ll drink to that!” Jin said as he held his can up towards Gil and took a swig.

  “So where’s your family? You didn’t bring them out?”

  “Oh nah I don't have a family or anything like that.”

  “Yeah, I suppose most in this business don’t. Shame though, you’re a good looking guy. All the training keeps you ripped too. Chicks love that! William over there has been married about a year. He’s bound to have kids soon. Married the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen too. Lucky bastard,” he chuckled. “Look, there she is now.”

  Jin turned his head to look towards the house. The sliding glass door closed behind the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. Her long dark hair flowed out behind as she walked. Her eyes shone bright blue in the sunlight and contrasted her red dress. Gil went on to say something else to him, but he was so captured by her beauty he couldn’t hear a thing. Gil noticed and gave him a nudge. “Hey, wake up, newbie. Quit staring at Julianna.”

  Jin came to his senses. “Oh shit, was I really staring?”

  “Well yeah, you and just about every other guy here. Don’t be getting any funny ideas. William’s a nice guy, but don't forget who he is. Piss him off and he could kill you or anyone else for that matter, quite easily. That’s the way it is with a lot of the guys around The Organization.”

  “Yikes, don’t remind me.” He regained his composure and remembered how serious this business could be. “I’m still having flashbacks to the psycho that merc’d his own team leader last month.”

  “Oh, The Vampire? Yeah, he’s a loose cannon. Wonder how long he’ll be around The Organization for. He seems to like the job a little too much. I heard that after he did that, they sent a ten person squad to eliminate him and nobody came back alive. He might just be unstoppable. At least he still follows orders from the leader… some of the time.”

  Jin began to sweat at the thought of going up against a guy like that. After all, he was an imposter. He’d been leaking little bits of information to the Black Diamond higher ups since he was recruited to The Organization. Originally he was a member of the Black Diamond. Like The Organization, the Black Diamond attracted and recruited people who lived on the edge of the law. He would have joined either side, but the Black Diamond just happened to make him an offer first. Currently, he was being paid by both groups and raking in more money than he could spend, but it wasn’t without risks. If he were to be found out he would almost certainly die a horrific death. To him, it was worth the risks. He’d grown up poor and got into more than his fair share of fights as a youth. It taught him to be tough. It taught him shallow things like how power and money were the most important things in life. If he stayed in The Organization and leaked information for the next ten or fifteen years he’d have enough money to lavishly retire anywhere on the planet. That’s all he wanted. To leave this shit hole city behind and live the way he wanted.

  For the time being, Jin enjoyed himself at the barbecue. After several beers Gil began to rag on about the days when he’d just joined The Organization. The “glory days” he called them. He talked about how he’d joined a few years before William and worked his way up to being a squad leader after his own leader retired from The Organization. Long before The Vampire joined and even longer before the so called peaceful times that they were currently experiencing.

  Day turned to evening and evening turned to night. People began to head out, which was Jin’s cue to leave as well. He tried to leave about half a dozen times before Gil finally wrapped up his stories. By this time it was only him and Gil remaining in the backyard as William and Julianna started to put chairs away and clean up the foods and drinks. He bid farewell to Gil who was at this point “resting his eyes” in a reclining lawn chair. Then, he went to say goodbye to William and Julianna. He felt a little nervous just to walk over near Julianna. She had such an aura about her.

  He approached them as they were cleaning up paper plates and condiments next to the grill. “Thanks for having me over,” Jin said.

  “Thanks for coming and keeping Gil entertained,” William joked with a smile. They briefly shook hands before William turned and took a tray inside.

  “Thank you for your company, Jin,” said Julianna. She smiled with perfect white teeth behind pink lipgloss. Her voice smelled like alcohol and perfume. She stepped a little too close for comfort. “It’s always nice to meet William’s work buddies.”

  “It was great to meet you too. I appreciate you guys hosting this event.” He held out his hand to shake hers. She grabbed his hand and shook it lightly. Jin noticed her silky smooth skin. She was like the girl of his dreams. William was truly a lucky man.

  Things were going well for Jin and his team. They met up and had regular barbecues and hangouts. They worked closely together and bonded over their battles.

  Jin continued to leak bits of information to the Black Diamond. He never deemed it as anything very useful. It was mostly drug trade routes and suppliers or contacts for getting weapon shippments from overseas. He guessed that the Black Diamond used the information to poach suppliers and skim deals under The Organization.

  He started to enjoy the company of William and Gil. They started a regular schedule of playing cards on Saturday nights and frequenting a taco truck on Tuesdays. All was good. That was until William disappeared after being sent on a solo mission. This was the beginning of the end of their team.

  After William was gone for almost a month, Julianna was in shambles. She didn’t know what to do with her life. As a stay at home wife she didn’t need to work. William made plenty of money. All she did each day was wallow in sadness. She started drinking a lot. She was slurring her words by lunchtime most days. Her family would call to check on her and it would usually end in near-incoherent shouting. Dishes piled up and dust collected on the shelves. She hardly even bothered to turn on any lights in the house.

  Jin continued to meet in secret with the Black Diamond just often enough to avoid becoming suspicious. He asked about William, but the higher ups avoided it, deeming it a waste of time to talk about. Jin wasn’t even sure if William had been caught or killed by the Black Diamond or not. For all he knew he was dead in a ditch somewhere.

  Gil had been over to visit Julianna at least a few times each week. He’d brought gifts and such, but nothing could come close to make up for her loss.

  One day, Gil called Jin in for a meeting. He was in a somber mood and spoke with a quiet slowness. “It really is a risk that you take in this kind of business. You’ll have power and money, but risk it all on each mission. You know that each time you go out, you might not make it back alive. William was a very capable man. I wouldn’t have sent him on any mission that I didn’t think he could complete. As you know, his wife isn’t handling this very well. Go and check-in on her. Bring her a basket of some fresh fruit or something. Just no alcohol, she’s going off the rails with that stuff.”

  He didn’t know her well but felt he owed at least that much to William who everyone assumed was likely dead at this point. He gripped a basket loaded with expensive fruits and other small gifts as he rang the doorbell. He waited a minute. It was still early. “She might still be sleeping,” he thought to himself. He was about to turn and leave when he heard footsteps inside. The door opened a crack and Julianna peeked through. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her hair was a bit of a mess. She was wearing a robe with a nightgown spilling out from it.

  “Oh, Jin. What are you doing here?”

  Jin held up the basket of gifts. “I’ve come with a gift. I… uh… I’m not really good at this kind of stuff, but Gil said you would appreciate it. I wanted to show my support for… what’s been going on.”

  “Oh, yes. Thank you.” She opened the door. Come on in. I was just brewing some coffee. Jin hesitated, but decided it wouldn’t hurt to come in for a quick cup. She seemed like she could use the company.

  He sat down on the couch and before he knew it, Julianna was on top of him with her robe thrown onto the floor.

  “J-Julianna what are you doing?” he stammered.

  “Please. I need this,” she said, looking down and blushing, her hair covering her face.

  “No this isn’t right, Julianna,” he said. He considered everything he’d worked for over the last few months. His undercover position and upcoming retirement on the beach. Surely he would eventually find a beauty such as her for his own one day. This was not the time. He grabbed her by the shoulders and attempted to push her off of him. She grabbed his face and kissed him. His thoughts weren’t strong enough to pull him away. This is fine, right? Her husband is gone and he isn’t coming back, right? He’s dead. He convinced himself. At that point it was all over. There was no turning back.

  He left her house feeling both triumphant and shameful. He’d just slept with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He had thoughts of even making her his own. On the other hand, what if William did come back. At this point there was no chance. He’d been gone for over a month.

  The very next day, William returned. The Organization declared him a hero. In his escape it was confirmed that he’d killed four Black Diamond members with his bare hands and several more after taking a gun off one of their bodies. He told his tale only to Gil for he did not wish to repeat it. He was extremely underweight. It was easy to see he’d been through horrific torture and living conditions. To everyone’s surprise, he was not a broken man. He’d stayed very mentally strong. His training in The Organization had prepared him for times like these. William admitted to Gil that he let secrets of The Organization slip. Gil didn’t blame him. Gil was prepared for things like these anyway and did not often tell many secrets to the team members that would have detrimental effects if heard by the enemy.

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  When William made it home to his wife she was shocked. She had written him off as a dead man. She cried with both joy and guilt upon his return.

  Jin’s bubble burst. His short-lived daydreams of marrying Julianna were crushed. To his knowledge, she never intended to marry him anyway. She just needed someone to comfort her and it just happened to be him. He began to feel increasingly guilty.

  After a while, William was back to his old self and ready to take on missions again. Gil called a meeting with the team. William was used to hosting so they decided to meet at his house.

  Jin was a nervous wreck. He wasn’t sure if Julianna had told William about what they had done or not. For all he knew he was walking into a death trap. Would William be mad? Of course he would be. Should I just come clean right off the bat and tell him what happened? His thoughts screamed with anxiety.

  Gil and Jin arrived and sat in the backyard around a glass table topped with an umbrella.

  “Have a seat, guys. Julianna is going to bring us out some fresh lemonade,” William said happily.

  “So, William, you think you’re ready to take on missions again?” asked Gil.

  “Absolutely. In fact I have more drive to do missions than I ever did before. I’m going to make the Black Diamond pay for what they did to me. I’ll kill every one of them myself if I have to.”

  Jin was frozen with fear. He watched William speak with such fire in his eyes. There was no way he could let William find out what happened between him and Julianna.

  “On top of that, I also have some good news,” declared William. “I’m going to be a father. Julianna is pregnant.”

  Jin just about passed out.

  “Congratulations!” Gil exclaimed.

  Jin managed to mumble, “Congratulations,” although nowhere near Gil’s level of enthusiasm. He felt himself going pale and beginning to sweat. His thoughts instantly tried to convince himself that William was undoubtedly the father. It was quite possible. It was actually most likely, however there was a chance that it was him.

  Just then, Julianna came out the sliding glass door with a pitcher of lemonade and a stack of cups.

  “We just heard the great news that you’re expecting!” said Gil. “Congratulations!”

  “Thank you,” she said with a gentle smile.

  Jin was Silent. His eyes were fixed on her stomach. It did not show any signs of pregnancy, but he knew that inside a baby was growing. Jin took a deep breath and pulled himself together as much as he could.

  “Yes, congratulations,” he said. He continued to stare at Julianna as she poured them all glasses of lemonade. She didn’t even look at him.

  William told Gil and Jin about his plans for taking out the Black Diamond. He was motivated to get his revenge. Despite all he went through he was still William. He managed to keep his sanity and was more determined than ever. He gave this credit to his daring escape. He’d had the plan during the entire time of his capture, but had to wait for the right moment to strike. It was all or nothing. His patience ended up paying off. If it hadn’t he wouldn’t have been able to sit here with them today.

  In a way, Jin was thankful that William was able to escape. He didn’t hate him, and he’d been quite nice to him since they’d started working together. They’d even become something like close friends, but those feelings just added to his stress. He and Julianna had betrayed William.

  As William continued to describe his hardships and plans, Jin knew he had to make an excuse to talk to Julianna. He got up and stated he was going in to use the restroom. He opened the sliding glass door and entered the house. An uncomfortable feeling washed over him. He started down the hall looking for the bathroom, hoping to see Julianna on the way. Just then, she came out of a side room and walked up next to him. Her head was low. She paused for a moment and said, “What happened was a mistake. I thought my husband was dead. Just forget it ever happened. This secret has to stay between us.” She strode away like nothing happened.

  “Wait, Julianna,” Jin said. She paused, hesitantly. “What if I’m the father?”

  She turned and walked up to him and put her hand on his face. She looked him in the eyes. A quick pain struck him as she plucked a single hair from his head.

  “I’ll contact you,” she said.

  Seven months later, Julianna had her baby. She decided to name him MC which William happily agreed on. They were both thrilled to finally see their child after nine long months of waiting.

  A few months later, Jin received a letter in the mail. It didn’t have a return address on it, but he had a pretty good feeling he knew who it was from. Julianna. He stood in his kitchen leaning against the countertop as he gently ripped it open. It was short and to the point. A single piece of paper written on with black ink. It said exactly what he’d feared. “You are the father.”

  For the next few years Jin held on to his secret and his guilt. He continued working with William and the team as well as leaking information to the Black Diamond. Eventually, they received a new recruit on their team at The Organization. He was a young man named GM. He was rough and from the poor side of town. Similar to where he’d come from. To celebrate the new member, Gil asked them to all get together at a restaurant called Big Ramen.

  Gil, William, Jin, and GM grabbed a table and sat down for a meal. “So everyone, this is GM. He’s the new recruit on the team as of today. Go ahead and introduce yourself.”

  GM rolled up the sleeves of his sweater and began to tell the crew about himself. “As you know, the name’s GM. I’ve been in more fights than I can count on my hands and toes. I thought it would be good to put my experience to work here with The Organization. Also, I ended up getting fired from my fast food job because I had relationships with almost all the girls I worked with. I can’t help myself,” he shrugged. I told Gil that I’m up for anything. If someone needs roughed up, I’m your guy,” he said enthusiastically.

  “He’s certainly spunky,” Jin thought. “Aren’t you a little afraid of a business like this? Sure we do our fair share of roughing people up, but you could actually die. These aren’t like your little street fights. These people are professional criminals that we’re up against. Not to mention those annoying detectives.”

  “As long as I can make enough money to drink and take out some ladies, I’ll be happy.”

  “Are you even old enough to drink?” asked William.

  “Depends what country I’m in,” GM answered slyly.

  “Oh for god’s sake. Gil, you think this guy is gonna work out?” complained William.

  “Either he does or he doesn’t. It’s up to him,” said Gil.

  William was frustrated, but he knew Gil was right. If GM couldn’t keep up he’d either die or run off before too long.

  Over time, GM proved his worth. He grew close to the team. Willaim and Jin both grew to appreciate him, despite his flaws and quirky habits.

  During this time, Jin continued to meet with the Black Diamond higher ups every so often in order to relay information to them. Most of the information he delivered was trivial. After all, he was just a member of the team. He wasn’t even a leader of a team. He was never really told much of the important information. Aside from information leaks, he was sometimes sent on kill missions. Working with The Organization had given him a particular set of skills that others lacked. He could kill discreetly and efficiently. At this point he’d killed more than a few handfuls of people. Mostly for The Organization, but sometimes for the Black Diamond as well. When he did these missions, he had to be careful. If Gil or any of his teammates found out what he was doing, he’d be a dead man. They grew close as team and were even friends. This drove the guilt inside Jin to even higher levels. Some days he even felt like he was drowning. Living a double life and keeping big secrets from his friends constantly drained him.

  Jin stood in the bathroom at William’s house one evening. He’d been invited over for dinner. He noticed the wrinkles beginning to form on his pale face. The dark bags under his eyes. He thought about the fact that he’d been with The Organization for almost fourteen years. A few more years and he’d be at the average retirement age for this type of business. He reflected on his plans that he’d had long ago. The plans to save up and move far away to a sunny beach. It had been so long. The things he’d done. The secrets he’d held weighed his body down. He thought about William and how they had become close friends out of necessity, but it was more than that. He genuinely enjoyed working with and being close with William. This caused even further turmoil in his thoughts. He loved William’s wife and let him go on believing he was MC’s father. Even after all of these, years Jin still marveled at Julianna’s beauty. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted to be with her.

  Whenever he asked himself why he continued to work in the two grouos, the answer was clear and easy. He wanted to be around for his son, his friend, and the woman he secretly loved. It was just one more secret to the many he carried.

  Despite not being able to be there as a father for MC, he was able to remain quite close. He went to every one of MC’s birthdays and spent time over at William and Julianna’s house all the time.

  Jin splashed water on his face and came back to reality. He walked out of the bathroom and back into the dining room. MC was sitting on the couch a room over playing a video game while Willaim and Julianna sat at the table finishing their meals.

  “Let me get some of those plates out of the way,” said Jin.

  “Sure, thanks,” said William.

  Jin grabbed MC’s dishes and whatever else was no longer in use on the table.

  “Man, I still can’t believe what happened last month,” said William.

  “You’re still hyping that up, huh?” said Jin.

  “You bet I am. That’s one less higher up from the Black Diamond that we have to deal with. That old yakuza prick had been around far too long.”

  “Honey! I’ve told you no talking about work at home. MC is right there in the other room.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot sorry. I just get so excited thinking about it. I’m one of the only people to ever… remove… a higher up from the B.D.”

  “That stupid code talk isn’t going to fly, mister. New subject,” said Julianna.

  Jin felt his stomach sink. It was because of this that he’d been given a certain order.

  A few days earlier Jin was summoned to meet with the two new higher ups in the Black Diamond. It was shortly after Willaim had killed the third higher up who was their fatherr. They were furious. Even in that dark room, Jin could imagine their facial expressions. Their voices were raised as they spoke. The first one said, “Jin, kill William.”

  “What? You can’t be serious. I’ve been working with him for over a decade now. All the work I’ve done to keep my secret position would be thrown away.”

  The second higher up chimed in, “You’ve played your little double income game long enough. It’s time for you to come serve only the Black Diamond.”

  “I want to keep working with the Black Diamond and The Organization.”

  “This is not a decision that we are going to consider. Either kill William or we are going to consider you a traitor. You’ve become too close with the enemy.”

  “But, there’s more to consider. This is a rash decision,” said Jin.

  “Enough. If you don’t do this we will label you as a traitor and order you and him both killed. If you’re not going to do it we will send others,” said the first higher up.

  “We might even kill his whole family,” threatened the second higher up.

  That’s where Jin felt himself snap. He clenched his fists with rage. He thought about killing both of the higher ups right then and there, but knew that they were higher ups for a reason. With two against one he’d be dead before he could get a shot off or a punch thrown.

  He tried to think through the scenario. He thought about all the ways that he would kill any other hit man that they sent after William and his family. He was plenty stronger than the average member, but knew that he couldn’t keep up against the entire Black Diamond organization even if he had support from his team. They were likely to turn this into an all out war. After all, they had replaced their father that William killed.

  Dinner had finished and MC was put to bed. Jin, William, and Julianna sat in the living room simply talking about nothing and everything. William had lit one of his expensive cigars that night. He topped off his cup with light brown alcohol and leaned back on the couch, exhaling smoke before taking a sip.

  “So Jin, what is it?” asked Willaim, setting his cigar in an ashtray on the glass coffee table.

  “What do you mean?” said Jin.

  “Something’s been off, Jin. Come on, you think that after this long I can’t tell?” Jin’s face went grave. “That bad huh?”

  Julianna began to feel a little uncomfortable. She leaned back and took a sip of her red wine.

  Jin looked at the ground for what seemed like several minutes. His breathing was rapid. He heard his heart beating loud in his ears.

  “William, there isn’t really an easy way to tell you, but I have to say this to you.” William became much more intrigued. “I’m not sure how to say it so I’m just going to say it. You aren’t MC’s father. I am.”

  Julianna spit out a mouth full of wine.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” said Willaim. “Is this some sort of weird joke? If it is, it’s not very funny.” He looked over at Julianna’s pale face. He could tell by Julianna’s reaction that this was more than just a joke. “This is coming out of nowhere.” He raised his voice. “What’s the meaning of this? Julianna is this true?”

  She nodded, wiping tears from her face.

  Jin explained how the events occurred leading up to Julianna’s pregnancy. He described his guilt and feelings of regret.

  William’s face twisted with rage as tears streamed down Julianna’s.

  “Why did you do this, Jin?” Julianna yelled. “What’s wrong with you?”

  Jin couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He just stared at the floor.

  William stood up and punched Jin in the face. His neck bent sideways and he fell to the floor. “You bastard! You were my friend! How could you do this?”

  Jin stood up. His nose was broken and already streaming blood down his chin. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Sorry? Sorry doesn’t fix this!”

  Julianna stood up. “Willaim, stop this, MC is asleep upstairs,” but William had already snapped. He grabbed Jin by his shirt collar and punched him in the face again. His body slammed into the top of the glass table, shattering it. Alcohol stained the carpet and the smoldering cigar rolled across the ground, igniting it into a small flame. Blinded by rage, Willaim didn’t seem to notice. He got on top of Jin and punched him again and again. Blood sprayed up onto William’s face and coated the carpet.

  “Stop it! Stop it!” Julianna screamed. Jin didn’t resist. He knew he deserved it he was ready to die for his sins. It was funny how no one else seemed to notice it. How William had changed after being captured and tortured by the Black Diamond all those years ago. It was not often and it was very subtle, but Jin had seen it several times. William would sometimes be triggered into a state where he didn’t notice what was going on around him. He turned into a blind fury of rage and that’s what was happening that night.

  Jin had thought about what the Black Diamond wanted. They had told him to kill William or they would be killed. He knew that he could never kill the man who was one of his best friends. The man who he’d lied to all these years. He felt that he owed him his life and that is what he planned to give to him.

  A fire was beginning to spread on the carpet. Julianna grabbed a throw blanket from across the room and began to swipe it at the base of the flames. It only seemed to make the fire spread.

  Jin could see the flames growing out of control, but William still didn’t seem to notice at all. Even while facing his forced suicide, he thought of Julianna and MC. He didn’t want their house to burn to the ground or for them to be harmed or even killed by the fire.

  “Willaim, stop.” Muttered Jin. “Fire.”

  William didn’t stop. He kept wailing on Jin. He was completely out of control and unable to stop himself. The fire had engulfed almost half the room at this point. Julianna ran over and attempted to pull William off of Jin. “We need to get out of the house. Now!” she screamed.

  William still didn’t stop. He seemed almost determined to stay until the house burned to the ground. Julianna pulled on William some more. He pushed her away and she fell backwards. Her head hit the ground with a thump and she laid there, unmoving.

  “How did it come to this?” Jin thought to himself. “I have no other choice. I have to get up. I have to get Julianna and MC out of here. I came here expecting to die, but I can’t let Julianna and MC suffer because of me.” Jin grabbed William’s bloody fists and wrestled with him. They rolled over the glass from the shattered table, shredding their backs. “William! Stop!” Jin yelled. William got back on top of him again.

  His words had fallen on deaf ears. William couldn’t stop. He was completely out of control. Jin threw a punch. It connected hard against Willaim’s jaw, knocking his body sideways onto the floor, giving him a chance to get up. His face was a bloody mess. He wiped his eyes so he could see and spit pools of blood onto the floor. Willaim got up and came towards him. They exchanged punches. Jin aimed for the top of William’s jaw where he would be able to knock him unconscious. He felt strength leaving him. His body was trying to give out on him. He knew if this didn’t end quickly, it was going to turn out bad. William threw a punch, hitting Jin in The stomach. Jin let it hit with full force. It gave him the opportunity to strike back with the most precision. His knuckle connected with the top of William’s jaw, instantly knocking him unconscious. His body crumpled to the floor. Jin stood above him for a moment. The sound of the fire crackled all around him. The impact of what he’d just said and done started to sink in, but it didn't matter. He knew he still had to move.

  He ran over to Julianna where she laid on the ground, picked her up, and sprinted to the front door. Struggling to grip the handle with the blood on his hands and holding Julianna slowed him down. He stepped back and kicked the door off the hinges. After finally getting out of the house, he laid her body carefully down on the front lawn.

  He ran back into the house to get MC and William out. He could feel the heat from the fire as soon as he stepped in the door. Not far in front of him was MC standing in the hall. He was looking into the living room where Willaim laid on the ground. There were no tears, just a look of horror and disbelief. MC turned and looked at Jin. There was fear in his eyes. “MC, we need to get you out of here.” MC barely recognized him with his face being a mess like it was.

  “Jin, what did you do?” Jin!” said MC. “I heard you and dad fighting! You hurt my dad!”

  Jin felt the shock of how the scene must have looked to a child. He was the bad guy, the villain. The heat was growing at an exponential rate. MC backed away from the living room, covering his face. “Let’s get you outside,” said Jin as he went up and grabbed MC.

  MC screamed and kicked at him. “My dad is in there! I want my dad!”

  Jin took him outside next to his mother and set him in the grass. “Stay here with your mother. She needs you right now.”

  Jin headed back into the house to get William out. He ran down the hall. Smoke was thick and flames seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Jin stopped at the living room door. He looked and saw William’s clothes were starting to catch on fire. It was a miracle that he wasn't already dead. He went over and patted the flames down until they went away. He could feel his own clothes and hair getting singed by the heat. He slung William over his shoulder and started to carry him out. Just then, the frame of the door collapsed, completely blocking the path to the front door. Jin thought about what to do for a second then decided, “I’m going to throw him out the window. We’ve got to make it out of here. The ceiling was cracking. All at once, it caved in. A thick wooden beam came down on him and Willaim pushing them to the floor. His head was spinning from the lack of oxygen. Each breath was hot and thick. He grabbed the beam and lifted it off of them. That’s when he saw it. A broken beam of wood had gone right through William’s chest. “Willaim!” Jin yelled. He was horrified at the amount of blood pouring out of his friend’s body. He knew there was no saving him. “No no no!” Jin grabbed William’s face and put his next to it. He cried tears that were instantly turned to steam by the furious heat.

  For a moment he considered just remaining in the fire and dying along with William. After all, he had planned on dying tonight anyway. It wouldn’t be the worst way to go either. He was tired. So tired.

  That’s when he heard a scream from outside. “Dad!” MC belted.

  On his knees next to William’s dead body was where he snapped. All he knew was that he was going to get back at the Black Diamond. He was going to make them pay.

  He had to get out of the house. He ran to the nearest window and jumped right through it. Shards of glass flew everywhere and cut him deep. His entire body was covered in wounds at this point. When he got to the front yard, Julianna was awake. MC hugged her tightly and held her in a sitting position.

  Jin walked up to them, looking a complete mess. “I’m sorry,” Jin said.

  Julianna said nothing. She just looked at him with wide horrified eyes. MC cried and hugged his mother. They watched their house turn to ashes as Jin walked away into the night.

  Now that you know the truth, I am sure you will turn your efforts to eliminating the twins: Kuro and Shiro. A team including you, Emi, Aiko, GM, Sora, and The Vampire has been constructed by me. When your father died, I didn't know what to do, but after careful consideration I came up with the perfect plan. I knew that I was strong. I could take on anyone in The Organization or the Black Diamond in a one on one fight and had a good chance of being the victor. The problem was that the twins never left each other's side. On top of that they were both a pretty even match for myself. I knew that if they were ever to be stopped, a proper team would need to be assembled.

  My first step in this plan was to patiently wait and keep watch over you. I knew that your hatred would grow over time and you would do whatever it took to come after me and that you couldn’t do it on your own. When you joined The Organization, my plan was officially in motion. You started to become strong and became close with GM, who had considerable strength on his own, but it wasn’t going to be enough. When I first faced you on the ship in the harbor you were still weak. In that state you would never be able to beat me or the twins even with the help of GM. That’s when I expanded my efforts.

  This is the most regrettable part of my plan, but it had to be done. The Organization needed to align with the detectives. My first step for this was setting up the date between Aiko and Chad. I made sure they would be at that nightclub the same night you were. Chad was working under me and I told him to provoke you into beating him up for which I agreed to pay him handsomely. I’d like to add that I was never a fan of the guy. He deserved every bit of that concussion he suffered that night. Anyway, once you and Aiko, a member of the detectives, were reunited, I had to make sure that you two would end up working together.

  Next, I ordered Black Diamond members to interfere with as many things in the city as I could in order to cause more media attention on them while doing so in a slow way that the twins wouldn’t notice. They actually helped fuel this part themselves because they were also ordering missions that caused uproars in the media, like sending an assassin after Representative Eisenhower. Once enough attention was on the Black Diamond, the detectives were forced to ask The Organization for help to combat the threat that had all of the city officials quivering in fear.

  By this point, things were almost ready to go. You had continued to train and get stronger and two of the three big teams in the city were united. When you guys showed up at the auditorium on our day to welcome the new recruits, I was actually surprised. It was unfortunately something I had overlooked. When you were shot by Moses, I instinctually killed him. I acted so quickly that I don’t think anyone even noticed. It was a pretty chaotic scene.

  This actually spurred an event in my favor because afterwards, you joined The Vampire. You became even stronger and you were able to bring another powerhouse onto your team, even if he was a bit of a loose cannon. By this point I knew that with all of you together my job was done. There was not a doubt in my mind that if you all united you would be able to kill me and the twins. I have made the decision to rob you all of ending my life since I do not want you to feel responsible for having the blood of your father on your hands. Even if I tried to explain all of this to you, it would never be accepted. That is why I paid with my life. In order for these words I’ve written to be seen as true and not as some excuse for sparing me.

  As for Kuro and Shiro, I’m not sure exactly what they’ll do after this, but they’re going to be backed into a corner. They might try something drastic. I’d start covering my bases around anything that could cause a major disaster. I’m sure Emi will be able to narrow down the possibilities.

  That’s all I’ve got to say for now. I’m happy that I can finally be free of my burdens. I was a tool for evil for far too long and now you and all of Strongzinburg city will get to see a brighter future.

  I only wish I had stopped by that convenience store more often and lingered outside that cafe window to see you laugh and smile with Aiko a little longer. I hope that when this is all over with, you will be able to set your hatred to rest and marry that girl. She’s a keeper.

  With love - Jin.