More Than Words Ch. 02

I turned and looked him dead in the eye. "It wouldn't be sacred if I told you without meaning it. Besides, I already made my vow to Grant."

"Fair enough." Evan was disappointed.

"I'm ready."

We parked near the back entrance of a business sky rise located across the street to the Dunesberry Hotel and made our way to the roof. It was time to gather intelligence.

"Wow, that woman is really pissed off." Evan let out a chuckle. "She's yelling at everyone."

"That's Grant's mother."

Evan lowered his binoculars to look at me. "Wait, Grant's mom is holding him hostage?"

"Yes. She doesn't like Grant and she will kill him. I saw it in her eyes."

"What a shitty parent. Please forgive my language sensei." Evan went back to looking through the binoculars. "I wonder what she's saying."

"She said she's leaving to go back to L.A. in an hour and she's giving them two days to clean up this mess."

"How do you know what she said?"

"I'm reading her lips."

"Really?" Evan looked over at me again. "That's a useful skill. And what mess is she referring to sensei?"

"Me." I now looked at Evan. "This means we make our move in an hour and a half. I'll go in. Your only job is to get Grant out. You wait in the hall and I'll send him to you. Go to your dorm and I'll meet you there. Understand?"

"Yes sensei."

Right as Samantha left, we made our way to the receiving door entrance of the hotel. I'm sure there would at least be one man stationed in the lobby. I walked calmly and casually to the employee's elevator. Evan was two steps behind and the exact opposite. He was fidgeting with one hand on his bo staff; ready to pull it from its sheath in a moment's notice.

"Relax Evan. You're acting as if we're going to try to free someone from being held hostage by his own mother."

"I'm nervous. I keep going over the different possibilities of what's going to happen and I keep coming to the same conclusion. We are not..."

I cut him off. "Evan, if you will feel you will lose before a battle, then you will. Never go into any situation with a poor mind. You will need your wits about you. Always be positive and trust your training. That's why we work so hard. If we need to use it, it's there. Besides we know there are eight of them and where they are located at."

"Eight? I counted six in the room."

"Yes, but based on a previous engagement, they tend to have two men standing guard outside the door."

"So you've dealt with them before?"

"Yes." The elevator beeped announcing we arrived at the top floor. "Wait here and keep this elevator on this floor." The doors opened. I took a breath and turned into the hall; unleashing four hira shuriken. Each hit their mark, one in the neck at the vocal chords and another to the body of each man. Each let out a stifled groan as I darted down the hall to brace the bodies so they wouldn't make a loud thud. I laid them down, closed their eyes, and bowed. I gave each the respect I was unable to show them had this been a proper duel. I located the electronic key card from one of the men and put it in the slot. I drew my katana and put my hand on the door. Grant should be on the couch. Four men at the table behind him, eating. One sitting in the chair to the right of Grant. The last man was aimlessly pacing. I won't know his precise position. One more deep breath and I went in.

I went immediately for the man in the chair while locating, then throwing two hira shuriken at the pacing man. I jumped on the sitting man's legs and as I crouched I buried my katana into his chest. The three men at the table stood and reached for their guns. Where's the fourth man? I sprung off of the dead man and drew my wakizashi.

"Grant get down!" Grant immediately complied, lying down on the floor in the fetal position with his arms lifted to cover his head.

I landed amidst the three men, and we nearly formed a circle. I jumped again as a multitude of bullets riddled the air where I used to be. I did a mid air somersault and extended all four of my limbs. I sliced my katana at the man on my left, cutting off his arm. I threw my wakizashi and it stabbed the man on my right, piercing his heart. My legs thrust into the face of the man in the center, knocking him back into the table with a broken nose. I landed on my back and felt the stitching I had their rip open.

"Grant, get out now!"

I let out a loud yell as I flipped back up and did a round house kick with my left leg into the man now missing an arm. He went down immediately. This put me into position to forcibly apply my right elbow into the nose of the now standing, albeit barely, man who was in the center. His broken nose is now shattered and he collapsed into a heap on the floor, unconscious from the pain. The bathroom door opened from behind me. The missing fourth man. I turned and faced him. It was the same man from the white room at the hospital.

He dropped his gun. "Don't kill me, please. Remember me? I told you he was here. I helped you." The man was slowly slide stepping toward the door. "Please. I quit. I'm done. Just let me go." He pleaded.

I put my katana back in its sheath. "I never want to see you again."

He turned and ran. As he hit the door, the end of a bo staff was planted in his face and then swung around and took out his legs. That man's second concussion of the day.

"I was letting him go Evan."

"You were?" Evan turned in from the hall with a smile on his face. "Sorry, kneejerk... "Evan froze in his tracks. "Oh my God, Grant!"

I bolted and jumped over the couch that now more closely resembled Swiss cheese. I landed next to him and immediately cradled his head. He was shot twice, once in the lower left side of his back and the second just under his left shoulder.

"Grant, tell me what to do. Tell me how to fix this."

"It's over Kisara. There's nothing that can be done." Grant's voice was barely audible.

"I'm sorry I failed you."

"You didn't fail me. It was my family who failed me."

I started to cry.

"So this is what it takes to finally get you to show an emotion." Grant let out a weak chuckle. "I love you."

"I love you too Grant." I set his head down. "You will not be going alone." I drew my katana. "Upon my code of honor with the discipline of my being, I am bound to protect you with my life and sword." I turned my katana around and lined it up with myself, intent on committing sepukku.

"Wait." Grant tried to grab at my katana, and then coughed twice. "You can't do that to our unborn child." It was Grant's final words.

"Sensei, we have to leave." Evan carefully removed the katana from my hands. "The police are coming."

In fact the police were coming as I heard the sirens for the first time. Evan had rounded up all the hira shuriken, my wakizashi, and now he had my katana. He took the sheaths from my back and put them on his. He carried everything, including me in his arms.

I was in a daze, even as Dr. Harvey Camper, a highly respected colleague of Grant's, re-stitched my wound at Presbyterian Hospital. I kept holding my stomach. Was it true? Grant had taken care of my gunshot wound. He would have taken blood work. My menstrual cycle was supposed to start two days ago, but with all the drama and stress, I can understand why it would be late. Do I even deserve to be a mother? I failed after all. I've dishonored myself. I so badly want to commit sepukku.

We made it to a hotel. Evan and I are sharing a room with two beds. He's carried me this whole time until he finally placed me lovingly in one of the beds. He pulled up the bedspread and took my hand.

"Kisara." Somehow, Evan knew not to call me sensei anymore. "I am truly sorry about Grant." He began to lightly caress my hand. "I want you to now I am here for you. I'll help you get through this."

I began to cry.

"Upon my code of honor, with the discipline of my being, I am bound to serve and protect you with my life and bo staff."

"Evan, no. You don't know what those words mean." I managed to say through the tears.

"Yes I do. You made it very clear tonight what those words mean." There was a determined look in his eye. "Now I've said it, I mean it, and my first act upon it is to try to get you to sleep."

I let out a small sigh. Such a meaningless act. I don't deserve devotion like this. I am unworthy. That's what the vow is about. Finding someone worthy. Someone like Grant. I am not. I don't even deserve to sleep. "Evan, don't throw your life away. Not for me."

Coming soon, The Finale: Chapter 3 Full Circle