My Yakuza

talk to the department about putting you in a safe house, especially after the supposed hit. Who knows you’re here?”
“No one but the guy at the front desk. I tried to get him to tell me if anyone comes around asking questions about me and not to tell anyone anything, but it only got him worked up and he almost threw me out on the street. He’s worried about you guys busting the hotel for hookers.”
“If we raided every hotel in New York City that had a hooker clientele, we’d need a couple hundred cops just doing that along with a massive jail to house all the arrests in. We know where the action is and frankly, as long as they keep it out of the alley and don’t roll their tricks, we turn a blind eye to it. There’s a reason it’s called the oldest profession. No other police department in history has been able to stamp it out.”
“Are there male hookers, too?”
“Of course. If there’s a buck to be made doing it, there are men willing to sell themselves just like the women.”
“I could use a male hooker right about now to help me relax,” Shiro said with a smile.
“You’re a nice-looking guy. You should be able to pick up a guy in the bar. Although I wouldn’t bring him here because the entrance is rather public and if they’re cruising the streets looking for you, you don’t want some trick who just wants to get his rocks off dying because of who you are and why you’re staying here.”
“Maybe going home with him would be the best thing I could do. Talk about a really random place to spend the night!”
“First of all genius, you’re more than likely to end up on the street once the deed is done. Guys don’t spend the night afterwards much anymore, at least that’s my experience.”
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Shiro asked.
“No. Being a cop has advantages but many disadvantages…one being boyfriends. They tend to constantly nag about the danger of the job.”
“But that shows he loves you,” Shiro observed.
“Maybe so, but it’s not like I’m gonna leave the job in order to satisfy his insecurities about what I do for a living. Do you have someone?”
“No, not…really.”
Kono looked at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I broke up with a guy about nine months ago and I really haven’t had any time to date since then. I met an incredible guy in Tokyo though…I had the most mind-blowing sex I’ve ever had in my life.”
Kono’s mouth quirked into a grin. “Really.”
“Yeah, really.” Shiro felt his cheeks flame just remembering the artist’s brushes on his skin…God. And in his ass.
“Wow…this guy might be a hard act to follow.”
Shiro detected a note of what…jealousy?
“It was nice. The nicest thing that happened to me there.”
“Better than the parasite museum.”
Shiro laughed then, his first belly laugh for weeks.
Kono’s hands moved to Shiro’s face. Shiro stopped laughing.
“I’d like to…hear about your experience sometime.”
Shiro stared hard into the man’s eyes.
“I believe in show, don’t tell.”
Kono dropped his hands. “You like to play with fire,” he said. He moved to the window, peering around the curtain’s edge.
“You still have plenty of spunk in you. I can’t believe, good looking as you are, that you went nine months without getting laid.”
“It’s true. I’m doing my Master’s. It’s been a labour of love. Then my mom disappeared. The past several weeks, I’ve been planning what I’d do in Japan and getting that all set up through contacts. I guess maybe that’s why I’m so horny now that I think about it. It’s been a while with the exception of the guy in Tokyo right before the shit hit the fan. I’ll never experience the randomness of colours again.”
“Huh? You talk in riddles sometimes, you know that?”
“Oh, it’s not important. You know you’re a damn hot man, Kono. When he showed me your pictures in Tokyo, I had to work to conceal my reaction to your face. As far as Nobuo knew, I was straight and he thought that Miki was my girlfriend, which is why he snatched her and is holding her.”
“Yeah, well the talk was that while tormenting some bastard, he had him stripped naked and he fucked the guy in the ass without lube to really make it hurt. No one dared say a thing about it.”
“Nice. What a piece of shit that guy is…”
“Okay, I need to bring my superiors in on all this and get permission to arrange the show. The hit will be in the media, which is what’ll convince the Yaks that I’m dead. Get your things, you’re coming with me now.”
“Where am I going?”
“I’m taking you out to Long Island tonight to some out-of-the-way motel. You’ll be safe there and I’ll be able to concentrate on arranging what has to be done. Get your shit and go down the escape with me.”
“I shouldn’t even check out of the hotel?”
“Nope, fuck that.”
Shiro put what little he had into the gym bag, and left the room key on the dresser. They went down the stairs one floor, then out onto the fire escape and down to the street. They made their way to Kono’s car and were gone. Kono pointed the car towards four-ninety-five.
“We’re heading back to Queens?” Shiro asked.
“The place we’re going, Hicksville, is on Long Island.”
Kono had an idea. He would stash Shiro at an old Howard Johnson’s that he had once taken a date to…well, more than once. Yes, it was perfect. His mind raced as he drove.
They stopped for gas at a Shell station that boasted a convenience store. Shiro picked up some antibiotic cream, gauze and sticky bandages and when Kono came looking for him, he suggested food to tide him over until the next day.
“How about some fruit?” he suggested.
Shiro picked up some fruit roll-ups.
“Don’t you know that stuff’s full of chemicals? That shit’ll kill you,” Kono said.
“Dude…I could get shot anytime, if the holes in my chest don’t