The kicker.

Fingering a button on her black suit, Yuu looked out her office window with a concentrated and slightly agitated look on her face. Her forehead was crinkled, albeit softly at her age, with impatience as she waited on one Kyle Evans. There was a knock at her door and with a steady but far away voice murmured, 'Come in.'

Peeking her head in, Yuu's assistant announced her visitor. 'Detective Patrone is here.'

'Yeah,' Yuu said without looking at her. 'Bring him in.'

Yuu was buttoning and unbuttoning her middle jacket button slowly. Detective Patrone was no doubt there with the information she had asked about. The foreign dignitary that Tai had supposedly try to help. She wasn't so sure he was trying to help, now that she had replayed that moment in time over in her head about a thousand times. Nakayama Hiroshi. He had clearly said 'Yakuza' and Yuu wanted to know why. Looking down at the short book shelf in front of her, she looked at the pictures assembled there, two in particular. One of Hiroshi and one of her and Tai at the ball.

Again without looking back, Yuu listened to Detective Patrone come into the room and take a seat.

'Detective Patrone,' she said. 'Dazzle me.'

Officer 17 years ago
She had that new Asian look, Lawrence decided. The dyed very chic hair style and shapely figure sure as hell made her appetitzing...if only she didn't live up to her new nickname 'Dragon Lady'. He plopped down into one of the chairs in front of the long table in front of her desk and waited for her to acknowledge him.

'Detective Patrone,' she said. 'Dazzle me.'

With a bright smile, he took a deep breath and brought out his notes. As he flipped to the correct page, he read a few lines and then started to fidget with his tie.

'I'm going to skip all the boring shit, but bottom line...Hiroshi was up to his neck in underground dealings with the Yakuza back in the homeland. From what I'm hearing from the State Department, who was very interested in him, he was here to facilitate a deal with his boss's direct competition. If he hadn't died in the explosion and his boss had caught wind of this, he'd be dead anyway.' He flipped the page and continued with bits of history between the territory disputes.

'I do not, however, have any information on any potential hits, but my buddy seems to think that there had to have been and that the explosion may, or may not, have had something to do with him.' Flipping his notebook closed, he tucked it back into his pocket and made himself comfortable.
Yuu 17 years ago
Yuu closed her eyes tightly as she listened to Patrone confirm what she had already suspected. It was clear now, so painfully clear. Tai has used her to get to the ball, used her to get close to his target which would appear to be Hiroshi. That son of a bitch used her.

With a slow, painful breath she turned and looked at Patrone, sitting smugly opposite of her. Yuu's face was expressionless, or at least she hoped so. Pulling her chair out, she sat at her desk and laced her fingers.

'Well thank you Detective Patrone. I am sufficiently dazzled.' Leaning back, she crossed her legs and checked her watch. 'Do you have a few moments?'

Patrone nodded with a curious look.

'I have something for you.'

Just then there was a knock at the door. Peeking in was her assistant. 'He's here.'

Unbuttoning her black jacket again, she made herself comfortable as her assistant opened the door further. 'Detective Patrone, please meet Kyle Evans.'
Kyle Evans 17 years ago
Kyle made his way up the stairs to the district attorney's floor in the court house. Making it to the landing, he looked around the long wide hallway at the office doors. Each frosted windowed door had a name stenciled. At the very end of the hall was the District Attorney's large office, although he had been summoned to the ADA's office, one Ms. Shioroi Yuukaku. He had met her briefly at the Mayor's ball before the big kablooey and was impressed by her snobbery - that's a hard thing to master and she was damn good at it from what he gathered.

Stopping in front the correct office, he knocked and was greeted by another woman who directed him down through another room and towards an office at the end. With a knock, the woman peeked her head in and then a few moments later, opened it further for him.

'Detective Patrone, please meet Kyle Evans.'

Kyle walked in and looked at the man sitting at the table. Cop, he thought. Looking back at Ms. Yuukaku, he gave her a curt nod. 'Let me guess, I'm here to tell your department...again...about my involvement, no wait, my possible involvement with the Mayor's Ball explosion AND Hillman's compound going up in flames. Right? Tell me I'm right. I know I am.'

This was fucking ri-goddamn-diculous, he thought to himself. One because he sure as shit wasn't about to tell him why he was at the Hillman compound, much less how he made it out alive or why his bad fortune made him available to go to the Mayor's ball and get blown up AGAIN.

Pulling out a chair Kyle sat and leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. 'I'm right, aren't I?'
Yuu 17 years ago
Yuu recrossed her legs and watched Mr. Evans spew at the mouth. With a slow blink she shamelessly checked Evans out. About six foot tall, lean frame and crisp blue eyes - yeah, she'd do him. She raised an eyebrow at his over the top arrogance and noticed Patrone snort unhappily. Yuu realized just how surrounded by testosterone she really was. Both men had astounding egos to match her own. This conversation would be fun.

Casting a look down at her manicure, Yuu answered Evans in a monotone voice.
'That seems to be your mantra in your articles about Vampires, Mr. Evan. Little ironic to be spouting it here, don't you think?' She leaned forward, barely able to control the rolling of her eyes. 'Let ME guess - the vampires did this, right?'

Yuu smiled sweetly and gave him an innocent look. 'I'm right...aren't I?'
Kyle Evans 17 years ago
Kyle put his hands down on his lap and laughed heartily. 'God - you do snobbery so well. My hat's off, honestly.' He clapped lightly and then looked at Patrone. 'You know, she's actually half right. The vampires did the Hillman compound, but not the Mayor's ball...at least not that I'm aware of.'

He didn't care at this point if they believed him. More than likely they wouldn't believe anything coming out of his mouth, so why not let it be the truth. They'll never know and if they did find out - it would probably be a short lived victory.


'What are you going to ask me that I haven't already told the police at least three times? I don't remember what happened in the compound after Hillman kidnapped me. One minute I'm enjoying a steak at the Grand, the next I'm bumping knees in the back of his limo, which by the way, was very cheaply made. Trunk opens up and everything goes black. No pin hole lights, nothing. I wake up again and I'm at Duibne Industries with minor burns and scraps. I saw nothing. I know nothing.'

Looking again back at Patrone, Kyle realized just how annoyed he was.
'And what the hell is your story? I know she's bucking for front page, but what do you want? Part of the task force or just her muscle?'

Patrone smiled, but it was apparently that the smile did not reach his eyes. He replied, 'Oh I'm just here to look pretty.'


Kyle glared at the man and then back at Yuukaku. 'I can't help you.'
Yuu 17 years ago
He must have been bi-polar to go from smug happy to insanely pissed off, Yuu thought to herself. Evans raged about experience and then escalated to just plain rude, but then so had she.

'Well yes that appears to be your running theme as well, Mr. Evans.' She picked up a piece of paper and read something off it. 'Says here you're a recovering alcoholic. Little bit of an addictive personality? Can't help yourself either?'

She inwardly winced at that comment. Yuu saved her scathing remarks for torturing defendants on the stand, but she came out swinging with Evans. She immediately regretted saying it, but she didn't let her face show it. Figured she'd let the cards drop where they may.

Patrone on the other hand openly looked at her with a startled expression. She had crossed that line and he even seemed surprised.
Kyle Evans 17 years ago
What the fuck?

He was now positive that she really didn't care what he had to say about anything. Kyle sat forward and crossed his arms as he looked at her down the table. If looks could kill.


'You know, for someone your age to be in this position, one wonders just how exactly you managed it. Some might think you got here on your back, and it is a fine back I might add - so a reasonable assumption. However I'm fairly certain that you did it with your stiletto heels, digging them into anyone who got in the way. Am I close or did you just fuck your way into Nachton? If it's the latter, I could help you with that front page dream.' He gave her a lecherous wink.

'
Is there a lock on this door? We could have the cop here leave or hell, he can stay. Whatever you're into.'
Yuu 17 years ago
Yuu stood and walked around the table towards him. She sat herself down on the corner of the table in front of Evans.

'There, now that you've gotten all the sarcasm out of you. I'll ask you what I want to know. I doubt you can actually tell me what I want to hear, but it's still fine watching a grown man pop a vein once in and while.'

Yuu demurely crossed her legs, noticing both Evans and Patrone watch the hem of her skirt rise.
'What do you know about the Yakuza, Mr. Evans?'
Kyle Evans 17 years ago
'The ya-what?' He knew what the Yakuza were, but only that they were a japanese version of the mob. 'What do the Yakuza have to do with either the compound or the ball?' He was confused now, his anger diffused.

Patrone spoke up just then. 'We think the Yakuza have something to do with the killing of one of the asian dignitaries at the ball. I don't think Miss Yuukaku here thinks there's a tie in with the compound - because I certainly don't, but Nakayama Hiroshi has Yakuza ties, as well as economic ones with the city.'

Kyle blinked.
'I really can't help you now. Are you even interested in the bombings or just this Hiroshi guy?'

Patrone looked at Yuu with the same question in his eyes.
Yuu 17 years ago
Yuu laid a hand on the table and leaned on it. 'Well, let's just say one thing interests me more than the other. You have quite the grasp on the city, Mr. Evans. Your finger on the pulse, so to speak. I need answers and you get answers. This could be beneficial for the both of us. We could work together. Wash my back, Mr. Evans and I'll wash yours.'

What Patrone couldn't find out about Tai, she figured Evans might. Of course Tai might have left the city already, but just in case he hadn't - Evans could be her eyes and ears. Already in circles she had yet to even discover, it was her turn to use someone.
Kyle Evans 17 years ago
What was it about women who knew how to manipulate with their bodies? Did they get pulled aside in high school and taught in secret? Kyle watched the ADA's predatory moves onto the table and caught the yard of skin fom her short skirt - probably as astutely as Patrone did.

'You know, you have a funny way of getting people to do nice things for you, Miss Yuukaku.' Kyle pushed back from the table, granted slowly, and stood.

'Quid pro quo, little lady, but you have nothing to quid my quo with, if ya dig my meaning. Get the cop to be your ears and eyes or nose and throat. I'm no one's go-to boy.'

And with that Kyle turned towards the door and opened it. 'Good day.'
Yuu 17 years ago
Still leaning on the table, Yuu watched Evans leave. She hadn't planned on asking Evans to do anything for her. She just wanted someone to fuck with, but if she played her cards right - maybe she still could.

Looking at Patrone who was clearly looking at her, she hooked a thumb at the door.
'Out.'