Lethal Decree

By Dr. Trent W. Smallwood

Growing up in the spacious hills of West Virginia, Sebastian Storm’s destiny was mapped out at a very early age. Tragically losing both of his parents while in his early teens, Sebastian’s fate was sealed, and a new path now lay before him. Through the destined guidance of a remarkable mentor, Sebastian learned the ways of military combat. It was quickly realized that Sebastian possessed the gifts necessary to become a soldier elite. The United States government honed his skills further and, in the process, crafted a supersoldier.
Storm was called in when all others had failed. Channeling his turbulent childhood anger, Sebastian concentrated his focus toward those that wronged others, his vengeance swift and calculated, a virtual modern-day champion for those that couldn’t defend themselves. A new breed of terrorism enters the global arena just as Storm’s self-reflection of his own vulnerability is realized, but when he learns that the leader of this auspicious group has set his focus on Storm specifically, he has no other choice but to meet it head-on. The leader of this group, Tobias Teague, and Sebastian Storm have long been rival entities bred by the same training early in their careers with a bitter tragedy that defined their emergent animosity for each other. For over a decade, they have avoided each other, but now Teague has planned a horrific terrorist event that will warrant the fear of the world, giving him the respect he commands.
The odd chance of meeting an intricate and unique woman puts Sebastian into a tailspin of emotions he has never experienced and forces him to reevaluate where his priorities lie and what his future may bring. Duty being paramount, Storm is Teague’s only obstacle, and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. Their bond strong, defined by hate, by history, and by their lethal decree.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664169135

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Dr. Trent W. Smallwood.

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 permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Edited by Inside Circle

[e-mail]

Rev. date: 04/28/2021

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DEDICATION

I want to thank above all, my daughters Brielle and Berlin who have always believed in me and always been my two poles of inspiration. From their humor, to wit, to sarcasm, to understanding, these two young ladies emulate my two creative extremes and have always been my effervescent beacon. Thank you two for being the highlight of my life. I would not change one thing about you or the role you have had in my journey. There is not a more proud Father than me.

I also want to thank my Godfather Thor S and my truest friends Jim A, Sherry S, Eric H, and Mary V for being such important references and advisors always quietly waiting upon my shoulder as I navigated through this project.

There were many others involved and I wish to thank you as well for your hand in this first, of hopefully, more stories.

Lastly, I wish to thank my Mom for always being there for me and providing me the humor and advice in the years leading up to this endeavor.

CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1     Keiko’s Requite

Chapter 2     Sebastian’s Turmoil

Chapter 3     Retribution

Chapter 4     The Conflict Within

Chapter 5     A New Player

Chapter 6     The Beginning

Chapter 7     Adriana

Chapter 8     A New Threat Emerges

Chapter 9     Righteousness Realized

Chapter 10   The Day Never Forgotten

Chapter 11   A Bond Strengthened

Chapter 12   A Mentor Emerges

Chapter 13   A Realized Destiny

Chapter 14   A Father’s Fate

Chapter 15   The Blaze Of Fury

Chapter 16   Mortality Recognized

Chapter 17   A Trigger Emerges Within

Chapter 18   A Shinning Light Lost

Chapter 19   A Fallen Hero Avenged

Chapter 20   Too Close For Comfort

Chapter 21   The Master Plan Develops

Chapter 22   Tobias’s Design Takes Form

Chapter 23   Pergamon

Chapter 24   Armageddon

Chapter 25   Detonation

Chapter 26   The Crafting Of Champions

Chapter 27   Confrontation Of Titans

Chapter 28   A New Beginning

Book Summary

PROLOGUE

Growing up in the spacious hills of West Virginia, Sebastian Storm’s destiny was mapped out at a very early age. Tragically losing both of his parents while in his early teens, Sebastian’s fate was sealed, and a new path now lay before him. Through the destined guidance of a remarkable mentor, Sebastian learned the ways of military combat. It was quickly realized that Sebastian possessed the gifts necessary to become a soldier elite. The United States government honed his skills further and, in the process, crafted a supersoldier.

Storm was called in when all others had failed. Channeling his turbulent childhood anger, Sebastian concentrated his focus toward those that wronged others, his vengeance swift and calculated, a virtual modern-day champion for those that couldn’t defend themselves. A new breed of terrorism enters the global arena just as Storm’s self-reflection of his own vulnerability is realized, but when he learns that the leader of this auspicious group has set his focus on Storm specifically, he has no other choice but to meet it head-on. The leader of this group, Tobias Teague, and Sebastian Storm have long been rival entities bred by the same training early in their careers with a bitter tragedy that defined their emergent animosity for each other. For over a decade, they have avoided one another; but now, Teague has planned a horrific terrorist event that will warrant the fear of the world, giving him the respect he commands.

The odd chance of meeting an intricate and unique woman puts Sebastian into a tailspin of emotions he has never experienced and forces him to reevaluate where his priorities lie and what his future may bring. Duty being paramount, Storm is Teague’s only obstacle and he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal, their bond strong, defined by hate, by history, and by their lethal decree.

CHAPTER 1

KEIKO’S REQUITE

TOKYO, JAPAN

2019

The night was still and quiet, peaceful, late in the evening just before midnight. The sounds of the busy city streets bustling below were all that one could hear but muted in his mind as he focused on the task at hand. Having received information earlier in the week from his anonymous source, a resource he had relied upon for years now, he recounted the specifics of this mission. His informant had never failed him; he trusted the information without reservation or hesitation. Attired in all-black, his combat outfit blended well with the background and the landscape of the night.

The residence, so called the Park Mansion Akasaka Hikawazaka, was remarkable in presence and stature; and many of the most affluent people in Tokyo lived within the aesthetic fourteen-story complex. Hiroshi Mikatani, among them, resided in the penthouse on the fourteenth floor with his wife Keiko and was the wealthiest of all the owners in the building and, by far, the most revered.

Mikatani was a ruthless man, openly arrogant about his blatant disregard for human life and his business acumen. He had built his fortune in drug distribution initially then expanded into human trafficking and prostitution. His companies were well protected under seemingly legitimate textile shell companies he had put into place years prior. In addition to the human trafficking, drug distribution, and prostitution, he had numerous child-driven sweatshops throughout Asia, exploiting human life in nearly every way possible. He was an intelligent and callous man, calculated to a fault but evil to the core. A virtuoso in manipulating people of influence and taking advantage of the Japanese political system, Mikatani exploited the nuances of people to benefit his various business enterprises and exploits.

His wife, Keiko Kitagawa, was a kind and nurturing woman forced to marry Hiroshi when she was only fourteen. An exquisitely beautiful young lady at that age, Keiko was then making a name for herself in print advertisements and modeling in the prestigious Tokyo fashion market when she caught the wandering eye of Hiroshi Mikatani and she became the object of his obsession and desire. Her life changed forever the moment Mikatani made her his focus. Mikatani’s leverage came when he learned that Keiko’s father was a small business owner and owed a substantial debt to an associate of Mikatani, and it was arranged that the debt would be forgiven if Keiko agreed to marry Hiroshi. As expected, Keiko’s father quickly consented to the proposal, thus absolving his debt and obliging the good graces of Mikatani in the same stroke. Hiroshi Mikatani then forced Keiko to forfeit her career to satisfy his own insecurities, as he feared other men desiring his new young bride if she continued to pursue her modeling career. Keiko resented him for forbidding her that dream but forced to tolerate Hiroshi for nearly a decade before giving birth to their only son, Akira, only two years before.

The young boy, a shining light for Keiko, enabled her focus to become reignited while raising her young son. Her situation ultimately came to light, according to Sebastian’s source, because the month before, Mikatani had become enraged over Akira, suffering a fever and crying profusely, igniting Mikatani’s fury as he was far from a maternal or understanding man. In an effort to not upset Hiroshi, Keiko tried to comfort Akira, but Hiroshi grasped young Akira from her in desperation and forcefully held his hand over Akira’s mouth, physically suppressing the boy’s cries and whimpers to satisfy his own irritability. Keiko attempted to regain control and pull Akira from Hiroshi’s grasp, but he resisted and his guards held her fast as he went into the living room all the while unsympathetically smothering the young crying child as he unknowingly also firmly covered child’s nose in the process as well.

When Hiroshi, finally satisfied his son had stopped crying, released his hand from his son’s face, he noticed Akira’s skin had become blue from the lack of oxygen. Attempting to revive him, Hiroshi selfishly gave up and handed his unmoving young dead son’s body to the nearest guard and walked out of their apartment. Hiroshi displayed no remorse or sadness over causing his son’s needless death. The bewildered guard simply held the unresponsive body and looked blankly at Keiko from across the room. Placing her hands to her mouth from the doorway of her bedroom, Keiko could see the lifeless body of her young son in the arms of one of the bodyguards and knew instantly he was gone, and she screamed out as she collapsed to the floor over the pain and shock that came over her at the loss of her son and the hatred she had for Hiroshi. Such a senseless death, all caused from this selfish monster she was married to, and she couldn’t be a part of this life any longer. She reviled Hiroshi, and after her son’s passing, she was never able look him in the eye ever again.

Still mourning a few weeks later, though closely monitored by Hiroshi’s bodyguards, in an attempt to get out of the apartment, Keiko made herself visit the local market to focus on more positive things. A young man on a bike clumsily ran into the guard assigned to her by her husband, causing a slight commotion as a result. In that moment, a young Japanese girl posing as a student cautiously approached Keiko and whispered, Someone is watching over you, look for him. Open this when alone then destroy it. Tell no one of this. Be very careful.

She grabbed Keiko’s hand and gently placed a folded note within her palm and closed it then blended into the crowd before Keiko could make sense of what was happening. By then, the guard had helped the man up on the bike and pushed him away and quickly rushed to Keiko, looking for any suspiciousness in the people around them. The guard noticing none, as Keiko gripped tightly the note within her hand, eager to get home and understand the situation better while playing back in her mind what the young girl had said to her at the fish stand, puzzled by what had transpired in that brief moment.

When eventually home, knowing her husband was not in the penthouse, she went to their master bathroom where she knew she wouldn’t be bothered by the bodyguards or home staff. She closed the door gently for privacy, sat upon the commode, and slowly unfolded the note, sweaty and creased from her clutching it so firmly for the past hour. Upon opening the small note, Keiko read,

Read Carefully. You will have a visitor that will make your husband answer for what he has done. There is a phone that was placed into your jacket pocket, place it in a safe place. Someone will contact you soon, authenticating with the word, Pegasus. Please destroy this note.

It was all she could do to not cry in that moment. Had her prayers been answered? And who was this person that would help her, and what was their interest in her? What did they stand to gain from all of this? At that moment, a deep sense of dread came over her; how could anyone get to her husband? He was known as an antatchaburu or untouchable. There was no one that could overcome those odds. It was a hopeless notion at best, felt Keiko. Her husband was far too shrewd a man, and with all his paranoia, not even a small army could get to Hiroshi Mikatani, who spared no expense in ensuring his own protection. She then burned the note, removed the phone and hid it well, and went into her bedroom and cried for the loss of her innocent son and for her own miserable life and cursed the name Hiroshi Mikatani until she finally cried herself to asleep. This was the only time Keiko had any peace.

Sebastian Storm was no stranger to the night. It was where he did his best work. With the darkness came so many more tactical advantages and options, always using it to his benefit in some form or fashion. The Park Mansion Akasaka Hikawazaka posed little issue for him. His more immediate challenges included the seven bodyguards within the premises and the advanced security system Hiroshi Mikatani had chosen to protect his penthouse. The United States government provided valuable resources to Sebastian, which was at his disposal, unofficially as they were not entirely aware of his clandestine operations. These resources proved invaluable as he was able to tip the scales in his favor during these unsanctioned undertakings, yet never on the company clock. He was on his own: no backup, no outside surveillance or aid by any means. A lone wolf, and Sebastian preferred it that way in these instances.

Each night, each mission presented itself with a new set of circumstances and perils. With his attention focused on every detail, he could calculate almost every contingency, but there were always those unforeseeable anomalies that could ensue at any given moment, yet his risk was always ever present. Strangely, he almost embraced those capricious moments when a new variable would spontaneously materialize and assess his abilities further, keeping his senses acute and focused, testing his nature and, above all, his resolve.

With this specific challenge, Sebastian’s best approach for the penthouse was by way of the roof. He had found that the building adjacent to the Akasaka Hikawazaka building was the Ottohuro Hotel, which is thirty-four floors, giving him roughly 225 feet elevation over the Akasaka building and his intended target. Carefully scouting the Akasaka Building from his higher vantage point, he was able to see three of the seven guards from his current position atop the roof. Using his silenced Bergara B-14 HMR sniper rifle, Sebastian was able to calculate the wind, timing, and ammunition needed for the 250-yard shots. He was very familiar with targets ten times the distance, but his trial wasn’t the distance in this particular mission but rather in terminating all three guards within seconds of one another. His timing would also be essential in taking out the bodyguards and landing on the roof where there was a small putting green, ideal for an aerial landing. He observed that there were ten-minute routine radio check-ins between the guards so he would have a short window to eliminate the three outside guards, travel the 220 yards to the roof top, and handle the remaining four guards and hope none of his victims were discovered in that time period. Sebastian smiled at the challenge set before him. This was his craft, and he knew it. Sebastian had reached out to Keiko several days before with the burn phone provided to her while observing her from his Ottohuro Hotel vantage point to authenticate receipt of the correspondence with her. He needed to text her and confirm her response visually because they had never met; he had only seen pictures of her in the file provided to him. Confirming the appearance of the woman in his photos to that of the striking woman standing in the window, he was able to endorse she was, in fact, Keiko Kitagawa.

He carefully studied her through his binoculars as she stood with one leg slightly bent forward wearing only a robe, opened slightly, revealing her lean body and lavish curves beneath, unknowingly exposing herself in the expansive window while Sebastian observed her from afar. She gazed out through the full-length window then stepped backward three steps to a chaise lounge chair that sat in front of the window to allow the breathtaking view before her to be fully appreciated. She elegantly sat down upon the large chaise, leaning back slightly as her long legs slightly opened, holding the burn phone in one hand as she sat within the spacious penthouse bathroom in silence. She would periodically check her phone for any word from this stranger as she was promised, yet two full days had gone by without so much as a word. Sebastian used these days to observe her, study her habits, and learn her and her husband’s daily regimen. He couldn’t help but notice that Keiko was a physically exquisite woman in all forms, tall for an Asian woman at five feet seven, thin but curvy with high cheekbones, and soft succulent lips. Blessed with striking long hair she wore down well below her waist, full and thick, she was very nearly a perfect physical specimen, natural and vibrant in every way.

While Sebastian watched her through the bathroom window, he noted and reveled in her beauty, her humility, and her pain. He could see her suffering within her eyes and how she carried herself; he felt her sadness as he knew it well himself. Keiko seemed dejected and somber most likely from the life she was trapped within and having just lost her only child at the hands of her frightful husband. She so desperately wanted a way out, witnessed within her eyes and how she moved, her burden significant. Feeling her agony, Sebastian closed his eyes hard in knowing exactly how she felt. He mourned for her and her agony. Sebastian thought of how such a striking woman could live such a wretched and sorrowful life being swept up into her husband’s existence simply to make her his trophy yet nothing more.

While he intently observed her through his binoculars, he texted her, Keiko, code word Pegasus, I need to ask you a few questions. Is that permissible? I’m here to help with your situation. A friend.

Knowing she was holding the phone in that moment, he saw her look down at the incoming message and watched as her expression brightened. Slightly startled, she sat up upon the chaise lounge chair; and in doing so, the right shoulder of her robe dropped, revealing her breast and the splendor of her figure even further. Unfazed by her nakedness, she began to diligently read the incoming text. She hesitated and then responded, Yes. Of course. Who are you?

Sebastian thought for a moment, disregarded her question, then typed, Thank you, Keiko. How many guards are in the apartment at night? What is the alarm code and verification?

She sat more erect, now more attentive to the task and eager to please this mysterious man. She wasn’t entirely trusting of him, but at this point, she was desperate for anything to change her current circumstance. Six to seven guards. We do not sleep in the same room. He often has other women over at night or sleeps alone. Security alarm code is 23192, verification password is ‘Brielle.’ If I may, what is your name? she asked yet again as Sebastian considered the question for the moment.

He then replied, "It’s not important. Call me S for now. Is there anything else I should know?"

Keiko pondered the question further for a moment when she received this next text, and as if she could feel his gaze from the adjacent building, she looked up from the bathroom window directly in Sebastian’s general direction as if she could feel his presence or gaze while he watched her. Instinctively flinching, Sebastian immediately corrected himself and looked directly at her, reminding himself that she couldn’t see him from his distance but observing the eerie notion from her intuition knowing he was only a few hundred yards away. She hesitated for a moment then replied, Tonight or tomorrow there should be fewer guards, and there are infrared sensors outside of the master bedroom. My husband is very paranoid.

Taking in all the information Keiko had provided, his response was, Understood. Stay in your room and lock the door when you go to sleep, and no matter what you hear, don’t come out until the following morning. I will take care of your husband. Is there anything you want me to say to him?

Looking through his binoculars, he could see her wipe a tear away from her face as she wrote, Tell him that this is all for Akira, … and thank you for doing this for me and my son, S. I’m not sure who you are, but I am so thankful and for you being such a blessing. Good luck and be careful, his men are killers and very protective of Hiroshi.

As Sebastian received her text, he looked at her once again through his binoculars. Keiko was then standing again in front of the window and looked out over the city before her with one hand flat against the glass steadying herself. Her robe nearly opened fully now, revealing her exposed body underneath. She was comfortable in her bareness, confident in her sexuality, and basking in her femininity wholly. Her breasts were heaving slightly from the exhilaration derived from the exchanges she had with Sebastian. She embraced her tension and anticipation as her excitement was building, not in a sexual manner but rather intertwined within the nervousness surrounding her current situation that may very well change for the better if this man could make it so. Her smooth skin slightly glistened as she touched her stomach, her beautiful femininity fully revealed, perfect and exposed to Sebastian watching from afar. There was something about this man, his confidence and strength that she strangely sensed and felt from him. She wondered if he was watching her at this moment and secretly desired that he was and appreciating her image before him.

Reveling in her beauty, Sebastian wondered if she was aware she and her son were just two of the victims in a sea of countless others that suffered because of her tyrannical husband. She continued to look at the phone, hoping he would text again. Keiko was truly a stunning woman, despondent, beaten, trapped within this extravagant jail, a twenty-eight-million-dollar prison atop the Akasaka Hikawazaka building, fourteen floors above the ground. His final response was, Destroy the phone and erase the messages, Keiko. You will have your life back soon. I promise you this. Sebastian watched for her reaction from afar.

She smiled for the first time at hearing this as she typed, Please tell me who you are. But Sebastian never responded. That was several days prior.

Bringing himself back into the moment, Sebastian narrowed his sight on the farthest and most isolated guard from his current position and vantage point. Sebastian noted the guards had all just completed their ten-minute radio check-in; the clock was now starting. He pressed the timer on his watch and set it for nine minutes, allowing himself a very small cushion. Honing his silenced Bergara sniper rifle at the farthest target, he gently squeezed the trigger, letting go the single round as it landed squarely at the back of the soldier’s head, dropping him where he stood. His second and third shots had the same result with the final guard taking the round through his right eye, neither of the guards knowing what hit him. After the final shot, Sebastian quickly broke down his sniper rifle within a few seconds and placed it into his specially designed backpack and immediately began sprinting quickly toward the northeast corner of the building and leapt off the edge without any hesitation or fear. Soaring into the darkness, he free-fell for a few seconds before deploying his parachute; and in less than 30 seconds landed upon the putting green on the roof and dropped to one knee, pulling the parachute up and into his pack, leaving no trace of his presence nor entrance other than the dead guards surrounding him on three corners of the building’s rooftop. Sebastian checked his watch; he had seven minutes remaining before the next radio check would commence, so he needed to keep his pace up. Pulling from his jacket his silenced Koch 9mm, he began to concentrate on his next objective.

Slowly walking down the stairs from the putting green to the large outdoor pool, Sebastian had a good vantage point of the interior of the elaborate living quarters. He could see the glass was bulletproof and knew immediately he needed to get into the building quietly. He located two additional guard positions, one being outside by the pool, the other in the kitchen area within the premises. He waited until the guard by the pool approached a retaining wall, firing a well-placed silenced bullet at the soldier’s head, dropping him, then slipped through an open side door into the living room. He knew there were two to three additional guards to contend with and he needed to eliminate those threats before dealing with Hiroshi himself. Sebastian slowly eased into the kitchen, noticing the guard watching television with his back to him, slowly approaching the guard from behind, training his gun at the back of the man’s head in the event he turned before he was upon him. Once just behind the guard, Sebastian placed his gun into his inside breast pocket; and with his left hand applying pressure to the man’s head, simultaneously placing his right hand at the base of the guard’s neck, he snapped it, killing him instantly.

At that moment, a sixth guard walked into the kitchen, catching Sebastian by surprise but not before Sebastian went for his silenced 9mm and put a single round between the man’s eyes. From what Keiko had told him, there were usually six to seven guards in the apartment in a given evening. He had eliminated six of the guards, so Sebastian had to assume there to be one to two more guards within the home. He may have trusted Keiko’s information, but he would be foolish to depend on it completely. He took the earpiece from the last guard and placed it within his ear as he began to approach Hiroshi’s master bedroom, taking notice of the infrared silent alarm Keiko mentioned to him. It had been seven minutes since he had taken out the guards on top of the building, so he only had two minutes to inspect the rest of the apartment. He cleared the rest of the main areas and made his way to the front door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw the left shoulder of the guard standing just to the right of the front door in the hallway. Sebastian then opened the door; the guard turned his head as the bullet entered through his left eye and tore through skull bone, brain matter, spraying dark crimson across the wall behind them. As the guard began to slump, Sebastian grabbed him by the back of his suit jacket and carefully dragged him just inside of the apartment and closed the door gently. Seven guards accounted for by his count. Sebastian then made his way to the dimly lit hallway to the master bedroom. He was approaching the nine-minute mark.

Something woke her from a light sleep. Keiko lay on her bed, on her back looking at the ceiling thinking of her life and the loss of her son Akira. She missed him very much and detested her husband for what he had done to their child. Akira didn’t deserve his fate, nor did she. The house seemed so quiet more than normal; something felt different, but she remained where she was told, as instructed by the stranger she called S. She felt a strong energy around her, and it made her heart beat faster. Keiko was very in tune with her aura and energy of herself and others, and she felt a strong presense, or energy, close by. Lock the door and do not come out for any reason, the stranger had said, and she would obey his wishes although Keiko was a curious young woman. She would respect his instruction for now; at least she would try for the time being, she thought.

Sebastian located the two distinct infrared sensors and disarmed them before approaching the master bedroom. He looked at his watch as he approached his ten-minute mark, but there was no chatter over the earpieces confirming that only Hiroshi was left. Having his gun drawn, he cautiously opened one of the two large french doors leading into the master bedroom. At the far end of the room, Hiroshi sat upon his large king bed fixated on the television, not yet noticing that Sebastian had entered the room. Severely overweight, unkept and grotesque in appearance, he sat upon his bed wearing only boxers and an open white robe, deeply engrossed with the pornography showing upon his large screen television. Two Asian women were partaking in mutual oral pleasure of each other on the screen as the heavy man intently watched, unaware of anything else within the room. At that moment, Hiroshi noticed Sebastian upon the side of the bed and cowered to the back to the headboard, glaring at him. Sebastian put a bullet through the television, abruptly turning off the noise, making the room immediately quiet.

Who are you and do you have any idea who I am and what a mistake you have made in being here? shouted Hiroshi in Japanese.

In semi-broken but effective Japanese, Sebastian responded, I’m well aware of who you are, Mr. Mikatani, and that is precisely why I am here this evening. This is for Akira and Keiko.

Hiroshi blankly looked at Sebastian as the bullet penetrated his forehead, blowing out the back of his head all over the headboard. Sebastian then fired two additional rounds into his heart. There was no reason for Sebastian to prolong the inevitable with small talk or eventual groveling; this was a terrible human being, and he deserved the fate before him. Sebastian was hopeful that now Keiko could finally move on and have closure in this part of her life. With Hiroshi’s death, she would be free of his control and become a very wealthy woman in the process.

Sebastian began to exit the master bedroom, cautiously stepping into the large hallway and slowly closing the door, turning to see Keiko standing before him down the hallway, not twenty feet away in front of her own bedroom door. Simply dressed in cotton panties and a tank top, she looked so innocent and vulnerable in the dim light. Her beauty was soft and delicate but perfect, even more captivating in person. Seeing Sebastian come from her husband’s room, in her heart, she knew it was done, completed, and finally finished for her and Akira’s poor innocent soul avenged.

Keiko took in this figure before her, the man that vindicated her, giving her a sense of relief that her pain could now diminish over time. She hadn’t anticipated how handsome he was, rugged and edgy, but his face beautiful, his presence commanding. She sensed the goodness within him, his energy and … power. Keiko was drawn to Sebastian’s strength, and it excited her, which surprised her in light of what Sebastian just completed within that room. She fantasized in that moment about being with such a man, a strong and dominant force that was in fact, kind—she could sense it. Keiko could feel it, and it comforted her. She was strangely attracted to him in what he had somehow achieved for her, releasing her of her bonds, freeing her of this prison. Without a word, she simply walked up to Sebastian and put her arms around him, holding him tight, in her way so thankful for what he had done for her. Sebastian knew she needed this moment, the physical contact. It was her way of thanking him, but he also knew he had to leave the apartment soon. He was vulnerable and compromised while in the home, and he was putting them both at risk being there any longer than he had to be.

He gently separated from her, and looking down into those beautiful large almond-brown eyes, he said, Keiko, you must go back into your room and lock the door and in the morning call the police and report what you awakened to here. She looked at him blankly; then looking at the door of the master bedroom, she knew her husband lay inside. Without saying a word, she walked to the bedroom door, opening it as Sebastian watched and observed. Quietly walking to the bed, she looked at Hiroshi Mikatani, lying there deformed, quiet, eyes open, and lifeless. She observed that Sebastian had shot him three times; and she knew that even Hiroshi Mikatani, antatchaburu, the untouchable, was not invincible. He was just a man, but to her, and to many others, a monster.

After giving her the moment she needed, Sebastian walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder and she turned, looking into his eyes. Keiko replied, I will do as you say, but please tell me your name. Sebastian hesitated; but her words, angelic, had such a soft genuineness to them, compelling him to abide to her wishes. He couldn’t resist her and knew then why Hiroshi Mikatani had obsessed over this woman.

My name is Sebastian, he replied reluctantly.

Will I see you again, Sebastian? asked Keiko.

That’s not advisable, Keiko. You shouldn’t be seen with me. I live in the shadows, explained Sebastian.

But as he spoke, she put her fingers up to his lips to stop him from resisting and said, Well, I wish to when the time is right. I’m very resourceful and have my ways. And with that, she turned and walked back to her room, turning one last time to look at him before entering her room and locking the door behind her as he had instructed her to do.

Sebastian then cautiously slipped into the hallway, careful to avoid any camera placements, then crept into the stairwell and descended the fourteen floors and snuck out of the exit unnoticed. The authorities would never be able to tie Sebastian to what happened at the Park Mansion Akasaka Hikawazaka that evening nor would he ever be a suspect, and Keiko would be a fortunate victim in all this and somehow spared over the wrath that was bestowed by that of her husband. The fact that Keiko was spared came into question by the police the following day but was cast aside in that it was hypothesized that either the assailants missed her as she slept in the spare room or was simply not the object or their focus and only her husband was the target.

Sebastian left for a flight later that afternoon to Athens, Greece, to look into an arms dealer outfitting several formally known ISIS factions of the now Islamic State (IS), the radical Islamist group that had seized territory in Syria and Iraq. Sebastian had a particular talent in instilling trouble into various organizations, causing disarray and eventual collapse, and his superiors were looking to him to perform that very task in Athens. This mission would take months of work with his team, but it was these challenges that Sebastian Storm was bred to do and he thrived on the chaos he created in his wake.

CHAPTER 2

SEBASTIAN’S TURMOIL

NEW YORK, 2020

He entered his large suite at the