Ratio(18)

“Just pay attention.” He took a few steps back from his setup, pulling out his phone. “This handset is tied in to the chip in the detcord. So long as I’m not too far out of range, I can use it to detonate.” He pointed at the mannequin. “Manny here is our willing test subject.”

“Diyos ko po! You’ll blow the damn house into the sky.” She retreated a little into the kitchen.

“What did I tell you about getting hysterical? The blast is powerful, but it’s confined to a small radius. They use this stuff for cutting down trees.” He took another step back. “Besides, how are we going to know this will work unless we try it?”

“You’re going to get us both killed.”

“If you screw this up, Mariel, I’ll kill you myself.” Jonny turned his attention back to his cell phone. “Just remember the deal and hold up your end. And don’t do anything stupid.”

Mariel folded her arms but didn’t reply.

“Good. Now watch this.” He punched in a telephone number and hit ‘send’. The call connected. A deafening crack and a flash of white light filled the room. Jonny flinched, his ears ringing. Mariel yelped in fright, clapping her hands over her ears.

Jonny shook his head, clearing his vision, and took a look around. Manny’s head had been flung ten feet across the garage, severed cleanly from the rest of his body. The acrid smell of melted plastic filled the air. Jonny bent down to examine the remains.

“Looks like this will do just fine,” he said. The pillow had been torn to shreds, charred along the edges, stuffing flung all over the floor, like polyester snowfall. “Anyone standing too close is going to get hurt, but not too badly. It’s only going to work if she’s lying on the bed.”

Mariel uncovered her ears. “You want to kill this woman so bad, why not put a bullet in her? You don’t need my help with that.”

Jonny pocketed the cell phone and walked over. “She’s protected. No way of getting close enough. Besides, I’ve got my orders.” He tried to push past into the kitchen.

“You think you’re a big man, playing Yakuza,” Mariel said, blocking the doorway. “What, they promise you a badge of honor this time?”

Jonny whipped the back of his hand across her cheek. She stumbled backward, clutching at her face. “Watch your tongue, or I’ll cut it out,” he said, striding through into the kitchen.

“The Oguchi family won’t let you into their club, asshole,” Mariel said, recovering. “You don’t have what it takes. You’re just another gaijin to them. No matter what your uncle says. They’re playing you.”

Jonny held up his hand again, but thought better of it. “You like living in this country?” he said, taking a step closer. “Because if you want to stand a chance of staying here, you’ll hold up your end. And you can keep your damn opinions to yourself. Understand?”

Mariel let her hand drop from her cheek. “Yeah. I get it.”

“Good.” He opened the fridge and took out a cold bottle of beer, unscrewing the cap. “Now, we need sixteen more pillows stuffed with detcord. Enough for all the beds on the VIP floor at the hotel.”

“Four suites on the VIP floor, two bedrooms per suite, one king-size bed per room, with two pillows per bed. I know how to count. You don’t need to keep reminding me.”

“We won’t have a second chance at this.”

Mariel folded her arms. “You mean I won’t have a second chance. I’m the one putting my life on the line, not you.”

“Where do you get that idea? It’s my uncle that’s paying us to do this. And I’m the one that thought up this plan, not you. If they find me out, I go to prison for the rest of my life.” He took a deep swig of beer. “Or worse. You’d only get a slap on the wrist, if they even figure out you’re a part of this.”

She shook her head. “Slap on the wrist? You’re such a dick! If something goes wrong and they discover I put these pillows on those beds, I’m the one that gets burned. And if something really goes wrong, I’m the one that gets blown up by these things.”

“Pretty unlikely, as long as we both follow the plan. And think of the payday.”

“Yeah, yeah. You get to play gangster, I get my green card.”

“And enough money to buy a nice place somewhere quiet,” Jonny said.

“Yeah, great.” Mariel sighed. “Like I said, it’s not like I have much of a choice, is it? I can’t go back home. You know that.”

“Just do as I tell you and America is your new home. A new identity, a new life. No more running.” He downed the rest of the beer and tossed the bottle into the trash. “All you need to do is wait until the guests have checked in, finished their security sweeps, then swap out the pillows. Think you can manage that?”