Chinatown, NYC. Tuesday Evening

Dan climbed the long staircase up to the Tak-Wa-Eng, Kung Fu studio on Grand street. Inside the studio, Tara and Kitty, super cute in black leotards and tank tops, led a class. The students consisted of children eight to twelve years old. They practiced fighting stances, breathing exercises, and enjoyed life.

Well, I’ll be damned. The dangerous gangsters Reyna warned Dan about, Bad Tara and Kitty AKA: The Outlaw Sisters, were actually teachers. How wonderfully unexpected.

“Yo Dan?” Ian’s rough voice called out.

Dan stepped inside the studio and spotted the brutes waving at him from the back. He nodded at them while Tara wrapped things up.

“Alright everybody, let’s finish by taking a deep breath!” said Tara, grinning at Dan.

The class, and Dan, took a deep breath.

“Now exhale!” said Kitty, smiling at Dan.

He exhaled with the class.

“Wow, you awesome class, you all did great today. But before we go Kitty and me need you to tell us about the wise and the ignorant. Can you all do that for us?” Tara asked the class with a tomboy swagger.

“Yes, Sifu Tara and Kitty!” cheered the smiling students.

Kitty smiled back, “Alright, let’s hear it loud!”

The class took another deep breath, then exhaled a roar, “Sifu Tara, Sifu Kitty, those who are skilled in combat do not become angered, those who are skilled at winning do not become afraid. Thus the wise win before they fight, while the ignorant fight to win!”

Whoa! From the student’s mouths to Dan’s ears. You kids are so right! He almost shed a tear.

The Outlaw Sisters

After the class, Dan, Tara, Kitty, Bling, and Ian stepped into the studio office.

"So Dan. It's good to see you again," said Tara.

Tara sat across from Dan at a small desk surrounded by her sister and her goons. They all crouched together in an office full of edged weapons on the walls, Chinese calligraphy, and Chinese dragon parade costumes. A cool but comical scene to Dan.

“Pfft, heh heh,” he laughed,

“What’s so funny?” asked Kitty, as they all stared at him from behind the small desk.

“Nothing. I just sometimes view the situation I’m in," he glared at them, "And I think, how absurd!”

Tara smirked, “Yeah, I hear you, Dan. But you wouldn’t think that way if you were dead, now would you?” she said while whipping her ponytail back. Kitty and the brutes laughed.

Dan smiled, “No, I guess I wouldn’t. And that’s why I’m here today guys.” As he spoke he pulled the shell account documents from his bag and displayed them on the table for Tara. “Because as you can see, according to these documents. It just may be in your best interest that I don’t die.” He looked at Tara, “Unlike your previous plan to kill me, Tara.”

“My plan to do what?” Tara barked.

She and her brutes stared at Dan as if he spoke an embarrassing secret out loud. Or figured one out. But Dan didn't answer.

“We weren’t gonna kill you, Dan. We just weren’t gonna stop anybody else from killing you, that’s all,” said Kitty.

Dan smirked, “Of course. Just business right?”

“Dead math teachers tell no tales,” Tara said. “But since you’re here now, and have all of our attention. Why don’t you go ahead and tell us why we should be interested in you, Daniel.”

Dan leaned over the desk, pointing to highlighted areas in the account document, and began his speech.

“Ok, let’s start from the beginning.”

The Beginning

“The day I first confronted Bling and Ian with Rica on the street, she said something particular. She said Bling and Ian were, ‘Loyal dogs, but sadly not hers.’ Which of course told me that your brutes worked for someone else. It only made more sense when I went to the club with you guys and Frank was not happy to see you two,” Dan said pointing at Bling and Ian. “In fact, he was afraid of you guys. Therefore I knew you two didn’t work for Frank.”

Everyone smirked. He was correct.

“Also, a fourteen-year-old girl like Rica has no assets, and would only be calling the shots if she were managing for proxy, and using her underage sex appeal to lead Frank by the nose.”

“That guy was a fuckin pedophile!” Ian snarled.

“Yes, I’m aware he was. That’s why you brutes lost your shit when Rica said she would take Frank to Connecticut without you guys. You didn’t want her with Frank alone for too long in that limo, or wherever, did you?” Dan asked.

Bling grit his teeth, “We needed you to go with her, Dan. To watch her back for us.”

Dan nodded, “Yes, but believe me, Rica didn’t need my help. She just wanted to suck me in further. I knew that. And so did you.”

Bling and Ian narrowed their eyes, but Tara and Kitty kept smiling. “Keep talking Dan, you’re fascinating,” Tara beamed.

“Ok, but let me back up. I couldn’t figure out why you guys killed Artie Salbon without first questioning him about the accounts. I mean why would you hire me after you killed him when he could have told you everything. But it later became clear to me that you guys wanted his death now and in public to make Frank paranoid. But you didn’t realize that the original file was encrypted until after you killed Artie!”

“Bingo!” laughed Kitty, “And that’s why it was fortunate that you happened to start teaching in Rica’s school the next day. She figured you might be able to help, but even she had no idea how amazing you really were, Dan, hee!” she giggled.

Dan blushed, “Uh, right. But that brings us to the names on the accounts. You see, you guys always knew Frank was being robbed, you just didn’t know how or who the money was paying out too specifically. But once I fixed and audited the file, thus finding those shell companies buried in it, then you guys were free to find out what chumps the accounts were paying out to, and with that knowledge, you could go after those chump’s bosses and clear the four million dollars deposited in those accounts that you always knew existed!” He tapped his finger on the highlighted statement numbers on the account documents. The room grew silent.

“May I continue?” Dan asked.

“By all means,” said Tara.

“Frank never knew about any of that money. And that’s why you guys wanted Nikolai, Frank, and the rest of that shady crew out of the way so you could clean him out and take over his territory. But you knew there would be consequences.”

Tara blinked. Dan continued.

“By killing Frank and Nikolai you threw a monkey wrench into the works of the people taking the money from those accounts. And I gather you knew they would come seeking murderous retribution sooner or later. And of course, I would have been your patsy to take the fall when those guys came looking for revenge. Just a dead pawn in your game, Tara!” He stared at her, “Am I in the right ballpark with any of this?”

Tara, the boss of all bosses, smirked at him with squinted eyes, “You know handsome, you haven’t once told me why I should be interested in you.”

Dan agreed, “Right. But that’s only because I’ve been telling you what you already know.”

“Why? To prove that you're a smart ass, and had us all figured out? Big deal," she grunted.

“It is a big deal to me, but anyway.” He leaned forward on his elbows. “Let me tell you what you don’t know!”

What You Don’t Know

Dan pulled a bottom sheet out of the documents and spoke, “While you guys were so busy going after those shell accounts and starting a gang war, there was something you missed. What you didn’t know was those shell accounts were not owned by strangers, no! All of those companies had Frank Ross as the primary and sole account holder!”

Tara’s eyes popped open, “What? Frank controlled those accounts?”

“He could if he knew about them, but yes, they were legally his accounts. And by default.” Dan paused and stared at all of them. “They are now my accounts. Since Frank left no heirs and left me, and only me, as the sole power of attorney for his estates.”

Tara leaped out of her chair, “Frank did what? Why would he give you power of attorney?”

“Because he trusted Rica. Who trusted me,” said Dan.

Tara glared at Dan, “So let me get this straight. You’re telling me that you have access to four million dollars right now?”

“Yes, but it gets better. May I continue?” he asked with a grin.

“Get to the point, Dan!” Tara growled.

“Of course, Now, you see in my audit I discovered a fourth account existed. I never bothered pointing it out to anyone since the account was actually under Frank’s name. But only later did I figure out Frank wasn’t even aware of this account as it was proxied to Artie Salbon. And since Frank and Artie are now dead, that account now belongs to me.” Dan slid the bank statement to Tara with the balance highlighted.

Tara and her crew all gaped at the highlighted number. After a moment she raised her eyes from the page and spoke in a soft voice, “So Dan, if you add that balance to the four million in the shell accounts, that makes you the sole account owner of thirty-eight million dollars in cash.”

Dan nodded. “Yes, your addition is correct.”

Tara wore a seductive smile, "Well, well, Daniel. I'd say you certainly have my interest now."

With his eyes squinted and his arms crossed Dan nodded in approval.

“That's good to hear, Tara. That means phase one of my plan is complete, heh heh!”

….

 

 

AUTHORS NOTE: The Outlaw Sisters, Bad Tara and Kitty, were early gangster characters I created in 2012 in both film and manga. Feel free to check out their silliness on Bad Tara wordpress