Page 52 of The Queen's Denial

“Do you have any idea who it was? What it was? Was it just a false alarm, or what?”

Andy swirls the eggs around with a whisk and dumps them and the veggies into the pan. “We’re not really sure, Chi. Honestly, it could’ve been some kind of innocent interference, like animals or fucked up wiring or something. But Oxy says to be careful and that it could be someone testing our defenses to see what we have here, or how we respond to threats. I think we probably showed them that they aren’t going to get very far. Hopefully they’ll fix their sights on an easier target next time because of that.”

I nod, absorbing this information, as he finishes up the omelets and puts them on paper plates. He fixes my coffee the way I like it, and I realize that he has been bustling here and there all morning while I’ve been lazing around in my PJs. “You’re gonna eat with me, right?” I ask as he shoves a forkful of his food into his mouth.

“Sure. That’s what I’m doing.” He checks his phone messages and takes another bite.

“Come sit down with me.”

He catches my gaze and gets my meaning. “Oh. Okay.” He walks around the counter of the galley kitchen and through the large archway into the dining room, where I sit.

“You don’t relax,” I point out with a smirk.

“No, not really.”

“Well, tell me more about what might be going on. Why do you think someone would want to test my father’s security?”

Andy shrugs. “Like I said, it’s probably nothing to worry about. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. It’s just that sometimes after a big war happens and there’s some tumult and unrest, you know, smaller organizations get antsy. Some bosses want to see if they can’t get more. If there’s an opening somewhere, others will take it, especially in times of uncertainty. It’s the easiest way for them to amass more power with as little effort as possible.”

I nod and chew my omelet, which is seasoned fucking perfectly. Probably better than my own chef makes mine on the occasion that I actually ask for one. “So, you think it could be anyone? Testing boundaries? Seeing who the easiest targets might be?”

Andy nods. “Yeah, but we’ll keep an eye on it, just in case.”

I put my chin in my hand, thinking. “I always wonder if my mom and my brother have these same issues over in Japan. I wonder if the war here stretched over there, too. Like, do they know how much is in flux here? They must, I guess. The leaders who are bringing their sons to meet with me must know about what has happened, and they bring news of it to the other leaders in Japan.”

Andy bites into his toast and nods. “Yeah, most likely. I think most Japanese leaders know what’s going on here. So do your brother and your mom, I’m sure.”

I roll my eyes. “Somehow, I always doubt my brother actually knows anything. Or gives a shit. He has nothing to do with any of this.”

Andy studies me critically. “Really? Because that’s basically unheard of. You know that, right?”

I look back at him with curiosity. “What? That they don’t give a shit?”

“Well, yes,” Andy chuckles, “but also that they have nothing to do with any of it. Even if they don’t give a shit, they’re often given no choice. Basically, your dad could tell your brother, ‘Well, too bad. You can either join me and take up the mantle when I’m gone, or you can go out there and fend for yourself.’ Which really means to go out there and get killed. Because there’s no way that someone wouldn’t make an example out of him if that were the case.”

I put my fork down, shaking my head. “Oh, my father would never do that to one of his children.” Right after I say the words, I reconsider. I actually don’t know what my father would do. I probably don’t even realize half of what he’s capable of. I’m his doting daughter. I do everything he asks and have never strayed. He’s never had a reason to take out his full wrath on me.

Andy seems to read my mind and gives me an encouraging little smile. “Well, whatever is happening over there, something is causing it. If your brother really has no part in this business, there’s got to be some big reason. Do you know anything about any role he’s ever had? Do you even know anything about him?”

I shrug a shoulder. “I mean, not really. I’ve told you they’re so much more private than I am here. I truly think they live in a nice, big, beautiful house on the ocean in Japan and never leave it. The last time I saw him, he was my age, I think. I was 16. He was nice enough, but I only said a few words to him. It was super awkward standing next to him with his arm on my shoulder, like he was some kind of protective big brother or something. I don’t know him at all.”

Andy shakes his head. “The more I think about that situation, the stranger it seems to me, Chi. I mean, heirs in the Yakuza are more often male than those in the Italian or Russian mafia. Any female that has had any sort of sway has been the wife of a weaker leader, as far as I know. I can’t imagine that if your brother has all of his faculties, your dad isn’t making him take over the title. Did he do something really bad that you know of?”

Andy doesn’t even give me time to answer before he answers himself. “But even if he had done something bad, your father could just disown him. And why wouldn’t he? If he can’t use him as an heir, why would he care either way? Especially when he doesn’t even live in the same country as this kid and barely ever sees him.”

“Never,” I say. Andy looks up at me, as if coming out of a trance. “He never sees him, as far as I know. He never sees my mom, either.”

Andy seems to ponder this for a long moment.

“You don’t think he poses any sort of threat, do you?” I had honestly never even thought of it before.

Andy licks his lips, thinking hard for another moment, before snapping back into the conversation. “Like I said, it was probably just random small-time leaders who want to try and break through your dad’s forces. Don’t think too much of it.”

“Don’t worry my pretty little head?” I ask sarcastically, with a dry smile.

“Something like that.” He reaches over the short table and brushes my hair behind my back. “I like to see your whole face. And your shoulders,” he says, his eyes roving over me. I’m going to have to finish this omelet quickly if I actually want to eat it.

I cram half my omelet into my mouth before I ask, “How much time do you think we have before everyone wonders why we’ve been gone so long after the threat has dissipated?”

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