Page 75 of Secrets & Sake

“I got the tattoos, didn’t I? I’m in it for life. I can’t see myself going the civilian route and only bartending for the rest of my life. It sounds boring, but Raiden didn’t get to have that option, no thanks to his dad.” She regards Raiden, visible through the crowd as he talks to Namikawa.

“He couldn’t just… run away, could he?” Longing wraps around my heart and squeezes tight.

She smiles. “If he could, where would you go?” Her voice is low, reminding me we could be easily overheard if we’re not careful.

“Anywhere? Everywhere? I don’t know.” I clamp my mouth shut before I can get carried away. “You said if he could. He can’t?”

She shakes her head. “He tried. A lot of times. Every time, Namikawa found him and made him regret it. That curse Namikawa has on him makes him easy to find. Namikawa will never let him go.”

“Then couldn’t we just—” Break the curse, I almost say.

“No one knows how,” she answers bitterly.

My heart sinks down into the pit of my stomach. I’m falling in love with a man whose loyalty to the yakuza will always come first. He’ll never be mine. I’ll only ever have parts of him. Pieces of him.

Can that be enough?

She squeezes my shoulder. “But knowing you has been good for him. Besides, if you two truly are fated mates, then things will work out. Destiny wouldn’t have brought you together only to tear you apart. That’s what I believe.”

I exhale shallowly. “At least one of us has hope.”

“Makoto,” a cold voice growls.

My heart lurches at the sight of Saito Takada, but my dismay morphs into fury. I never liked him, but now that I know how badly he hurt Raiden, I have to grind my teeth so I don’t say something I regret.

Ren scowls. “Takada. You didn’t happen to stub your little toe on every piece of furniture on your way in did you?”

He smirks. “No.”

“Oh. What a pity.”

I choke on my sake. Ren’s got guts, that’s for sure.

“What do you want?” I ask, reluctant to even take my eyes off him. This is the same asshole who had his goons attack me. I’m not dumb enough to think he’s just let his jealousy go.

“I only wished to talk to our guest here. Alone.”

Ren bares her teeth. “You must be stupid if you think I’m letting him go anywhere—”

“Okay,” I say, pushing off from the wall.

Ren grabs my arm. “Hiro,” she growls in warning, her inner animal shining through.

I pull free. Takada can rip me in half, but I don’t care. My blood’s boiling just looking at him, and in my anger, all caution flies out the window. “You want to talk? Let’s talk.” I stare him down.

Takada arches his lip in a sneer. He wasn’t expecting me to do anything other than cower before him, I’m sure. Jaw tight, he jerks his head, motioning for me to follow. I ignore Ren and march after him toward a door at the end of the hall. Takada slides it open, revealing an empty kitchen.

A room full of deadly cookware; the perfect place to be with a jealous yakuza. Not like he needs knives to kill me.

“I’ll be out here,” Ren says, and shoots a glare at Takada. “Touch him, and Raiden will flay you.”

Takada turns away dismissively, yanking the sliding door shut.

I cross my arms and refuse to look away from him. “Where are the thugs this time, Takada?”

“I don’t need them to deliver my message for me this time.”

I check my watch. “What do you want? I’ve got places to—”

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