Page 52 of Secrets & Sake

“He’s done this before?” I ask, mouth going dry.

Ren tucks hair behind her ear and looks away. “There are some things that you shouldn’t trouble yourself with. If he’s gone, then something is going down between him and Namikawa.”

I don’t like the sound of that at all. “Would Namikawa hurt him?”

Ren bites her lip.

“Ren!” I press, balling my fists on the bar.

“I’m sorry, Hiro. It’s not my story to tell. It’s Raiden’s, and it’s very personal. If he hasn’t told you, then he isn’t ready for you to know.” She offers a half-hearted quirk of her mouth. “Don’t worry. Even if Namikawa is mad, Raiden is far too important for him to dispose of.”

That does nothing to make me feel better.

The kitchen doors open, and a waiter carries a bowl of karaage to my seat.

“I should see to my customers.” Ren moves away from me before I can interrogate her more. She ignores my attempts to grab her attention again.

Could Namikawa have somehow found out Raiden shared the clan’s secret with me? Or is Raiden in trouble for some other reason, maybe about the Takada-kai men he killed because of me?

God. My stomach cramps just thinking about the possibilities.

My phone buzzes. It’s Kenichi, my source from the police department. I’d asked him for help with my investigation.

Ken: Hey. Think I found something!

He’s attached a picture. My heart leaps into my throat as I zoom in.

The headline reads: Little Girl Escapes Ritualistic Sacrifice. It’s dated April 24, 1924.

He found a survivor!

Ken also sent me an email and attached a transcript of the article. My chicken cools as I read and then reread.

Her name is Yuki Katagiri.

While she didn’t identify her kidnapper, she claims to have been abducted with her mother and taken to a shrine along with dozens of other people. Yuki managed to escape, though her mother was killed.

I drop my phone onto the bar, mind spinning. How could one person kidnap so many people? Is it possible there’s some kind of paranormal connection? Is the person behind these abductions even human? That’s a disturbing thought, one I never would have considered until recently.

Okay. So, the mass grave was discovered close to the ruins of an old shrine in the mountains. That must be the shrine Yuki was referring to.

So, could it be that this next ritual will happen at a secluded shrine, too? And what will happen to all the missing people? Will they be sacrificed just like last time?

Why is any of this happening? I don’t know, but maybe Yuki or Yuki’s descendants will have some answers for me.

Before it’s too late.

Chapter 14

When I open my eyes, I have no idea where I am. What day it is. How I got here.

I’m lying on something soft. Wherever I am, it’s pitch-black. My finger throbs where it was cut off. Damn silver is still in my bloodstream. My healing is slow. A familiar scent fills my nose. I’m in my room. I’d know the smell of my den anywhere. Fumbling blindly, I flick on the light—and stare in horror that turns my skin ice cold.

My hands are caked in blood that’s dry and cracked, falling in little brown flakes onto the white sheets. I fell into bed with my shoes on, and there’s dirt scattered all over my bed. My suit is ripped and dirty, like I went stumbling through the woods.

“Help me!”

The memory of a man’s panicked scream pierces my brain.

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