Page 74 of Secrets & Sake

I turn my back on my grandfather and go join Hiro and the others in the house.

Is it possible I could have a future with Hiro far away from this life?

Chapter 21

“Excuse us,” I call out as we enter Namikawa’s home. We remove our shoes, step into slippers, and proceed inside.

Namikawa’s home is beautiful. It’s a home built in the Minka tradition with sliding walls made of rice paper that reveal dozens of different rooms. Additionally, there are tons of bonsai plants, which add charm to the house.

The first floor is already packed with a mixture of Namikawa-kai and Takada-kai members. Refreshments are provided for us on a low table. Before we sit in the tatami room, we remove our slippers and sit on floor cushions.

The yakuza packs don’t mingle with one another and stick close to their own pack, occasionally shooting wary looks around the room. Even after the time I’ve spent with the gang, being in a room full of yakuza is still intimidating, especially since I know they can all shift into wolves the size of horses.

Camera in hand, I snap photos of the gathering. The atmosphere is surprisingly casual as people talk among themselves in low tones. I don’t see Namikawa among them yet.

There’s a nervous churning in my stomach at the idea that anyone in this room could be a kitsune. I’ve done a little more research about kitsune since I found out, but I don’t know how much is folklore and how much is fact.

Supposedly, the more tails a kitsune has, the older and more powerful they are. Some stories say they drink blood or shapeshift into women. My gaze lingers on Ren, the only woman in the pack. No. It can’t be her. At least, I hope not… Could it be Takada? Namikawa? I wish I knew.

I’ve got to bide my time until the kitsune makes a move. Then, I can figure out where they are keeping the missing people and… I don’t know what I’ll do. Call the police? But would they stand a chance against a powerful supernatural creature?

Raiden and Hideyoshi are dressed formally, like they’re going to a business meeting, and Ren has on a black dress that shows off her tattoo sleeves. I’d put on my finest threads, as well.

Raiden gives my hand a squeeze. “Gonna go talk to Namikawa. Ren, watch him.”

“Wait,” I begin, not liking the idea of them being alone together. What if he tries to control Raiden?

“I’ll be fine,” Raiden assures me.

Ren pounces on me, hands on my shoulders. “Come on, leave your boyfriend for five minutes. It’s been a while since we hung out!”

I scoff. “What does he think I’ll do by myself?”

“Play five-finger fillet with a yakuza, obviously,” Ren says.

There are quite a few women here with tattoos on display.

“There aren’t normally a lot of women in the yakuza,” I note as I grab a glass of sake from the refreshments table.

Ren takes a sip. “Not normally, no. Many yakuza groups still believe a woman’s role is to be a wife and care for children while the men handle business. But among werewolves, men and women have always been viewed as being equal in strength.”

“That must be tough, being one of the few women in the gang.”

“It was at first. Most of the men thought I was just a pretty face or started rumors that Namikawa only let me join because we were sleeping together. That sort of nonsense. They didn’t know I’d been in and out of trouble with the law for most of my life.”

“Oh?” Ren’s so fun-loving and warm, so it’s hard to imagine her being so mischievous. I want to ask, but it seems kind of rude to ask about someone’s criminal history.

She grins. “You’re curious, aren’t you?”

“No! Not at all.”

“I’m a big kleptomaniac. If it wasn’t bolted down, I’d take it.”

I instinctively touch my pocket where my wallet is.

Ren giggles. “Relax. I stole stuff I knew I could sell easily. My mom was a single parent, and we were dirt broke. I joined a few years after Raiden did in my late teens. He put in a good word for me. I mostly bar tend at the Lotus, but if the gang needs me, I chip in.”

Lifting my camera, I snap a picture of a yakuza and his wife. “Do you see yourself staying?”

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