Page 109 of Emperor of Wrath

Tamura Yoshito’s father was a mid-level enforcer who held allegiance to my father, and was by all accounts, a loyal, well-respected man.

His son, however, is a fucking dipshit.

The kid walks around like he’s cosplaying some blend of Fast and the Furious and whatever Japanese gangster movies he’s been watching too much of lately. Honestly, if he was just reckless, cocky, and hungry, he’d be fine, and he’d fit right in with most of the other guys in the Yakuza his age.

But Tamura is also unbelievably fucking stupid.

For instance, he’s been skimming a little off the top of his collections before handing the money over to my mid-level guys.

You don’t have to be in the Yakuza to understand that stealing from them is a bad idea.

Normally, I’d have already had him dangled off a tenth-story railing, or even removed one of his hands. But I can’t pull shit like that without hard evidence, unless I want to sow leadership doubt in my ranks.

And I don’t have hard evidence.

“I say take him to the cliffs near the ruins of Sakamoto Castle and dangle him by his fucking balls until he confesses.”

“I’m sorry, until who confesses to what?”

I can’t help but grin widely as I turn to see Annika standing there.

Looking stunning.

Fuck-me-that’s-my-wife.

Mal frowns. “Nothing,” he grunts.

“Oh, so just a casual conversation about hanging someone by their balls over a cliff. Got it.” She shrugs with a sly grin.

I exhale, turning to nod my chin at Tamura, who’s currently trying and failing to hit on one of the waitresses.

“One of our guys is skimming, we just can’t prove it.”

“That dweeb is skimming from you?” she says incredulously.

“I’d almost be impressed, if it didn’t make me want to cut his head off,” Mal mutters.

“And you need proof.”

I nod.

“Okay, so what would prove he’s skimming so you can make a move on him?”

“Evidence?” Mal says sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes. “Thank you, Dr. Watson, that’s most helpful. I meant where could one find such evidence.”

“On his phone, probably,” I mutter. “He’s always on it, does all of his business that way. It never leaves his side.”

“So take it away from his side.”

I roll my eyes. “Shockingly, that idea has crossed my mind. But it’s not like we can hack into a fucking iPhone.”

“Not with that attitude, you can’t.”

I eye her, finding myself both amused and aroused by the look in her eyes as she glances over to Tamura.

“What are you scheming?”

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