Page 64 of Samson

There were also various katanas and other swords

“Some of these pieces are priceless,” Ito said as he walked slowly through the room with Samson.

“I bet.” He leaned closer to examine a scroll that was encased in a glass box. “What does it say?”

When Ito didn’t respond, he looked up and found no one beside him. He looked back the way he’d entered and found four men barred the door. Each one holding a sword.

“What is this? Where’s Ito?”

“He had somewhere he needed to be,” said the bodyguard who’d taken his gun.

“I see. I guess you don’t mind if I interfere with your display.” He reached for the nearest katana and pulled it from its scabbard. “It’s not my best weap—” He remembered the conversation he had with Delilah but shook it away. He needed to focus.

The first man approached, spinning his sword with complicated twists.

“You look like a pro,” Samson said, lifting his own sword in defense. He was no match for this man’s skill, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have other options to defend and attack. He waited until the man was close enough to strike, then jumped sideways, hooking his hand on a mannequin wearing a kimono. He kept his fingers in the fabric to pull it away as the rest of the dummy crashed into his attacker.

He swung the sword behind him, catching the guy’s shoulder, cutting him as the other three approached.

“You don’t want to do this,” Samson said as he sidestepped, keeping himself as far away from the men as he could.

One of the other bodyguards charged and Samson ditched his sword and used the kimono to collect the other man’s weapon, ripping it out of his hand before going back to the first man, launching the sword at him. It sliced him across the chest.

“Who’s next?”

All three came at him, and in the flurry, Samson wasn’t even aware of his movements. His focus was a pinpoint, and at the end, he was left breathing hard while all four men lay unconscious or dead on the floor.

He shook his head and tsked, then climbed over one man to reach the one who had taken his gun.

After retrieving it, he returned to the dining room, where he found Ito.

“Thanks for the tour.”

Ito didn’t move but kept his eyes on Samson’s gun. “I—I wasn’t responsible for that.”

“What about thesake? Did you put something in it?”

“You didn’t drink enough for it to affect you. Please. I had no choice.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. But unfortunately, I’ve decided not to take the job.”

Samson walked to his car while he held his phone to his ear.

“Have you got something for me?” Trevors said when he answered.

“I sure do.”

“I hope it’s Demir.”

“Maybe. It’s connected at the very least. Look into a restaurant called Izakaya.”

“Japanese?”

“Yeah. Hang on.” Samson got into his car and connected his phone before pulling onto the street. “It’s run by a man named Takashi Ito.”

“How do you think he’s connected to Demir?” Trevors said.

“Don’t know. But Demir must have him on the bank roll, or he’s got a connection to Marc Rubin. Either way. He attempted to do Demir a favor tonight.”

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