Page 26 of Emperor of Havoc

AKA, my indecent proposal to marry Katarina Ishida.

Which—shit—I haven’t actually found the time yet to mention to my family.

I pull my attention back to Hana. “Was there something you needed, by the way?”

“Aside from making sure you weren’t…you know…” She peers at me.

“Sliding intoAmerican Psychoterritory?”

“Your words,” she mutters.

“I’m not.”

Not at this exactmoment, at least. Nor today…probably.

“Glad we’ve cleared that up,” she smirks.

Ugh, she’s smiling a lot these days. I blame her fiancé Damian, AKA the nephew of Kir Nikolayev, the Mori-kai’s Bratva ally. Though I will begrudgingly admit that despite taking away my twin sister's sullenness that I used to delight in, hedoesmake her happy.

Like, really,reallyfucking happy.

“Oh, there’s something else,” Hana says, raising a brow to me. “Kenzo wants to talk to you.”

“When?”

“…Now?”

I glance at the burbling, sobbing Higashi. Then I turn back to my sister.

“I’ll finish up here,” I say easily, as if I’m ending a work call instead of carrying out an execution. “Tell Caesar that I’ll see him after I clean up.”

She nods, glancing past me again to frown at Higashi. “Tak.”

“Yeah?”

“Just… Get it done, okay? No…you know.”

My lips curl. “Trophies?”

She sighs, shaking her head. “See you upstairs.”

She leaves without another word, her footsteps light as she heads back up the stairs.

For a second, I ignore the sniveling man behind me and let my gaze drag across the garage I’ve built down here: the cars, the bikes.

I grin.

Akira would have fuckinglovedthis place.

Higashi looks up at me as I turn back to him, desperation on his ruined face. I crouch again, close enough that he can hear me, even through my voice is quiet.

“I mean, Iwasgoing to take an ear. Or, you know…something.” I exhale through my lips. “But, you can thank my sister for ruining that one. Anyway, this is where it ends for you,” I tell him. “You believe in reincarnation?”

“W-what?!” Higashi sobs.

“Do you believe you will be reborn again after death.”

“I-I…I don’t know!” Higashi wails.

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