Page 86 of Emperor of Havoc

“Perhaps ask your daughter.”

Kolya’s jaw tightens, his eyes lancing into mine. But he doesn’t take the bait.

“What do you want, Takeshi.”

I step closer, the faint smile on my lips cool and calculated. “In all seriousness, I thought it was time we had a chat.”

“A chat,” he repeats, his tone dark with suspicion. “About what.”

I drag a chair closer to his bedside, the scrape of the legs against the floor deliberately slow, grating. I settle in, leaning back as if I have all the time in the world.

“I see right through you, you know,” Kolya says before I can speak. “Do you think for a single solitary second that I allowed you to marry my daughter and didn’t see you scheming a mile away?”

I chuckle darkly. “Scheming is such an ugly word. I prefer ‘strategizing’.”

His lips curl into a snarl as he studies me with his piercing eyes, his jaw tightening. “I have a hundred eyes on you at any given moment, Takeshi. I seeeverything.”

“I doubt that,” I reply smoothly. “Or you’d be out of that bed trying to strangle me.”

Kolya’s fingers twitch against the blanket. “Provoking me isn’t going to work. Now, are we going to dance all evening, or are you planning to tell me why you’re really here?”

Slowly, I lean forward a little. “I wanted to ask you about Akira Ohno.”

There’s a flicker of something in his eyes. A slight tick of his jaw. But he shakes his head.

“I’m unfamiliar with the name,” he says evenly. “But I assume you are?”

I let the silence stretch out. “Akira was a friend of mine,” I finally say. “Back when I was young. He taught me a lot about myself...cars…women…about channeling certainimpulses.”

Kolya’s expression doesn’t waver, but the tension in the room winds tighter. “What does this have to do with me?”

“He disappeared,” I continue, my tone casual but measured. “Shortly after returning to Tokyo. I’ve heard he might have had dealings with the Ishida-kai.”

Kolya’s eyes flash. “And you think I had something to do with it?”

“Did you?” I counter.

He doesn’t answer immediately. Finally he exhales, his gaze steady, his voice quiet. “If you’re here to dig up ghosts, Takeshi, I suggest you tread carefully. Some things are better left buried.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I reply, rising to my feet. “Thank you for your time.”

“I didn’t mean that as a threat, you know.”

I turn back at his words, eying him as he steeples his hands in his lap.

“Call it well-intentioned advice,” he adds.

“Well, thank you again.”

Kolya doesn’t respond, his gaze following me as I make my way to the door. Just as I reach for the handle, his voice stops me.

“Are you keeping her safe?” he growls, his tone deadly.

I glance over my shoulder, my gaze dark and unyielding.

“Katarina’s tough, and strong, and brave," he murmurs. "But she’s still…” He looks away, gritting his teeth. “She means the world to me, Takeshi,” he continues, turning back to me. “So?—”

“Whether or not I’ll protect your daughter is the last thing you ever have to worry about,” I reply quietly. “I’d kill for her, Kolya-sama.”

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