Page 17 of Brutal Vows

Evaline, Kenzo’s wife, is in the middle of telling Vanya and me about what transpired at their wedding yesterday. It takes some brass balls to shoot up a Yakuza boss’s big day and attempt to kidnap his bride. Even my father doesn’t have that kind of gall.

I’m still not even sure what the hell is going on. Vitali wants my brother. He’s set on finding him, but I don’t know why. What did Elio do to cross Vitali? Not that I think it would take much, but my captor, up until we arrived here, was set on locating him.

Hurt blooms in my chest as I think about Elio abandoning me. He’s alive—Vitali confirmed that much—but he never came for me. The brother who fought to protect me from my father left me to die alone in that godforsaken cabin.

To keep my mind off the unknown, I’ve been regaling the girls with tales of Italian nude beaches. I managed to sneak out once, just for a little while, and it had been worth the punishment.

“Never visit Italian beaches during that time,” I howl with laughter, enjoying that even Lizzie has managed a small smile at my story. “You’ll see more cringeworthy dicks than you ever wanted to.”

Another burst of laughter erupts from the group of women.

“Adrian would never,” Vanya adds with her own laugh, dabbing the corner of her eyes with her finger. “He’d blindfold me before taking me to the beach.”

Evaline sits next to her on the couch, giggling along with her. The two have become fast friends despite only meeting today. These women are strong. Anyone can seethat, and it causes a lump to build in my throat. I’m nothing like them. I may seem strong. I may lift my chin in defiance. But the mask I wear is just that. A mask. Underneath it I am nothing more than what my father made me.

A scared little girl.

“What’s that comb in your hair?” Vanya asks Evaline between bites of raspberries. “It’s beautiful.”

Evaline reaches up to gently touch the comb that is holding back the left side of her hair. It is a large, intricate Japanese-style comb littered with emeralds and diamonds. The design is unique, and I wonder where she got it from. You don’t see many combs like that anymore outside of museums.

“Oh,” Evaline smiles, turning slightly so we can see it better. My eyes widen slightly when I see the two dips in the comb that resemble a head of snakes. “It’s a family heirloom from Kenzo’s side. His mother gave it to me.”

Squinting, I lean forward slightly to get a better view as pick up my glass of wine. “That is certainly an interesting heirloom,” I tell her. “It is a Medusa comb.”

“What’s a Medusa comb?” Vanya asks, curiously examining the heirloom herself.

“During World War II, Japanese female spies in other countries used to wear Medusa combs in their hair so that German and Japanese forces could identify them as spies for their homeland.”

Taking a sip of my drink, I tilt my head toward the comb. “If you noticed, the dips have a snake-like appearance. The jewels are their eyes.”

From the way Evaline is mildly startled at its history, she hadn’t been told the heritage of such an heirloom.

“After the war ended, the Japanese government had no more use for these kinds of spies, so most of them were lefton their own,” I continue, leaning back. “Abandoned by their government, many of the women joined the ranks of the Yakuza. The combs became a symbol of status for the women. They were married to high-ranking officials within the organization or to government officials for use in spying. The combs were how they were identified.”

The comb appears almost new and one of the snakes is oddly deformed, but I shake the thought away. I wonder if the mother-in-law knows the heritage. Did she receive it from her own mother or grandmother?

Evaline’s face pales at the realization of what the comb truly stands for. She is a sweet soul, and it doesn’t take me knowing much about her to know what she is running through her head. Evaline is wondering if the Yakuza still uses these practices. If they force women into bed with prominent men to spy for them.

“Mrs. Nakamura’s car is here for you,” one of the guards, Niko, informs Evaline. She smiles warmly at her guard and stands from her seat.

“Thank you both so much for spending time with me today,” she says sincerely. “I really appreciate it.” We all smile up at her. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. Not since my mother was alive.

“We’ll see you when you get back,” Vanya adds softly. “I believe Adrian wanted to stay for dinner and poker tonight. And I thought it would be fun to do a movie night in your impressive theater.”

Evaline laughs. “That sounds great,” she agrees as she grabs her purse and says one last goodbye before following her guard out the door.

“I’m going to get going as well,” Lizzie says softly. Vanya and I nod, barely able to say goodbye before she makes a beeline for the door.

“What is that about?” Vanya asks, scrunching her nose. “That poor girl was so spooked the entire time she was here.”

Shrugging, I take another long sip of my wine. Or what is left of it. “From what I heard about yesterday, she is pretty shaken up about what happened. Especially when Kenzo blamed her initially for the breach in security.”

Vanya lets out a long sigh, her shoulders dropping. “It’s sad. Evaline says Lizzie has been a friend since they were in grade school. I know what it’s like to lose friends to this life.”

That must be nice. Ugh, that is the big green monster talking. It isn’t fair for me to be jealous of the friendship Evaline and Lizzie must share. When I was younger, I used to imagine that I was the most popular girl with so many friends. I’d hold tea parties and fancy balls, all in the comfort and safety of my room.

Where my father couldn’t see.

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