Page 112 of Dangerous Deceit

He lays his head beside mine as our breathing slows to a normal tempo. The rain patters on the rocks, and a stream of water trickles beside us. He pushes himself up, then offers a hand to help me stand. I take his hand, then I slide into my soaked clothes and look up at the sky.

I should be anxious about seeing Kenzo’s family and facing their judgment. I should be worried about what we’re going to do with Jay’s body. I should be concerned the Endo-kai will executeme now, like they had ordered Kenzo to do before all of this. I should be scared about what the war with the Ito-gumi means for our future.

But Kenzo links his fingers in mine, and none of that matters. We’re alive. We’re home.

I glance around. The desert is wet with flash flood streams, but the corpse is gone now. Panic flutters in my chest. Is Jay still alive? Where’s the gun?

“Where is he?” I say, quivering. “Where?—”

Kenzo motions off to the side, and there’s Jay. Dirty and wet, the blood gone, washed away with the rain. Gray-brown hair matted to his forehead. Lifeless blue eyes aimed at the dark sky. The rain carried him there.

Relief swells through me. My chest relaxes, and Kenzo strokes my back in a soothing rhythm. Jay isn’t my family. I understand that now.

But I have Kenzo, and I know he loves me.

CHAPTER 50

VI

Headlights brightenthe darkness on the desert road, and once the SUV parks, Tomo and Cherry get out and slam the car doors. Another one pulls up behind them, and this time, Dice jumps out with a few men. They quickly find the body and load it into the back of the car.

Tomo points to the storage building, and after Tomo and Kenzo scan their phones, the five of us—Tomo, Cherry, Dice, Kenzo, and me—go inside.

The rain beats the roof, loud and grating. I suck in a deep breath. I don’t know what to say to them, but I know they want me dead, and if I was in their position, I would too.

Tomo acknowledges Kenzo, then turns to me. My cheeks flush with heat. I’m not sure I’m ready to be interrogated by the big boss.

But then Tomo nods his head, almost as if he’s bowing to me.

“Now, tell me, Vi,” Tomo says. “What happened?”

I tell him about everything Jay said. That our foreign client was the Ito-gumi. That they were trying to steal the guns so they don’t have to work with the Endo-kai anymore. I tell him about the new soldier, the one with glasses who told Jay where to findthe guns and how to get inside. I tell him Jay was convinced that in a few months, the whole Endo-kai will be wiped out, because the Ito-gumi are set on a war. I tell him I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ito-gumi wants to take over the Endo-kai’s claim in Vegas.

The entire time I ramble, Tomo nods his head. Every so often, he says, “Hmm,” or scratches his chin. Kenzo rubs my back, soothing me, but it doesn’t erase the tension in my shoulders. Kenzo won’t let his family kill me, but they get to decide our future, and I’m scared.

“It’s been a long time coming, I suppose,” Tomo says.

“That’s what you get for leaving on the wrong foot,” Cherry snarks.

Tomo waves his hand. “Dice can handle the courier. Ronin will take care of the new soldier,” he says. “We’ll watch the execution. Make sure he carries it out. Prove that he’s with us.”

“And the war?” I ask hesitantly. Kenzo wraps an arm around me.

“Your client must have had your uncle under the wrong impression,” Tomo says, amusement in his tone. “The Ito-gumi wereoncestrong, but they’re desperate now. Still, Akio is smart. He’ll start a war on business fronts first, eh? We need to get ahead of him.”

I should feel calm, but I don’t. Nothing about the yakuza is easy, and my stupid heart won’t let me run away. Instead, I find my place in Kenzo’s arms, because even if our future is marked in danger, he’s my home.

Kenzo kisses my forehead, and then,onlythen, does a tiny bit of relief flow through me. But I still tap my fingers on my sides nervously.

“And what happens to me?” I whisper.

“Nothing,” Kenzo says.

He tightens his grip around me, reminding everyone I’m his. But those decisions don’t always lie with him. I turn to Tomo,knowing my life will either be easier,or harder,depending on what he says. He may respect Kenzo’s wishes to let me live, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be welcome in the Endo-kai.

“Yubitsume?” I squeak. “I don’t know if I can cut off my own pinky, but if I have to, I will.”

Tomo bursts with laughter, and Cherry snickers too. Even Dice grins a bit, and Kenzo shakes his head.

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