Page 89 of Dangerous Deceit

“I’m not quitting.”

Deep down, I know I’ll never win this argument.

“If we have to finish the job, then we have to do it quickly,” I say. “I can’t keep pretending to be some mafia wife anymore.”

“Once we get the info about Golden Honor Firearms, we can leave this place behind,” Uncle Jay says. “So get to work.”

He tries to open the front door, but it’s locked. He sighs. “For fuck’s sake, he’s locking me in here too?”

I swallow down bile, then knock on the balcony door, hoping my worst fear isn’t about to unfold.

Kenzo unlocks the front door, letting Uncle Jay out without a word. A tingling sensation rolls through me, my eyes widening. Kenzo knows Uncle Jay and I are working together, but if he’s willing to let Uncle Jay go free, then that means there’s hope.

But once Uncle Jay leaves, Kenzo returns to the balcony and makes another phone call while keeping his eyes on the parking lot. He must be watching Uncle Jay walk to his car. And that may mean he’s walking into another trap.

A sour taste lingers on my tongue. Kenzo and Uncle Jay are the same. It doesn’t matter if someone lives or dies, as long as they finish their business. Business as usual. Nothing changes. Life goes on.

And we still die.

CHAPTER 39

KENZO

A few dayspass like that. My office is locked—only the higher-ups in the Endo-kai have access to my penthouse and the office—but that’s not why I’m on edge. The Endo-kai is ready to “take care” of her, and I’m not going to let it happen. If anyone handles her, it’ll be me.

That’smyduty.My wife.

So I take her to work. Vi leans on the passenger door of my car. In black pants and a nice blouse, she’s playing the part of a good girl ready to visit her husband’s place of employment. Perfume puffs of burnt sugar invade my nostrils, and I scoff, then open the car window. If I can’t smell her, maybe I won’t be fooled by her lies. But damn it, even past the wet cement and exhaust outside, her sweet perfume breaks through, and once again, Vi dominates my thoughts. Then again, she’s been in the center of my mind since I saw her handcuffed in the holding cell.

Perhaps my mistake wasn’t believing in her lies; it was thinking she was part of the family just because I put a ring on her finger.

I know better now.

My phone buzzes, and I glance at it before focusing back on the road. Tomo must be riding Niko’s ass, or he wouldn’t be texting me so much.

Niko texts:Take care of her.Those four words make my skin crawl. I’ll take care of her, all right.

Shimmering yellow walls of a warehouse come into view.Gold Cine HQshines in big letters above the doors. Gold Cine is a movie theater company, and with the way the world has shifted, there’s a lot less of a need for traditional theaters. It’s the exact kind of target we like to extort—the desperate kind—especially when they’re trying to cover up certain secrets, like an executive who harasses the interns, then pays them to stay quiet.

We park near the front entrance, and a valet opens Vi’s car door. I toss him my keys.

“You’re taking me to work?” Vi asks.

It’s the first words she’s spoken to me since we left the penthouse. All I do is nod. It was that, or leave her at home, and with Niko’s incessant pestering, I can’t leave her there. I know Niko, and when he doesn’t like the way business is run, he deals with it in his own way.

Niko’s next text comes in:Take care of it, or I fucking will.

Point proven.It.My wife is an “it” now. Still, she’s not his problem to deal with. If Vi has to pay, then it’s going to bemewho makes sure her debt is fulfilled.

We ride the elevators in silence, but on the second floor, some of the other stockholders join us. I make small talk, keeping Vi behind my back and out of the way. Her posture changes behind me, almost like she’s shrinking inside of herself. I want her to feel small and insignificant, like she’s here because shehasto be, not because I want her here. Not because I can’t stand the thought of leaving her in the penthouse. Not because I can’t take the chance of her being alone when the rest of the yakuza keep insisting I “take care” of her. And definitely notbecause I want to protect her. Because thisisn’tabout protecting her.

And yet, she’s here. Hiding behind me.

God-fucking-damn it.

The crowd of businessmen go to the meeting. There’s a set of chairs posted along the wall outside of the conference room, and on top of that, there’s a glass wall between the room and these chairs, which will give me the perfect view of Vi while I work.

“Sit here,” I say.

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