Page 27 of Dangerous Deceit

In yakuza tradition, to leave a gang, the member must cut off his finger, wrap it in a cloth, and present it to theoyabun.

So Ronin cut off hisownfinger and presented it to the leader of Ito-gumi, just so he could come here?

“I don’t give a fuck about your pinky. For all we know, you’re still a spy,” Niko says.

Tomo steps out from behind Niko and puts his arm around Ronin’s shoulder. “He’s your brother. Not your enemy.”

“He came from the Ito-gumi,” Niko argues.

“And we have a good working relationship with the Ito-gumi, even if we have our differences, don’t we, Niko?” Tomo says. “And Ronin is here. Perhaps he’s the motivation you need to properly step into your role as second-in-command.”

Niko scowls, muttering Japanese curse words under his breath, and he’s off, his phone to his ear, disappearing behind a thick row of zelkova trees.

I wave to Ronin. If Tomo accepts him, then I will too.

For now.

“The more, the merrier,” I say. I pull up a chair to our table, and he scans me and my wife cautiously, unsure whether to accept the offer or to find his gun. I urge him again: “We’ve got plenty of food. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

Finally, Ronin bows and takes the seat. He reminds me of my parents—always polite and respectful. They immigrated to the United States before I was born, but after I ran away to Las Vegas and took up with Tomo, I forgot about the constant bowing. Most of the time, Tomo seems to skip it as a way to assimilate into the hustler culture of Sin City.

Ronin scans the room. He’s older than me by a handful of years, but around the same age as Niko. Damn… Niko, Cherry, and now Ronin? All three of Tomo’s biological kids are with different women. He’s obviously got super sperm.

Jay waves at Vi, and she wipes her mouth with her napkin.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she says. She goes off with her uncle, and I’m left alone with the new guy.

“You hungry?” I ask.

Ronin shakes his head. “No. Thank you, though.”

I chuckle to myself. Refusing offers like that may be a part of the culture too. Don’t accept anything the first time; otherwise, you’ll be seen as rude. I see what’s going on, but it makes more work for me. He needs to relax so we can talk like regular people.

“You must’ve been traveling for a while,” I say. “Tokyo. What’s that? Eleven hours by plane? Twelve?”

He nods again, and I wait for him to clarify the length of the plane ride, but he says nothing. I can’t tell if he’s not a talker, or if he doesn’t give a shit about establishing a connection with me.

“Your wife,” he says. “What arrangement was made?”

I scrunch my nose. “Her uncle touched one of ourkanbu’swives.”

“Did you know her before this?”

“I met her a week ago. I needed a wife for the corporate events, and she fits the bill.”

“Convenient, isn’t it?”

I furrow my brows. What is he talking about?

“What’s that, buddy?” I ask.

“You need a wife, and she emerges,” he says, as if it explains his accusations. His eyes follow Vi and her uncle. “Interesting, isn’t it? What is she after?”

I tilt my head, wondering why an ex-gangster from the Ito-gumi would cut off his finger, skip town, and come here, just to tell me my wife is hunting us. My neck stiffens, because I had suspicions she was up to something too, but I dismissed it because?—

Because—

Well, because she fucking distracted me.

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