Page 73 of Dangerous Deceit

“Better now,” he says.

My throat dries at those words, but he opens up his menu like it’s nothing. He asks Tomo about the different food items, and eventually, the two of them start joking with each other, and it’s like the yakuza’s mark was never forcefully cut into his skin, like he never lost a son to the yakuza.

As soon as the server leaves after taking our order, Uncle Jay clears his throat.

“I’ve been thinking about getting a gun,” he says. “Almost got robbed last night. Figured it’s now or never.”

“What the hell, Uncle Jay?” I ask. A surge of adrenaline rushes through me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Ah. Didn’t want to worry you, sweetie,” he says. He winks to the side so only I can see.He’s making things up.Is he using it as a way to start a conversation about guns? Does he know about the Golden Honor Firearms deal?

“Any of you know something about gun ownership?” Uncle Jay asks. Then he smacks his forehead and laughs. “What am I talking about? That’s right. Yakuza. Mafia. Of course you know about guns! How do you get a gun out here? What are the laws and processes in Nevada?”

Uncle Jayhasa gun, one he keeps in storage because we’ve never had a need for it before. Our jobs have always been easy, and when they weren’t, Patrick and Uncle Jay handled it with their fists.

The back of my neck prickles. Uncle Jay is doing thisnow?Right in the open?

Kenzo rubs the back of my neck. “You don’t have a gun?” he asks.

“Nah,” Uncle Jay lies. “But I always needed one. Especially with this young lady under my care.”

I gulp green tea, but it burns, and I choke, spitting it out on the plate in front of me. Everyone looks at me, and I cover my mouth with the cloth napkin.

“I’m all right,” I mumble.

Uncle Jay leans forward. “The Endo-kai must get deals on that kind of stuff, right?” he asks, quickly resuming the conversation.

The server sets the house salads down. I hastily take a bite. I don’t want to chime in, but I can’t tell Uncle Jay to shut up without being suspicious as hell. Why is he being so obvious about it? Does he not care anymore? What happened to being careful?

“What did you hear?” Tomo asks.

“There are rumors. Gun smuggling. Some to China. The Philippines. Japan too,” Uncle Jay says. “That’s how the Japanese get their guns, right?”

“Sure.”

“Heard you’re working out a deal with a firearms manufacturer,” Uncle Jay says.

I sink into my seat, and Kenzo gives me a quick glance. He probably thinks I told Uncle Jay about Golden Honor Firearms, but I didn’t. I close my eyes.

I haven’t said a word about Golden Honor Firearms to anyone. I like keeping the secret close to my chest like a weapon.

But it never mattered. Uncle Jay has already exposed it.

Niko pushes back his short hair. “What did you hear exactly?”

The fact Niko is now involved in the conversation makes my heart race. What is Uncle Jay getting into?

“Not much actually,” Uncle Jay laughs. “Is it Smith & Wesson? Winchester? Colt Defense? Oh! What about”—he pauses, pinching his brow—“Golden Honor Firearms?”

Tomo tilts his head. I bite my tongue, stabbing my fork at the salad bowl, but there’s only ginger dressing left.

“That’s none of our business,” I say to Uncle Jay. “They’re the yakuza,” I mumble, hoping he catches my subtext:Stop being so reckless!

“So the rumorsaretrue?” Uncle Jay asks me. His eyes widen as he realizes I’ve been holding back on him. Anger crackles over his face, then quickly dissolves into a forced smile. My cheeks flush, guilt rippling through me. “It’s just a friendly conversation, Vi. You know that,” he says in a low warning tone. He turns to Tomo again. “How much are you buying in for?”

The vibrator in my underwear comes to life, and I flinch. Kenzo smirks. The vibrations stop, and I push back my seat,unable to take another word, knowing Kenzo is going to make it very distracting if I stay any longer.

“Excuse me,” I whisper.

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