Page 10 of Shifting Gears

But would I regret not going inside with him more than doing it?

I took a deep breath and shook my head. “Nothing. I apologize. Tonight was … a lot. Please, lead the way.”

He resumed walking to the door and shoved it open. Inside was a mechanic shop, which was funny because I didn’t take him for a mechanic based on his looks. But then again, looks could be deceiving.

I continued to look around the space as he shut the door behind us. There were cars by the lifts, most likely in their final inspection stages before being shipped across the sea to some far-off country. The thought of getting far from Japan had me jealous for a moment.

Then I remembered why I couldn’t, all the reasons I was trapped here, until the end of my days.

“It’s up there,” he said as his hand stretched out from behind me, pointing at a stairwell that led to some rooms above the shop.

I shivered as his warm breath fell across the skin on the back of my neck. I turned and glanced up at him, meeting his intense and smoldering gaze.

“All right,” I said as I took a few steps forward, relaxing when he followed.

We made our way up the stairs, passing a bathroom and a couple of more closed doors before coming to a halt at the end.

He turned the knob from behind me and pushed it open. There was a light on over the small kitchen, which illuminated the rest of the space. I took a few steps inside, and he closed the door behind me.

“It ain’t much, but make yourself at home, baby,” he said as he kicked his shoes off before he walked over to the closet, opened it, and tossed his hat inside.

“It’s lovely. Size doesn’t really matter,” I said as I continued to take in the living and sleeping areas of the space while removing my shoes as well, setting them neatly off to the side.

“Size always matters,” he said with a chuckle.

I could feel a smile on the edges of my lips, and I quickly pushed it away as I walked to the kitchen.

“Do you have anything to drink?”

He gestured to the kitchen refrigerator.

I opened it and grabbed a water container.

“Thank you … for earlier. I wish you hadn’t gotten involved, but I am grateful you did. The man who had sent those two after me can be quite possessive—and not in a good way.” I shuddered to think about what would have happened if he had come to collect me himself tonight.

“Why not leave his ass? Doesn’t sound like there are any feelings involved. Someone as sexy as you shouldn’t be with a man like that,” he said as his eyes trailed up my body.

I shook my head. “There is no escape from him. This was the only solution to save my family and our legacy.”

I searched around his kitchen until I found a glass and poured myself some water. I brought the glass up to my lips and took a long drink.

I could feel his eyes on my back as I drank again.

“Why don’t you explain it to me better, baby? I might not be the smartest man, but I’ve been known to get out of a few shitty situations pretty well.”

I sighed. He would never be able to understand the feelings of duty I have to my father’s legacy and to protect my sisters at any cost. Even if it meant giving up any chance of joy for myself in the process.

“My father got into debt before he passed. A lot of debt. He’d made a bet far too large because he was overly confident in his chance of success. And he failed. And the shame it brought him,it’s what pushed his health over the edge, and he passed not long after.”

I thought back to that night in the ring. My sisters had been too young to attend the dangerous events in the underbelly of Tokyo. But I was in line to take over the dojo soon, especially with my father’s health declining. Our fighter had a decent chance of winning that night. Until a new fighter emerged. He completely took Father’s top student by surprise. He ended up paralyzed from the waist down after that fight. We’d ended up so far in debt to the yakuza that the only thing that would cover it besides money was to give them something they wanted. And that something was a wife for the heir of the Yamazaki family. Someone who could handle the unpleasant side of the lifestyle. Someone born into the same situation. Someone like me or one of my sisters.

“We couldn’t come up with the amount of money needed to settle the debt, so instead, the yakuza offered us an easy way out. We could keep our family home, but at the cost of someone from my family becoming his wife.”

“And that wife is you? So, you’re married?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not yet, but I will be soon. These next couple of months are the last months of freedom I have. That’s why I was at that bar tonight. Once I’m his wife, I won’t be allowed to leave his estate without being by his side.”

I let what I said settle in the silence that followed. The thought of being stuck in his home, regardless of how large and extravagant it was, was terrifying. Like a bird trapped in a cage for the viewing enjoyment of men. I wanted to cry and scream at the very thought of it all, but instead, I only allowed my body to tremble.

---