Page 5 of Cunning Lies
“What’s your name?” Tomo asks. Tomo has a decade or two on the prisoner—he could even be his father—but that age difference doesn’t stop the fear from clouding the prisoner’s eyes.
“Jay,” he says quietly. “Jay Petrus.”
“Jay Petrus, my son will take your niece to the charity gala, andthendecide if he wants to marry her. If he does, our shiingin will deliver the paperwork to you. But as foryou,” a smile tugs at Tomo’s lips, “Your niece shouldn’t pay for your debt to the Endo-kai.Youshould. As part of the yakuza tradition, you will cut off your own pinky.”
The color drains from Jay’s face. His handcuffs rattle against the o-ring, and he accidentally hits the knife, and it flies off of the metal table. I pick it up, placing it right back in front of him.
“F-f-for putting my arm around h-h-his wife?” he stutters. “I-I can’t cut off my own finger.” Panic overwhelms his body. His pale skin turns green, like he’s about to vomit. Pleasure fills me as he squirms like that, and those Three Dog Night lyrics sing along in my mind again.
It’s a damn good day.
“You can, and you will,” Tomo says. He bends down. “Or I will have my son take your nieceandkill you right now.”
The prisoner’s eyes fall to the white cloth as he fumbles with the knife.
“I—”
“There is no other option,” Tomo says, his voice raspy. Suddenly, his accent is thick: “I want your finger.”
Jay closes his eyes, but then he nods. He awkwardly uses the knife, sawing it back and forth. Blood spills onto the table, streaming to the edges. Sobs choke through his mouth.
Tomo’s eyes widen. I may not share his blood, but all of us—Tomo, Cherry, Dice, Niko, and me—weallshare that love for violence. It’s so satisfying to see someone do it to themselves, to see the absolute debasement, thathumiliation,as they humble themselves for a second chance at life.
Jay hits bone, and his sobs are so loud, one of the soldiers flinches. He’s desperate to finish, the blade sliding against the bone, but he’s not making any progress. I glance at Tomo, exchanging unspoken words, and Tomo nods, letting me help Jay.
“Bones are tough, aren’t they?” I say. I don’t know if I’m sympathetic or if I’m condescending at that moment, but I still take the knife from his slippery, bloody hand, and help him with the amputation. “Hold still, all right? You move, and I may cut off more than your pinky.”
A wail escapes Jay but I smack down the knife, the bone cracking through the air, the knife scraping against the table.
For a moment, it’s silent. Jay tries to breathe again while the rest of us ogle that severed, bloody pinky. Covered in blood, it resembles a cooked carrot, but it’s beautiful too. A symbol of justice. In reality, Jay only had to cut off a knuckle, but he made an assumption and started the incision at two knuckles worth. I finished the job, and now, he’s got an inch of pinky left.
Jay moans into the table, and I take the severed finger in the white cloth, wrap it up, and hand it to Tomo.
“You’ll have to show it to Haruto,” I say.
“Of course,” he says. “You two talk business now.”
Tomo, Cherry, and the other soldiers leave the room. Then it’s just me, the enforcer, and Jay. I sit down across from him once again, running a hand through my shaggy black hair.
“Once we’re done, a doctor will cauterize and clean the wound for you,” I say. Jay’s head hangs low, but he lets me talk. “I can’t promise any marriage until your niece passes the test. But I won’t keep you waiting. There’s a charity event tonight, and I need a date. Think she can handle that?”
“Yes,” he mumbles. “She has to.”
I lick my teeth, an unsettling pressure landing on my shoulders. It’s almost like he said that as a threat. I don’t trust people easily, and until she passes my test, she’s just her uncle’s pawn. I don’t owe her anything, nor does she owe me.
“What’s her name?” I ask.
“Vi. Short for Vivian.”
Vivian.It’s a long, powerful name, but the nickname ‘Vi’ seems sly. She can be hiding anything she wants, but if it comes down to it, we will still kill her uncleandher.
Maybe I’m going soft, wanting to save this sweet niece from her uncle who’s dumb enough to mess with the yakuza. Or maybe I want to ruin his ‘virgin’ niece until there’s no mistaking that she’s innocent. None of us are.
“Well, Jay,” I say, putting my hand forward. He immediately jerks his uninjured hand in mine, amputated pinky forgotten, an eager fool once again. We shake, sealing the deal. “Let’s see how your niece works out.”
CHAPTER3
VI
