Page 69 of Cunning Lies
I enter the room and the conversation falls silent, like they were just talking about Uncle Jay and me. My nerves spike, but Kenzo puts an arm around me as if it’s nothing.
“Please,” Tomo says, waving towards the rolls in front of my plate. “Please. Eat.”
I lift a bite with my chopsticks. Kenzo leans into my ear and puts a clean cloth napkin into my lap.
“Wipe yourself with this,” he whispers.
Fire dances inside of me but I do as I’m told, pressing the napkin between my legs. Kenzo pulls the cloth into his lap, and after a few minutes of eating, he brings it to his mouth and inhales deeply. His nostrils flare as his eyes roll into the back of his head.
“I could feast all day,” he says.
But he’s not talking about the sushi. Yet, Tomo agrees with him.
“Meiyo is the best Japanese restaurant in Nevada,” Tomo tells me.
The anxiety holds me on edge, and with the vibrator on stand by and Kenzo sniffing my scent, I’m about to explode. Uncle Jay returns, and the conversation flows like normal, friendly banter. No more awkwardness. No more secrets revealed. No more guns. I stuff my face, glad for the excuse not to talk, but my eating slows as Kenzo strokes the back of my neck, tickling my spine, constantly reminding me of his presence and control over me.
When we finish our dessert, we stand.
“You taking care of my niece?” Uncle Jay asks Kenzo. He pulls both of us in for a group hug. “Take good care of her.”
“I will,” Kenzo says, and there’s a subtle violence in his words that makes me tense. “Why don’t you walk your uncle out?” Kenzo asks me. He tilts his head toward Tomo. “We’ve got business to discuss. I’ll meet you at the Chandelier Bar.”
My stomach sinks, knowing that they must not want me or Uncle Jay around for those talks. I don’t blame them.
But god, I am afraid of them.
“See you soon?” I ask, practically begging for Kenzo to come rescue me as soon as possible.
He nods. “Of course.” He turns to Uncle Jay. “It was good to see you.”
Uncle Jay grins with a hint of animosity in his posture. “Right back at you,” he says.
CHAPTER21
KENZO
Once we’re backin our seats and Vi and Jay are long gone, Ronin looks at me.
“She’s a spy,” he says. Almost like he’s practically screaming,I told you so.“Both of them are. They’re not here for—”
Tomo raises his hand, and Ronin falls silent. Tomo peers around the room, then his eyes stay on me for a few moments longer, reading my position in this. Gracie fidgets in her seat. Niko is dark, like an ominous sea, and Cherry is ready to fight, her hands balled into fists, her nails painted bright red. Dice seems bored, but attentive, his bulky shoulders tense, his eyes staring off into space.
“You are not thewakagashira,” Tomo says to Ronin. “It is not your duty to provide judgments. Your sole duty is to prove thatyouaren’t still loyal to the Ito-gumi.” Ronin bows his head, and Tomo looks at me. “They must be working for a client,” Tomo says. “What do you know?”
“Not much,” I say. “Jay may or may not be her real uncle. But she’s been with him since she was a kid. I had her cousin working, but then I—”
“I don’t need their family history,” Tomo interrupts. “What are theyafter?”
My stomach sinks with the way he’s talking about them,about her,but I don’t convey that. Shit. Why can’t I answer? Am I avoiding the subject because I know it’s not going to end well for her?
Regardless, it’s fucking obvious.
“What else would they be after?” I lift my shoulders. “Someone wants that GHF contract. We just have to find outwho.”
Tomo bows subtly to Niko, theactualwakagashira. “How would you handle it?” Tomo asks.
Niko cracks his neck. His bluish-black eyes narrow as he settles his gaze on each of us, like a true kumicho. A mother fucking boss.
