Page 77 of Cunning Lies
Ronin, with an unlit cigarette between his lips, enters the house, taking his position beside Dice. I hold in a scowl. Dice and Ronin are inseparable lately. Ronin should be on his hands and knees, removing bloodstains like the rest of the wakashu, but instead, he’s watching over the new recruits. Knowing Tomo, he probably can’t stand to give his biological son the typical starter work.
I hate Ronin for being here.
Dice opens his mouth, but before he says a word, I curse under my breath. If he’s talking, that means it’s bad.
Shit.I’vegot it bad.
“She’s causing problems,” Dice says. He doesn’t need to include my wife’s name; we both know who we’re talking about. I don’t nod. I don’t smile. I don’t do anything. I stand there like an idiot. My wife is a lie wrapped up in a come-covered dress, and here I am, killing another man because I can’t kill her.
Why can’t I kill her?
“You want a tail on her?” Dice whispers so that Ronin can’t hear. But it’s more than that. His quiet voice means he won’t tell Niko, Cherry, or even Tomo what’s going on. He knows I’m in too deep with the Petruses and struggling to crawl my way out. Internally, I’m relieved that Dice respects me and my life that much, but my vision tunnels.
Tailing her. That would mean that if she showed her betrayal in front of him,Dicewould be the one to kill her. Not me.
Why did Vi have to go after our guns? What client is stupid enough to try and infiltrate a gun smuggling operation?
“No,” I say. I slap my hand onto Dice’s back like everything is fine. Because it is fine. Vi is simply my legal wife. We may have a legal contract in place, but I can easily get rid of her.
If I can fuck her in the desert, I can sure as hell let her corpse turn to leather under the sun.
Dice nods at me. Then Ronin joins us.
“And what will you do when you find out she’s been lying to you this entire time?” Ronin asks. The fucking eavesdropper. I clench my fists and laugh in his face. Oh, the irony. I don’t trust his ass any more than I trust Vi. None of us do.
“What will you do when we find out you’re a fucking rat?” I growl. “You cut off your finger to prove you’ve left the Ito-gumi. It’s frosting on top of the cake. Gives yourealauthenticity, doesn’t it?” My vision turns red. “No one buys that shit. You’re just another double-crosser.”
I bare my teeth and raise my fist, but Dice steps in front of me, facing Ronin, and I punch the back of Dice’s shoulder instead. He’s backing me up, but he’s also keeping me in my place. My chest fills with a heavy weight.
Dice won’t let me hurt Ronin.
“You’re protecting this motherfucker?” I ask Dice. “Who is he to you?”
“He’s our brother,” Dice says. “And what he’s asking you is valid.”
My brain screeches to a halt. Dice is taking sides with the outsider? With Ronin? I scowl, but Dice faces me, and I can’t avoid him or Ronin any longer.
“Answer the question,” Dice says.
“What will you do with Vi?” Ronin repeats.
I grit my teeth, staring daggers at both of them. They expect me to say that I’ll kill her, and I know that’s what I should do. If you’re stupid enough to betray a mafia organization, whether it’s the yakuza, the bratva, or the cartel, you don’t deserve to live.
But I can’t wrap my mind around killing her. She’s a devious little bitch, but all she wants is to make candles and adopt children. She wants a home.
I can’t blame her for that.
“I’ll take care of it,” I say. And it’s the only thing that sounds right. Besides, I’m not lying. Iwilltake care of it, even if I don’t know what that means. Even if I know it won’t involve me killing her.
I straighten my dress shirt, then I correct myself: “I’ll take care of her.”
“Good,” Ronin says.
I curl my fists, ready to strike again, but Dice gestures for Ronin to follow him. My throat tightens. I’m about to start arguing with them again, when Ronin says: “Tomo called. You should follow us.”
I check my phone. A text from Tomo reads:Samurai Castle, 2 PM.I don’t have time for anything else, so I caravan with Dice and Ronin back to the Strip.
At least it keeps them away from Vi.
