Page 15 of Violent Truth
“I’m hungry,” I say. “Come on. Let’s eat.”
I dress quickly in some pajamas, then head downstairs. Dice follows me. I cook cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast. Dice watches me intently. My skin is on fire. It’s weird—I’m gawked at all night by customers, but this? Cooking breakfast while wearing pajamas for a man who just forced me into submission? It feels more intimate than stripping naked in a room full of strangers.
Dice isn’t a stranger anymore, is he?
I don’t understand. We’ve barely even talked, and there’s something between us that stretches beyond words.
I serve the two dishes. We sit at the kitchen island, both of us eating in the quiet.
“We have to pretend like we don’t know each other,” Dice says. “If Mr. Harry finds out we do, he’ll make the connection. And the Endo-kai—”
“Endo-kai?” I blink. “You mean the yakuza?”
His eyes narrow. “How do you know about the Endo-kai?”
“Everyone knows about the Endo-kai,” I whisper. The Endo-kai is the yakuza rumored to control the Shabu Eight drug market in Las Vegas, as well as an illegal gun trade throughout the nation. They hide their criminal activities behind a legitimate resort company, Samurai Corporation.
Then reality hits me.
“You’re part of the yakuza,” I say.
He nods.
“You’re a criminal.”
“I’m an enforcer.”
“An enforcer of what, exactly?” He opens his mouth. I put up a hand. “Wait. Don’t tell me.”
Despite my protesting, my brain pieces it together rapidly. He must enforce gambling, drug, or gun debts. He probably even kills people for stuff like that.
A man like Dice candefinitelyhandle a CEO like Mr. Harry. And if Mr. Harry has Piper, then Dice can rescue her.
“Actually, on second thought, we’re being completely honest here, right?” I ask. “Can you tell meexactlywhat you do for the yakuza?”
He enunciates every word: “I kill for the yakuza.”
My eyes drift back to my half-eaten toast. I should be scared.
Instead, I’m thinking of the best way to ask him for help.
There’s so much potential in us working together. If Mr. Harry is the person behind Piper’s disappearance, then I need someone like Dice on my side. We can work together and save her.
“I’m not going to backstab you,” I say. “I promise. I’m on your side.”
Dice’s jaw relaxes, then he tightens up again, like he hates that he sees me as a real person now and not just a stripper.
“I’m onyourside,” I say again. “Weare on each other’s side.” I grab his arm, and he meets my eyes. My body lights on fire, knowing that he sees the real me. That I’m willingly exposing myself to him. That I’m even asking him for help. “And I’m positive that Mr. Harry kidnapped my best friend.”
Saying it aloud makes it more real. I bite my tongue, tears stinging my eyes.
“Mr. Harry has been avoiding business negotiations with my boss for months,” Dice says. “We think he’s making a deal with our enemy.”
Relief fills my chest. Dice is still considering helping me, and that gives me hope.
I nod. “Then what do we do next?”
“We meet with Mr. Harry tomorrow at the Gilded Stage,” Dice says. “Both of us will uncover as much information as we can from him. Is that a deal?”
