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Yakim turned around, allowing me to peer around him to look at the newcomer.
A gorgeous woman with Asian features stood before us, eyeing him with a haughty look in her dark eyes. Looking closely, I realized she was much older than us, probably in her late forties.
“Madam Takahashi,” said Yakim, tilting his head toward her. “I’m glad you could make it today.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss meeting the new generation of Volkovs,” she said in a grim tone.
I noted her impeccable manners as she spoke to him. There was barely a hint of an accent in her speech.
Suddenly, I found her staring right back at me.
“This is the woman you’ve chosen to be your queen,” she said, inspecting me closely.
“This is Lucia Baldwin,” said Yakim.
His politeness surprised me. He hadn’t introduced me by my name to anyone else this evening.
“You should tread lightly with Callum Baldwin,” said Madam Takahashi. “He’s known to be a ruthless player in the local business community. His competitors have been suffering from mysterious deaths and accidents at an alarming rate. You might’ve won the first battle with him but stay on your guard. I don’t think he’ll give up on his sister that easily.”
Yakim gave a grim nod. “He can be Satan himself and I’d still not give Lucia up to him.”
Warmth and safety flooded through me at his declaration. He was the reason I didn’t live each day in constant fear and anxiety now.
“Your enemies are gathering forces as we speak,” said Madam Takahashi. “Make sure this woman’s worth the risk you’re facing. You and your family will be dead if she turns out to be a backstabber like her brother.”
“She’s different,” Yakim bit out.
Madam Takahashi suddenly laughed. “I have said this to many young men before but it’s my first time telling you this. Don’t make decisions with your dick, kid.”
A faint reddish tint spread across his scarred face. I couldn’t decide if he was embarrassed or angry.
Madam Takahashi turned around and gracefully walked away.
“Who was that woman?” I asked.
“Madam Takahashi is the sole leader of the Japanese Yakuza in this part of the world,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by her looks. She’s more blood-thirsty than me and my brothers combined.”
“Really?”
“She punishes her men with seppuku,” he said in a grave tone. “If they don’t comply, they’re tortured to death.”
“What’s seppuku?” I whispered, knowing it had to be some kind of horrible torture.
“Seppuku is an ancient form of punishment that was practiced by the samurais of feudal Japan,” Yakim explained. “The person is expected to stab himself in the abdomen so that he dies slowly and painfully.”
“That sounds like suicide.”
He let out a heavy breath. “Betraying her counts as suicide.”
I sat quietly, digesting the fact that something so crude and torturous was still practiced in this day and age. My mind wandered to the things Leon did to punish the traitors in their group. The memory of him drenched in dark crimson rose in my mind.
“Do you want to dance?” Yakim’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.
“What? Yes...I mean... sure!” I blurted.
Warmth settled into his eyes. He extended a hand toward me. The moment I took it, he hauled me to my feet.
Yakim led me into an adjoining room. The music here was livelier and several couples were already on the floor, dancing. A quick look, however, showed me a distinct feature among them.
