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Katsuo leans back in his chair without responding. The silence drags. Shinji and I are used to Katsuo’s way of doing business. Words are precious commodities that he spares for those who are worthy. I’ll be the spokesperson until Katsuo deems it necessary to intrude.
“I guess I’ll cut to the chase. I’m a busy man and I assume this isn’t some hobby you’re running…”
If Tomasso thinks his rib will nudge us to react, his gambit fails.
“I think we have something…correction, someone in common.”
“Yeah?” Shinji asks, his impish smile in place. “People say the world’s a small place. Maybe we have lots of people in common. Care to be more specific?”
“The woman who runs the brothel you own in Hawaii.”
Katsuo, Shinji, and I exchange curious glances.
“You’re mistaken. We don’t own any establishments that fit your description.” I fold my arms and wait for Tomasso’s reaction.
A guard hands him an envelope and he extracts a photograph. “Are you saying this man doesn’t work for you?” Hedirects his question at me, since Katsuo’s expression borders on mild annoyance.
In the photograph he shows us, Shoichi, one of my wakagashira-hosas is walking into Serving Aloha. I’d assigned him to surveil Lakeshia’s escort service in case Tomasso’s people showed up, not enter the building.
Tomasso’s smug smile tells me he believes he’s caught me in a lie.
I shrug and admit, “I wouldn’t dare, but his work has nothing to do with ownership and everything to do with protection. You know about protection, don’t you? How would it look if we didn’t investigate the sudden disappearance of our lucrative income?”
Tomasso stares at me for a long time, but his attempt at intimidation barely grazes me. “Say I take your word at face value. You should look for her, too.”
“We are. She left town owing us a lot of money. Is she indebted to you, too?”
“Something like that, but no amount of money will clear her debt to me.”
I nod, hiding my contempt and the unexpected urge to slice him open under a neutral expression. Killing him is Lakeshia’s wish. Few exceptions will cause me to step in.
Shinji is less disciplined at controlling his expressions. With Tomasso’s attention on me, I can only hope the Giametti guards don’t study the darkening cloud surrounding my husband.
“Mona’s trail ended in Iowa, but if we find her, I’ll be sure to inform you. Consider it a favor you’ll owe us.”
“Mona? Is that what she called herself? Interesting…”
“What name do you know her by?” This is something I’ve wondered about since meeting Lakeshia. She discards aliases as quickly as underwear. I have yet to find out the name given to her at birth.
“Haven Covey. Looks like I’ve underestimated her all these years. To think, she has the kind of connections to create new aliases.” Tomasso stands and his men’s stances stiffen in alertness. “I hate owing people, which means you and I are racing against each other to find this woman. Unfortunately, I won’t leave enough of her to be of any use to you.” He turns and walks out the door.
“That—”
Katsuo slices Shinji with a lethal glance and nods toward the door. Once we’re sure our visitors have left, Katsuo silently leads us out of his office and onto the elevator to the roof. I understand my cousin’s cautious actions.
There’s no telling how skilled Tomasso’s men are at planting listening devices. Although we’re comfortable conversing in Japanese, Katsuo won’t discuss business in any language until our men sweep his office for bugs. After all, translators are easy to find for men of means like us and Tomasso.
Katsuo stands at the edge of the roof. The wind sings and swirls around us, fluttering our suits and hair in its wild grasp.
“Takeshi. Shinji. Their disrespect cannot stand. Destroy them all.”
“That’s an order I can get on board with,” Shinji says.
“Moving on them will require us to divide our attention more than we expected. It won’t be safe for you or Portia.” I stand beside my cousin and overlook the skyscrapers proliferating Serenidad’s skyline.
“Choose your replacements. Once they report for duty, I don’t want to see you until you have a plan of attack or you’ve handled the problem.”
I stare at Katsuo’s profile while a mixture of relief and concern vie for top position. His expression gives nothing away, but I know how big of a sacrifice this is for him.
