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“And how you propose to make up for your error?” Although Katsuo directs his question at us, he hasn’t turned to face us.
“He has a safe house we didn’t hit. It’s the only place for him to run. If we smoke him out, we can catch him and his nephew during the commotion, sedate him, and deliver him to Lakeshia in a controlled environment.” Shinji details the plan we came up with together.
I still don’t like it, but as Lakeshia predicted, Shinji took one look at her and folded when she said we could come up with a solution that still involves her. I’ll admit I’m feeling a little petty because she has no idea we’ve come up with a solution, yet.
If things go the way I want, we’ll have Katsuo on board, and Shinji and I will fly out on the next flight to handle her business.
The thought of her going into another blackout from the asshole who raped her doesn’t sit right with me. Nor Shinji. We won’t waste another day planning every last detail when she has a ticking time bomb ready to destroy her smile.
“You understand, this is your last chance?” Katsuo spins his chair to stare each of us down.
“Yes, oyassan,” Shinji and I respond with the respect due to his position in the family.
“And if you fail again…”
“We won’t.”
“When do you leave?”
I emit a silent sigh of relief, although my cousin’s unspoken threat hangs over our heads. Being blood family won’t save me from punishment. We’re yakuza. As such, we’re all brothers who transcend blood ties.
“We’ll head to the airport as soon as we leave here,” Shinji offers.
Katsuo slowly nods. “Then I await good news.”
With our dismissal, we walk out the door.
“Before we hand Paul over to Lakeshia, I want my pound of flesh.” Shinji jabs the button calling the elevator.
“You know my motto, Shinji gets what?—”
“Shinji wants,” my husband finishes my line.
“I only wish we could reattach his dick and force him to watch as we throw it in a wood chipper over and over again. Lakeshia showed him too much mercy when she didn’t make him witness the end of his family line.”
“I have a method in mind that will make him regret every bad thought he’s ever had about our wife, trust me.”
My usually even-tempered and full of jokes husband is nowhere to be found. In his place is a deadly man crossed one too many times. And I’m here for it.
I grab his nape and kiss him until my lungs remind me that air is a necessity. We part, panting and excited for the gift we’re about to give Lakeshia. As we exit the building, the bright sunlight doesn’t seem to piss me off as much anymore.
We head toward our car and driver waiting patiently for us. A dark dot appears on his head, but I don’t recognize what it is until his body starts to fall forward.
“Shinji!”
My warning comes too late. My husband’s body falls before my eyes. I take one step toward him, uncaring that I’m exposed and vulnerable to attack when an object hits my nape, hurtling me forward. I crash to my knees but rally myself. I need to get to Shinji. My limbs become heavy, but I crawl toward my husband, my heartbeat, and turn him over while looking for injuries.
My arms stop responding to my commands and my vision fades.
Right before everything goes black, I whisper, “Lakeshia.”
CHAPTER 34
Lakeshia
A one-pound weight slams on my chest, waking me. I lurch upright and find Marmalade tumbling to the bed. Despite the brightly painted walls, the late hour paints the room in semi-darkness. High shadows climb the walls, and the soothing nature of the room transforms into a forbidding space.
Tora has either blended with a shadow or returned home, but my two kittens emit nonstop mewling. It’s past their dinnertime and they must be starving.
