47. Kenzo
CHAPTER 47
KENZO
“You going to take care of that?” Niko sneers.
Slot machines blare their idiotic tunes around us, and yet, he’s annoyed by my phone vibrating. It’s the third time Vi has called me. If I answer, I’ll fall into whatever trap she has planned. I can’t stand the thought of leaving her, but she needs to leave this country. It’s the only way to keep her safe.
I shake my head, then select her contact info and click Block this caller. I straighten my white suit jacket.
“Where were we?” I ask.
Niko scowls, then resumes talking about the latest batch of Shabu-8. It’s bigger than our usual shipment, possibly to make up for what happened with the rival seller they tried to use in our territory recently. But since we’re cutting ties with them completely, Niko wants to hire a new cook out here, someone he knows personally. I’m halfway listening, bobbing my head along to whatever he says, when my eyes catch on orangish-red hair. My heart smashes into my ribs. What the hell is Vi doing here?
“Shit. Sorry—” I say to Niko, then I dart behind a row of slot machines so Niko can’t see where I’m going. He curses, but he doesn’t get up, and I wind through the tourists to find Vi. Once I’m within arm’s reach of her, I grab her shoulders and push her out of the way, behind a giant cat-themed slot machine so Niko can’t see her. The music blares in our ears. She wraps a hand around her throat, completely out of breath.
I want to hold her, but god, I want to shake her too. This is fucking dangerous.
“The fuck are you doing here?” I ask. “Twenty-four hours, Vi. You’ve got less than?—”
“Jay is after your stash in Red Rock Canyon,” she wheezes.
I blink at her, and my mind goes over the last civilized conversation I had with him, when he asked where we keep our guns in the desert. I didn’t give him any details about the exact location, which means he’ll likely end up dehydrated and sunburned before he finds it.
Vi continues: “He’s going to steal it and sell it back to the Ito-gumi at a lower price. They’ve already agreed to buy anything he finds.”
The Ito-gumi is using Jay to steal our guns? It’s insulting and risky, but if what Ronin said about the state of the yakuza in Japan is true, then they’re getting desperate.
I’ve got to figure this out before Niko, or any of the yakuza, see her. Niko’s a loose cannon; he won’t hesitate to get rid of her. I try to spot him, but he’s gone. This is my chance.
An emotional weight lands on my shoulders. This could be another Petrus trick to get me to reveal where the guns actually are. If that’s it, I’ll be pissed, but I’ll be impressed too. For now, I play along.
“The desert is a vast place,” I reason. “He won’t?—”
“One of the soldiers. Some new guy in glasses. He told Jay everything.”
Panic shines in her eyes, like she needs this more than anything, and I’m positive that it’s real. She doesn’t want Jay to get his hands on those guns. She wants to help us.
“Where is he?” I ask.
“He’s on his way there right now.”
I head toward the garage, picking up speed. She follows me, but I ignore her. This isn’t about our marriage. This is about taking care of business before Jay signs his and Vi’s execution order. I need to get the two of them on a plane before Dice gets word that they’re alive.
The valet brings my Challenger to the front. Vi is right beside me, biting her fingernails.
“I promised I wouldn’t kill him, but I can’t keep that promise anymore,” I say. “You need to get out of here. Don’t come back?—”
“I’m coming with you,” she says, straightening her stance. She’s got power in her gaze, and her eyes are clear, like the flood is finally receding.
“Why?” I ask. “This isn’t your problem.”
“I made this mess; I’m going to fix it.” She narrows her eyes at me, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach. “Whether or not you like it.”
There’s a chance she’s screwing with me, that this is all another game so she and Jay can kill me, and if that’s the case, I can’t let her go.
“Jesus, woman. You and your uncle?—”
“He’s not my uncle.”
That’s when I see it: her face is slightly red and swollen, like she was hit with a heavy object. My chest tightens, but I step forward, putting a gentle hand against her skin. It’s puffy enough to show the mark is recent. Vi would go for a lot of theatrics, but a bruise like this seems too far, even for her. My vision reddens. He’s going to fucking pay.
“Did he do this?” I growl.
“I’m coming with you,” Vi demands.
Warmth bursts through me. When Vi sets her sights, she doesn’t let go until she has it. I admire that. That’s my woman. My wife.
I grunt, then open the passenger door for her.
I speed, darting through traffic as the sky darkens with an afternoon storm, and Vi bites her nails. I take pride in that; any time I’ve seen her nervous before, it was probably fake, but now, I know it’s real.
I should call for backup; Dice will probably listen because he’s a man of logic, and Ronin has shown he can earn our loyalty. But I can’t risk it. If I bring Dice or Ronin into this, there’s a risk they’ll kill Vi.
And right now, this is our problem. Me and my wife.