Chapter 3
Dante
This isn’t good. None of this is fuckin’ good. Sato has made me wait two days for a face-to-face with him to get this marriage shit straightened out and I don’t like it.
As stressful as things are after Matteo did what he did, I wasn’t lookin’ to die. Maybe the rumors about Kuroi were true. Maybe they weren’t. But if being married to Kuroi didn’t get me killed, marrying a man would. There would be a target on my back, most of all from Pa.
He wouldn’t be able stand for this insult to the pack. And how would the men I demand respect from react to me being with a man? Weakness is something that will get you killed in my line of work. So there is no way this can happen.
The problem, though, is that that Yakuza son-of-bitch won’t even talk to me about it. Yeah, he pretends that he doesn’t speak English, but I know he understands every goddamn word I say. Play ignorant. That’s how they underestimate you. Well, guess what, fucker, I know that game to and I’m not falling for it.
“You okay, Dante,” Lorenzo asked from the passenger seat. “You’re looking a little red.”
“I’m fine,” I tell him definitely not feeling fine.
I felt like my face was on fire and bugs were crawling under my skin. This was exactly how I felt when my wolf was forcing me to shift. I guess my wolf had its own ideas about how to handle things. But if I let him take control, everyone would end up dead.
“You sure your contacts don’t have anything we could use in this meeting?” I asked hoping a miracle would get me out of this.
“They got nothin’. I approached this from every angle I could think of. Sato isn’t in debt to any New York packs. There are no dock workers that they rely on for their imports that we could squeeze, and with the structure of their compound, extermination wasn’t an option.”
I looked over at Lorenzo. I was impressed. He really had considered all of the angles. If something happened to me, he should be the one to lead the pack.
He could never do it. Leading a pack required as much intimidation as it did navigating obstacles. Lorenzo was a master at working behind the scenes. Maybe even better than me. But that was where his skills ended.
To lead a pack, you had to be a people person. Lorenzo wasn’t that. Being a people person was Matteo in a nutshell. But Matteo was a hammer that looked at everything and everyone as a nail. If I could figure out how to combine those two brothers, they might be better than I could ever be. But you can’t expect blood from a stone. With those two, you just have to take what you can get.
“That’s disappointing, Lorenzo. I was counting on you coming through for me.”
“I can only give you what I’ve found. Making up shit would just get you killed.”
“In this situation, that isn’t the only thing.”
Pulling up to Sato’s residence I had to marvel at it. He had somehow recreated Japan in upstate New York. It didn’t entirely work. To be honest, Sato’s compound looked like one of those 1920s American castles with the roofs replaced to make them do that Japanese swooping thing.
The garden was incredible, though. There were ponds and those manicured trees that looked like the tail of a poodle. In the front was sand with lines drawn in it and a large rock sticking out. And there was even one of those structures that look like Japanese writing. I didn’t see what the purpose of it was other than to look nice. But everything told a story.
The story this told was that Sato was a man who did everything he could to pretend he wasn’t where he was. My guess was that there was rage behind his expressionless exterior. There had to be a way I could use that to get out of this marriage. But how?
“Dante Ricci and family here to see Sato,” I said to the com box outside the gate.
“Park. Security will meet you there,” someone replied in a Japanese accent.
I turned to Lorenzo.
“Here goes nothing.”
“You sure it won’t be better to take care of this silently?”
“If you’re asking if it would be better to put a hit on a man with some of the best security in the city, I’m sure,” I said seeing a flash of our Pa in him.
“Think about it,” he said leaning forward to get a better look at the place. “We could put a sniper in one of those tree-lines. Or, it doesn’t have to be here. There are unguarded roofs around his office. With the right shooter, we could solve this problem in a second.”
I looked at Lorenzo feeling my heart thump. There was no mistaking that he was our father’s son.
“Don’t even think about it, Lorenzo. Or better yet, think about what comes after that. You think his people back in Japan wouldn’t be able to piece together his elimination with a forced marriage proposal? How long will it take for shit to hit the fan?
“There are better ways to handle things, Lorenzo. I tell ya, you and Matteo are exactly alike.”
“Don’t you compare me to that piece of shit.”
“Hey, watch the way you talk about your brother.”
“What are you talking about? You call him that all of the time.”
“That’s because I’m the one who has to keep cleaning up his messes. When that’s your job, then you can say it. Until then, he’s your brother and you love him.”
“Whatever,” Lorenzo replied sinking back into his chair.
It probably wasn’t the best idea to piss off the only backup I would have if things went belly up. But Matteo needed as many people on his side as possible. I couldn’t let Lorenzo write him off like that.
Exiting the car, four of Sato’s men met us. I was sure that someone inside thought this would be an impressive show of force. Truth was, if I shifted, these four wouldn’t even slow me down.
“Guns?”
“We’re not giving you our fuckin’ guns,” Lorenzo snapped.
“Lorenzo, give them your fuckin’ gun,” I ordered reaching for mine. “We are entering Sato’s home. We need to show him the respect he deserves.”
Oh yeah, Lorenzo was pissed at me. Big fuckin’ deal. He’ll get over it.
The inside of Sato’s house was as impressive as the garden. There wasn’t much he could do with the 1920s architecture, but he made it work. The hard wood beams that traverse the ceiling, the minimalist design tiles and wooden décor, it felt like I was in a different world.
“This way please,” the largest of the men said ushering me onto a balcony overlooking acres of land.
There was a man already there. Not Sato. Someone else. He stood humbly wearing what looked like a Japanese ceremonial gown and he had a book in his hand.
“You, there,” Sato’s security guy said gesturing for me to stand next to the man. “You, there,” he said ushering Lorenzo to the side.
Lorenzo looked at me asking if he should go. I nodded and approached who I assumed was Sato’s interrupter. Because, of course, Sato didn’t speak English. Yeah, whatever.
It took about a minute of standing awkwardly with this man for Sato to arrive. Strangely, he didn’t look at me. With his eyes averted, he took a position more than an arm’s length away on the other side of the balcony as Lorenzo.
What was going on? I knew that Japanese culture had a lot of customs like bowing and shit, and a lot of it stretched into business. But I didn’t know enough to say how weird this was.
It got even weirder when music began playing. Any music at a negotiation would be strange. But they were playing that wah-wah music. You know, it’s that music they play in the quiet moments in Samurai movies. Why were they playing it now?
When someone else entered the balcony, I had a pretty good guess about what was going on. I don’t know who it fuckin’ was, but that fucker was wearing a Japanese wedding dress. I recognized that shit. And they were carrying a bouquet.
“Oh, no. Sato, no.” I protested never taking my eyes off of my bride.
Sato grunted. It was loud. I think that fucker just chastised me in Japanese. Who the fuck did he think he was.
I was about to show him what I thought about this stunt by shoving my fist down his throat when my bride’s stomping shoes grabbed my attention. It was the sound of wood on wood.
Staring at my bride again, my wolf stirred. Who was this? You would think I could tell by looking at them. But the dress, or gown, or whatever it was practically took up half of the room. Added to that was that there wasn’t much of my bride showing. They didn’t wear a veil, but the funny looking hat they wore covered their hair, while their makeup painted their face white.
Was this Yuki? Had Sato come to his senses and given me my perfect bride?
As my bride slowly approached, I looked closer. I couldn’t be sure, but it did look like her. Goddamn were they beautiful, though. The robe they wore on top of their layered dress was embroidered with gold and blue images of ancient Japan. There were a lot of birds on it too. Or, maybe they were cranes?
Whatever they were, it was my bride’s eyes that really got me. They stared at me not backing down. They were fierce and wild and staring into them did something to me. They made my wolf want to tear this place apart. But not to get away from them. My wolf would destroy the world to make them his.
When my bride stood in front of me and the man, I finally realized who the man was. He wasn’t Sato’s interrupter. He was a priest.
This was it. There was never going to be a negotiation. Sato had gotten me here for the ceremony. And when the priest began speaking in Japanese, I realized that if I didn’t do something to stop this, in a minute, I was going to be married.
But to who? Yuki? It couldn’t be. Not with eyes like that. Oh my god, those fuckin’ eyes. I got hard just lookin’ at them. What the fuck was goin’ on?
With my bride’s eyes still intensely focused on me, they nodded. What was that? What had just happened?
“Hai,” my bride said.
Oh shit. Was that, I do?
The priest’s face tilted towards me. He was saying something and I didn’t know what the fuck it was. He could have been asking me for my left nut for all I knew. And when he stopped talking was when things got insane as fuck.
“I think you’re getting married, bro,” the brilliant Lorenzo informed me.
“No shit!” I said in a panic.
“What do you want to do?” he said his wolf perched ready to come out. “We could get the fuck out of here. Just say the word.”
“Just give me a second,” I said, my heart thumping.
I should get the fuck out of here, right? This was bullshit. I didn’t agree to this.
On the other hand, there were those fuckin’ eyes. They were doin’ something to me. My wolf wanted to rip the fuckin’ dress off her and tear her apart. But was it a her? Was it a him?
Kuroi was a him. I had seen him before. Brown skin. Delicate hands. And… oh shit, those fuckin’ eyes. I was staring into Kuroi’s eyes.
Before I knew it, I said it. I don’t even remember doing it. I just know I did.
Was it Hai or Hi? I may as well have said, I do.
Did I? I did. I just married Kuroi Sato, the fucking spider demon. What the fuck was I doing?
Before I could figure it out, Yuki entered. There was no confusing the two. With her head bowed, she shuffled in with a tray of shots. Two shots. It was a weird time for it. But after what I had just done, I would take anything with kick.
When Yuki approached, the priest gestured for me to take one. I did. So did the person standing in front of me. The priest gestured for me to drink. Kuroi stared me in the eyes waiting. Was this it? Was this the final, I do? If I didn’t do this, could I still walk away?
With the shot glass in my hand, I raised it. Looking into those mesmerizing eyes, I lifted the glass to my lips. In mirroring succession, Kuroi tilted his head back. The sweet alcohol slipped down my throat.
“Hai,” Sato said who having witnessed enough, turned to go.
That was it. I had done it. I was married. What had I done?
Staring at my bride, my mind swirled. What was I supposed to do now? I could figure my way out of this. I was sure of it. And as my brain began churning out a myriad of plans, my bride leaned forward and kissed me.
Soft, gentle. Those were his lips. His lips, not hers. In a second, I found his neck in my hand. It was small, narrow. My thumb pressed against his jaw. I could feel it open. Losing myself, I felt my tongue enter.
Alive. I felt so alive. As our two tongues met, they danced. It was so hot my head hurt. It was the type of kiss that there was no coming back from. It made my wolf howl.
He was small. I could have crushed him in my hands. I could have consumed him. I wanted every inch of him, possessed, and marked as mine. My heart’s thumping told me that. And when I released him, when I let go of his touch, I was awake.
“Dante?” Lorenzo said crashing me back to reality.
Oh fuck! What had I done?
A wave of heat rushed over me. It was overwhelming. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be doing this. Not now. Not in front of anybody.
They couldn’t see me like this. No one can. More than that, I could feel myself shifting. I don’t know why, but I was. I had to get out of here. And turning to meet the shocked eyes of my brother, that’s what I did.
Rushing off of the balcony and through the house, I ran for my car desperately trying to keep my wolf inside.
“Dante?” Lorenzo called after me.
I couldn’t face him. Not now. I just needed to get away.
Grabbing my keys, I jumped into my car. Pressing the button and flooring the gas, I pulled away. If they hadn’t opened the gate, I would have run it down. I didn’t have to. And as the tree-lined street whipped past me, I rolled down the window to get air.
I couldn’t breathe. Neither could my wolf. Why couldn’t we breathe?
Fidgeting in my seat, I was doing everything trying to stop myself from shifting. At the same time, I was trying to put things together. I was Dante Ricci. I was the head of the Ricci pack. I didn’t kiss men. I didn’t…
That was when I felt it. A pinch to the neck. Had I been shot?
Touching the spot, I pulled my hand back. Was there blood on it or wasn’t there? I couldn’t tell. It was getting hard to see. Looking back up through the wind shield I realized how fast I was going.
“Oh shit!” I exclaimed before I blacked out and heard a crash.