Chapter 16 Breakfast with the Dragon #2
He tried the potatoes next, then reached for the extra container of hollandaise and poured more over everything. “I’m probably going to fire my chef.”
“You can’t do that.” I dipped one of my potatoes into the hollandaise sauce on my plate,
Kenji paused mid-bite and watched. Then he did the same, dragging a crispy potato through the rich, lemony sauce. Once he popped it into his mouth, the loud groan that came out of him was obscene. "That's. . .mmm. . .delicious, Tora."
“Yay. I’m glad you like it.”
He ate three more potatoes that way, each one followed by sounds of appreciation that made heat pool low in my belly.
Then he reached for his slice of banana bread—the biggest piece, as promised—and took a bite.
His expression shifted.
To my disappointment, he frowned.
I looked at him, shocked. "What? You don't like it?"
"My guards got this." He gestured toward the door with his fork, actually pouting as he took another bite. “So there won’t be any leftovers because of them?”
"Oh my God."
He chewed, swallowed, then looked at me with those dark, intense eyes. "They didn't deserve this."
"They did. They kept us safe last night."
"I kept us safe last night."
"Oh my God."
“Back to my brother. He cooked with you?"
“Yes, Kenji. For the hundredth time, and he's actually pretty good with a knife."
Kenji laughed—a real laugh that made my chest feel too full. "Hiro being good with a knife is an understatement. My brother is a master with any blade."
"I can tell." I took a bite of my eggs.
“How did you even end up seeing Hiro.”
"He was sleeping when I walked into the kitchen."
Kenji stopped eating. He set down his fork and looked at me. His expression shifted from amusement to dark terror.
"He was asleep? You. . ." His voice dropped. "Didn't get close to him, did you?"
I paused, fork halfway to my mouth.
Should I tell him?
I didn't want to keep secrets from Kenji. But I also didn't want to ruin this moment, didn't want to witness him spiral into protective fury. Hiro also didn’t need to get yelled at for his mistake.
Kenji watched me hesitate, and his jaw tightened. "Did he hurt you?"
"No." I shook my head quickly. "I was a tiny, tiny bit scared. That's all."
"What happened?"
"I'm fine, Kenji."
"Hiro is not himself when he's sleeping." His eyes searched my face, my neck, looking for damage. "Did he have his knife?"
"Kenji, I'm fine."
"Did he have it?!" His voice was harder now, more demanding.
I swallowed. "So. . .while he was sleeping, he grabbed me and had the knife against my neck, but—"
Kenji rose from the chair so fast it scraped against the floor. “What?!”
“Hold on.”
Kenji left the table and headed off.
"No. No. No." I jumped up and blocked his path to the door. "Can we please enjoy our breakfast? Don't you like it?"
"I need to talk to my brother." He tried to move around me.
I sidestepped, staying in front of him. "No, you don't. We talked. He was so sad and regretful. Everything is fine. We're best friends now.”
“What?”
“Brother and sister." I looked up at him, pleading. "Don't ruin this for us."
“He attacked you—”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you?” He reached for my neck. His fingers were gentle as they traced along the skin where the blade had been. His hand trembled slightly. "A fucking knife at your throat?"
"I'm fine."
"He could have killed you." Kenji’s voice cracked on the last word. “I could have woke up to your being dead. Hiro almost—”
"He didn't."
"Hiro and I will be talking."
"He already regrets it and now I know that I can't be around him when he's sleeping. Problem solved."
"We'll be talking, Tora."
"Don't. Please. I like Hiro." I grabbed his hand. "And please sit down."
A knock sounded at the door.
My heart jumped.
Oh God, what if it's Hiro? What if he came to say hi?
Kenji's eyes flicked to the door, then back to me. After a long moment, he went back to the table and sat down, but his entire body was rigid with barely controlled rage.
He called out, "Come in."
Two maids entered with a cart, bringing in orange juice, glasses of water, and steaming tea. They moved with practiced elegance, pouring each drink carefully and setting everything just so. They didn't look at us, and definitely didn't acknowledge the tension crackling in the air.
Kenji sat across from me, still looking pissed.
I picked up my fork and started eating again, trying to act like everything was normal.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he mirrored me and began to eat.
We chewed in tense silence.
As the maids left, they kept the door open.
A beep sounded from the hallway. It must have been one of the guards' wristwatches.
One of the guards whispered into his watch. "Yes, Reo. The Dragon is up and eating breakfast with the Tiger."
Reo's voice came through, muffled by what sounded like chewing. "Thank you. Let the Dragon know that all is clear at this time. No word from the Butcher or the Fox."
The guard must have looked back at us because Kenji nodded his acknowledgment.
The door remained open and two guards entered, taking their posts near us.
I kept my voice low. "Please don't yell at Hiro."
"We're going to have a tense conversation."
"Not too tense."
"He's my brother. Hiro knows that I love him, but we've discussed this before. He shouldn't be sleeping in any place but his room. It’s too dangerous."
"It looked like he was drinking and passed out."
Kenji sighed and looked sad. "Yeah?"
"Yes." My journalist mind went into gear. "What's going on with him?"
"Hiro is dealing with grief." Kenji's jaw tightened. "Our father killed a woman that Hiro liked. A woman he was possibly going to have a future with."
My heart stopped. "What? Why would the Fox do that?"
"To teach my brother and me a lesson.”
“What lesson?”
“My father wanted us to know that he's still in control and powerful. And to never be with a woman outside our culture."
Rage filled me—hot, violent, consuming.
For Hiro.
For Kenji.
For a woman, whose name I didn't even know but who'd been murdered just to prove a point.
I whispered, "I'm so sorry."
Kenji nodded, and his eyes grew distant. "I'm sure my brother. . .needed that time with you today. . .even though I don't like sharing you with anyone. . .I'm glad you spent that time with him."
"Hiro was sweet. I felt so bad for his drinking and sleeping in the kitchen. It was like. . .he was all alone."
"Hiro has Reo, me, and the Claws. Even the Fangs love him, but. . .he does not have the feminine touch that he probably. . .has always yearned for."
"What about his mother? Where is she?"
"She's on the island, but she's never been motherly. She's trying to be in her old age, but he resents his childhood and the part she did or. . .did not play in it. In other words, their relationship is. . .very. . .complicated. . ."
I swallowed down sadness. "How long ago did your father kill this woman that Hiro liked?"
"Barely a few weeks ago."
"Jesus." My voice cracked.
“Her name was Nura.”
My chest ached. "And your father just. . .murdered her?"
"In front of him and me." Kenji's voice went flat. "The night of our first date."
Oh God.
No wonder Hiro drank himself to sleep.
No wonder he looked so broken.
No wonder a knife appeared in his hand even when he was unconscious—he was still trying to protect someone he couldn't save.
"I hope you don’t mind, Kenji but. . .I'm going to make Hiro more food. Every day. Whatever he wants."
Kenji looked up at me, and something soft flickered in his eyes. "He would like that."
"Does he have a favorite dish? Something that brings him comfort?"
"Katsu curry. His mother made it for him once when he was sick as a child. It's one of his few good memories of her."
"Then I'll make him the best damn katsu curry he's ever had." I reached across the table and took Kenji's hand. "I'm sorry this happened to the both of you. I'm sorry your father is a monster."
His fingers tightened around mine. "So am I."
"Also, I talked to my grandma this morning. Thank you for sending men to her. Actually. . .thank you for protecting all of my family."
"Your family is now my family."
The words hit me like a physical thing—warm, overwhelming, making my eyes sting.
I took a breath, pushing past the grief and anger to focus on the war. Now with this information, I knew what had truly started this battle with the Fox, and I was damn sure ready to hear the news that the Fox was dead.
I let go of Kenji’s hand and leaned back in my chair. "Now that the bombs have detonated, what is your plan?"
Kenji turned to his guards. "Bring in the Power Board. I want to catch my Tiger up on strategy."
My eyes widened as the guards moved immediately, heading out the door to retrieve whatever the "Power Board" was.
Catch me up on strategy? Okay. . .This is it.
The real war was about to begin.
And I was about to learn exactly what the Dragon had planned for the Fox.