Page 24

The woman nods wordlessly, disappearing instantly.
“We can wait to get down to business until my wayward son arrives,” Nobura says, offering me the cigar cutter. “How long have you been in Tokyo?”
“Since last night. My wife planned the trip.”
“Mm.” Nobura raises a greying eyebrow. “And does she know you’re here? Attempting to make alliances with the Yakuza?”
I smirk. “Do you tell your wife all your business dealings, Nakamura-sama?”
He laughs. “I do not. So your marriage is of the more—traditional kind, then?”
“What other kind is there?” I ask coolly, lighting my cigar. “For men like us, I mean?”
Nobura shrugs. “Young men these days are getting ideas of love. Marriages for pleasure and affection and such nonsense. In fact, just recently—”
He breaks off as the paneled door slides open again and Aiya comes in bearing a tray with sake and three glasses, followed closely by a tall young man that I assume can only be Kaito Nakamura.
I can see immediately why Nobura has a faint look that resembles despair every time he speaks about his son. Kaito looks like the opposite of his stately, traditional father in every way, from the long blond hair with dark roots spilling over his shoulders to the gauzy white shirt he’s wearing, half-unbuttoned, thin chains and leather necklaces resting against his chest as he openly ogles Aiya. Everything about him looks rebellious, even dangerous, and I wonder what the future of the Nakamura house will be with this man as its heir.
It makes me question the possibility of an alliance ever so slightly, and I imagine Nobura knows that.
“McGregor-san.” Kaito addresses me respectfully enough, and I stand, inclining my head.
“Nakamura-san.”
“I had the dubious honor of meeting your brother recently,” he says with a laugh. “You’re very different. I can see that already.”
I frown, narrowing my eyes at him. “Liam?”
Kaito smirks, swaggering towards the leather couch and flopping down on it indolently. I can see from the way Nobura’s lips thin that this isn’t unusual behavior for him, even in front of a semi-important guest. “He was looking for a woman. Came here with Levin Volkov and some priest tagging along.”
I feel my jaw tighten. “And you were helpful in giving him the information he needed to find said woman?”
Kaito’s smile spreads, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “You tell me.”
“Enough.” Nobura’s voice is sharp and clear without it rising even an octave. “Kaito, be respectful to our guest. He is the eldest son of an important house.”
“And yet his brother leads the Kings, isn’t that right?” Kaito’s dark eyes don’t leave me for a second. “He must have found that woman. You look pissed just from the mention of her.”
“You know an awful lot about what’s going on with our business in the States,” I say tightly.Maybe this wasn’t the good idea that I thought it was.
“We make it a point to be acquainted with the business dealings of all the other important crime families,” Nobura says carefully, taking a drag on his cigar. While Kaito was busy antagonizing me, Aiya poured the sake and slipped out of the room. Now Nobura offers me a small porcelain cup, painted delicately with a forest scene. After a moment, he hands one to his son as well.
“I’m pleased you count us among the important families.” I sip lightly at the sake. “That bodes well for what I’ve come here to talk to you about today.”
“I would caution you that we rarely make alliances outside of our own houses in the Yakuza,” Nobura says carefully. “And even then, we’re often at odds. But then again, you know that, of course. You are your father’s eldest son.”
“And yet his brother leads,” Kaito smirks. “You were missing for a long time. What were you doing, McGregor-san, while everyone wondered if you were dead? Not that we wondered,” he adds carelessly. “The life of one American Irishman means nothing to us.”
“Learning to make my own way.” I turn my attention back to Nobura. “Nakamura-sama, it is true that my brother still holds the high seat at the table of the Kings. But I am working towards reclaiming my birthright. I’ve married appropriately and brought back with me my own men from London and the alliance of the Dublin Kings, as well as alliances with the Romano mafia family and Viktor Andreyev—”
“That’s all well and good,” Kaito interrupts, tossing his sake back like a shot instead of sipping at it like his father and I have been. “But what can you offer us that Liam can’t already?”
“I’ve just said—” my tone darkens, and Nobura shoots me a look that warns me to be cautious in how I speak to his son.
“Kaito is intemperate in his wording,” Nobura says, “but he’s right. Your brother already holds the seat. We are uninterested in participating in a war.”
“Liam is alone,” I say bluntly. “He holds the seat only because he refuses to leave, and I have warned any man who harms him that I will seek blood for blood. This matter is between him and me to settle, and wewillsettle it. When I take the seat, I wish to do so with the full strength that I can offer the Kings and reclaim my family’s legacy.”