Page 75 of Bitter Prince

“We haven’t had luck finding Romero’s safe,” I said, my gaze hardening as I rocked in my chair.

“You haven’t gotten anywhere with Reina?” Dante questioned, his eyes drilling into me.

I pushed my hand through my hair. “I think I know why we haven’t been able to gather any intel on Romero’s safe.” Dante waited for me to explain. “I think he’s using his mother-in-law’s home.”

My brother’s brows furrowed. “You can’t be serious,” Dante said. “That goes against common sense.”

I agreed, but it certainly worked. It had never occurred to me that he’d use Diana’s safe. It seemed stupid to me, but I wasn’t entirely sure that Romero was that smart. Goddamn it! Getting into Diana Bergman’s safe—or whatever last name she had these days—wouldn’t be easy.

“Do we know where the mother-in-law stays the most?” I asked.

“It was the Malibu home until they went to college. And if you recall, I snooped around that one.”

It’d be hard to forget since it was the day the Yakuza attacked. The day I gave Reina her nickname.

“Any luck with Phoenix?” I asked Dante.

He let out a long breath, tugging on his hair strands. “The girl is infuriating. She refuses to talk to me.”

“Talk?”

“Sign. Whatever.” He gripped his strands. “I’ve learned a few words, but how in the hell am I supposed to use them if she turns her back to me?”

“Charm her,” I drawled. “It’s never been a problem before with girls.”

He flipped me off. “Better come up with another plan, because Phoenix and I won’t be flying together.”

“I didn’t realize you turned into a poet,” I remarked dryly. “We’ll try my grandfather’s safe next.”

Dante’s eyes flashed with surprise. “Are you nuts? Or just trying to get us killed?”

“Itsuki won’t be there. And as his second-in-command, I will be. What better time to sort through his secrets?”

“Jesus, I can see it already,” he muttered. “We’ll be knee deep in shit.”

Hiroshi entered at that moment, wearing his traditional Hakama and Kimono set. He looked like an ancient samurai who’d served the old Imperial Japan.

My phone buzzed and Reina’s name flashed. I had never opened a text message so fast.

New bucket list item. Dance with me to a country song.

I let out an incredulous breath. She’d sent me two other bucket list requests. Kiss her underneath floating lanterns and have sex in a pool.

“That’s fucking scary,” Dante muttered under his breath. When I met his gaze with a raised eyebrow, he added, “You. Smiling. It’s scary as shit.”

Hiroshi didn’t say anything, but worry flickered in his eyes. I ignored it as I typed a message back.

Which country song, cinnamon girl?

“Should come and practice your movements with me,” Hiroshi said in Japanese, his voice portraying an air of calm. He was one of the most lethal men I knew—even at his age—and you’d never know it hearing him speak. Not unless Dante pissed him off. My brother was the only human on this planet to manage to rile him up.

“Fine.” I could use a way to blow off some steam.

My phone buzzed again.

We can pick together. Ok, my class is starting. Talk later. ??

She didn’t know I had someone watching over her, not trusting those bullies not to fuck with her. I had to pay extra for Darius to actually listen to the class while sitting outside the school in the surveillance van. Darius called it the most boring class on the planet. Apparently he had to resort to extra caffeine to stay awake while listening to fashion bullshit. He stated the only entertainment was Reina’s sharp wit when standing up for her classmates against the bullies. She certainly hid a fierceness beneath her softness.