Page 77 of Bitter Prince

And of course, there was the crime. Every region in the world had to contend with that. Kyoto was no different.

We were making our way through the streets, passing the Yasaka Shrine, when a voice called out.

“Amon, Dante.”

Fuck, I really hoped it wasn’t my cousin or one of his men. I shared a glance with my brother, his hand already on his holster.

We turned around, only to come face-to-face with Alessio Russo and his wife.

“Well, this is unexpected,” Alessio greeted us, shaking my hand, then Dante’s. I tilted my head, acknowledging the lady.

“Hi there. I’m Autumn.” Then I remembered, Russo—or Ashford, whichever name he went by these days—had married his wife here.

“What are you doing here?” Dante asked, looking at them both suspiciously.

“Anniversary trip,” Alessio answered.

His wife beamed. “My husband promised to bring me to Kyoto to celebrate our anniversary for the rest of our lives.”

“Well, that’s boring.” Yes, my brother answered.

Alessio narrowed his eyes on him. “How so?”

I rolled my eyes but said nothing. He could get himself out of that one on his own.

“There are so many other places to explore,” Dante drawled. “I couldn’t imagine coming back to the same place, over and over again.”

Smooth, brother,I thought, barely suppressing a smirk.

“Well, Alessio takes me to all sorts of other places, all year long,” Autumn answered sharply. “For our anniversary, we’ll be in Kyoto.”

Alessio chuckled.

“Maybe one day, if you’re lucky, you’ll understand. You’re still young.” Dante and I snorted. We hadn’t felt young in years. Then the Canadian mobster flicked me a look. “Are you running the Yakuza yet?” I raised one eyebrow in surprise that he’d even ask, and when I didn’t answer, he continued, “Your cousin is a fuckwad. Doesn’t know the difference between his balls and his asshole.”

That pretty much summed it up.

“No,” I answered curtly. I had no interest in discussing the Yakuza or my fuckwad cousin. “Just visiting.”

Autumn’s lips curved, and I knew the next thing out of her mouth would be a jab. “Is it your anniversary too?”

After another few minutes of talking business, Alessio and Autumn moved on while Dante grumbled something under his breath.

“What’s that?”

“All that love shit makes me want to puke,” he stated.

That was so my brother. “Then puke,” I deadpanned. “Just don’t do it next to me. And I’m not holding your head up.”

He grinned, that crazed look in his eyes alarming. It was happening too often lately—ever since crossing paths with Phoenix and Reina Romero—and I wondered how long it’d be before he’d need a release. The first time I’d picked up on the change was shortly after his accident, the one that’d caused his partial amnesia. We were still in the dark about all the details of the accident, but he was damn lucky to survive it.

We continued on, surrounded by summer blossoms in full bloom, perfuming the air in a subtle kind of way. The scent was bitter and green.

Kind of like me, I thought with sardonic amusement.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Reina would like it here. She’d stand out, sure, but in the best way possible. If I took over the Yakuza, would she follow me? Or was a life away from the underworld all she would ever want? I shook my head. She was in my head, consuming my thoughts way too much.

“Why do I feel like a giant here?” Dante mused as we made our way to the back of the compound. It was the least crowded spot, and most convenient should we have to make our way out in a hurry.