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“Nothing’s wrong. But I had to still see you and let you know that?—”

She cut me off. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she asked, her eyes meeting mine.

I nodded and tucked my hands into my hoodie pocket.

“I got word about Rosalie. She’s gone through some bad stuff, and I need to get back to LA. To make sure she’s really all right. To tell her I made a mistake leaving her and that I wanna make things right between us,” I said, watching the fish swim slowly around the pond.

Sydney chuckled. “Boy, you sure know how to pick girls who like to get into dangerous situations, don’t you? Guess my sister was right. Hero was a good nickname for you, AJ. Always trying to save people from their mistakes. But ”—she gave my arm a soft punch—“never your own.”

“Someone’s gotta do it. I didn’t choose this life. It chose me,” I said as I shrugged and smirked at her.

Silence fell between us, and the lightness of the joke passed, replaced by a solemn understanding. This was goodbye.

“You never belonged here. Not really. We were always on borrowed time,” she whispered.

She stepped in front of me, snaking her arms around my waist, and hugged me as she buried her face into my hoodie.

“Don’t worry about us, okay? We will be fine.

Touma is going to help me rebuild the dojo even more.

We’re done with the illegal fighting for good.

I want a better life for myself and my family.

Regan is going to be going to school abroad for her next year, so she’s going to be on her own adventure.

I’ll be fine. You’ve done enough,” Sydney said, smiling back at me.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in. I doubted I’d ever see her again after today.

“Thank you, Syd. For everything,” I said as I felt her hug me tightly back.

We stood there for a moment. Neither talking, just existing. We’d been there to help each other get through some shitty times.

I’d never forget her and the friendship she had given me all these months.

Sydney pushed away and stroked my chest, looking up at me.

“Your heart never belonged here, AJ,” Sydney said, a sad smile on her face. “Go home. Be with the girl who makes you happy. Because you deserve it.”

She took a few steps backward, then turned and faced the koi pond, tilting her face to the sky.

I waited for a minute before I took a few steps toward the exit of the garden when her voice called out to me.

“Oh, and, AJ?” she said, her voice soft.

“Yeah?” I said as I glanced over my shoulder at her.

I saw tears sliding down her cheeks.

“ When you get her back? Never let her go again,” she said, her voice cracking on the last word.

I wanted to pull her in one last time, but that would probably only hurt her more. It wouldn’t be fair to comfort her when I wasn’t going to change my mind about going.

“Take care of yourself, Syd. I’ll see you,” I said as I resumed walking.

“Wait!” she cried out, and I turned as I heard her footsteps come up behind me.

She’d wiped the tears from her face before she made her way over. She stopped next to me and stood on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on my cheek.

“For luck,” she said with a wide smile on her face.

She turned away once more before I could see her cry again, shoulders squared, standing strong like the fighter she’d always been.

That was how I wanted to remember her.

I got back in my car. Hopefully, Ken would still be there when I got back to the shop. He was usually there late on weekends, catching up on things from the week that had backed up at work.

I drove up to the warehouse, and the mechanic bay was still open.

I knew Takumi had gone home by now, so it had to be Ken.

The bay lights buzzed overhead as I walked in, casting bright shadows on the floor, a stark contrast to the colors of the setting sun behind me.

I glanced around and saw Ken wiping down the Nissan he worked on this morning.

“It’s all ready to go. Same with the 2006 Infiniti G35 over there,” he said as I approached.

“Sounds good. But I need to talk to you about something,” I said as I came to a stop and leaned back against the driver’s door.

“All right, what about?” Ken asked as he did a final spray on the windshield, making it spotless.

“I have to leave. Tonight. And I need your help to do it,” I said.

There was no point in beating around the bush. Ken and I always kept it straight with each other.

“Leave? Shit, you didn’t get into trouble with debt collectors, did you?” he said, laughing at his dig at how fast I spent my money when I made it. But when I didn’t crack back at him, he straightened up, the humor slipping from his face.

“No. I’m going back to LA. But I don’t have time to wait for Takumi to pay us again. I need to get back tomorrow. Problem is, I’m strapped for cash, and I can’t get a plane ticket. So, I need your help to get on a flight,” I said, my eyes going from Ken over to the car in front of me.

His gaze followed mine.

“You are one crazy American.” He laughed as what I was suggesting set in.

“What’s in it for me?” he asked after his laughter died down.

“I don’t have a lot. But, shit, this is all I have left.” I reached into my pocket and gripped my car keys. I pulled them out and tossed them at him.

He caught them and opened his hand, looking at them.

“Mmm … the car. It’s nice. Would fetch a lot of money down south,” Ken mumbled under his breath as he mulled my offer over.

“All right. Help me load the cars on the truck. Don’t make any sounds until you hear the plane start up. You get caught? You don’t know me—got it?” Ken said as he walked over to the Infiniti and slid inside it.

Within thirty minutes, we had both cars loaded onto the truck bed, and I was opening the trunk of the Nissan. I flung my duffel bag inside and turned to Ken.

“Appreciate the help. Been good working with you,” I said as I held out my hand.

“Uh-huh,” he grunted and shook it before hopping down and getting into the truck’s driver’s seat.

I sat in the trunk and swung my legs in before reaching up and closing it from the inside.

The ride over to the airport gave me time to think about my first moves when I got back to LA.

First things first. I was going to hit up my girl. Everything else would fall into place after that.

They unloaded the cars when we arrived, neither trunk being checked—the perk of regular shipments to the same buyer, I guessed. After they drove the cars onto the plane, I stayed hidden, waiting for some sign it was safe to get out.

I heard the plane engines fire up. They would taxi out onto the airway soon. Now was the time to get out of the trunk and into some place more comfortable.

I reached up and grabbed the emergency trunk latch that was on the inside of the car.

I tugged it hard, and the trunk popped open.

I cracked it barely enough to see out. I needed to make sure the plane door was closed and no one else was inside before I shoved it fully open and pulled myself out of the trunk.

If I was caught, I didn’t know what would happen.

The plane shook lightly as we idled in place.

I leaned in and grabbed my duffel bag, yanking it out and closing the trunk.

I walked around the bay, deciding to slide into a Toyota Altezza that Kayden had ordered this month.

It was comfortable and in the center of the plane, so hopefully, it would be the smoothest space to catch some sleep in on the ride over.

I stepped up to the car as the plane jolted. We rolled forward, and I caught myself on the hood of the Altezza before I ate shit.

I opened the driver’s door and set my bag down in the passenger seat.

I got inside and closed the door. Rummaging around my bag, I took out my earbuds and a bag of chips.

I plugged in my buds and cranked up the music.

Snoop Dogg started playing as I dug into the bag.

The sound of the plane’s engines began to pick up, and I felt us move.

It was time to take off. In less than a day, my feet would be on LA soil once more.

I leaned the seat back and drew my hood up over my hat, tipping it lower to block the bay’s lights as the engines’ hum grew louder.

My excitement rose as the plane lifted off the ground.

I’m coming home, baby girl.