Should I apologize or something? J looks genuinely unsettled. She scoots as far away from me as possible, her eyes flinging unspoken accusations.
Is it fear I see in her face? Is it anger?
It’s definitely not desire.
Her nostrils are flaring, and her chest is pumping up and down. That sexy-as-hell red flush is creeping up her neck. I fold my fingers into fists because whether it’s fear, anger,ordesire, I can’t touch her. She’s in a bad state right now.
Tasting my way across her slim body is not on the menu.
Dr. Kenji bursts back into the room. “J, I have a patient?—”
J turns her attention to him.
Strangely, I realize I couldn’t breathe when I was looking at her.
She smiles for the doctor, and it reaches her eyes. “I’m fine, Dr. Kenji. Go.”
“Call me if?—”
“I will.”
Dr. Kenji runs a hand through his black hair, and it sticks up in all directions. “I need to discuss something with you the next time we meet. I saw a strange reading in your test results. When you return to the hospital, I’ll ask the lab techs to run the tests again just to be sure, but youmust?—”
“Avoid stress, over-exertion, and adrenaline rushes,” J recites in a dry voice.
Dr. Kenji swivels to look at me. “It’s imperative.”
“Got it.” I gesture for him to walk ahead.
We take the stairs.
“Dr. Kenji, can you take a look at this pill and tell me what it’s called?” I hand over a plastic bag with one pill that I stole from J.
Her whispered words when I tried to get her to the doctor have been bothering me for a while now. Why didn’t she want anyone finding out about her medication? If it wasn’t given by the hospital, who gave it to her?
“Is this something Kurosaki wants to roll out?” Dr. Kenji brings the bag to eye level and studies it.
“Something like that,” I grunt. Right now, I want him working on finding out what exactly are inside those pills, and if thinking it’s Kurosaki’s order will make him prioritize the task, then he can think what he wants.
Dr. Kenji pockets the bag. “What are you going to do about the Grave City Crew?”
“I’ll handle it.” I asked Ren and Hayato to take Ace and his friends to a location where they won’t be found. They’re still there, waiting for my next order.
“You’ll kill them?” Dr. Kenji asks pointedly.
I stare at him.
He adjusts his glasses and stammers. “A-as a doctor, I cannot condone harm to human life.” He glances around and then leans in. “But as an old man who watched J grow up, I…” His Adam’s apple bobs. “I wouldn’t fault you for dealing with the problem permanently.”
My right eyebrow arches. Dr. Kenji always struck me as a bit of a coward, even though he’s working for the yakuza. If he’s willing to bend the rules for J, it’s a testament to how much she means to him.
“I’ll handle it,” I say again and show him to the door.
Dutch, Zane, and Sol are waiting in the living room. Dutch is leaning against the wall with his arms folded.
Zane is sitting cross-legged on the rug, twirling his drumstick in one hand.
Sol is lying flat on the couch, flicking a lighter.
