Realizing he’s trying, I say, “I suppose I can do the same.”
His eyes narrow, then he asks, “When do we leave for Tokyo?”
“Give me a few days. I need to have a meeting with the other four heads and get authorization from my Capo before we can attack Tanaka.”
“What if he doesn’t give his approval?”
“He will.” I pick up my drink and take a sip. “As long as you sign the agreement I put together and hold up your end of the deal, once you’re in charge of the Yakuza, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Yuki comes back, carrying a box, and when she sits down beside Ryo, I have to suppress the urge to scoop her up so I can keep her close to me.
“I wrote you letters but didn’t have anywhere to send them.” She lifts the lid, and I lean forward, seeing stacks of letters written in their language. She takes two sticks out, and the expression on her face turns nostalgic. “This was the bamboo stick you used as a sword the last day we played together in the forest.”
Jesus.
Emotion washes over Ryo’s face as he takes one half, looking at it as if it’s a rare artifact worth billions of dollars.
For the first time, I feel a glimmer of pity for the guy. I might be pissed off with him for taking Yuki, but I understand why he did it. I’d do the same for my sisters.
“Can I keep this?” Ryo asks. “And the letters?”
“Yes. They’re yours.” She takes the other half of the stick, holding it to her chest. “I wanted to show you that I never forgot about you. Not for a single day.”
Ryo yanks her into a hug, the emotion exploding from them hits me square in the heart.
Watching them reunite, I realize how strong their bond has to be to have survived eleven years of separation. It will kill Yuki if anything happens to Ryo.
Fuck. I’m going to have to protect him and make sure nothing goes wrong.
My eyes settle on Yuki’s face as she wipes a tear from her cheek, and seeing how happy she is, I get up and walk to Ryo.
This time, when I hold out my hand, I mean it. “Peace. For Yuki.”
He rises to his feet and shakes my hand, then says, “Thank you for giving my sister a good life.”
I nod as we let go, then I walk out the sliding doors and join Lorenzo where he’s having a cigarette.
“How are things?”
“Better.” I shake my head as I glance over the garden. “We’re going back to Tokyo to help Ryo take over the Yakuza.”
My friend nods. “I knew it was only a matter of time before we’d head back to Japan to kill Tanaka and his guard dog.”
“The sooner the better.”
“Will you take time off afterward?” he asks.
“Yes.” I glance over my shoulder, and the corner of my mouth lifts when I see how happy Yuki is. “I’ll take a couple of weeks to spend time with my wife.”
He lets out a chuckle. “I think the whole Cosa Nostra will be happy to hear that.”
Chapter 27
Yuki
What a day!
While I’m loading the dishwasher, I think about how close I came to losing everything. If Augusto and Ryo hadn’t made peace, I don’t know what I would’ve done.
