“I can’t breathe; you’re crushing my chest!” she shouted.
The wig was still in my hand. Short hair clung to her scalp in sweaty strands, framing a face I couldn’t quite place. She was young, early twenties maybe. But the familiarity gnawed at me.
I didn’t move right away. My weight kept her pinned to the asphalt. Her chest rose and fell as she stared up at me, breathing in shallow bursts.
Reluctantly, I shifted just enough for her to draw a full breath. She exaggerated it—loud, like she wanted me to hear every second of her suffering.
“You could have suffocated me,” she said, her brows pulling tight.
“I could have,” I said. “Be thankful I didn’t.”
The sword was within reach. I snatched it and leveled the edge at her throat. Her eyes bulged as she sucked in a breath.
“Stop! Don’t hurt me.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”
Her gaze never left mine. “Because you know me. Or… you knew my brother.”
Something about her face tugged at my memory, but the connection wouldn’t click.
“Kaiyo Uchida,” she said. “He’s my twin brother.”
That was it. She had the same wide eyes and cheekbones.
“I’m Keiko Uchida,” she added at last, flicking her eyes toward the blade. “Now, can you move that thing away from my throat?”
I did as she said long enough for her to stand up, then tucked it right back where it belonged and forced her to walk.
“Where are you taking me?”
“You seem to like my restaurant. I figured we’d wait for the police there.”
“Please don’t. I’m so sorry. Really, I am.” She tried to turn, but I caught her and pushed her forward.
“Funny, it wasn’t long ago you were breaking into my place. Guess you think it’s fine as long as you don’t get caught.”
Once inside, I shoved her into a chair in the kitchen. With all the lights turned on, I got a clear look at the person who’d been tormenting me. The resemblance to Kaiyo was even sharper now—like he was sitting right in front of me. Only Kaiyo would’ve been smiling. Maybe she was Hyde and he was Jekyll.
I took a seat opposite her, the tip of my sword holding her still. She shifted under my stare, and I found myself enjoying the reversal.
“Why?” I demanded. “Why pretend to be Reina Sakamoto?”
She held my eyes for a beat before looking away.
“Answer me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t ask for an apology.” I jabbed the sword closer.
“I was angry. My brother is dead, killed in that stupid apprenticeship program.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
“I know,” she snapped. “You think I don’t know that?”
“If you knew, why pretend to be Reina and harass me? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? I thought I was losing my mind. My boyfriend left. My restaurant tanked.” My voice rose with each word. “I’m on the verge of losing everything I’ve worked for! And for what? Because you’re grieving your brother?”
