I glance up at the hotel grounds beyond the wreckage.
Perfectly manicured. Soft lighting. Flowing water. Cherry blossom trees shedding petals into carefully raked gravel.
Calm enough to be insulting.
“It’s not mine yet,” I murmur.
Pain flares hot along my side. I hiss, straighten, and spit blood onto the pavement.
“But give me a few minutes,” I add. “I’m about to fix that.”
I slide the phone back into my pocket and dig into the bottom of my book bag, fingers closing around cold metal. My last gun. I load the final clip with practiced ease, lift my shirt, and tuck it against my lower back.
Then I step into the gardens.
The contrast is almost surreal.
Behind me, smoke claws at the sky and sirens wail through the night. Ahead, water trickles softly over stone. Lanterns glow low and warm. Cherry blossoms drift down in lazy spirals, catching in my hair, sticking to the blood on my skin.
The stillness feels staged.
Designed.
Like a set built for something ceremonial.
I move deeper, boots silent on the gravel path, senses stretched tight. Somewhere ahead, someone is breathing easily. Waiting.
A man stands near the water.
Back to me.
Dark hair. Straight posture. Hands clasped loosely behind him like he’s admiring the view instead of standing at the end of a very long mistake. He’s tall. Broad-shouldered. Calm in a way that used to make me feel safe.
Someone I trusted.
Someone I shouldn’t have.
He turns at the sound of my footsteps.
Strong jaw. Familiar face. That gentle smile that used to mean everything was under control. He inclines his head in a small, respectful bow.
I return it without thinking.
The habit lands like a bruise.
“Kenji,” I say softly.
The night seems to hold its breath.
Kenji doesn’t rush to fill the silence. He lets it stretch, savoring the moment the way men like him always do. The gardens glow softly around us, water murmuring over stone, petals drifting lazily through the air like nothing in the world is about to break.
“You always did have a talent for making an entrance,” he says at last. Calm. Almost fond. “I wondered how long it would take you to put the pieces together.”
“I didn’t come for conversation,” I reply. “I came for answers.”
His smile deepens. “And you deserve them. You earned that much.”
“It would be rude to spill all the secrets before everyone is here.” I shift my weight, keeping my hands loose at my sides. “Let’s bring out your partner, shall we?”
