“Not now?” He grunted and slapped his hands on his dirty pants. Only he would come into a nice restaurant with clothes caked in dirt after a day of working on the farm. “When were you going to tell me you were—”
“Dad!” I stood and held up my palms to him. “Don’t make a scene.Please.”
“Is this why Candy left ya?” He shook his head in disappointment, and the shame I was used to around my dad curdled in my stomach like rotten milk. “You prefer dicks?”
“For the love of Zeus. Stop it, Dad. Just stop.” I gave Yukio a quick glance, the embarrassment making my face scorch with unpleasantness. Yukio shook his head, eyebrows dipped in anger. He rose and stood behind me, giving me the support I needed now more than ever.
“You should go to your table, sir, and leave Micah alone.” His jaw tightened and he glared at Dad.
Dad snorted. “This is a free country. I can do what I want.”
This time Jiro and Sarah stood together, and my shame knew no bounds. After tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if they told Yukio to never see me again, and I wouldn’t blame them. Dad was my greatest humiliation, and there was nothing I could do to rid myself of him, even avoiding him.
“You heard my son. Leave.” Jiro straightened, and while he wasn’t a tall man, something about his posture screamed the kind of power not many men possessed. His jaw hardened and he stepped in closer to me, offering backup.
Dad grunted and laughed, pointing at me. “I knew there was something seriously wrong with you. I told your brother it was more than always having your head in the clouds. Now look at you, fucking a man. And worse, you made Alex the same way.”
My foot tapped the floor and I glanced nervously at the server who came breezing our direction, thinking of all the ways I could apologize to her for my father’s behavior.
Behind Dad, the bikers rose and walked toward us, their presence huge, and I winced, stepping away and back into Yukio’s arms.
“It’s time for you to leave,” the one named Scar said, crossing his muscular arms over his chest. His expression hadn’t improved, and in fact, he looked like he could spit acid. “My boyfriend doesn’t want any bullshit in his family’s restaurant.”
Dad spun around and snorted, giving the biker a long once-over. “Get out of my face. I know Manzi. He would agree with everything I’ve said.”
This went from bad to worse. I groaned, hiding my face in my palms as I prayed for strength from whatever god was listening, and then I dropped my hands. “Dad, you’re embarrassing yourself.”
Scar stepped in closer to Dad and grabbed the front of his shirt. “Go. Now.”
Behind Scar were two more bikers, including Pike and a man who looked very much like him. They could’ve been brothers. They probably were. If it came to a fight, Dad definitely wouldn’t win.
Sarah raised her hands at everyone and smiled. “Gentlemen, this is a family restaurant. How about we cool our heads? There is a child present.” She gestured at Asuka, who appeared absolutely thrilled that something so interesting was going on. He flashed me a bright smile.
Dad sneered at her. “How about you shut up?” He was nearly shouting.
I could almost hear the gasps that echoed through the room, and my embarrassment was complete. If I died right now, it would be a relief from this horrific sensation swirling in my stomach.
Yukio’s hold on me tightened and he laid a soothing kiss on my cheek. I realized I was muttering sorry to him over and over again, and he was shushing me in comfort.
Sarah’s face turned stormy, and I couldn’t explain the sensation of pure, unadulterated fear that passed through me at her expression. Her husband was stern, but she was something else as she moved around Jiro and leaned in to whisper to Dad. Her pursed lips reminded me of the brawl Yukio and Alex had at Mousetrap, when I’d been terrified they would injure each other. Whatever she said to Dad had him blanching, and he stumbled backward, straight into Scar’s chest.
Scar grabbed him by the shoulders and almost shoved him toward the front door, not giving Dad a chance to think about coming back toward us. He threw Dad outside and shut the door behind him before walking toward us again.
Jiro nodded. “Thank you for your assistance, Colton.”
Scar—or was it Colton? I was confused—inclined his head. “Hinode.”
I blinked, wondering if everything that had just happened was a dream, or more appropriately, a nightmare.
Yukio slowly guided me to my seat and helped me sit before he leaned over to his dad as the bikers went back to their table. “Oyaji, do you know them?”
Jiro cleared his throat and replied in Japanese, and Yukio’s eyes widened.
“Ah.” Yukio smoothed a hand over my shoulder and didn’t say anything else.
I was many things, and sometimes that involved being oblivious, but I wasn’t stupid, even if Dad claimed I was. After Yukio had given me the books to read about Japan, I’d spent time devouring the written content and learning as much as I could. I’d studied the information carefully because it was related to Yukio’s heritage. One of the books explained the history of the yakuza. The men in those organizations had a certain personality about them, but they also had connections with all types of illegal operations—including motorcycle clubs. While yakuza members were proud, they also had to be careful.
With the tattoos Yukio had and the glimpse I’d caught of Jiro’s, and now the fact that he appeared to know these bikers, I firmly believed that Jiro was part of the yakuza.
