Sighing, I drop my hands and stretch my neck from side to side, willing my muscles to relax. “I agree with Raf. We need a proper plan if we want to seek vengeance.”
“What do you meanif?” Sandro demands, the small eight-point nautical star on his right cheek crinkling as his eyes narrow.
“I mean that as much as I understand you’re all angry, violence only begets violence,” I say, trying to keep the strain out of my tone. “We have a better chance of resolving this if we can find some kind of peaceful solution. The Tanakas lost their only daughter when Sora chose to elope with Leo. And with Kenjidead, they no longer have an heir to take over when Tatsuo is gone. The Tanaka empire will crumble without our help soon enough.”
“But that’s just it,” Miko counters. “With Kenji out of the picture, they no longer have someone to lead their forces. Tatsuo’s too old to step back into that role, which means the Yakuza are at their weakest right now. We should take advantage of it.”
Sighing heavily, I look back to Raf for support.
My youngest brother—twin to Sandro, whom he is identical to in every way except for his choice in tattoos—couldn’t be more different from Miko and his twin when it comes to using logic to assess a situation rather than barreling in headfirst.
If anyone is going to side with me, it’s him.
“I said we need a plan,” Raf says flatly, his eyes cold yet burning with unquenchable rage. “Not that I’m going to let those animals live after what they did to my wife.”
Resignation settles heavily in my stomach.
It’s not that I don’t want to avenge Genevieve’s death—or our father’s, though he was a rather hard, distant man, and I doubt there was much love lost for any of us the day Kenji put a bullet between his eyes.
But I fear that another fight will only end in more death, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to survive the death of another person I care about.
I give a heavy sigh. “Very well. I can see I’m outnumbered. But I’m done losing people I love—even if it’s one of you reckless idiots. So, if we’re doing this, we’re going to do it smart. No rushing in, guns half-cocked.”
“My gun is never half-cocked, brother,” Miko jokes, giving me a wink. “Just ask Anika if you doubt me.”
The twins chuckle, Raf rolling his eyes as the tension in the room finally breaks.
Still, even after the meeting is done, I can’t help the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I might have lost Stephanie nearly eight years ago, now—when I was still young and reckless like my brothers still are, when I thought I was invincible and my family name could get me out of tight spaces.
But losing her impacted me in ways my brothers will never understand.
They know her death hit me hard, but I don’t think any of them have a clue that Stephanie still haunts my dreams and every waking moment.
The absence of her still feels like a gaping hole where my heart should be.
And no matter how much time passes, that pain doesn’t lessen.
I haven’t found it in me to even consider falling in love again.
Hell, after having the woman I was madly in love with ripped from me like that, I still find it hard to come up with a reason to get out of bed each morning, to make it from one day to the next.
The only thing keeping me going is my brothers’ presence. And losing one of them could truly be the end of me.
“Gio, you coming?” Raf asks, pausing in the doorway of Miko’s conference room.
Only then do I realize I’ve been staring out the window, oblivious to where my brothers intend to head next.
Regardless of their destination, I’m not ready to join them. I need some time to clear my head. “That’s alright. I think I’ll go for a walk,” I say, something I’ve been doing a lot of lately because it seems to be the only thing that helps.
Raf gives a single nod, patting the door jamb before turning to follow Miko and Sandro from the room.
Running my hand over the stubble of my jaw, I take a minute to consider the ramifications of agreeing to support my brothers’ plan.
In the end, my only consolation is that I’m sure they would go after the Tanakas with or without my blessing—so backing them will only increase their chances of survival.
But that does little to ease my growing sense of foreboding.
