Page 42

A year later, Tokyo

Eliot and Moon

I’ve been feeling restless the whole day being away from her. I promised I would check out some BL store with her but ended up spending the whole damn day following these assholes around. Tian and Moon have been going on a rampage, and I’m forced to go along for the ride. The last eight hours Moon, Tian, Yuki and I hopped around Tokyo. Yuki kept giving me signals by telling me stories about all the one-hour hotels the company owns. Meanwhile Moon kept looking at me like he wanted to push me in front of traffic at the Shibuya crossing. This last year I pretended the stairwell scene never happened. I’m not doing shit with him again; Tian asked me to be here, to help check out the new businesses the families took over, as an added threat. I’m certainly not here to check how the pain in my ass is doing.

I don’t know what I want as I stare at Moon’s broad shoulders while he pulls back his fists covered in blood as he laughs manically, punching the host over and over again. Blood hits his nose as he keeps beating the shit out the guy who didn’t pay his debt to us. Tian places his hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs it off. The poor host guy looks at me while Moon shakes him so much I can hear the man’s teeth rattle. I step forward to place my hand on the same spot Tian touched Moon. He needs to stop before he kills the guy. Moon freezes, complying immediately and Tian winks at me.

“Moon, that’s enough,” I order, trying to keep my voice level and emotionless.

In an instant he lets go of the guy, who falls backward into a fetal position with tears running down his face.

I watch Moon clench and unclench his fists, his back still turned to me as he catches his breath. Yuki eyes me warily while Tian flashes me a grin and lights a cigarette.

“What?” I bark at Tian.

He shrugs, tapping his imaginary hat with his cigarette. “Nothing, just watching the show. I missed you this last year, you squirt,” he teases and ruffles my hair.

I slap his hand away, growling under my breath. Me and Dash were put on a plane to New York the day after his so called wedding. I heard rumors it’s because some factions in Beijing were acting up, but the fact is it felt like they used us and left us behind.

Moon flashes me an angry glare, and Tian laughs, sticking out his tongue at me. “Are you guys done?” Moon says angrily, brushing a hand through his hair.

Yuki takes out his phone, checking the upcoming schedule while we ignore the crying on the floor. “We’ve crossed everything off the list, sir.”

Moon is already walking to the door, probably bored with the whole situation as Yuki follows him.

“Nice to know he’s the only one who can calm you down,” Tian says to Moon, stretching his arms above his head. Moon stops in his tracks and clenches and unclenches his fists, not looking at me. Tian flashes me a knowing grin. “Let’s go take a bath. I need it after all the blood.”

He slaps Moon on his shoulder as he catches up to him. Moon nods, shrugging off his hand and ignoring me like he’s done this whole day, the whole year really.

I follow them outside, the busy Tokyo street assaulting all my senses as we walk to the parked cars. Everyone steps out of the way for us, casting their eyes down. I stare at Moon’s broad back. He reminds me of one of my favorite Chinese actors. All stoic, not smiling, with his spine straight and one arm behind his back as he walks. Tian is his opposite, smiling, funny, and always joking around. But both are still the same untamed men I met when I was thirteen. Except one is now married to my best friend. The only one who is different is me, and her, because we fucking fell for their traps.

I know she’s still angry with me for not telling her she was marrying Tian. She’s everything to me; she’s my life, my reason to live. My North Star, the reason to smile when she’s telling me a funny story, the reason to keep working for the family. The reason I’m still here.

“Are you coming?” Moon repeats using his work mode voice, leaving no room for discussion.

Yuki winks at me, and I reluctantly follow them to the car looking at the neon signs lighting up the crowded Tokyo street. Fuck, this is going to be a long night, I think while getting into Moon’s car.

I push the locker door closed of the bathhouse. It took us an hour to get here with traffic. The car ride was filled with silence. I could feel Moon shooting bullets my way every time Yuki looked at me from the corner of his eyes.

Yuki leans against the locker next to me. Tian and Moon are already in the water talking business probably. I secure the towel wrapped around my waist, pushing past him to the washing room.

“Don’t be like this,” Yuki says, coming after me. “We had a good time today, didn’t we?”

“Don’t follow me,” I grit out as I take my seat on the little stool to wash myself, keeping the towel firmly wrapped around my hips.

I can feel his eyes trailing over my chest up to my eyes again. “Come on,” he purrs, and I hate the way his voice dips. He sits down next to me, and I feel him checking me out again, his eyes running over the tattoos filling up the better part of my back. Nothing I can do about it now; I can’t put a knife through his eye, Moon will get upset. Moon will get upset? Fuck, I’m in deep, I think as I violently start to wash my hair.

“Why are you so angry?” Yuki laughs.

I turn to face him, and he flashes me a smile. Okay, his dimples are kind of cute, but something in his eyes is always off, like he’s plotting something behind the scenes. Or maybe I’m fucking seeing shit, because I haven’t heard any bad stories from the other men about him.

I chuckle, rubbing both hands through my hair and catch Yuki’s gaze in the mirror. His eyes follow the lines of my shoulders up my arms and down my chest, and I have the urge to cover myself. His foot somehow hikes around my stool while he stands and slides it back making me crash to the floor, my face contacting the stone. “Fuck,” I groan, rubbing my cheek.

He hovers over me, but I don’t look up. I don’t want to look at his dick.

“I’m so sorry,” he says apologetically, but I know it’s all an act. He crouches down next to me and reaches out to run a hand over my cheek. “Can I kiss you and make it all better?”

I push him away from me. “Don’t worry about it, it was an accident. It better be,” I mumble under my breath.