Page 203 of The Silent Note

Bile rises in my throat.

“Come. Sit. There is tea.” He folds himself into a chair.

Tea?

I'm not havingteawith Sloane’s murderer.

Sure, Kurosaki wasn’t seen in the video, but his assassin was working on orders. Sloane’s blood is on his hands as much as it is on his assassin’s.

Finn nudges me.

Grudgingly, I walk to the table, but I refuse to reach for the cup after Kurosaki pours. He takes a sip, looking out at the scenery with heavily wrinkled eyes.

So calm.

So easy.

Did he look this unaffected when he decided whether Sloane would live or die?

“We can’t stay long,” Finn says in an aggrieved voice. I get the feeling that he’s saying that becausehe’seven more uncomfortable than I am. “You promised me?—”

“Doyouremember what you promisedme?” His eyes land on Finn with a gravity that steals my breath.

“What did you promise him, Finn?” I whisper.

Finn ignores me. “I gave you my word.”

“And a Kurosaki always keeps his word.” The father sips his tea, lips curling up secretly in a way I’ve seen Finn do a million times. When he turns his attention to me, he seems almost warm and inviting. “You are familiar with the yakuza, yes?”

I nod sharply, still bothered by the thought of Finn striking deals with his father. Like Shakespeare’sThe Merchant of Venice,he will demand every inch of his pound of flesh.

“My father was the patriarch of my clan, in charge of thousands of men, but after another patriarch launched a war for territory, I was left with the leadership position and two choices—death for me and my men or expansion to regain the territory that was lost.”

He blows the steam rising from his cup. “The others feared expansion, but I had been to the States before and I understood the potential. Despite pretending to be morally superior, Westerners all bow if the price is right.”

I bristle at his condescending tone.

“I knew that I could regain our strength if I followed the path outside of Japan. But it was a dangerous road to walk. I had already lost Finn’s mother to the war. I could not leave the heir of our clan in harm’s way.” His eyes slide to Finn. “So I arranged for a caregiver and charged him with keeping my son’s true lineage a secret.”

Finn’s jaw clenches.

I lean forward. “How did you meet Jarod Cross?”

“He had already begun to form alliances with the Russians to transport product. Did you not know this?” He arches a brow at Finn.

Gripping my hands together beneath the table to keep them from shaking, I soak that knowledge in.

“The operation was not well-organized. The Russians are too violent and impulsive.” He shakes his head. “Cross knew this and he was wary of continuing with them. So I offered him asolution. Rather than product, he agreed to smuggle a person into his home.”

A glance below the table shows I’m not the only one hiding their fists.

“The Grateful Project,” Finn grinds out, “stick to that.”

Kurosaki narrows his eyes but obliges. “The other clans had seen our expansion and were rushing into the territory to gain ground. We were not at our strongest and did not have the advantage. The competition was also stronger. Here in the US, there are the Italians, the Russians, other powerful families and factions. I needed to strengthen our roots here.”

“And pimping out children would do it,” I spit.

He glances at me calmly.

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