Page 24 of Bound By the Yakuza

“Good.” I sipped my coffee. It was still too bitter. I added another sugar cube and stirred. “Don’t you think you could have called to tell me that?”

“I wanted to see you.”

I sighed. “Yeah and your ticket to Tokyo I’m sure tipped him off as to my whereabouts.” I struggled not to be sarcastic.

Aleksey shook his head. “I bought a ticket to Hong Kong and when I got there, I bought a separate one to Tokyo. He thinks I’m in Hong Kong.”

“Don’t underestimate father’s intelligence or connections,” I warned.

“I know,” My brother sighed. “I want you to come home, Karina.” It wasn’t like my brother to beg. “The home has lots all of its joy. Father is beside himself. He’s angry one minute and then the next moment he’s sad. Everyone is looking for you. Even our brothers.”

For the first time since running away, I felt a twinge of guilt. I shook my head. “Then he should call off the marriage.”

“If he did, would you come back?”

“I,” I hesitated, the words were stuck in my throat. “I don’t know,” I admitted. I was happy here in Tokyo, even with my tiny apartment and cash business. For the first time in my life I had real independence.

Aleksey’s shoulders slumped. “I see.” He sipped his coffee.

I sighed. “Aleksey, you don’t understand. I have a good thing going here.”

“Is it worth letting your family suffer?”

I felt as if I had been smacked across the face. Family was everything to me, but if my father didn’t value my opinion, my freedom, then what was family really worth to me?

“There’s no way I’m going back unless he promises that I won’t have to marry that disgusting slob, Gedeon Petrov.” I shuddered just saying his name. “I am not his property.”

Aleksey sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I can try to reason with him again. Believe me, I have been trying.”

“I know you have, brother,” I said and reached across the table to touch his hand. “You’re my best friend and I’m sorry that I’ve put this burden on you.”

Aleksey nodded. “I’m only staying for a few days. Will you at least consider coming back with me?”

I bit my lip. “I suppose I can think about it,” I said. “But no promises.”

I looked out at the empty restaurant and sighed. Three days wasn’t much time to make a miracle happen. Even if my brother convinced my father, how could I leave Tatsuya?

??

TATSUYA

I shouldn’t of let Karina go to the airport alone. Every part of me had screamed that it was a bad idea. I knew I had to trust her. I had to give her space. It fucking killed me to watch her walk away in that sexy navy dress.

If only I could have pulled her back into bed and we could forget this entire thing. I would have stripped that dress right off her and made her mine. She was delicious, and I only craved more.

I pushed away the feelings and left her small apartment. I locked the door behind me and took the narrow steps down to the back alley where I had parked my motorcycle.

Petty theft around these parts were unheard of, and no one would be stupid enough to steal something from a yakuza member. I had broken a man’s finger just for touching my bike last year. Apparently, word traveled fast. I could probably park this thing in a den of thieves at it would be safe.

As the metal door slammed beside me, I caught a shadow moving out of the corner of my eye. Who (besides me) would have business in a shady alley way at ten in the morning? I kept my hand on my gun and crept to the side of the building. I heard two voices.

“This is Himura territory.”

“I don’t give a shit about those dogs,” The deeper voice said. “We need to keep pushing this territory. We’ve lost too much. You heard what the leaders said.”

I stole a quick glance around the corner. Two junior yakuza members were standing by the dumpster that I had thrown that Shimazu bastard into. They must have been Shimazu-kai too, but judging by their attitudes, stance, and clothing, weren’t very high up. Nothing but basic level shatei; the goons of the yakuza world.

“If we catch who did that to Nakamura-san, then we might finally prove ourselves,” The bigger one said. He was bald with tattoos around the base of his neck and on the back of his head. He wore a stained t-shirt and held a knife in one hand.

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