“What do you want with the Canes?”
“Bit of a presumptuous question. I know how they work and who they work with. If I say the wrong thing to the wrong person, I’m dead.”
“Okay. Let’s say we are working against Cane and his new buddy Vico.”
“That makes you Yakuza.” The shock on his face isn’t well hidden. “I want an in to take the Cane empire down. My bad blood is with them alone.”
“Okay. This could be interesting.” His eyes scrutinize me as he runs his forefinger up the side of his jaw like he’s figuring something out.
I don’t have time for him to contemplate things. “How do I contact you?”
“You don’t. Here’s a burner.” He pulls an old model phone from his pocket. “We’ll contact you when my associates and I want to talk with you.”
“It might be hard for me to get away.”
“Really? Well, that’s not my problem, as I said. We already have plenty in store to show Cane and Vico they don’t own these streets.”
Oh, how little he knows. “Very well, Mr…”
“Call me Andreas.” He offers his hand, and I pause, thinking back to the name that had Gabby clamming up.
“Mr. Alves.” I take a gamble, but Andreas’ wide eyes tell me it paid off. I don’t offer my name before turning back towards the street where I left Luca.
“Don’t go too far, Miss Winters.” The shout back sends chills through my body. Believing I had the upper hand galvanised my courage, but the use of my name, knowing that someone in the Yakuza knows who I am, turns all of this into a reality that holds consequences wider than just Benjamin.
I dip behind the corner of the building and gather my composure, cutting through the small streets to get up onto the main drag. No matter how much I’ve wanted to get close to ruining Cane, how far I’ve plotted and schemed in my head, the realisation of what I’m now facing looms large and dark on the horizon.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I answer. It’s Torino this time.
“Meet me at Anya’s house. I’m already on my way.” It isn’t quite a lie as I raise my feet to pick up my pace.
“I thought you were with Luca?”
“I was, but he had to go with Benjamin. I was in the car, but it will save time if we meet there.”
“Jeez, Hope. He’s going to kill you.”
“No, he won’t. I’ll call him.”
“See that you do.” Torino ends the call and I look out along the street, relief washing over me like a spring breeze at all the nightlife here.
I dial Benjamin’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. “Hi, I thought I’d check in with you. I know you said stay in the car, but I couldn’t stand for Anya to hear the news from someone else. Or the police. She deserves a friendly face, and I doubt you’re in any state to be delivering this news. I’ll be home with Torino just as soon as I’ve spoken to her and ensured she’s okay for the night.” I move the phone away and go to hang up but see a black screen.
“Oh, shit,” I mumble to myself.
The phone doesn’t switch on, doesn’t even have enough battery to send a text. And I don't know if the voice message went through. Well, that’s his fault for springing a surprise date on me. God knows what that was.
I step up to the curb and raise my hand, hailing a cab. I’ve just got to get there and prove my lie. I’ll deal with the rest when I get home.
The cab pulls up outside the address I gave. Torino is standing like a statue outside, waiting to pounce on me. I don’t pay the driver, but as soon as I open the door, he’s over and passing the driver the fare.
“What the fuck are you playing at, Hope?”
“You know, Tony was shot earlier for whatever deal Benjamin had going down. I thought Anya, and Tony, deserved a little more respect than Benjamin delivering news in a foul mood.”
He has the mind to look regretful, hopefully realising what an ass he’s being. He doesn’t have family that I know of. He’s by my side eighteen hours a day—it would be hard to cultivate anything with the pressures of working for Benjamin on his shoulders.
Genuine grief chokes me for a moment as I consider the world I’m living in, where death is an everyday threat, and the soldiers fighting the war sacrifice more than their morals to keep their king and queen safe.
