CHAPTER1
DICE
some months earlier
Lily fluttersacross the stage like a dainty bird. Her orange hair sits on her shoulders, her skin slightly damp with sweat. She grabs the hundred-dollar bill—the same tip I give her whenever I see her dance—and she glances at me, her green eyes penetrating me like daggers.
I look away.
This eye contact is Lily’s way of thanking me. She used to say all kinds of things to me, but silence keeps our boundaries intact. If she gets roped into the yakuza, it could hurt her. And that’s not going to happen.
It’s better this way.
She walks down the steps, then past me, never saying a word. The scent of cotton candy and musk lingers in her wake, and I suck in a breath, bringing myself down to earth. There’s a connection between us, one that runs through our bodies like a low current of electricity. We don’t speak, and she can count on my tips when she’s on stage.
Because up there—when she’s dancing—that’s the only time I’ll meet her eyes.
Once she’s safely past me, I turn in her direction. Tucked inside of shiny black lingerie, her hips sway. A leash pulls inside of me, drawing me toward her, and I run my hand over my side, rubbing against the fresh tattoo through the fabric. Another white flower hanging from a vine. A new bloom for every man that I kill for her.
When it comes to this club, ifshetouches them, it’s part of her job. And if they touch her in a way that’s against the club’s rules… I’ll gladly add a thousand more flowers to my tattoo.
Harry Hayes offers her his hand. She takes it effortlessly. My shoulders tighten with irritation. He’s the CEO of Golden Honor Firearms. In the Endo-kai yakuza, we’ve nicknamed him ‘Mr. Harry’ because he introduced himself as ‘Harry-san.’ And though I’ve considered crushing him for his soft touches with Lily, I haven’t yet. I don’t have that option.
Our yakuza is in the middle of negotiating a firearms contract with GHF.
“Have you talked to her?” a male voice asks. Niko, ourwakagashiraor second-in-command, stands next to me. It doesn’t matter that we’re brothers; Niko holds power over the entire yakuza like we’re stuck in his chains. “Mr. Harry is one of her regulars. She has to know something that we don’t.”
I don’t answer. Anything that has to do with Lily is none of his concern.
Niko studies me, then narrows his black and blue spotted eyes at Lily. I ball my fists. I don’t like when he looks at Lily like that.
“You’re stuck,” he says with annoyance in his tone. “Where were you last night?”
This time, I meet his eyes. Niko is older than me by a year, and though we’re about the same height, he’s fit and muscular. I’m pure bulk. He has speed, and I have sheer size.
I don’t always agree with Niko’s decisions, but I respect him. While Tomo, ouroyabunor boss, is more forgiving, Niko never lets a betrayer get away. He’s raised our yakuza more in the past decade than any of us expected.
“You were killing for her again, weren’t you?” he asks.
I blink slowly, then shift my gaze back to Lily. Watching her—the way her lips move, how she lifts her shoulders playfully—calms me. It doesn’t matter if her hair is faded or bright, if it’s blue, green, or orange. She’s like a lily of the valley to me: poisonous and alluring. An object I can never get close to.
“Who took care of the gambler, then?” Niko asks, interrupting my thoughts.
This time, I can’t ignore his question.
“One of thewakashu,” I say.
“You let a soldier take care of him?”
I clench my jaw. So what if I delegated the enforcement to a trainee because I had other business to attend to? The gambler is dead, just like Niko ordered.
“I’m going to tell you this once, and only once,” Niko says. “You’re going to talk to Lily. You’re going to ask her what she knows about GHF. Weneedthis contract, Dice. The Endo-kai’s future as an international criminal organization depends on it. And if you don’t follow my command, then you’re going to kill her.” His jaw ticks, and I match his aggression, baring my teeth. “Because I’m not going to let her get in the way of our yakuza’s business.”
My blood turns to ice.
He thinks he can threaten her?
“You have your choice,” Niko warns. “That woman has done nothing for you. You owe your life to the Endo-kai. Honor the yakuza like we fucking deserve.”
