"See if the assistants want to move into the house too and even. . .I don’t know. . .come to the party too."
He raised an eyebrow. "And the slave? Where will he live?"
“Fuck. Will he get out of that cage?”
“Never.”
“Damn. Then. . .I’ll have someone put him in my office?”
“And will he be at the party?”
I considered how Hiro and Kenji would react. “Oh God, no. I’ll just have someone stand by to help him with his needs. How does he sleep, eat, and go to the bathroom?”
“Hiroko would tell him when to do those things.”
“Oh God. What the fuck? Has he been holding his urine the whole time?”
“Probably.”
“Jesus Christ! Tell him to go to the bathroom and eat please.”
“I will.”
“This is too much.”
“It’s a whole shit show of mega proportions. Hopefully, she has a will and he’s in it.” Zo looked at the door one more time, squared his shoulders, and sighed. “We’re going to be okay.”
“We are.”
“But. . .we are going to be miserable for a while without her too.”
“Facts.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll tell them and then get back to you.”
“Alright. I’ll see you soon.”
He headed off, and I remained, watching him disappear into the villa.
The door closed.
For a moment, I could almost see Hiroko’s ghost lingering in the threshold, dressed in leather and smirking down at me.
I’m going to write that book for you, Hiroko. Trust me.
Now that Zo knew, Hiroko’s death became more real. Carrying it alone, I could still move around it, still outpace it when I had to. But saying it out loud to someone who loved her too and watching it land in Zo’s body, watching his face change. . .that was the moment it stopped being a distant truth and became a permanent fact.
I can’t believe she’s gone.
I felt it now in a way I hadn't let myself feel it yet. My palms prickled. My throat cinched tight as the skin of my neck drew into the point of bruising.
Pressure gathered behind my eyes.
Nope. Don’t cry. You’re the Heart. And even Hiroko would tell you not to let everyone on the island see you cry. We are at war. Look strong.
