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“Let’s do some individual jumps and spins so we’re totally used to the space before we get into anything more complicated,” Jasper suggested when we’d finished.
Quentin appeared to be already doing that, whipping around at the far end of the rink, favoring his mostly-healed shoulder only a little now. I swiped my gloved hands together. “Sure, that sounds like a good idea. Double axels?”
My partner flashed me a smile. “You called it.”
We took turns picking our next move, the hiss of our skates against the frozen surface providing the only soundtrack.
Too quiet a soundtrack. The sound was soothing, yes, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t stop myself from listening for Niko’s voice calling out encouragement and advice.
None of this was the same without our coach here. How could we focus when the horror that’d taken him down was lingering in the back of all our minds?
If it hadn’t been for Niko, Jasper and I would never have given this partnership a thought. He’d brought us together and bound us with his warm enthusiasm, which had proven to be unshakable even in the face of multiple gunshot wounds.
Maybe someday I’d be able to imagine doing this without him, but not any time soon.
Jasper paused when we eased apart after a joint spin, taking in my expression. “Are you okay?”
My mouth twisted. “Just… missing Niko.”
A shadow crossed his face. “Yeah. Me too. I skated for all those years before I even met him, but now… it’s like he’s an essential part of this whole experience.”
“He really is.”
I dragged in a breath and was going to say that we should try with music, because that’s what Niko would have suggested. A peal of a much more electronic-sounding tone than I’d had in mind cut me off.
“My phone.” I pushed off toward the stands to check it. Maybe it was Emi with more news—or Niko himself, reaching out from the hospital.
What if something more had happened to him? Could Mom’s goons have gotten past the police presence there?
My heart was thumping hard by the time I snatched up my phone. I stared at the text on the screen, my fear shifting from one source to another in an instant.
“Who is it?” Rafael asked, shoving himself to his feet.
“I… I don’t know. Someone who knows who I am. But I have no idea how they got this number.”
Hello, Miss Cordova,the text message read.We’ve come to Tokyo to support you as the true heir to the Deadly Rose. I think we could have something to offer you. Will you meet up with us?
Jasper had clomped over and checked the text over my shoulder. “What the hell? Is this some kind of joke?”
“I don’t think so,” I said slowly. “Why would anyone joke about that? No one who isn’t part of my old life would know to mention ‘Deadly Rose’ or my real last name.”
Rafael scanned the words with a deepening frown. “They want you to meet them? It sounds like a trap.”
“It could be.” Tension wrapped around my gut. “But I can’t just ignore this, can I? If I don’t answer, and they’re out to hurt me, they’ll force the issue. This way, we might be able to scope them out before we have to deal with them directly.”
Quentin had joined us. When I held out the phone to show him the message too, he cocked his head. “We might as well find out what they want, right? You had other people from that Devil’s Dozen group help you. Maybe they actually are on your side.”
I rubbed my mouth. “Possible, but not super likely. But I’d rather find out what I’m up against than stay in the dark.” It’d be better to confront them now than to wait and see if they burst into this rink with another hail of gunfire.
I typed out a hasty reply.Who are you? And what are you offering?
The answer came immediately.I think that’d be easier to discuss in person. We’d rather not risk your phone being tapped and the conversation overheard. If Mireya hears about this, it’ll go much worse for us than for you.
Okay, I guessed that was a fair point, if they were planning to stand with me against her. I worried at my lower lip.Fine. Where can I find you?
Shinjuku Gyoen. We can get there in ten minutes. We’ll wait near the bridge past the Rakuu-Tei tea house for an hour.
Rafael was already typing on his phone. “We can get to the park in half an hour. That’ll give us a little time to study them before we decide whether to hear them out.”
