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“You are not to harm anyone,” comes the dry tone of my brother. It’s just us and smoldering ash. Krie left with her cousins and Thad with his little friend.
“I make no promises,” I say, looking over to him coming to stand beside me as I lean against the truck. The black silk of his Henley matches mine. “You will require my skill set to avenge her.”
Cold eyes meet even colder ones. Stepping away from the truck I bow with solemnity. “It would honor me brother, if you allow me to aid you in your quest for vengeance for Krie-chan who is under your protection.”
“You honor me, Hisashi-niichan.” Low words fall to my ears. I don’t stand until he walks away. We do not give into shameless emotional displays. We are warriors, raised hard to withstand any turmoil. Takedas don’t bend and we definitely don’t break. Should someone attack us we come back with fivefold vengeance.
We nod to one another as we go in different directions to our perspective homes. We chose our homesites for the very specific purpose of safety. Keeping them far apart with Kiyoshi making new alliances with using local construction companies and local materials. While everyone was so focused on my brother being such a good neighbor with all the industry, he was bringing to the town, I was having my home made in a secret location known only to me and Cruz and his most trusted lieutenants. He even blindfolded the workers coming to the property as to not reveal its location, which they didn’t balk at because of the extra pay incentive.
I watch Kiyoshi pull off in the direction of his home. There is no ache in my heart for my brother, even if I were to feel such juvenile emotions. He will prevail as he has in all things. I saw how she looked at him in return. They aren’t over by anymeasure by my estimation, I think hitting the road to my hidden mansion.
Taylor is standing before the TV. The room is bathed in the glow as the reporter talks about The Camellia being burned to the ground.
Her gaze flies to me as soon as she notices me standing just inside the room.
“Is this you or your brother?” My head tilts at the absurdity of the question.
“Do you hear yourself?” I ask, my memory of her cousins demanding my brother’s face in similar fashion.
“Yes, I hear myself, do you fucking hear me, though? Did you or your evil ass brother do this?” She demands. I notice then she’s pulled on jeans and a t-shirt like she thinks she’s going somewhere.
“Why would I when everything was resolved and the strike your cousin and little friend caused is put to rest?” Stating it with a calmness I don’t feel, I step out of the slippers and pull my Henley over my head.
“Why are you answering a question with a question? You’re supposed to be a genius but then you act like you don’t know that now that y’all can’t hold that over us you do something else to keep us under your thumb. Like, I don’t know — burn Krie’s business.” The forcefulness in her voice makes me pause. I wouldn’t be surprised if the servants on the property in their own bungalows don’t hear her absurd ranting.
“You will not disrespect me in our home.” My voice is cold and implacable. To which her little wild ass rolls her eyes and fumes more. “You mean like you busting the fucking window? Making me have sex with you?” Higher and higher her voice gets until she’s screaming.
“Oh, I made you?” I scoff. “Even the first time you were begging like the needy little thing that you are.” I laugh becauseit’s actually funny. “You were scared all of ten seconds when I put your ass in that trunk. The moment you knew it was me your pussy got wet. I could smell it on you, little dove.”
The undertones of her brown skin flush with anger.
“Wow.” Turning from her, I rake my hand through my hair. “The way you avoid responsibility — no wonder you ran. Still trying to run. You will do anything not to take responsibility for your own actions. We both know how much you like what I do to you. You beg for it. Push me almost daily for correction.”
A hard shove sends me forward several feet. Wheeling around, I feel a sharp sting across my cheek and then another hard shove. Stunned I right myself just as I avoid crashing into the TV.
Looking up I see the door to the garden has been open the entire time.
Rubbing the sting from my face I go in search of a length of jute.
Stepping out I listen. I don’t hear her running. I don’t even know if she has shoes on.
It’s not hard for me to turn predator, I’ve hunted her for years. Instinctively I know where she will go. Where she will try to hide. The places of refuge she thinks I don’t know about. The places she thinks are weak.
“Violence is never the answer, little dove,” I call out into the night no longer listening but looking to the shadows. Humans have particular tells when they are hunted. They for the most part hide as long as they can until fear overtakes them and they do something idiotic like dart out and end up facing the very monster they thought to run from.
“Let me help. You know I excel in this,” Hepleads. I almost give in but —
“No. You want her for your own.” I chuckle as he slithers back but I can feel him watching, waiting for his opening.
“I will fuck you where you stand. I look forward to breaking you,” I call softly, almost feeling the tremor going through her on the current in the night. The garden is heavy with the scents of jasmine, gardenia, orchid, rose, and a local favorite camelia. There is no vanilla planted here so that will give her away. In this place she and I match perfectly. The garden has grown exponentially since I built it. Was even able to trade rare items with the apothecarist though she made me promise to never tell I was in possession of the vanilla-rose that only the Loves are allowed. It took persuading but her desire to have my heirloom blooms and herbs was just too enticing. She surmised correctly that I wanted the body butters and lotions for one of her cousins, but she assumed I was procuring those scents for my brother not her other cousin, Taylor. Which worked in my favor when she went missing.
Diabolically evil and unapologetic is what my father claimed when I let myself not be tamed by messy emotions of conscience. None of that matters when it comes to Taylor. I’ve proven I will stop at nothing to have her. Yet still she tries to run. She’s cute to try.
It’s still in the southern most part of the garden. “There are snakes out here,” I say. We shipped them in to keep rodents under control. “You better be careful, little dove. Although they may not be poisonous, their bite still stings.”
My head swings around at a whisper of movement. Just a few feet away is a dogwood tree indigenous to the area. We brought in Japanese maple and cherry blossoms but the arborist from Auburn University advised to have local trees planted as well so that they would grow in harmony. It almost seems fitting that she sought refuge there. So there she will be fucked.
“Ah there you are,” I muse not at all surprised when she tries to throw dirt in my face. “Clever girl, my wife.” My chuckle sounds maniacle to my own ears. She doesn’t make it two stepsbefore I snatch her back to my chest. Her breast rises fast like a hummingbird’s wing.
