Kia Ora....

We're almost halfway through the first month of the year, and so far its not looking much different to last year. There is exciting news in my house though, my eldest has scored himself an interview for a teaching job in Japan... If he gets it, it will be his first job, and first time living away from home!

I've also been doing some rebranding for my Naomi Aoki pen name. Now that my focus for this name will be Yakuza Romance, the old logo didn't really work, so I made a new one!

Updates

• Hiroshi (Tokyo Night Novellas 3) is currently sitting at 13k words with about 12k approx. left to write. It should be finished by the end of next week, if not sooner.
• Rough Sketches (House of Bolton 3) is sitting at 25.8k and is almost at the halfway point. Ryland and Lucas are very chatty characters so their story is easy to write... except for the angst... just kidding that's some of the best bits to write.
• Deviation (Nagoya Crimes 2)... this is beginning to take shape in my mind and I will start writing it once Hiroshi's story is finished.
• I have plans for several novellas/short stories this year with at least one being a part of an anthology that will be able to share more about at later date!

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Caught (Smoke and Shadows 1)

MILESTONE: Now passed 40k with about 10kish left to write!!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Takeshi strode through the club and resisted the urge to wince as each step, each breath he took pulled at the edges of the wound hidden beneath layers of bandages and clothing. “It was never wise to let your enemies know when you’re injured-” he could remember his grandfather imparting on him from an early age “-and if you’re injury can’t be hidden, don’t let on how serious it might be. Pain is a weakness to some, while to others it brings strength.” And this pain represented it all for Takeshi. Yoshitake was his weakness, and his strength.

It had been hard to pull himself away from the older man, to dress in a suit and become the Shirokawa-gumi Boss he needed to be right now. One who’s trusted bodyguard had betrayed him, tried to kill him, and desired the power Takeshi wielded… and it was one he couldn’t wait to shed. He wanted Yoshitake at his side once more, where the man belonged, but that couldn’t happen until all the dead wood had been stripped from his organisation and those who believed in the ideology his grandfather had spouted no longer existed. In playing the traitor, those who sought to deny Takeshi his birth right would seek Yoshitake out, offer the disgraced bodyguard their support… and then Takeshi would kill them all off.

And time was no longer on their side.

For every member of the Shirokawa-gumi who might seek Yoshitake out, there were those who wanted to claim the man’s scalp and offer it to Takeshi as a sign of loyalty. He couldn’t let that happen. Yoshitake played the role of betrayer because it was necessary, his loyalty would always be to Takeshi first, the Shirokawa-gumi second.

“Are they all here?” he asked, sweeping a cautious gaze over the place packed with businessmen and yakuza alike. Located in the heart of the Fukushima Ward, the club was considered neutral territory by all yakuza organisations who operated within Osaka. A safe place for them to meet, and in return the owners of the business weren’t required to pay protection dues. Even the Araki-gumi had seen fit to leave the place alone when it began its expansion into Osaka.

“Yes, Boss. All three heads of the major organisations operating in Osaka are currently waiting in a private room at the rear of the bar as requested.”

“And did Kitayama bring…” leaving the rest of question unasked knowing that it would be understood.

“Yes, Kitayama brought his husband with him.”

“Good.” His thin smile wavered as one of excitement threatened to take over instead. Takeshi couldn’t wait to greet the man responsible for his grandfather’s death, a man who’d suffered at the old bastard’s hands in ways that Takeshi had been fortunate enough to avoid.

Takeshi flexed his fingers as he stepped off the noisy bar floor and into the more subdued atmosphere of the hallway that led to the private rooms. He signaled for the bodyguards accompanying to join with the others in the first room they passed. No armed guards were allowed to be present during the meeting, a sign of good faith on behalf of all parties, and a request that harked back to the meetings that had happened before the Shirokawa-gumi went to war with the Araki-gumi.

He stepped into the room, giving the men gathered a cautious smile before crossing the floor to take his seat. Takeshi reached for the bottle of sake and glanced at the men’s cups, topping up those that were empty before filling his own. He might have been the one who’d requested the meeting, but Takeshi wasn’t so arrogant to believe that it meant he could ignore centuries of tradition—as the youngest person in the room, it was his responsibility to ensure no one’s cup remained empty.

“I’m sorry for more lateness. There was a matter that needed to be attended to before I came here, one that couldn’t be put off until later,” he apologised. “And I guess you’re wondering why I’ve called you all here?”

“The thought did cross our mind,” Kitayama said, flicking his gaze between the other two men present while keeping a tight grip on his husband’s knee. “We haven’t all gathered together since before your grandfather—”

“Tried to take out everyone in this room? I am aware. But I am not my grandfather. I do not share his views, nor do I wish to do anything beyond restoring the power the Shirokawa-gumi once held within Osaka.”

“So… you’re not going to seek retribution for your grandfather’s death?”

Takeshi stared straight at Kitayama, wanting him to understand the serious conviction that lay behind his words. “No. I will not.” He gripped his cup of sake tight and allowed his gaze to drift to the man sitting next to Gou Kitayama, a foreigner Takeshi had been looking forward to meeting ever since he’d heard the news of the old bastard’s death. “I’m not my father either… And please don’t any of you offer up condolences for either man’s death.” Holding up his hands to silence their platitudes. “If anything, I should be thanking your husband, Kitayama… saved me from killing my grandfather before the old bastard ordered a hit on me.”

“But your father will be missed,” Daiki Kenshin, head of the Kurogawa-gumi, pointed out. “He was always the moderate voice to your grandfather’s, willing to move us into the future rather than clinging to the past.”

“Yes, I agree,” Ren Sako, the head of the Seikawa-gumi, quickly added. “If it weren’t for him, the whole of Osaka might have descended into conflict. You will be seeking out those responsible for his death, won’t you?”

He swallowed hard, placed his empty cup on the table and poured more sake. Takeshi understood the role his father had played during the Shirokawa-gumi conflict with the Araki-gumi, knew too how he’d almost set the place alight again with his need for revenge—restoring the honour of the family and all that. But Takeshi hadn’t agreed. The family’s honour had been restored the moment his grandfather had been slain, killing Kitayama’s husband wouldn’t achieve that… however, maybe some form of compensation was due to Kennosuke and his husband after what Yoshitake had done to Brian.

“I know who’s responsible for his death. My father’s that is. And no, I won’t be seeking any kind of retribution for it, despite what the rest of the Shirokawa-gumi might think.”

“I heard it was your bodyguard.”

Takeshi turned to face Kenshin and smiled. “You heard correct. My father was killed by my bodyguard… but he was acting on the orders of another.”

“And you know who this ‘other person’ is? Or is that why you’ve called us all here?” Kenshin sneered. “You think one of us gave those orders.”

“One person in this room did give the order,” he said, pausing for dramatic effect. “But I know it wasn’t any of you.” Takeshi delighted as the indignant fury that had swept across their faces turned into one of confusion before the answer finally dawned on them. If one person in the room had given the order, and it hadn’t been any of them… that only left Takeshi.

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H.M. Wolfe has a new series starting soon called the Kingmaker's Sons. Book One: Kane, is now available for preorder!

Pre-Order Here!