Emperor of Lust: Chapter 26

“I can see it now,” Miyamoto beams.

He raises his hands like a film director framing his shot as he turns toward the large windows overlooking Tokyo’s Marunouchi neighborhood, the de facto business district, named “inside the circle” for its location within the Royal Palace’s outer moat.

“Meeting room here…all glass walls, naturally. It would be a crime to block that view.”

I walk through the halls of the new office building, Miyamoto’s voice fading as he stays with Kai by the windows, discussing renovations. I smile as I glance around.

This place is perfect. Maybe in need of some serious renovations. But Miyamoto was right: the potential is enormous. Five floors of prime office space in a perfect location, with a huge warehouse space in the basement attached to a garage, plus trucking bays and a separate truck entrance.

My pulse skips as I run my hand along a wall. This is the future of Mori Holdings, the start of our expansion into Tokyo. First the corporation, helmed by me. Then Kenzo can come in with the more underground business involving the Mori-kai empire. My veins buzz with excitement.

Suddenly, a chill ripples up my spine. I get the sensation I’m being watched. My heart leaps into my throat, a shadow flitting through my peripheral vision. But when I whirl…

Nothing.

Every nerve is still alive, though. I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a dusty window before turning, letting my gaze travel slowly over the open space.

There’s nothing here. Nobody except for Kai and Miyamoto back in the main office space, and me over here, freaking out like a paranoid lunatic.

Breathe.

Miyamoto gives us a tour of the upper floors before we head to the basement via a staircase down from the main floor. The dark, cavernous space stretches out around us, with rows of truck bays, warehouse shelving, and a big garage door with street access.

“I know your focus is on Mori Holdings,” Kai murmurs. “But this space, when the rest of the empire expands into the city?” He whistles. “This is big, Hana.”

I wince as I think about next quarter’s balance sheet for Mori Holdings.

“It came with a big price tag, too,” I mumble. “But…”

“But it’s going to be worth it,” Kai grins. He claps a big hand on my shoulder. “You did good, Hana. Kenzo’s going to be so proud of you.”

I feel my face heat, and I grin.

“I’m going to find a working bathroom,” I say, heading back to the same wrought iron stairs we used to get down here. Just as I reach the bottom of them, the door at the top kicks open.

My heart stops, a gasp dying in my throat and cold fear shooting up my spine as a man in black looms over me in the doorway.

“This is Ishida-kai territory,” he says, his voice sharp. “Consider this your eviction notice.”

He lifts his foot and kicks a canister strapped with wires down the stairs.

Oh God…

Instinct takes over.

“BOMB!!!” I scream, turning and sprinting across the floor. Kai and Miyamoto whirl toward me in surprise. When Kai looks past me, he springs into action.

“MOVE!” he roars, turning and shoving Miyamoto behind a concrete wall. He whirls and bolts toward me, catching me hard around the waist and yanking me behind a pillar just as the world turns to liquid fire.

The sound is deafening—pure thunder inside my head. The explosion slams through the basement, sending a wall of heat out ahead of it that singes my hair as Kai covers me behind the pillar.

The air becomes thick with smoke, the blast wave rattling my bones. My ears ring, my vision blurs. But when Kai yanks me to my feet, my limbs start to work again.

“Let’s go!” Kai roars, dragging me after him as he hurtles across the room. I follow, forcing my legs to pump as fast as his as I look around in horror.

There’s fire everywhere: orange liquid dripping off the walls and ceiling beams, consuming everything. My heart pounds, and my throat is dry as the inferno closes in on us.

I follow Kai to where he shoved Miyamoto. The older Oyabun’s eyes are wide, wild, his face pale.

“It’s Kolya!” he screams.

Kai’s face is grim as he scans the room before he sees something through the smoke.

“This way!” he roars, pulling Miyamoto to his feet and grabbing my wrist. “Let’s go, now!”

The three of us stumble across the basement, dodging fire and debris as it falls from the ceiling. I have no idea where we’re going until the smoke suddenly clears a little, giving me a glimpse of a beaten-up van parked in the corner.

There’s shouting behind us, shadows following through the smoke.

We’re being hunted.

Kai’s already in the driver’s seat, ripping into the dashboard. I tear open the back door, bundling Miyamoto inside before scrambling in after him. Kai is focused, tension in his jaw as he yanks wires out of the dashboard and touches them together, making them spark.

The van roars to life, headlights cutting through the thick smoke.

“Fuck yes,” Kai hisses. He glances back at us. “Hold on.”

I scream as the side of the van is suddenly peppered with thuds, the back window shattering. Gunfire erupts over the sounds of the roaring flames as Kai whirls back around, shifts into drive, and guns the engine.

Bullets ping off the van’s sides as Kai floors it, tires squealing against concrete as he jerks the wheel around, slams the gas pedal, and tears through the warehouse toward the only exit.

The flames are everywhere, the building nothing but a thick blanket of smoke and red-orange heat. Another shot shatters the passenger window, spraying glass everywhere. Miyamoto lets out a yell, clutching his arm, blood seeping through his fingers.

“Hold on!” Kai roars, heading straight for the garage door, teeth bared, focus unbreakable.

I brace for impact, clutching the seat as the van slams through the door. My teeth rattle, the metal crunches and groans, and then—we’re through.

We burst onto the street, tires smoking as Kai speeds away, leaving the inferno behind us.

The hotel suite feels heavy, as if the walls themselves are absorbing the weight of what just happened. Damian’s arms are around me, grounding me after the chaos we just fled. His grip is strong, unyielding, and for a moment, I let myself sink into his solid warmth, reminding myself that I’m alive, unharmed.

“I’m okay,’ I whisper to him, feeling his gaze sweep over me, checking for any sign of injury.

I really am. My nerves are on edge, buzzing from the adrenaline still coursing through me, but physically I’m unharmed. Kai is, too.

In the chair across from me, Miyamoto sits with a pained expression, nursing his wounded arm. Blood from the broken glass seeps through the makeshift bandage, staining the fabric, but he barely seems to notice. His mind is elsewhere—back in that building, in the thick smoke, the fire licking up the walls and reducing everything to ash.

Across the room, Kenzo’s face fills the screen of the laptop set up on the coffee table, a dark, cold expression on his face that only appears when something goes very, very wrong. And something has. We all know it, but saying it aloud feels like bringing it further into dark reality.

“Building’s a write-off,” he says at last, voice rough, eyes downcast. “I just got off the phone with the Tokyo Fire Marshall. Total structural failure.” He sighs heavily, looking up with a tight, almost regretful expression. “There’s insurance, of course, but…” He exhales. “Yeah.”

Miyamoto lifts his eyes to me, remorseful. “I should never have pushed you to get that space,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I didn’t imagine Kolya would ever hit back with such force…”

His voice trails off.

“We should have seen it coming,” Takeshi snaps in the silence that follows, his eyes blazing. He’s pacing, radiating a fury that fills the room with dark heat. “We never hit back after they came for us at Miyamoto’s house. We let them walk away, they got bold, and now we’re dealing with this.” He turns to level a vicious look at the whole room. “We need to hit back this time,” he growls, his voice edged with a dangerous hunger for revenge. He turns to look at Kenzo on the laptop. “We fucking have to, Kenzo.”

Miyamoto nods, lips pressed to a grim line. “Kolya’s playing his hand too boldly now,” he says, looking around at each of us. “I agree with Takeshi. Time for a reprisal.”

Mal’s face appears on the laptop screen, fierce and unyielding. “I’m also with Tak,” he says, his voice sharp as a drawn blade. “This can’t go unanswered.”

I feel the eyes of the room on me, wanting to know what I think. I keep my gaze focused on Kenzo, the one who I know sees the whole board and the long game, even in a crisis moment like this. His expression is unreadable, but I see the storm in his eyes, the calculated rage simmering there.

“Kenzo,” I say cautiously, “I’m not sure we’re ready for open war in Tokyo. Not yet.”

He considers me for a moment, silent. Then he nods, his voice is laced with warning. “Unfortunately, Hana, war doesn’t look to be waiting for us to be ready,” he says softly. “And we do need to hit back.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Damian’s slight nod, his gaze focused and resolute.

“War isn’t something we can just dodge,” he murmurs, his voice dark and unwavering. “Not anymore.”

The words hang in the air, a heavy finality to them.

Kenzo’s attention shifts to Takeshi. “You want to take the lead on this?” he asks, his voice low.

Takeshi’s eyes flash with dangerous eagerness. “With pleasure,” he growls, a sharp edge to his voice that sends a chill through me. This isn’t just about business for him. This is a chance to make a statement.

To draw blood.

Kenzo nods, already assessing our options, the risks, the rewards.

“Get me a list of potential targets,” he growls. “Then we fire back. See how Kolya likes it.”

Damian’s grip tightens around me.

“Just so we’re clear,” he growls quietly. “You’re no longer allowed to leave my fucking sight.”