Tessa blinked, shook her head. “Carl? Goodness, no.” She headed down the hall toward the kitchen. “I’d never be able to drag him away for this long.”
An unpleasant feeling crept in, as if I was seeing a math error where I’d made a mistake in the first step. I followed my aunt as pieces of information coalesced into a new picture. Old man. She’d said she was going to Aspen with the old man. She’d never actually said she was going with Carl. I’d simply made that assumption since he was her boyfriend.
“Who are you going with?” I asked. A chill snaked through me as the answer took shape.
“Isumo,” Tessa said in a Who else would it be? tone as she stepped into the kitchen.
Isumo Katashi. He was there, sitting at the counter in the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea before him. He regarded me with keen eyes then inclined his head and offered me a thin smile.
I stopped dead in my tracks. “You son of a bitch.”
Tessa whirled to face me. “Kara Gillian! Master Katashi is a guest under my roof. I know you have your differences, but I will not tolerate such rudeness.”
“Differences?” My hands clenched. “He murdered Idr . . . a friend’s sister!”
Tessa lifted her chin. “There’s a lot going on right now, and facts get skewed easily. I don’t expect you to agree, but I do expect you both to remain civil while in this house.”
“I did not murder her,” Katashi said, voice even and mild. He lifted his cup and took a careful sip.
“You fucking well were a part of it,” I snarled. “Aunt Tessa, I know what this man is capable of.” My chest tightened. “I love you, and you can’t expect me to not be concerned for your safety and well-being when you’re with him.”
To my dismay, Tessa moved to stand beside Katashi. “Kara,” she said, voice abruptly gentle. “Sweetling. This is one of the reasons I asked you to come over. With all the craziness of the past couple of years, there’ve been a lot of misunderstandings, and I haven’t always set things straight when I should have.” She placed a hand on Katashi’s shoulder. “The fact is, I’ve been with Isumo for over thirty years,” she continued as my stomach knotted tighter. “He’s my mentor and my friend. He’s not going to hurt me, and I refuse to stop associating with him because of your own prejudices.”
Outrage flared. Prejudices?! No, my hatred of Katashi was based on cold hard facts. I drew breath to argue, but stopped at the faint smile on the man’s face. He watched me, calm, cool, and so very fucking confident.
Over thirty years. The weight of it settled onto me. She’d started training with Katashi before I was even born. Lived with him in Japan for almost ten years. She’s been his student a year longer than I’ve been alive. That’s what I was up against—a loyalty so deep it was beyond her comprehension that her beloved teacher and friend could be guilty of heinous acts. And I suddenly knew that if I tried to force her to see the truth I might lose her forever.
If I ever had her. Certainly not in the way I’d always assumed.
Katashi spoke to my aunt in Japanese. She replied, also in Japanese, and with an ease and speed that marked her as fluent. Anger and dismay spiked through me at the deliberately secret conversation. Tessa had never once spoken a word to me in Japanese. Their brief exchange was a combination slap in the face and indisputable evidence of her connection to Katashi.
To my surprise she gave his shoulder a light squeeze of affection then left the room. Ordered to, or requested? New hatred for him unfolded within me, like a fresh petal on a great big ugly hate-flower.
“I don’t care how old you are, or who you have as allies, or how powerful you think you are,” I said, not bothering to try and keep my voice steady or calm or any shit like that. “If you hurt her in any way, I will hunt you to the ends of the universe and make you suffer.” I smiled thinly. “And I know a thing or two about suffering.”
Porcelain clinked against polished granite as Katashi set his cup down. “She is safer with me than if she remains here.”
“From what?” I shot back. “Certainly not you.”
“From all else.”
There was plenty else out there, I knew all too well. He probably harbored a certain amount of affection for Tessa and intended to protect her from the more dangerous elements in play. But right now Tessa was hostage and pawn, even if she refused to admit it.
“Don’t underestimate me,” I warned him.
Katashi met my eyes. “I never have.”
A chill walked up my back. Thirty years was a long time to build up loyalty. And obedience. Had it been her idea to call me over here or his? What better way to lead me into a trap. Sweat pricked beneath my arms, and my pulse quickened. More of his people might be in the house or on the way at this moment.
I shot Katashi a glare full of pure venom then strode out of the kitchen and toward the door. Tessa stepped out of the sitting room and gave me a questioning look.