The Rising Sea (NUMA Files 15)

The story was something of a surprise, despite what Superintendent Nagano had told him. He wasn’t altogether convinced, but there was great determination in her eyes.

“Kashimora,” he said, just to be sure. “The man who runs this place.”

She nodded. “They don’t like to lose their property. And they don’t let people take things from them. I thought I was free, but I will never be free, so I will face my enemy and embrace him in death,” she said. “If I was you, I wouldn’t be seen with me. They might kill you for what I’m about to do.”

A group of patrons came a little too close and Kurt hustled Akiko onto the ramp that led upstairs. He was late for his meeting with Joe anyway.

“Listen to me,” he said. “You’re making a huge mistake. I spent a couple hours with the police the other day. Those men who attacked us were once part of the Yakuza, but not anymore. And they didn’t attack the castle to get you back or make an example out of Kenzo. They were trying to stop him from giving us the information we came for.”

She looked at him as if she wanted to believe.

“Trust me,” he said. “What happened was not your fault. It was our visit and what Kenzo found in the sea that caused the attack. It’s connected to earthquakes and those Z-waves he found.”

She narrowed her gaze. “These are the people I escaped from. I know their secrets. Things they don’t want coming to light.”

Kurt shook his head. “If they remembered you, they’d have killed you the moment you walked in here. I’m telling you, you can let go of the guilt on this one.”

“I don’t know if I can accept that.”

“Think about it on the cab ride home,” he said. “You’re leaving.”

“Why?”

“In case they do recognize you.”

By now, they’d reached the top floor and were nearing the piano alcove. Joe was nowhere to be found, but a distinct lack of music and the sight of staff members cleaning glass off the floor and rearranging the furniture suggested a commotion had taken place. Security members with earbuds talking to several guests confirmed it.

“Keep walking,” he said, passing the alcove and the exit and continuing in the other direction.

“I thought I was leaving.”

Kurt didn’t look back. “None of us are leaving, not without finding our own way out.”

They continued down the hall and then back down one level toward the crowded casino pit. By the time they got there, screens were updating the list of fights to bet on.

Joe’s image and the false name he’d been provided with were now prominently displayed in the slot marked Fight 1, the first bout of the evening.

“What do those symbols mean?” Kurt asked.

“That’s for the weapons fight,” she said. “Nunchucks, staffs, half-staffs. Seven three-minute rounds or until either combatant cannot rise. No submission.”

All thoughts of finding Ushi-Oni or whoever paid him vanished as Kurt’s mind turned to a different problem. “I’m going to need your help.”

“To do what?”

“Rescue Joe.”

20

KURT AND AKIKO moved through the crowd as the lights came on in the arena.

“How soon till the fight begins?” Kurt asked.

“Twenty minutes,” she said.

All around the casino floor, bettors were gathering up their chips and making their way to the exhibition.

Kurt continued to move with the crowd; Akiko was with him but slowing down. “Stay with me.”