Dim Sum Asylum(73)

It did, and Trent treated me to a rousing rendition of curse words sung in a low pitch last used to send Viking chieftains off to Valhalla. A twist of my wrists and a gentle press of my foot on the gas pedal and the car righted itself in time for us to slide past another chunk of fallen bridge hitting the road.

“Okay, left turn. Damned city is falling apart.” My phone sang out its displeasure at being put in one of the cup holders between the seats, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the road. “Grab that, will you?”

“And if it’s Gaines?” Trent asked, reaching for it. “What do I tell him? We’re going to drive off the end of the pier because we have no idea where to start?”

“I’m about to if I don’t get a clear road in a few minutes. Jaan confirmed the woman used in the doppelg?nger spell was Shelly Chan. I was thinking we should start off at the temple where she was last seen. CAP followed up on it initially, but they didn’t know what we know now, and I’d feel better if we questioned the—shit, hold on. This guy’s hot on our ass.”

That much was obvious, because the sedan’s rearview mirror was full of chrome grill and headlights. Unease nipped at the back of my brain, and I pushed the sedan forward, getting some distance between us and the SUV. A second later, it was back to kissing my bumper, and the unease grew to full-blown worry.

“Let me call in for backup,” Trent said, reaching for the console, but I shook my head. “Why not?”

“I’m going to circle around. Could be connected to Jie and—shit!” I took a hard left when the SUV pulled in too close behind me, its beams filling the sedan, but the massive vehicle followed, tight on my tail. The road narrowed, leaving me a single lane, and I cursed. Trent’s astonished grunt was something I could have done without, and my stomach sank, expecting the worst.

The phone stopped ringing for a second, then picked back up again.

“Answer it,” I ordered Trent. “Because that sure as fuck isn’t Gaines.”

The SUV rushed up behind me again, and that foreboding tickle ran along my belly. About three-quarters of a block away, another SUV the same indistinct color as the one trailing our asses pulled out of an alley and sat across the one-way road, its front end obstructing the side street I’d intended to take. I slowed down, and the vehicle behind us matched my speed, bringing us down to a safer crawl. Trent made eye contact with me as he answered the call. A heartbeat later, he rolled his eyes.

“I’ll tell him,” Trent said into the phone. “Can’t say he’ll stop.”

“What?” I had about a foot of wiggle room on the left side of the SUV in front of me, but from what I could tell, its engine was still on. I could slip in behind it, hoping the sedan would make it through, but a simple punch of the gas in reverse would plow the SUV into Trent’s door. “Hang up. We’ve got company. I’m going to go—”

“He says he’s your cousin and to pull over.” Trent hung up on the call, and I winced, knowing there’d be Hell to pay for that later. “Apparently he wants talk to you, so knowing what I know about your family, I’m fifty-fifty on gunning it and shooting our way out.”

“Which cousin? And how would he know where I was?” I eased off the gas as I unbuckled my seat belt. “Unsnap your gun and draw it. Keep it down to the side, but once I stop, get it out quickly and have it up. You’ve never met my family. It’s going to be a trap.”

“I’ve met you,” he replied softly, shifting in his seat, smoothly reaching to undo his belt. “You’re a trap.”

“Watch the front. Anything moves, I’m gunning it and going through.” I stopped the car but let it idle, its exhaust spitting out vapor when its engine heat hit the cold air. “Shit, it totally could be a trap. All of the danger, none of the calamari. Fuck.”

I smacked the steering wheel with my fist when the phone rang again, and this time I picked it up, my weapon drawn and my eyes on the SUV behind me. I didn’t know the number calling me, but that wasn’t a surprise. I’d never known how to get ahold of my grandfather or anyone else in the family. It was healthier that way… for them and me both.

Putting the call on speaker, I answered, “Yeah?”

“Rokugi.” I couldn’t recognize the voice, but that didn’t surprise me considering none of my relatives were on speaking terms with me. Male. Not surprising. The Takahashi seemed to breed boy children like fire gnats spawned swarms. “I need to speak with you.”

It was too volatile of a situation for most, if not all, Takahashi. Their two main choices were to engage positively or attack aggressively. The first would get them killed once Grandfather died, and the second would shorten their lifespan to the second after said Grandfather found out. As far as I knew, most chose the safer, less mundane route of ignoring me and hoping someone wiped me off the playing field before it became time to divide up the family’s assets.

“I don’t even know who you are.” One of the back doors of the SUV in front of us opened, and I tsked. “Come on. Do you think I’m going to get out of this car? In the middle of the street? Meet me someplace. Just us. Well, and my partner. You can bring someone if you want.”

“Is your partner the man who hung up on me?” If anything, his voice grew colder, his barely contained anger snapping across the line. “I would like to meet that man.”