THE MAFIA'S PRICE
“Quick breakfast downstairs. We leave in forty minutes.”
Breakfast was simple and perfect: steamed rice, miso soup with tiny cubes of tofu, grilled mackerel, pickled vegetables that snapped between my teeth, and green tea so fresh it tasted like spring. I ate more than I had in days, small bites, careful sips, determined not to let nausea win today. Sakura joined us briefly, radiant in a soft gray kimono, pressing a small bento box into my hands “for later.” Dante watched the exchange with quiet amusement, one hand resting possessively on the back of my neck the entire time.