Next she called Katie. She answered with, “Shi-Shi girl, you never call me. What’s up?”

“I need a huge favor. Huge. But it needs to be kept quiet.”

“Anything. Name it.”

“My lease has been unexpectedly terminated, and I need a place to st—”

“Stay? Of course you can stay with me for as long as you need.”

Katie really was very sweet. “While I appreciate that, I’m looking for a place to store my stuff.”

“Oh, of course. You’re probably staying with Knox.”

Yeah, not so much with that. “There’s not a lot, and I can pay you—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I have a huge house that’s empty. You can store anything you want, for as long as you like.”

“Thank you. The movers are coming tonight.”

“Oh. Wow. Okay. That soon. Just text me and let me know exactly when. I’ll have to give the security guy at the gate a heads-up you’ll be coming through with a moving van. Those kinds of things set him on edge.”

“Will do. And, Katie, thank you. I mean it. I owe you.”

“This is what friends do for each other.”

Lastly, Shiori called her mom. Before her mother said hello, or chewed her out for not keeping in touch, she said, “Shiori-san. What’s wrong?”

“Everything.”

“Be specific, sweetheart.”

“I’m in trouble.” That sounded ominous. “Don’t worry. I’m not in jail.”

“I would hope if you were in jail you’d call your brother first for bail money since he’s closest.”

Shiori burst into tears.

“I’m sorry. Badly timed joke. Tell me . . . What’s everything?”

And it spewed out—probably way more than her mother needed to know. After Shiori finished talking, she tried to get control of her emotions, if only to stop crying.

Although the other end of the line was silent, she knew her mother hadn’t hung up. “Where are you now?”

She wiped her face and peered out the window. How long had they been parked here? “In front of my apartment complex.”

“The movers will be there tonight?”

“Yes. I don’t have much to pack, and I lined up a temporary place to store it. Why?”

“As soon as you’re squared away, I want you on the next flight to Tokyo.”

Shiori closed her eyes. “That feels like running away, Mom.”

“It is. But it’s for a good reason. You’re confused and scared and pregnant. Being home will give you a perspective you’ve been lacking.” She paused. “You’re an adult, Shiori-san, but that doesn’t mean I don’t worry about you. After the car accident and now this . . . I need you here for my peace of mind. If only for a little while.”

“Okay.” Relief filled her. Going home seemed like the first sound decision she’d made in a long time. Not that she’d really made it herself.

“Text me the flight information, or e-mail it to me. And yes, I wish you had the Gulfstream Five there.”

“Me too. I’ll stay in touch, Mom. I promise. And please don’t say anything to Ronin, Amery, or Ojisan about this.”

“I won’t, sweetheart.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry—” She started crying again.

“Nothing to be sorry about. One last thing. Make sure you have plenty of barf bags. Flying internationally always made me sick when I was pregnant. See you soon.”

How weird would it be talking with her mother about what to expect during her pregnancy? She hadn’t wrapped her head around the concept of a baby yet.

Another pang hit her. Knox should’ve been the first person she’d told.

You held back for a reason. Stop second-guessing yourself with everything.

She took a deep breath. Then she lowered the privacy partition in the car. “Hi. Are you on shift until midnight?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll need to book you through then. I have some errands to run all over town, and I’m not sure when I’ll finish.”

“Not a problem. I’ll find out from building security where to park while I’m waiting. Do you have the addresses of where we’ll be going so I can get them plugged in to the GPS?”

“One address I don’t have. But then we’ll be going to Black Arts dojo before you drop me off at the airport.”

Just as Shiori exited the car, the moving van pulled up.