The man clicks his teeth together, studying me as he thinks. Then, he nods. “Fine. I agree to your terms.”
I try not to show him how relieved I am, or how much I was depending on his help. “You’ll offer up your men and help me plan this attack?”
“And you’ll be loyal to me for the period of one year?” I ask.
“I don’t like making promises of that kind,” Akio says. “I don’t blindly pledge my loyalty. However, if you will honor your end of the deal and bring no devastation of any kind down on me and mine, then I see no reason to renege on our agreement here today.”
“I can agree to that.”
We clasp hands, and for the first time in a long time, it feels like something has finally gone right.
So, with the details hammered out, we move into logistics.
The rest of that day and into the mornin
