“Then remember this: Hitoshi Sakamoto was evil in every sense of the word. He trafficked in girls and women. He stole them and forced them into a life of s****l slavery. He deserved to die.”
I drink in the comfort he’s giving me. I take the absolution and try to absorb it. “But… you needed him alive.”
“Yes,” Phoenix agrees. “I did.”
Those words sit between us for a moment. But our hands are linked and that makes the silence less harsh.
“But if I couldn’t take him alive, I’d rather he be dead.”
The firelight flickers discreetly against Phoenix’s face. The embers are dying out slightly now that they’ve gorged themselves on fine silks. Without the crackling, the night is calm and peaceful.
The atmosphere has shifted considerably. It’s still tentative. Nothing has been decided; nothing h
