Milton nodded. He filled two glasses of water from the bathroom sink and put one on the table next to her and the other next to him. He lowered himself onto the bed and slipped between the sheets. Sakura slid over so that she was next to him. He flicked off the light and put his arm around her. He could feel the tension in her body and, although she lay still, he knew that she was still awake. Milton closed his eyes, even though he knew that he was going to find it difficult to drift away, too. He thought of the yakuza and a tattooed killer, and whether the promises he had made to Sakura had been too ambitious, even for him.

64

Sakura woke early. The sunlight was streaming in through a gap in the curtains. She was sure that she had closed them the previous evening. Milton must have got up at some point and opened them. She rolled onto her side and looked at him fast asleep next to her. His breathing was deep and sonorous, and for the first time since she had met him at the airport a few short days ago, he looked at peace.

She watched him for a few more moments, her eyes tracing the scars on his chest. What sort of a life had he led to earn them?

“Stop looking at me,” Milton murmured, making Sakura jump. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a gentle grin.

“I thought you were asleep,” she said.

“I was,” Milton said, rolling onto his back and stretching his arms above his head. “And then I got the feeling I was being watched.”

Sakura got out of bed and crossed the cabin to the coffee machine.

“Coffee?” she asked, looking back at Milton. She hoped that he had been watching her walk across the room—that was why she hadn’t put any clothes on—but he was engrossed by his phone.

“Please,” he said, tapping the screen.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she poured some water from a jug into the machine.

“A bit of planning. You might want to get dressed. We need to talk about what we’re going to do when we get to Tokyo.”

Sakura sighed, trying not to pout. She was hoping for something more than a conversation to start the day, but they had a week on board the freighter, so there was no hurry. As she waited for the coffee machine to warm up, she opened the suitcase that Victoria had prepared for them and picked out some suitable clothes.

* * *

The cabin was quickly filled with the aroma of fresh coffee. Sakura, dressed in a simple cream blouse and tight-fitting blue jeans, opened the door to the balcony and carried the cups through. Milton joined her. He was wearing baggy cargo pants and a T-shirt, neither of which fitted him particularly well, but he still managed to look good.