“I’m sorry about this,” Milton said. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“What do you want?”

“I need to get your brother’s attention.”

“Who are you?”

“You don’t need to know that.”

“You are an enemy of my brother?”

Milton wondered about that; he wasn’t Satoshi Furokawa’s enemy per se, although he suspected that Furokawa might see things a little differently now that he had abducted his little sister.

“No.”

“So why are you doing this?”

“He has something I want. Now I have something he wants. I’m going to swap one for the other—you for it.” He pointed to the phone on her arm. “Could I have that, please?”

She tore the Velcro fastening apart and handed the armband to Milton, the phone still inside the plastic pouch. Milton took the phone out and powered it down. He didn’t know how long it would take for Natsuki’s abduction to be reported, but he knew that eventually they would try to use the GPS to locate her. It wouldn’t work if the phone was off.

“He’ll kill you,” she said. “Satoshi—I mean it, he’ll kill you. I don’t think you realise how much trouble you’re in.”

“Just sit quietly, please,” Milton said. “Do as I say and you have my word that you won’t be hurt and this will all be over soon.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cable ties.

“No,” she said. “Please.”

“Hands.”

He showed her the pistol again and, suitably cowed, she extended both her arms toward him. Milton made a loop with a tie, fed her wrists through it and then drew it closed.

Milton held onto the wheel arch as the van turned to the right. He looked at Natsuki and hoped that the bond between sister and brother was enough for Furokawa to give up the blade that he had recently spent so much to acquire. Milton’s research suggested that the relationship between them was strong, but he was going to have to test it. It was the unknown element of the plan, the weakest link; if Furokawa refused to trade Natsuki for the tantō, or if he called his bluff, then Milton’s scheme would collapse and he would be left with a kidnapped woman, no sword and a disappointed Takashi Nishimoto. He had no idea what that would portend for Yamato, but he doubted it would be good.

95