“Calling me stupid’s not nice, Satoshi. Let’s keep this as polite as we can—I’d much rather we can come to an arrangement that suits us both. As I said, I don’t want anything bad to happen to your sister.”

“I don’t believe you. You don’t have her.”

Milton knew that Satoshi would likely pursue that line, and was prepared for it. He looked down at the phone and selected the button that would change from an audio to a video call. He lowered his mask, tapped the screen and waited for Satoshi to accept the call. He did, and a moment later, Milton was looking at his face. It was familiar from the videos that he had studied, but Milton’s call had given him reason for ire, and it was obvious from the clenched jaw, the intensity in his eyes and the deep furrows across his brow.

Milton took the phone back into the storeroom and held it so that Natsuki was framed.

“Here she is,” Milton said.

“Show me her face.”

“Satoshi?” Natsuki tried to stand, forgetting that she was restrained. “Satoshi? Is that you?”

Milton reached forward with his left hand and removed the sack from the woman’s head. He kept the phone where it was, allowing Furokawa to see his sister.

Natsuki spoke in rapid Japanese, panicked and garbled, but Milton took the phone away before Satoshi could reply. He went back into the alley and nodded to Hachirō that he should go and replace the sack over her head.

Milton killed the video, switching back to audio only. “Happy?”

“What do you want?”

“We both have something that the other wants. I have your sister. And you have Yoshida Shōin’s tantō.”

“This is Nishimoto’s doing? Seriously? You work for that old bastard?”

Milton didn’t deny it; a little confusion as to his motivation might prove helpful. “You’d be a hypocrite to complain. You stole the sword from him.”

The line was quiet for a moment as Satoshi digested the information. Milton knew that it was a lot for him to take in: his sister abducted and now offered in exchange for the sword that he had gone to such lengths to acquire.

“My sister for the tantō? Yes?”

“That’s right.”

“When?”

“I don’t want to inconvenience Natsuki for any longer than I have to.”

“Today, then? This afternoon?”

“That works for me.”

“All right. Where and when?”

97

Katsuro made his way around the block that included the Gracery Hotel. He was careful, very aware that to compromise his suspicion that Sakura was inside the building at this juncture would be an infuriating mistake. His father was rightfully upset with his performance, Katsuro knew, and he would only be able to rectify the damage done by punishing his sister-in-law for her disloyalty and disobedience.

He just had to find her first.