Forward? Milton decided not to press too hard and got to his feet, using the seat in front of him to help himself up. He made sure that he pulled back on it as hard as he could so that he rewarded the Australian for ogling the flight attendant. It was petty, but that was fine; Milton could do petty. He collected his bag from the overhead bin and stared down at the man before following Amber down the aisle; the man tried to hold his eye but lost his nerve and looked away.

8

Sakura looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She blew her breath out through her cheeks before putting a hand to her sternum. Her heart was racing. She took another breath and held it for a count of five. Just like Katsuro had told her to do when she had first started to work for Takashi.

Inhale.

Hold for five seconds.

Exhale.

Pause.

Repeat.

It didn’t work. The exercises were a waste of time. Her heart was thudding just as quickly again as soon as she stopped. She turned the tap on and splashed lukewarm water over her face before patting it dry with a soft paper towel. With a final look at herself in the mirror, Sakura pushed the button on top of the cistern and opened the door.

* * *

Sakura returned to the first-class cabin and noticed the man who had taken the empty space next to her. The cabin was configured in a 1-2-1 layout, with the two seats in the middle separated by a privacy divider. There were just eight seats in the cabin; each was luxurious and could recline all the way back to make a bed. Each seat had its own entertainment system, complete with a large flatscreen and complimentary headphones, with a fold-down table that could easily have accommodated a small family, let alone a single passenger.

The man got to his feet to check his bag and then saw her. “Hello again,” he said, surprised.

“Hello,” she said with a smile.

They both sat down. Sakura looked at him as she fastened her seatbelt, never once taking her eyes from his face. She had found him distinctive when she had seen him earlier. It wasn’t just his eyes that had caught her attention, although they were very striking. He had a full beard, but it did not completely hide the scar that extended from his right eye to the corner of his mouth. It didn’t look as if it had been caused accidentally, and Sakura suspected that he was someone who at the very least had experienced violence. He looked fit and strong and capable, and, if her initial assessment of him was correct, he was used to delivering a sound beating when required.