CHAPTER 48: THE RUNAWAY BRIDE

Chapter 48

JACE MARINO

We followed the shadow through the narrow streets of Chinatown. Some parts of the city were still half-asleep.

It didn’t take long before the figure ahead of us turned a corner and disappeared into an old apartment building. The hood came down slightly and I caught a glimpse of her. Aiko Takeda. The supposed future wife my father wanted for me. The same woman who had just vanished from the house without a word.

When we reached the building, I signaled for Mateo to circle around the back. Marco and I went up the steps two at a time. The hall smelled like damp paint and noodles. We heard soft footsteps ahead of us and then a click. The sound of a door lock turning.

Marco didn’t wait. He pushed the door open before she could finish locking it.

Aiko froze. For a second she looked like she was about to scream. Then her shoulders dropped. "I knew you’d find me," she said.

"Then you should’ve made it harder," Marco said, closing the door behind him.

She stood there barefoot wearing a loose hoodie, her messy hair tied in a knot. It was strange seeing her like that. Not dressed like the perfect daughter of a Yakuza boss not wearing the expensive perfume or the guarded smile she always had at the mansion.

"Can we come in?" I asked.

"You’re already in," she muttered, walking deeper into the room.

We followed. The place was small. One window half-covered by a curtain and a small table with two chairs. There was a mattress on the floor, some half-eaten takeout and a few bags that looked like she’d been living here for days.

Mateo joined us a moment later, closing the back door quietly. He glanced around taking in the room the same way I did like we were both waiting for something to explode.

"What do you want?" Aiko asked, sitting down.

Marco crossed his arms. "You disappeared from the house without a word. What do you think will happen when our father finds out?"

She gave a dry laugh. "You think I owe him an explanation?"

"Maybe not," I said. "But you owe yourself one. You’re playing a dangerous game. Running away from both your father and mine? That’s suicide."

Her eyes lifted to mine. There was anger there but also something broken. "You think I don’t know that? I’ve been living with men like your father and mine my entire life. I know exactly what happens to girls who disobey."

"Then why?" Mateo asked softly. "Why run?"

Aiko leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees. Her voice shook not from fear but exhaustion.

"Because I’m done being his property. My father doesn’t care about me. He never has. All he cares about is his empire. His deals, his alliances, his name. When I was sixteen, he sold my sister to the Red Mafiya. Do you know what that means?" She let out a small laugh. "She was supposed to marry some middle-aged boss for peace between families. I haven’t heard from her in five years. She’s probably dead."

None of us said anything. Marco looked away. Mateo ran a hand through his hair.

Marino blood runs deep but not deep enough to drown who we are. Humans.

Aiko continued, her voice getting louder and faster. "And now it’s my turn. Another alliance. Another sale. Except this time, he wanted me to marry you." She pointed at me. "To merge the families. To make sure the Takeda name reached New York and the Marinos got a safe bridge to Tokyo. That’s all this was ever about. I just played along so he wouldn’t kill my boyfriend. I thought if I smiled, if I said yes it would all go away."

I stepped closer. "But it didn’t."

"No," she said. "It got worse. He started watching me. Sending people to follow me. I can’t even breathe without him knowing where I am."

As if on cue, the front door creaked. A man walked in. Tall, wearing a black jacket. His face went pale when he saw us.

"Aiko?" he said, voice shaking.

Aiko stood quickly. "It’s okay," she said to him, turning. "They’re not here to hurt us."

Marco raised an eyebrow. "Us?"

The man swallowed hard. "I didn’t know you had company."

"He’s her boyfriend," Mateo muttered under his breath.

I could see the fear in the guy’s eyes. He looked like someone who didn’t belong in our world. Not one of the polished heirs or the street soldiers, just a regular man who got caught in the crossfire of something much bigger than him.

"Sit," I said motioning toward the chair. "We need to talk."

He hesitated but did as told.

I leaned against the table. "How long have you been seeing her?"

"Two years," he said quietly. "Before she was sent to America."

"And you knew who her father was?"

He nodded. "I didn’t care. I still don’t."

Aiko looked at him like she wanted to cry.

Mateo crossed his arms. "You’re aware that people are following her, right? That if her father finds out she’s here with you, he’ll burn this entire block to the ground?"

The guy went silent. Aiko spoke instead. "That’s why we move around. Never stay anywhere longer than a few nights. But lately, I think they’ve found me again. I’ve seen the same car parked down the street for two days."

I looked at Marco, and he nodded slightly. That explained why the trail had been so easy to follow. Someone else was already watching her.

"Do you think your father knows you left?" I asked.

Aiko shook her head. "He knows. He always knows."

The room felt heavier after that. For a minute, no one said anything. The city noise outside faded into the background.

Finally, Marco spoke. "If your father’s planning to make this about us, then we all have a problem. Because my father isn’t going to take a public insult like that."

"I don’t care what your father thinks," Aiko said. "He’s just like mine. You know what he told me at the last dinner? He said, ’You’ll learn to love Jace.’ Like I was some dog that could be trained."

I almost laughed, but it came out as a sigh. "Trust me, I don’t want to marry you either."

That earned me a weak smile.

"So what do we do?" Mateo asked. "If the Yakuza head thinks she’s gone rogue, he’s going to start making moves. And if Dad finds out she’s been hiding in the open, he’ll think we had something to do with it."

Aiko’s boyfriend finally spoke again. "We could leave the city. Get new IDs, new place."

"That’s not going to work," I said. "Your faces are known. You’re both already on a dozen lists. Every favor we’ve pulled so far to keep things quiet has cost us blood. Running now will only make you targets."

"So what do you suggest?" Aiko asked, frustration creeping into her tone. "You want to lock me up again?"

"No," I said. "I want to stop a war before it starts."

Mateo stepped forward. "We need to know how far your father’s gone. Has he said anything to anyone? Moved money? Called a meeting?"

Aiko thought for a second. "He’s been making calls to Japan every night. I don’t know who, but I heard my uncle’s name. He’s the one who handles overseas business."

Marco swore under his breath. "Then it’s already moving."

The air in the room changed. We all felt it. That creeping dread that comes when you realize the fire has already started and you’re standing in the smoke.

Aiko stood and walked toward the window, staring out at the narrow street below. "I didn’t want this," she said quietly. "I just wanted to live. To be with him."

Her boyfriend stood beside her and took her hand.

I looked at my brothers. They looked tense and tired.

"Let’s get out of here," I said finally. "We’ll put a team on her building. No one follows her, no one touches her. For now we keep this quiet."

"And if it’s too late?" Marco asked.

"Then we deal with it," I said. "Like we always do."

As we walked out, I looked back at Aiko. She was holding her boyfriend’s hand like it was the last safe thing in the world.

That’s me with Julian. I hold on to him like he’s the last warm thing left in a world gone cold. His hand feels steady and real, like something solid in all this noise. I don’t even know when it started. This need to stay close to not let go. But now it’s all I’ve got. He doesn’t just make the dark bearable, he’s the only light that keeps me from disappearing in it.

For a moment, I understood her. We were both trapped by families that only saw us as pieces on a board.

But unlike her, I didn’t get to run.