ILARIA (book 3)

6. ASAHI

"You didn't call." I walk beside Ilaria.

I'm half glad Matteo bought them on this trip to China because he's been a little out of control recently and I hope they can calm him a little.

She looks at me, as if she didn't even recognise my voice. "I've been busy."

I smile. "Busy, hm?"

"Yes. I'm a very busy girl." She speeds up her pace a little, every single worker at this damn airport turned to look at her.

I wonder if she likes all the attention on her 24/7 or if she gets sick of it.

I walk beside my father and he gives me a knowing look. "Ilaria Reign is the only Reign daughter, Asahi. You don't want to get involved with her."

"Who said I was getting involved with her?" I raise an eyebrow.

"You're forgetting I was once your age."

"A very, very long time ago." I joke, but he glared at me and I just end up walking away with one of the other agents.

We get to the hotel and Immediately start writing up a plan. Dads the lead on these trafficking cases that we're working on, but he lets me do the lead assisting.

I give the profiles. I devise the plans. I'm the second to my father.

It's difficult. I don't know how he doesn't end up crying at some of these cases. Every time I come across another woman or young child a victim, I have to take time to lock myself in a bathroom and cry.

He's unfazed.

It was midnight whenever I had finished writing up the plan and handing it out to the other agents.

I head down to the hotel lobby, hating the fact that I'm in China right now and don't speak an ounce of Chinese.

I pick up a flyer from the hotel lobbly, staring at it and all the numbers of fast food places but unable to even call them because I can't read mandarin.

The back of my neck tingles and a second later, I can feel somebody looking at me.

I turn around, but Ilaria grabs the flyer off me and clears her throat. "That's noodles." She points. "Traditional Chinese food, steamed vegetables. American food." She flips it around. "How about I just take you to my favourite place?" She looks up at me, her eyes wide and dark.

Fucking hell.

"Sure." I clear my throat, looking away from her.

"Leo, I'll be back in an hour or two." She calls. "He carries a gun, don't worry."

Leo just laughs and I follow her out of the building. "Do you carry a gun?" I ask, looking down at the yoga pants sculpting her ass.

"I don't need too." She keeps walking.

"Why's that?"

"I'm usually with somebody and they carry one for me." She looks to my holster. "Doesn't change now that I'm in a different country."

I smile at her confidence, following her down an alleyway and down some steps, into a small restaurant that sat only one guy.

She starts speaking in Chinese, bowing to this guy. He took one look at me before sitting back where he was.

Ilaria laughs, taking a seat at a far wall. I sit opposite her and she hands me a menu. "He said I shouldn't be involving myself with the Japanese scum like you." She reads down the menu but puts it back.

I stare at her as if she was being serious and she just smiles. "Uh, Triad and Yakuza are like the Russians and Italians." She explains quickly. "He thinks you're a gangster."