Chapter 23
Yuki threw a punch straight to Hayato's cheek, knocking his head to the side. He let go of him, dusted his hands off on his trousers, and snapped, "Stay away from Suncrest Bakery, you asshole. I just hope you didn't do anything to Emi!"
Then he took off, running across the street and disappearing into the dark alley. A few houses down the block, he finally stopped, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as he tried to calm down.
"Why would Emi close up the bakery?" Yuki muttered, breath still ragged as he leaned against the cold wall, trying to piece it all together. He shook his head slowly, unable to make sense of it. "That place was everything to her..."
His eyes trailed the dark alley, noticing the gang of men at the other side. If he was not mistaken, those people were Loan sharks that came to the bakery late at night to look for him.
Were they also the reason why Emi closed up the bakery?
Yuki swallowed hard. Launching forward to hem meant getting buried six feet alive and then going back meant cops, questions, maybe a ride in the back of a patrol car. He could already see Hayato whining like a little bitch about his bruised face.
But then again...
Yuki's eyes stayed locked on the gang at the end of the alley, heart hammering in his chest. Even in the dim light, he recognized a few of the faces. The guy with the crooked jaw and gold tooth—he'd shown up at the bakery before, knocking on the back door with a broken alcohol bottle and a piston.
The Shiraishi Hounds.
If he wasn't mistaken, they were the same thugs who'd been after him for months—ever since his father gambled away everything they had and turned up dead with multiple stab wounds, leaving Yuki to deal with the mess he left behind.
Were they the reason Emi sold the bakery?