Free Shinobi (A Katana Novel) by Cole Gibsen

her memory and she’s out for blood— your blood specifically.”
    A sour taste burned the back of my throat, and my fingers reflexively grasped the handle of my sword. “How do you know that?”
    He laughed. “Because I’m not stupid. I’m not content to go about my life oblivious to the threat of potential danger like some people I know.” He gave me a pointed look.
    “I’m not oblivious—”
    He held up his hand to silence me. “Doesn’t matter. What does matter is I know Sumi has her memory back, I know she killed her parents, and I know she’s coming after you next. And since we’re connected by this annoying inyodo, any attempt she makes on your life would be an attempt on mine. I just can’t have that.”
    I dropped my sword’s handle. “We’re taking care of it. We’re working on finding Sumi as we speak. And once we do, we’re going to transport her to the Network security office in New York where she’ll be locked up for good.”
    He cocked his head to the side. “And just how are you going to find her? In her last life, she was one of the most powerful ninjas to ever live. She pretty much wrote the book on evading capture.”
    I frowned. I guess I hadn’t really thought about it like that.
    Whitley’s grin widened. “And remind me, how did you fare against her in your last life? Oh yeah, I remember—you all died.”
    Angry heat burned through my body. “It would be wise of you not to bring that up. Because if I remember correctly, Sumi had help.” Sumi had hired Whitley to betray us and lead an army of ninja over our walls. It was by Whitley’s hands that Kim had died trying to save me. My Yoshido’s sightless eyes staring up at me as he lay on the ground still haunted my nightmares.
    “Now, now.” He lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t come here to get you all riled up. Quite the opposite, actually.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. “I’m here to offer my help.”
    It was my turn to laugh. “Just what makes you think I need your help?”
    “You don’t know where Sumi is,” he said simply. “And I do.”
    I jerked back as a sudden chill settled into my core. If Whitley wasn’t lying and he really knew where Sumi was, we could sneak up on her undetected. That would mean our mission just became a lot simpler as well as safer. Still, Whitley was my sworn enemy. I had a hard time believing he’d want to help me out of the goodness of his heart. “What’s the catch?”
    He pressed a hand against his chest and feigned shock. “Rileigh Martin, I’m hurt you think there’d be one. Haven’t we moved beyond our petty differences? We’re connected, you and I. The sooner we dispose of this little threat, the sooner we can go back to living our lives.”
    “What’s the catch?” I repeated.
    He laughed. “Well, since you asked. There is one tiny thing.”
    “Spit it out.”
    He smiled widely. “I want to go.”
    “You?” I laughed loudly. “You’re the biggest coward I know. Why on earth would you want to go anywhere you might be put in harm’s way?”
    His face darkened. “Because I’m tired of running. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, wondering if every shadow that falls across my path is her coming to kill me. I want my life back.” He clenched his hands into fists. “And I will take it by force if necessary.”
    Maybe it was because I was overly tired, but Whitley made a lot of sense. And considering I felt the same way, I couldn’t help but feel a tad sympathetic toward him.
    “Besides,” he continued, “we have your healer friend now, and he’s proven himself to be very formidable. I think the odds are greatly in our favor.”
    “True. But Kim has his memory back too. He doesn’t know you helped us defeat Sumi before. And since you helped her kill all of us in the past, I don’t think he’s going to take too kindly to your presence—let alone your help.”
    “Which is why you aren’t going to tell