Ebony got off the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom. I have to pee.”
Tomio finished undressing and followed her into the bathroom. He needed to unwind. They couldn’t have sex, but they could bathe together.
“Look down her nose at me, did she?” Eriko Ayase said. “Where is that black bitch now?”
Ren Ayase tried to ignore his younger sister’s tirade as she paced the floor in the receiving room of their ancestral home. Since their parents’ death, the two of them had continued to live there. Ren wished Eriko would find a husband and leave so that he could have a life. Right now, he had to look after her.
“I heard she’s quite a looker,” Ren said just to aggravate her. “Nice rack and ass. That bastard Tomio has a lucky horseshoe. Too bad I hate him.”
“I hate his wife too,” Eriko announced loudly like he and his men were deaf. “I want her dead. That bitch Gina Nakamura, too.”
Ren had bigger worries. The police had recently raided a couple of his places, taken the money, and put his people in jail. The same thing had been happening all over town from Tokyo proper to Nagoya. There had been talk going around for a long time about the police trying to put the yakuza out of business. He didn’t know what would become of him and his people if that should happen, since being a member of organized crime was all he knew. “Where is Kiriya?”
“I haven’t seen him,” Gorou Hisaski replied as he stood near Ren’s chair. “He’s probably at the Rabbit’s Hutch ogling guys.”
Ren did not understand the fascination his brother-in-law had with watching naked guys dancing on stage. Everyone knew Kiriya was gay, and Kiriya no longer tried to hide it. Ren only put up with him because he was married to the man’s sister. Even Chieko was embarrassed to be around him at times. “Go find his ass and bring him here. My wife is worried about him.”
The door opened and Ren looked up. Kiriya Shina walked in dressed in a sunny yellow suit and tie with a black dress shirt beneath it to complete the look. He removed his black hat to reveal dyed blond locks. “I heard you were looking for me.”
“Damn right,” Ren said. “Where the fuck have you been?”
Kiriya ignored his tirade. “Working.”
When his brother-in-law wasn’t hugged up with some guy, he entertained at the Rabbit Hutch as a singer. “Word on the street is that Nakamura has put a contract on your head.”
That bit of news didn’t bother Ren. Someone was always trying to kill him. “I’m not afraid. I’ll just keep picking off his family members until I finally get to him.”
Kiriya plucked an imaginary piece of lint from his pristine jacket. “I’m glad you have so much faith in yourself. I’m not ready to die yet. You better stop worrying about doing favors for Eriko, and find out why the police are raiding your businesses.”
“Hey, are you going to let him talk to me like that?” Eriko asked her brother.
“Yes,” Ren answered. “It is all your fault we’re in this mess in the first place. You just had to fall in love with Tomio Nakamura. Well, he’s married now. You should have held on to him when you had him, instead of letting that bitch Rika Fukushima take him away from you. Now neither one of you has him, and he’s after my ass.” He sighed. The things they did for their womenfolk. He didn’t regret having Hajime Nakamura and his wife bumped off. He just didn’t want to go to jail for it. He had made a lot of enemies, and he was sure he wouldn’t last a day behind bars.
“It was your idea to wipe out his parents,” Eriko argued. “I told you to shoot Akira and Tomio’s wife.”
True, she had told him that. But Hajime was old and of no use to the community anymore. The yakuza was a young man’s game and it was old geezers like him that were preventing the rest of them from moving up. Tomio should be thanking him instead of trying to kill him.
“Why were you looking for me?” Kiriya asked.
“Because my wife misses you, and I need you to help me find out who blew the whistle on me and set the law on my stuff. The cops have taken my money and I want it back.”
“Right,” Kiriya said. “I’ll get on it.” He headed out again.
“Don’t forget to call your sister,” Ren said.
Kiriya held up a hand. There was a ring on each finger and each ring represented some man he had murdered on his way up in the mob. The world could say what it wanted about his brother-in-law, but the man knew how to take care of business. Plus, he had impeccable fashion sense.
“What are we supposed to do before we hear from him again?” Gorou asked.
“Life will just go on as normal,” Ren said. “Tell our people to lay low and not draw attention to themselves.”
“What about Tomio?” Eriko asked. “Are you going to do as you promised?”
Ren rubbed his temple as the headache thumped right beneath the surface. “Yes, if it will get you to shut up and stop bothering me. Though I don’t know what you see in him.”
Eriko chuckled. “That’s because you’re a man. When will you do it?”
“Soon,” Ren answered. He’d never had to put a hit on a pregnant woman’s head before, but if Eriko wanted Tomio, the man’s wife had to be eliminated.
Ebony had just exited the OB-GYN clinic when she heard someone arguing. The bodyguards who had accompanied her to her appointment were fighting with some guys she did not recognize. Before she could run back into the building, several men appeared before her, including a flashy dressed one with blond hair.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Ebony asked as the men stared down at her.
“Damn, look at you,” the blond one said. “No wonder Eriko wants you dead.”
Eriko? Were these the Ayase people? “I don’t understand what you mean.”
The blond grabbed her hand and snatched her to him He wasn’t as big as Tomio, but he had a lot of strength. “Don’t play stupid with me, Mrs. Nakamura. My name is Kiriya Shina, and my brother-in-law, Ren, asked me to bring you to him.”
“Why?”
“How the hell should I know?” Kiriya said. “Maybe he likes black women.”
The others with him laughed.
Ebony knew better than to show fright. “You’re hurting my arm. You don’t have to be so rough.”
“You speak Japanese very well. If I was into women, you would be perfect for me.”
Ebony scowled at him. “I’m a married woman. What would I do with you?”
The one named Kiriya dragged her toward a car across the street. “Come on. I don’t have time for conversation.”
She would have fought to get away had she not been pregnant. Normally there would be lots of people around, but not today. Even if she screamed, no one would come to her defense. Ebony decided to cooperate for the safety of her child. “Where are you taking me?”
One of the other goons took her from Kiriya and picked her up in his arms. “To see Mr. Ayase,” the new guy said as he put her inside the car.
“My husband will kill you if something happens to me.”
Kiriya laughed. “I’m not afraid of Tomio Nakamura. Let’s see if he’s stupid enough to come to Ayase territory.”
He is, Ebony thought as he closed the car door. Tomio should be on his way home from work, and once he found out that she was missing, all hell was going to break loose in Tokyo. She hoped that the bodyguards would be okay. No one had pulled a gun, so it was safe to say that none of them wanted the police to come to their defense for fear of them digging deeper into yakuza affairs.
Kiriya sat in the front seat with the driver while the guy who had put her into the car sat next to her. Kiriya kept looking back at her. For a guy, he sure knew how to wear eyeliner. He wasn’t quite as attractive as Akira, but had just as much attitude.
They hadn’t bothered to tie her hands or her feet. If she hadn’t been pregnant, she could have gotten away easily by slipping out of the other door. What was the worst that could happen to her except for a couple of scratches? The men continued to talk as if she wasn’t even there. Ebony tried to pay attention to the direction they were headed. She knew that they were no longer in Nakamura territory, and if she got the chance to escape, she had to find her way back. The baby kicked in her stomach. She rubbed the spot and when she looked up, she found Kiriya watching her. She quickly moved her hand away. Kiriya smiled menacingly at her. Ebony turned her head so she wouldn’t have to see him.
“Ren is going to owe me big time for this,” Kiriya said to the guy next to her. “He’s getting two, or maybe three, for the price of one.”
Ebony scowled. She knew her stomach was huge, but it was just one baby. The thought of something happening to her child made the adrenalin rush through her body. There was no way she was going to allow that to happen. She had to come up with a plan to get away. She had carried this baby for nearly nine months and there was no way she wasn’t going to give birth to him or her.
The driver finally left the highway and headed down a rocky road. Ebony felt every bump. The baby did too because her stomach wiggled fiercely. They arrived at a gate and the driver rolled down the windows. Two Japanese males appeared and stood at both sides of the car. Both of them looked into the back seat before giving the driver the okay to continue on. The next thing she knew, the car came to a stop again. This time everyone got out. The goon next to her pulled her toward the door. Ebony struggled but she was no match for him. He managed to get her out of the car and into his arms.
“If you don’t stop fighting back I will smother you,” he said to her.
Ebony frowned at him. “You touch me and I will kill you.”
Kiriya laughed as he walked up the stairs. “Damn, you’re bad. Most women are afraid of Heno.”
She wasn’t most women. She had dealt with Tomio’s mother and survived. If she had a knife, Heno would be history.
They entered the house. Heno still had her in his arms and was moving quickly from room to room before stopping in front of a set of double doors. Kiriya opened them and stepped inside first. Heno entered next with her, and then the driver.
“I brought you a gift,” Kiriya announced loudly to someone in the room.
Ebony couldn’t see because Kiriya and driver’s shoulders blocked her view. They moved aside as another man approached. He looked down at her. Ebony glared back at him. It was Ren Ayase.
“Welcome to my home, Mrs. Nakamura,” he said.
Ebony rolled her eyes at him. “I would say thank you, but we both know that I don’t mean it.”
Her sass was rewarded by a slap across the face.
Ebony tried to get at him but Heno continued to hold on to her. “Touch me again and you’ll draw back a nub.”
Ren laughed. “You’re in no position to do anything to me.”
“Only a bitch would strike a pregnant woman,” Ebony said.
Ren stopped laughing. “You will not be disrespectful to me in my home.”
“Then don’t touch me,” Ebony said.
“Put her down,” Ren said to Heno.
“But, boss—”
“I said, put her down.”
Heno put her down on the floor. Ren walked back over to her. He wasn’t as handsome as she had thought at first. His eyes were a little too close together and he had large ears. He reached out and tried to cup her chin but Ebony slapped his hand away. Heno and the driver drew their weapons. “You better be prepared to use them,” she said.
“Put your weapons away, guys,” Ren said. “She’s nothing but mouth. She can’t harm us.”
Heno and the driver put their guns away.
Kiriya attempted to leave. “Where are you going?” Ren asked.
“I have to get back to work. You asked me to bring you Tomio’s woman and I did.” He continued walking toward the door and the driver followed. “I’ll leave Heno here to protect you from her,” he said sarcastically.
“Asshole,” Ebony spat out. “I’ll make sure Tomio guts you like a fish.”
Kiriya laughed and kept walking.
“It’s not nice to call people names,” Ren said to her. He pushed her down into a chair.
Ebony glared at him. “It’s not nice to kidnap people either.”
“Do you want me to tape up her mouth, boss?” Heno asked from his position beside her chair.
“No,” Ren said as he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of alcohol and a glass. He poured for himself and then put the bottle away. “It’s been a long time since I’ve met a woman who isn’t afraid of me.” He sat down on a sofa across from her. “Do you know who I am?”
Ebony nodded. “Eriko’s brother.”
Ren laughed. “Yes. You can thank her later for this. Apparently you pissed her off or something.”
“She started with me first,” Ebony said. “She called me a bitch.”
“Yes, well, I apologize for my sister’s lack of diplomacy, but you have something that she wants.”
“You went through all of this trouble to kidnap me because she is in love with Tomio?”
“Yes,” Ren said. “She’s family and I kind of promised my parents that I would look after her until she marries.”
Ebony shook her head. “Tomio has no interest in your sister.”
Eriko Ayase entered the room. “That’s because you’re in the way.” She walked over and sat down next to her brother.