Ice Blue (29 page)

"Sorry," would have to do, as she held out the magazine to him.

He moved closer, taking it from her hand. He looked down at the picture, then at her for a long, considering moment. Then back at the picture, as if to judge her worthiness for such kinky activities. She felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach. Taka had warned her, and now he'd left her alone with his cousin.

He glanced back up at her, then shrugged, tossing the magazine back on the table before he headed into the corner of the room that served as a kitchen. The refrigerator was tiny, and he grabbed a bottle of beer and a glass before settling in a chair opposite her, watching her.

She could have done with a drink herself—he was making her nervous. She sat down on the futon, holding the kimono around her, and was rewarded with a derisive snort, as if he was asking why she should bother?
Baby rat pig bastard
, she thought.

"Taka?" His voice startled her. It was the first thing he'd addressed to her.

"He went looking for you."

His smile was slow and evil. He had to be in his mid-twenties—younger than she was. Too young to be so scary. "I'm not going to touch you."

She jumped. "You speak English?"

"When I'm in the mood." He took off his sunglasses and set them on the table beside him, next to the porn. His eyes were extraordinary, the red tattooed teardrops accentuating them. And she realized with a shock that his eyes were a clear, brilliant green, an almost unearthly color.

"Contact lenses," he said, unnerving her even more.

"You read minds like your cousin?"

"You're…what's the word? Transparent. Why did Taka bring you here?"

"He thought we'd be safe here."

"No, I mean why did he bring you to Japan? His grandfather isn't going to be happy about it. Neither is his wife."

Why did Summer feel as if she'd been kicked in the stomach? Lying about being married was hardly the worst of his crimes.

"His wife has nothing to worry about."

Reno tilted his head sideways. "True enough, but I'm not sure she'll see it that way. My grandfather had a hard enough time arranging the marriage, and she'd probably use any excuse not to go through with it. Taka's got tainted blood."

"I thought you said she was his wife?"

"Sooner or later. As long as Taka does what his grandfather asks him to. And in the meantime you're in the way. So why don't you tell me where the temple ruins are and I'll get you on a plane back to your own country?"

"I told you, I have no idea where the temple is. Hana-san used to tell me stories about northern Honshu. Have you thought to look there?"

"That doesn't narrow it down very much. Maybe I can help you remember."

"You can't help me remember what I don't know," she said nervously. Where the hell was Taka? Why had he left her with this junior psycho?

Reno's smile was chilling. He had a stunning face—not as elegant as Taka's, but younger, more impish. Except that there was absolutely nothing playful about him.

"I'm very good at helping people remember what they think they never knew. Taka might have foolish scruples about inflicting pain, but I'm not so troubled by manners." Reno ran his eyes over her again. "I don't think it would take long at all. The problem is, I'm not as experienced as Taka, and I'd leave marks. I might even make a mistake, go too far, and then we'd have a problem."

"Getting rid of the body?" she countered, rallying.

He shook his head. "I have plenty of people to help me with that kind of work. No, the problem is that Taka wouldn't like it."

"You sound disappointed."

"I am. I don't like you. I don't like what you've done to my cousin, and I'd be very happy to hurt you because of it."

"I haven't done anything to your cousin!"

He poured the beer into the glass and held it toward her in a mocking toast. "
Kampei
," he said. "And you've fucked him." He laughed. "Don't look so shocked. I don't mean literally. Of course he fucked you—you're pretty enough in a conventional American way, and Taka has a soft heart."

"A soft heart? Do you even know your cousin?"

"A softer heart than mine," he amended. "If he hadn't been squeamish he probably could have found out what he needed to know from you days ago."

"I don't know where the temple is."

Reno rose from the table, pushing the chair away. "Let me see if I can help you remember," he said, starting toward her.

"Get away from her!" Taka's sharp voice stopped him.

Reno turned, smiling innocently, answering in Japanese. Taka was standing in the doorway, and suddenly Reno looked like a naughty child compared to the chilling menace in his older cousin.

"You can speak English, since you already have," he snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying to scare her into telling us what she knows. Time is running out, cousin, and you've tried everything else, haven't you?"

"She doesn't know."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Sex can be as good a way of finding out information as torture, little cousin," Taka said briefly, kicking off his shoes and closing the door behind him.

"Hey!" Summer protested weakly.

"Then maybe we should both have a go at her, just to see if there's something she's forgotten. She's not my type, but I can put aside my standards…"

Taka hit him. The blow was so fast, so shocking that Reno had no time to duck. The rage in the room was palpable, and Summer dived to cover the urn, afraid the room was about to erupt into violence.

But Reno just stood there, blood dripping from his split lip. "Okay, cousin, she's yours," he said easily. "I've never known you to be so possessive before. You want some beer?"

Taka was breathing heavily, and for a moment Summer wondered whether he'd hit Reno again. And wondered why her reaction to the sudden violence had been so visceral. It had been primal, possessive. And incredibly erotic. And then his shoulders relaxed. "Yes. What about you, Su-chan?"

For a moment the entire room froze. Taka's use of the affectionate name had been instinctive, shocking all three of them. Reno went to the cupboard and brought out two more glasses. He sat down and poured the drinks, one for Taka, one for Summer, and set the bottle back down.

Summer rose from the futon, holding the kimono around as she walked to the table. Instead of taking the glass of beer Taka held out for her, she picked up the bottle instead, handing Reno his glass and then refilling it for him. He blinked those extraordinary fake green eyes, and then a faint smile curved his mouth. "
Kampei
," he said again, toasting her. And this time most of the mockery was gone.

She took her glass of beer and turned back to the futon, when Taka's sudden hiss of breath stopped her. "Holy motherfucker!" Reno said in a tone of wonder.

She whirled around, almost splashing some of the beer on her kimono. "What's wrong?"

Taka handed her glass to Reno, took her shoulders in his strong hands and turned her around again. "I'm an idiot," he said in a low voice. "It was the wrong kimono."

"What are you talking about?"

His hands were on her, impersonal, tracing the painting on the back of the garment. "It's been there all the time." His touch followed the curve of her hip, and she shivered. "That's White Crane Mountain." His hand cupped the side of her butt. "There's the  torii that would lead to the temple, and there's even a white bird. Do you have a map?"

"Of course," Reno said, pushing away from the table.

"Take off the kimono, Summer," Taka said, grabbing at the shoulders to pull it from her.

She grabbed back. "I'm not wearing anything underneath it!" she protested.

"Americans," Reno muttered under his breath, stomping from the room. A moment later he was back, tossing a cotton
yukata
at her. "Put this on and I'll find your boyfriend a map."

She grabbed the blue-and-white cotton and started for the bathroom, but Taka's hands were still on her shoulders. "You can change here."

"I'm not—!" But he'd already slipped the kimono off her shoulders, and with a shriek she pulled Reno's over her nude body.

Reno laughed, saying something in Japanese, doubtless another insult, Summer thought as she tied the sash around her waist.

"I told you, hands off," Taka said in English.

Well, maybe it hadn't been that insulting, Summer thought, turning around. Reno had tossed the priceless antique kimono to the floor and Taka laid out Hana-san's present in its place. The familiar painting, one Summer had known most of her life, suddenly took on new meaning as Taka spread a map beside it.

"Grandfather was right," Reno said. "She did tell you where it was."

"And I was right. She didn't know," Taka retorted. "Look at this, Summer. The mountain Hana-san painted is right there—" he pointed at the map "—and the   torii gate is lower down, just outside the town of Tonazumi. The ruins of the shrine must be somewhere between."

"Good thing it's not been that bad a winter. There can be snow in the mountains," Reno said.

"You think a little snow will stop someone like the Shirosama?"

"That crazy old coot? He's harmless."

"No," Summer said. "He's not."

Reno looked at her for a long, contemplative moment, then back at Taka. "I'm going out," he said abruptly. "I'll be back in the morning. We can work out the details then." He was already at the door, shoving his feet back into his boots, putting the sunglasses down over his extraordinary eyes. "You can use my bed," he added with a grin, and then he was gone, the door closing behind him.

«
^
»

"I'
ll use Reno's bed," Taka said absently, still staring at the kimono. "You can take the futon."

"Why? Is his bed as scary as his toilet?" He turned to look at her. Her encounter with Reno didn't seem to have daunted her, but then, she wasn't easily daunted. He didn't like to see her wrapped in Reno's
yukata
. More of that irrational macho bullshit that was running through his veins recently. He still couldn't believe he'd hit his cousin, for suggesting something they'd actually done when they were younger. But that had just been sex with a willing young woman, and Taka understood sex very well. He just didn't understand what was going on between him and Summer Hawthorne.

He could blame his mysterious American father for it, he supposed. His Japanese side was much more pragmatic; sex was healthy, athletic, not to be confused with practicalities like marriage and business and the important things in life. He preferred his sex undiluted with emotions, feelings, and up until now he'd managed that very well.

His future wife would be perfect for that. She was exquisite, graceful, controlled and athletic in bed. They would have the perfect marriage, and his grandfather, if he couldn't accept Taka, might finally accept his children.

Unfortunately, his grandfather could go fuck himself, as Taka had politely suggested just an hour ago. The old man had connections, including his brother, Great-uncle Hiro, and once he knew Taka had returned to Japan, he'd tracked down his cell phone number, an impressive feat. A mistake, however. Taka had been too concerned with catching Reno before he came home to find Summer in his apartment, and demands about marriage contracts weren't on the top of his priority list. Or his grandfather's long-withheld approval, he'd realized. The wedding was off, and his reluctant bride would breathe a sigh of relief.

There was something liberating about finally letting go of the old man. Finally figuring out what it was Taka himself wanted. Summer was standing in the room, wearing Reno's
yukata
, and if she had a knife she'd probably stab him. His kind of woman.

"What are you smiling about?" she demanded.

"Nothing," he said. "Why don't you change? I wouldn't trust anything Reno wore next to his body."

"Eww…" she said. "What am I supposed to wear?"

He tossed the silk kimono at her. "It's told me everything I need to know. You can have it now." Taka had a flashing memory of her standing naked in the middle of the room when he'd snatched the kimono off her. He shouldn't have even noticed, should have been too busy looking at the missing clue. But he had noticed, and so had his cousin.

"Am I allowed to go into the bathroom this time?" She didn't wait for an answer, which was just as well. Taka would have told her no, and he had no good reason for it, other than their track record with bathrooms.

By the time she emerged again he'd found her a pillow and quilt for the futon. Reno's bed would have probably been more comfortable for her American bones, but his decor would be a little…off-putting.

She glanced down at the futon and the one pillow, and was probably thinking
Thank God
. She didn't look happy, but that was wishful thinking on his part. He had no excuse to touch her, no excuse to want her. He just did.