Page 25

Akio

SNEAKING AWAY was easier than he’d thought it would be. Then again, it wasn’t him they were all focused on right now. Gemma would have a harder time leaving without them noticing, which was likely why he’d waited for over five minutes by her car.

She’d told him which car was hers and where she’d parked it and to wait for her there. He was on the verge of heading back when she finally appeared, a somber expression on her face. She pulled out her key fob and the lock on the doors clicked.

“Get in.”

He didn’t hesitate to pull open the passenger side door and slide into the seat, buckling his seatbelt with shaking hands.

“You made the call?” he asked when Gemma was in her seat, too.

Gemma gave a short nod. “I have an address.”

Gemma stayed silent on the drive and while he wouldn’t know the first thing to talk about, the silence meant that his thoughts got very loud. He nearly asked Gemma to turn around several times, when he thought about how his brother or Lucas would feel knowing what he’d done. The risk he was taking. He knew he was basically screwing them over in the process, but he had to do something, and he knew they would never agree to use him as bait.

He needed to do this because he didn’t know how he would ever live with himself if he didn’t. He didn’t think he would ever be able to let go of that crippling guilt without doing this.

They’d already had Gemma’s niece for five weeks and he could do something to get her home, to ensure she was safe.

He knew he wasn’t responsible for Kuroki’s actions, but he was responsible for his own. He hadn’t even thought about telling anyone what he knew of his father’s business. He didn’t do his part to stop it four years ago, but he could do it now.

His gaze dropped to his right arm. The sleeve of his jacket had rolled back just enough to show the silver bracelet around his wrist. He hadn’t brought his phone because he knew it could be traced. He wasn’t sure that the bracelet couldn’t but from what Chris told him, it would only send a signal when the gemstone button was held for five seconds.

It was his only lifeline.

He swallowed hard though it did nothing to dissolve the lump in his throat. The longer they drove, the thicker that lump got.

He knew there was a chance he didn’t make it out of this alive and while he tried not to think too much about it, he found it hard not to. The things he would miss. Every second he could’ve spent with Lucas, loving him, being loved. His sister at prom. Her graduation. His own. Maggie and Ryder maybe getting their shit together. Diesel losing his shit over the dress Addie would likely wear to prom. Chris joking about him and Lucas. There were so many things he’d miss if he didn’t make it. Maybe even his own wedding.

He sucked in a breath and knew Gemma noticed but thankfully she didn’t mention it and kept her eyes on the road.

He dropped his head back against the headrest, eyes closing as he tried to imagine it. He didn’t care much about the venue. He cared mostly about the people attending. His family being there to celebrate with them. He knew Lucas would look handsome as hell in a suit, and he would likely find a way to get Akio out of his own before they even walked down the aisle. He loved that. Lucas’ lack of restraint when it came to how much he wanted him.

He wasn’t sure if that was how it always was or if he’d just gotten extremely lucky. He saw it with his brother and Chris because, god help him, he’d had to put his headphones on or escape out of a room because of those two and their inability to keep their hands off each other a million times.

He wanted that for himself. He wanted it for him and Lucas.

Desperately.

He had so much to live for. He’d once fought for a chance to have that. Now he was fighting for it.

He felt the car stop and then the engine turned off. He opened his eyes and looked at Gemma. Her knuckles were white as she squeezed the hell out of the steering wheel. She turned her head, likely feeling his gaze on her and he caught a sliver of fear in her icy blues before her expression shuddered and she released the steering wheel.

“Let’s go,” she said and stepped out of the car.

Akio took a second before he unbuckled his seat belt and followed her out onto the street. Gemma headed for the back of the car and opened the trunk. He moved toward her with heavy steps.

“Here,” Gemma said, handing him a Kevlar vest. “Put it under your shirt.”

He took the black vest, grimacing as he held it in front of him.

“Is it necessary?”

Kuroki was much too sadistic to simply shoot him. He would want him to suffer. It would hurt physically. He knew he would never truly be prepared for that but that wasn’t what he feared. It was not what he had nightmares about.

A chill ran down his back and if it wasn’t for the lives he’d already cost others, he would’ve tucked tail and run already.

“Humor me,” Gemma said though the look she gave him made it clear she was leaving no room for discussion.

He nodded and held the vest between his legs to pull his jacket and shirt off. He put the vest on and as he fit it on himself, he watched Gemma do the same with hers. She pulled the strips with Velcro tight across her chest, so he copied her.

He was glad he at least had an undershirt on because the vest wasn’t exactly soft against the skin. It made his upper body feel completely stiff and his movements were impeded. It forced him to hold his arms a little away from his body.

He grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. Good thing it was black. Kuroki might not notice the vest under it. At least not from a distance. His jacket would probably help to conceal it, too.

“Let’s go,” Gemma said and shut the trunk.

He tried to keep up with her long strides. He was only a little shorter than her, but her legs were definitely longer, or perhaps it was simply that they were walking in a direction he didn’t want to go in.

They were in an industrial area. He could hear a train close by though he couldn’t see any tracks. They were likely behind the two-story building Gemma was leading them toward. There were a few trucks and building supplies in the fenced-in yard next to the building and a lot of cars parked along the street. He didn’t see any people, though.

When they reached the open gate of that yard, Gemma continued inside, heading toward a side entrance. She stopped in front of the door and took an audible breath. Her hand wrapped around his upper arm, and they shared a quick look before she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

They walked into a large room with several rows of huge, filled shelving units. Halfway down the row Gemma was taking them down was a group of at least seven men. They all had black hair and Asian features, one of them with a scar through his left eyebrow.

Kuroki stood in front of his men, all of them wearing expensive suits as if that would hide the fact that they were some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. His father had been much the same. He had preached about etiquette and image while throwing his son into a cage when he misbehaved which was just his fancy way of saying that Akio had disappointed him by not being his brother.

“Took you long enough.”

Gemma didn’t answer, she just pulled Akio to a halt a few feet away from Kuroki and his men.

Kuroki’s cold eyes were chilling. He tried to stave off any flashbacks and memories of his father, but it was hard. Very fucking hard considering the situation they were in.

He was about to go back into that cage. Willingly.

It felt like letting his father win though he would happily surrender himself when it meant that the others had a chance to take down this piece of shit before he hurt anyone else.

His hand went to the bracelet around his wrist. It was a risk to be sure. Kuroki might have it removed later but it was the only thing he could think of to help the others find them. His fingers wrapped around his wrist and when he felt the gemstone under his palm, he pressed down on it. He kept his hand over it, holding firm.

Kuroki tilted his head to the side, a wicked smile on his lips as he ran his gaze over Akio.

“How long has it been, hmm? Four? Five years? Welcome home, Yokota-San.”

Akio knew better than to speak. He glared at Kuroki with all the ire he felt for him.

There he was. The one man responsible for so many ruined lives.

He almost felt bad for him because he knew how Kuroki had been raised. He’d seen the bruises Kuroki’s father had left on him when he fucked up, but he also knew he was the stronger of the two. He hadn’t given in to his father’s sadistic ways. Kuroki had.

“And our deal?” Kuroki asked Gemma when Akio didn’t rise to his bait.

“You can have him once my niece is safe,” Gemma said.

Akio tried not to react but there was something in Gemma’s voice that made his heart stutter.

“Well, a deal is a deal.”

Kuroki motioned to one of his men and a moment later, a beep sounded next to Akio.

Gemma looked at her phone, relief crossing her face for all of a second before she gave Kuroki a short nod. She typed on her phone for a moment, and then she looked up at Akio, meeting his gaze, gratitude in her blue-gray eyes.

He heard a door open and close and then footsteps behind them.

His shoulders shut up, his whole body tensing, and his heart raced at the almost amused look spreading on Kuroki’s face.

Kuroki grinned. “And so, the prodigal son returns.”

Akio glanced over his shoulder, a fleeting look, to find his brother walking up behind him. His lip was split, and he had a menacing look on his face. He was wearing black clothes, but his leather cut was missing. His gun was visible in his hip holster, but he didn’t reach for it as he stopped next to Gemma.

“Daichi,” Diesel said, addressing the man by his first name and without an honorific. If his brother wanted to piss Kuroki off, that was certainly the way to do it.

“Rude,” Kuroki said with a haunting smile. “Though I should expect nothing less from someone who ran like a coward.”

“He was a kid,” Akio found himself interjecting.

He felt eyes snap onto him and tried not to move or fidget. He kept his gaze locked on Kuroki, refusing to look away.

“Must be hereditary,” Kuroki mused, gaze turning to Diesel.

There was a slight tick in Diesel’s jaw, but he didn’t speak as the two of them stared at each other. The tension between them was thick and he felt like he could’ve choked on it.

“What do you want?” Diesel asked.

“Well.” Kuroki’s lips turned up at one corner. “Your brother has been fucking me over lately.”

“Has he?”

There was just the slightest tone of amusement in Diesel’s voice and from the way Kuroki’s eyes narrowed, he noticed it, too.

“He’s a fucking snitch,” Kuroki hissed. “He’s probably the one who turned your father into the FBI, too. He needs to pay.”

The man’s evil smile had Akio’s heart skipping a painful beat.

“He’s my brother. I’ll deal with it,” Diesel said, his expression unreadable and his voice cold.

Kuroki’s lips twitched and Akio got the sense that he didn’t believe Diesel. Kuroki didn’t say as much, though.

Akio wrapped his arms around himself. He was shivering and not from the freezing air.

“I hear you’ve expanded from human trafficking,” Diesel said, eyes shooting toward Gemma. “Extortion. How boring of you.”

Kuroki shook his head. “You have no imagination, brother. I’ve expanded the kingdom. I remain unchallenged. I ensured the right people were in my pocket.”

“All you did was take over what my father had already built,” Diesel said with a sneer. “I should’ve known when I killed him that I’d have to run down his lapdogs, too.”

Kuroki’s brows snapped together and there was surprise on his face for a second. He hadn’t known. Well, how could he? The public thought it had been an FBI raid that killed Kaito Yokota and his men.

“Perhaps you’re not as much of a coward as I thought you to be.”

“Oh, I’m no coward,” Diesel said with a dangerous smile.