Page 26

Akio

ALL HE could do was hold his breath as he watched Diesel and Kuroki stare at each other. He knew things were about to get ugly. There was no way around that. Kuroki couldn’t let Diesel live. Not when he’d practically stolen his heritage. Even though Diesel sure as shit wouldn’t want it, letting him live was not an option for Kuroki. It certainly wouldn’t have been an option for his father, and Daichi Kuroki had taken it upon himself to become the son Kaito Yokota had always wanted. He was just as ruthless if not more so.

He hoped Diesel had thought of a plan before showing up here. While both Gemma and Diesel were armed, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Kuroki and his men. There were too many of them and not enough places to hide in here.

“Unfortunately, coward or not, you’re in my way.”

“Is that so?”

“How did you think this would go?” Kuroki asked, smirking at Diesel.

Diesel returned his smile, and Akio felt a shiver rock through him at the malice in Diesel’s voice as he spoke.

“Exactly how I want it to.”

As if on cue, a loud sound had Akio jerking and dropping into a crouch.

People were shooting, the sounds, the flashes, he could barely focus. Could barely breathe.

A hand grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and dragged him backward. There was an opening between the rows of shelving units and Diesel shoved him through it, following while he shot his gun toward Kuroki and his men.

He didn’t know where Gemma was. Hopefully, she was still alive.

A sob tore through him, and he knew he was close to having a panic attack, his body shaking and his lungs seizing.

“Go,” Diesel snapped at him, reaching into his gun belt to switch out his spent magazine.

Akio stood on shaking legs and told himself he could do this. Diesel needed him to do this. To be strong. To survive.

He turned and ran. Away from Diesel. Away from the gunfire.

The part of him that wanted to label him a coward was surprisingly quiet as he ran, his legs pumping fast under him, carrying him further and further away from danger.

When he reached the end of the row, he skidded to a halt, trying to remember which way the door they’d entered through was.

He took two steps forward and then arms wrapped around him from behind. He trashed as he was brought against an unfamiliar chest and felt the cold splash of fear run through him.

“Not so fast,” Kuroki snarled, fingers locking over Akio’s throat and putting pressure on his windpipe. He gasped but air didn’t come.

“I’m gonna enjoy―”

He slammed his head back and heard a crunch as he broke Kuroki’s nose, the man crying out and pushing Akio down. He hit the ground with his knees and hands and felt a sharp jolt of pain in his joints.

He saw the white and yellow flash of a gun firing and whipped around to watch Kuroki stumble, his hand going to his left side, blood pooling under his hand and coloring his white dress shirt a red so deep it was nearly black.

His heart was beating so fast and hard that he had trouble breathing.

He watched as his brother stepped closer, his eyes a black void as he stared at Kuroki, gun still aimed at him.

“Fucker,” Kuroki gasped out.

“You should’ve stayed away from my brother.”

Diesel pulled a black wire out of his back pocket and Akio realized he’d been recording everything. Lucas. It had to be from Lucas.

“I’m gonna take my time carving him into pieces,” Kuroki spat and followed it with a chilling laugh.

Diesel met Akio’s gaze for a heartbreaking moment.

“We’re not doing witness protection,” Diesel said under his breath, his voice icy.

Akio didn’t look away as his brother pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing Kuroki’s left eye and sending brain matter splattering on the ground and wall behind him.

While his stomach rolled, he couldn’t claim to feel sorry for the bastard.

Bullets pinged off the metal shelves around them and Akio ducked down, hands covering his ears as he cried out.

“Go,” Diesel yelled at him, a darkness in his eyes Akio had only seen once before.