by Ivy Harper
She screwed up her nose. “Alicia, but my mommy calls me Jazz.”
I looked down at the peaceful expression of the woman in my arms. She’d snuggled into my hold. I lifted her up and pressed my lips to her forehead.
“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”
Getting into the SUV, I said, “We need to get to the hospital.”
Roman gave me a nod. I moved Jazz so she rested against my side. Taking hold of her hand, I promised myself I’d never let her go again.
Chapter 49
Liberiu
Tak
* * *
An hour later, I sat by Jazz’s bedside staring at her sleeping face. The doctor had prescribed her some meds. He said to make sure she was fine they would keep her to monitor her overnight.
I’d already called Pit and everyone else to let them know what happened. Although, I’m sure Ox or Roman had filled Pit in.
From the video she sent, Chelsea had beautifully explained my absence to my fans and my band members had covered for me. For once, I didn’t regret working with those three idiots.
My phone buzzed and a number I didn’t recognize appeared. I answered, “Hello?”
“It’s Alicia’s uncle, come outside so we can talk.” The phone clicked off.
I stared at it and then looked at Jazz. Standing up, I walked over to her side and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Turning away from her, I exited to see her uncle standing across from the entrance to Jazz’s room.
“Follow me,” he said, turning to go.
I glanced around before following him. “Where are we going?”
“Not far, I just wanted to walk a bit. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten out from behind a desk. At my age, it’s good to stroll every once in a while.”
“Well, I’m not interested in your issues,” I said as I stopped right before we reached the exit door. “You said you’d clear things up about Al… Jazz for me. If you’re just going to waste my time, fuck it.”
The old fucker didn’t seem the bit ruffled by my words. He turned and faced me, a look of amusement on his face.
“Fine, then I’ll cut to the chase. What are your intentions toward my niece?”
“I love her.”
Carter’s expression turned skeptical. “You love Jazz, the person she pretended to be. What makes you think Alicia “Jasmine” Roarke is the same as her? The Roarke name is synonymous with success and wealth. She’s never worn anything that’s not worth more than your entire paycheck. In her family’s eyes the Nakamuras are nobodies.”
I flinched when he said my real last name. This fucker knew a lot more than I’d first assumed. It was rare to meet someone who made me feel like they could see right through me.
The first person who came to mind was Pit. Still, this guy wasn’t going to scare me away.
“I don’t care about all of that. I choose to believe the woman who I made love to, watched gruesome zombies with, cooked with, and who kicked my ass running every morning is the same woman you’re talking about. I love her and I have every intention of marrying her.”
Carter stared at me steadily in silence for a long minute. It was like he was dissecting me with his eyes to see the love I had for Jazz.
“Very well. What do you want to know first?”
Thousands of questions popped up. It took me a moment to sort through them.
“What happened back there?”
I knew the Roarke name. They were one of the top business groups in Vander City. From restaurant chains to fashion stores, they owned a good chunk of Vander.
They were known to be so wealthy that if you entered business with the name Roarke backing you, there was no way you wouldn’t succeed. They also were the ones behind the Roarke Foundation, where only the most elite businessmen could sit on the board of directors.
“Alicia is the only heir to the Roarke fortune,” Carter continued. “She has been in a silent cold war with her father, Clark Bennington since she was eighteen. When Alicia was seventeen, she came home to find her mother dead and went into shock.
“Naturally, her father showed his concern. It took a year before we realized what he was really up to. Alicia was kept in a semi-vegetive state for a year by her own father’s hands.
“She was held prisoner while her father used her to manipulate her grandfather to have the responsibilities of the company handed over to him.”
Carter’s expression turned dark. “At the time, my wife was out of the loop because she’d been disowned for marrying me. So, we never learned about this until Alicia suddenly came to her senses when she turned eighteen and managed to finally get away. Unfortunately, by that time her grandfather was half senile and couldn’t do much for her.”
I ground my teeth, trying to remain calm. I felt anger toward Jazz for hiding such a big thing from me and I was angry at myself for never asking more.
“Luckily, once she entered my household, I was able to help her get her inheritance back under her control and started the process of helping her recover from her stint with her father. If you’d seen how skinny she was then…”
He trailed off, his expression turning nearly black. “I’d have killed Clark then if he hadn’t gotten a hold of some information that was dangerous for my family.”
Carter shook his head. “Anyway, when she was nineteen, he went to court, trying to have them make him the conservator of her estate. He tried to claim she wasn’t mentally well and couldn’t handle such a huge estate and wealth on her own.
“He failed, of course, but he’d continued trying to get his hands on Roarke funds. Alicia decided to stop fighting over the foundation her mother had willed to him, in favor of looking into her mother’s death instead.
“Still, that wasn’t enough, he always hung around her, looking to get his hands on anything he could, like a damn rat.”
“So, how did she end up as my bodyguard of all things?”
Carter laughed and gave me an amused look. “That’s because she tried to steal your car, something she does for fun every once in a while to relieve stress from work. It’s harmless, usually she goes for a joy ride and leaves the car somewhere for the owner to find it later, but this time she managed to steal your car by coincidence.”
I immediately remembered the thief who’d stared at me in bemused shock as they stood by my car. She’d been the one who’d tried to steal my car?
Carter continued. “She saw the guys who took you and followed them and had my nephew Dutch call the authorities when she realized they were up to no good.”
Carter reached over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “My niece can be reckless sometimes. Alicia thought she could take this chance to repay you by protecting you.”
He gave my shoulder a solid pat before he removed his hand. “As to repayment for what, I think I should leave that to her to tell. I’ve been protecting her since she was a young girl and now it’s your turn to do so. Don’t give me a reason to have to visit you in the future,” he warned.
“Don’t worry about that, I’d protect her with my life.”
“Ha ha, good. Tell my niece I’ll be visiting her later.”
“Will do.”
He turned to go but stopped and turned back. “Ah, I almost forgot. It’s a tradition in my family to handle a problem for the person marrying into it. I have a present for you if you’re willing to come with me.”
I debated for a moment before I decided to see what Carter had for me. “I’ll come.”
His expression was a pleased one. “I like a man who gets his hands dirty. Don’t worry, I’ll leave two of my own men to keep an eye on her.” He smiled and turned. “Let’s go, I’ll have you back before she wakes up.”
I followed Carter out of the hallway into the emergency exit. Immediately, I noticed the alarm hadn’t gone off. I paused on the steps to glance back.
“Don’t worry about the alarms,” Carter said as he continued down. “Dutch took care of them. That boy has always been clever with computers. He
’s actually the reason we were able to get your present together in such a short time.”
I didn’t respond to this and followed him until we reached the first floor. It hadn’t escaped my knowledge that someone would have had to assist Jazz in faking her identity to get the job with me. That person must have been this Dutch person.
Once we hit the first floor, we exited to find a sleek black car parked outside. The guy I’d seen earlier named Zeno leaned against it. His appearance casual and at ease, accept for the gun that was in his holster.
He didn’t look at me, but at Carter. “Pop’s, Cirah said we’ve got two hours before she has to take him back.”
“Text her we’re on our way,” Carter said, walking around the car to the other side. “And show some manners, say hello to Tak.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Zeno said as he opened the door and got in. “I’ll share pleasantries with the fucker after he deals with his shit.”
Carter shook his head as he got in. I followed their example and soon we were driving through Vander City. I was too focused on where they were taking me and what I would find to give two shits about the barking coming from Jazz’s cousin. I could make his life miserable later.
A while later we pulled in front of a steel warehouse. The large building had a few other cars parked outside. I spotted a woman standing in the center of a circle of men. Her pose was relaxed. The minute her eyes landed on our car, she moved forward.
Getting out, I finally asked. “What’s here?”
Carter only offered me one of his mysterious smiles before he turned his attention to the young woman walking toward us. “Cirah, I knew I could count on you.”
Cirah offered him a small smile. “Uncle, I wasn’t sure how long it would take you, but me and the guys added some tools to make it a bit more interesting. I hope you don’t mind.”
He gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. “No, no, it’s fine. This time it won’t be me playing, but Jazz’s fiancé. Lead him inside, Zeno, and I will wait here.”
Cirah looked away from Carter to me. She gave me a once-over before she said, “Come with me.”
I shot Carter a look, but the old man had already walked over to the group of men who were hanging around. Zeno had also left.
Seeing I had no choice, I walked over to Cirah. “Since those two didn’t want to say, can you tell me what the fuck I’m about to walk into?”
She hummed before she said, “The best thing someone can give a victim.”
Hearing the word victim, I frowned. I wasn’t a victim. I tried to think over what she meant as we entered through the open door of the steel warehouse.
The first thing that hit me was the smell, it was thick and cloying. I’d say it was the stench of piss. Cirah’s heels clicked along the cement floor as we walked past pile after pile of wooden pallets.
The second thing I noticed was the sound of masculine begging. Within minutes of hearing him, I saw him with his arms tied above his head by rattling chains. Two men were standing beneath him.
One man was holding the end of the chain that was wrapped around Sakai’s wrists, keeping him suspended in the air. He held him low enough for the other guy to stuff his mouth with what looked to be a ball gag. Cirah’s voice cut through the haze that was fast building in my head.
“We put some toys on that table over there.” She pointed to where there was a table to the left, covered with different weapons and torture devises. “And if I can offer a recommendation, I enjoy the knives and nails personally.”
I swallowed over the rage that threatened to choke me. “Are you sure you want to allow me to do this?”
I thought back to everything that son of a bitch had done to me. I could faintly feel the echo of pain that ran through my body just remembering how ruthlessly he had beaten me. If they let me loose, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t kill him.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “I might kill him,” I bite out.
She laughed. “And if you do, we’ll deal with it.” She gave my shoulder a small pat. “After all, this is who you’ve really been looking for. He was behind it all. You’ve got forty minutes. Do everything you want and can think of. You’re now one of us.”
With that, she motioned to the two men. “Reeves, tie him down and let’s leave Mr. Nakamura to it.”
I stood alone with the monster from my childhood. He’d also tried to kill me and inadvertently continued to put Jazz’s life in danger. I thought about it and finally, I walked up to him. I grabbed the ball gag and jerked it out.
“Fuck,” he released a low gasp.
Terror-filled eyes looked at me in supplication. “Tak, Takuya, please help me,” he begged, his face was bloated as spittle and snot slipped down it. Fuck, it was disgusting.
“I want to ask you something first.”
For the first time, without drugs or Jazz, I felt calm.
He sputtered. “P… please, let me go.” He frantically looked around the warehouse. “I… I’ll answer anything you want if you let me go.”
My lips curled up into a cruel smile. “Why?”
His gaze focused back on me; confusion clouded his eyes. “W… what?”
“I want to know why. Why you beat me up when we were kids. Why you decided I should die. What were you thinking when you decided killing me was a thing? I just want to know, why do any of it?”
Sakai’s expression emptied of emotion, his skin lost color. He licked his lips as he seemed to search for an answer. After a few minutes of silence, I laughed.
“You can’t answer, can you?”
I shook my head and turned around and walked over to the table. I perused the items there.
“Let me take a crack at guessing. When we were kids you knew my parent’s didn’t give a shit about me. You beat the fuck out of me because you could, and you knew no one would stop you. Not my parents, not the staff, and damn sure not your parents.”
I spotted a set of brass knuckles and picked them up. “Shit, if I’d never fought back, you would have continued beating the crap out of me.”
I slipped the brass knuckles on each hand and flexed my fingers. Then I turned back around and walked over to him.
“No, no, that’s not it. I was stupid, just a dumb kid,” he yelled, trying to explain himself.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Then are you saying your dumb now. Is that why you hired someone to kill me? Because you were too fucking stupid to just let me live my life.” I shook my head, “No, I don’t think so.”
I reached up and grabbed the ball and shoved it into his mouth. “You know what, I’ve decided why you did it doesn’t matter anymore.” He shook and struggled against the chains, but there was nothing he could do. I moved back and pulled off my T-shirt and tossed it to the ground.
I took up a stance in front of him. “Cirah said this would be the best gift for me since I was a victim. At first, I was confused, but now I know what she meant.”
Without another word, I slammed my brass knuckle-covered fist into his chest. I just wailed on him until my eyes ached from the tears and sweat that dripped down my face. For a moment, I just forgot where I was and who I was beating.
It was like with ever hit of my fist against his body another wound on my soul was expunged. This fucker had taken advantage of my broken home. He’d hurt me and the woman I loved.
If I didn’t carve out at least a piece of his flesh, could I even fucking call this taking revenge? The only reason I stopped was because Zeno pulled me away.
“Enough, Tak, enough.”
I struggled against him and that’s when I realized I’d been screaming the entire time. I’d been yelling like a wild man. My cousin had long since lost consciousness and was swinging back and forth with blood dripping down his bruised body.
I stopped struggling against Zeno’s hold. As soon as I did, he released me and backed away. My chest heaved as I inhaled and exhaled roughly, the ache in my hands drew my attention.
The brass knuckles were covere
d with blood and what looked to be a piece of flesh. I quickly pulled them off and tossed them away. Moving over to where I’d tossed my shirt, I picked it up and pulled it on.
Cirah and Zeno were both admiring Sakai’s unconscious body.
“Well, shit, I guess you’re not as limp wristed as I thought,” Zeno said in amusement.
I didn’t even acknowledge what he said. I left and headed straight for Carter who stood outside smoking. The crowd of men that had been hanging around had left.
Carter spotted me and casually tossed the cigarette down and stepped on it. “You’re done?”
“I’m done,” I answered.
Carter observed me steadily, his expression serious. “Good, now let’s get you back to my niece and both of you can move forward from this.”
“Yeah.”
Together we left the warehouse and headed back to the hospital. I was more than eager to see Jazz, I needed to see her. She was my future and she was the singular thing that could center me.
Chapter 50
Awaken to Truth
Jazz
* * *
Opening my eyes, I stared blankly at the white ceiling. Again, I woke up in a hospital bed. There was a heavy weight holding my arm down.
I looked over and found a headful of thick black hair filling my vision. I knew it was Tak. I wasn’t sure if this was real or not, so I didn’t move. The last thing I could remember with full clarity was the sight of my father cringing away from me in fear.
I licked my lips. My mouth was dry. I lifted my left hand and pressed it to my forehead. I wasn’t running a fever. Lowering my arm, I tried to remember what happened. I’d wanted to kill my father and I couldn’t do it. I gave up after a few more minutes of recalling nothing else.
I thought this frustrated tight feeling in my chest I had been carrying for so many years would disappear the minute he was gone. The memory of his scared expression should have filled me with joy. Instead, I felt empty. All my hate had been used up and now there was nothing left.
