From our rocky beginnings, we’re starting over. Not very many people get a second chance to grow up and do it again.
Do better. Try more. Love bolder.
In the gift of our crazy chaotic world, Iris and I have the forgiveness of time.
This begins our courtship.
And the romance of Sal and Iris.
We’re the start of something good.
Several hours later, we pull into a seedy looking area of town as the sun is threatening to rise. The steady soft mist grazes over the windows and a light fog parts at our passing. The large steel warehouses are reminiscent of the ones we own.
My body tenses, fearing this isn’t right. My fists clench, knowing something went wrong. My trained reaction comes on strong—fight. But I keep hearing Iris say, “I’ll see you soon.”
I calm the shaking—fully aware they have a quiet Dom to execute a calculated maneuver, a playful Nico to butcher the evil, and a prankster Deacon to unexpectedly go off the deep end. We aren’t that different. They even have a me, though I’m not sure who he is, or if he is even here.
“You’re the intended of the The Chairman’s granddaughter.”
They won’t kill me. Whatever happens, I will be standing at the end of fear. And because of this, I decide to proudly march through it. I will not run or hide.
The trail of cars stops near the doors. “Mr. Raniero,” my driver says. “It’s time.”
I say nothing and leave my bags behind. I’m patted down—but I’m clean. And now, I’m very sober. I don’t know why I do it, but the moment he opens the door, I close my eyes, say a quick prayer, and make the sign of the cross. “Here we go.”
There are a dozen guys in black suits lined up in a perfect row. The half a dozen men from the vehicles stand behind me. I’ve never been this outnumbered, but I don't blink. “Greetings, Mr. Raniero, I am Yoshi Nakamura. I am Iris’ cousin.”
…Holy…fucking…hell…
“I would like to welcome you to our Japan.” He bows and I do the same. “As you might expect, we have many questions for you.”
“Of course, Sir.” I expect no less. “I will do my best to answer them all.”
“My family,” he says, extending his arms to either side. “Will be interviewing you for the next few days.”
I wasn’t too far off about the twelve-headed beast.
“If you pass our tests, you will move on to meet with The Chairman.” I must have imparted a look of confusion. “And if he approves, you will then be allowed to meet with the lotus.”
That’s my girlfriend, bastard.
And you’re keeping her away from me.
“If any of the thirteen do not approve, you agree to board our jet and never return. You can abide by our terms or there is no point in even beginning the rigors.”
“I accept your gracious offer.”
“Very well,” he says, leading the way to a smaller room. It reminds me of a city council chambers with a vast space where the civilians would sit. The walls are rich black lacquer and three sides are lined with tables and chairs. In the middle, a lone chair sits. I note the stacks of gymnastic pads and other equipment, but I don’t really think much about it. “Please take the seat in the center.”
The six escorts from the drive do not enter, but the famiglia clusters in three groups of four and take their seats along the wall. “We expect your complete honesty, Mr. Raniero.”
“Please, call me Sal.”
He smiles and nods. “Try not to be nervous. I expect you will walk out of here. You should expect so too. But as one of a long lineage, you must understand we have concerns. Drop the ego. Be truthful. Be real. And don’t try to outsmart the questions.”
“I understand,” I say.
“Don’t be your own worst enemy.”
I smile from the corner of my mouth.
“The process will take approximately two days.”
“Forty-eight hours.”
“Your numerical skills are far better served elsewhere, Sal,” he remarks with a light chuckle. “Stop bouncing your leg. Don’t fidget. Sit up straight. Breathe.” He glances around at the other members of Iris’ family. I know not all of them want her to attain the position, but that doesn’t mean they will go against The Chairman either. He wants this because she wants this. “Are we ready?”
They silently nod as the man closest to me on the left raises. Without introduction, he says, “You have been involved with a society known as Sibyl for approximately nine years as a mercenary and assassin. What has been your greatest lesson?”
Oh. Fuck.
I lick my lips and anxiously move my mouth. I glance at Yoshi. “May I take my jacket off?”
“You can do whatever you would like,” he says. “But you must answer the questions.”
On wobbly legs, I lift up and move the chair to the back of the room. I pull off my jacket and set it over the back. My hands tremble as I slowly unbutton my dress shirt. I hear the mutterings from behind me, but I cannot make out what they are saying. I kick off my shoes and tug my socks from toes. I crack my neck and knuckles and turn around to their assessing stares. I lower to my knees in the middle of the floor—a classic subservient position—and nod at Yoshi, who is smiling at me.
“Get him a pad,” Yoshi demands, not breaking our stare.
“Thank you,” I say as one of them lays the mat on the ground.
Yoshi clasps his fingers together and asks, “Do you need anything else?”
“A bottle of water. My ball cap, gum, and smokes out of my bag.”
He obliges my requests with a nod, and I know then, they are workable. I anticipated strict and stringent, but that was The Commission. These guys – my future family because I will pass their tests – are warm and welcoming like Iris.
The door slams shut as one of the youngest ones brings the items to me. “Apologies. We need to get that repaired. I brought you two waters.” He hands over the ball cap with my gum and smokes tucked inside the cap. “Here is an ashtray, Sir.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I resume the position on the floor as I note the man next to Yoshi lighting a smoke. The questioner is still standing. “I apologize.”
“I understand your nerves,” he gently conveys. “You are one in amongst all of us. Calm.”
I nod. “The great lesson I’ve learned during my time as an agent is how to read people. The study of their behavior and the psychology behind their motivations has been an incredible lesson. From both sides—victim and perpetrator. I have a lot of patience and understanding I know I did not possess at nineteen.”
“Do you plan on continuing your work with them?”
“I’m very picky about the cases I work on now,” I reply.
“And do you see the conflict of interest between your work and your family?”
I pop a piece of gum in my mouth. “I do.”
He crosses his arms. “And how do you plan to make that work?”
“I don’t. If I’m accepted as the intended, I will be leaving both.”
“Does this include your associations with The Unholy?”
I dump the contents of my hat on the floor. “My original plan was to allow Lotus to take over our contracts and have The Unholy in a position of servitude.”
“And if you are asked to consult?”
“In which area?”
He cocks his head slightly. “Either.”
“I will consider it based upon the needs of the lotus.”
Placing a blown blue glass lotus on the table, he comments, “Thank you.”
I nod as the next one rises.
“Greetings, Mr. Raniero. I only have two questions. Who is the first person you loved?”
I quickly answer, “My Nonna. My maternal grandmother.”
“And would she approve of the lotus?”
I give a resounding, “Yes.”
Another blue glass lotus flower. I’m half-way done with one wall
. I breathe, thinking I’ve got this. After taking a sip of the water, I pull out a smoke and light it.
“How many women have you had intimate relations with?”
“There is only one I’ve been truly intimate with.”
Without moving my head, I blink at Yoshi who is trying to not smile. “More than a hundred?”
“No.”
“More than fifty?”
While trying to count in my head, I purse my lips together and tilt my head ever so slightly. “I would say it is probably around fifty.”
“What makes the lotus different?”
“She is everything,” I reply, taking a drag. “I don’t want to exist without her.”
“And your engagement?”
I leave the smoke in my lips and pull my fingers. I take the cigarette, flick the ashes, and say, “The engagement will cease in less than a year if my position is approved.”
“And we are supposed to think this is an acceptable answer?”
“Yes,” I waver, floundering. “Because I have several important deals on the table which require my personal life not be disrupted until they are completed.”
He promptly places a red lotus flower and sits down. I smush out the smoke, feeling the rejection.
The next one asks, “You have a child. Do you know of her whereabouts?”
“Yes.”
“Because you hid her?”
“Yes.”
“Would you allow a Lotus franchise to assist you in her transfer?”
I furrow my brow, uncertain of his meaning. “… Transfer?”
“Protection stateside.”
“Yes.”
He scans over the three sitting at his table. “And do you promise to raise your children with the lotus and respect their history?”
“Yes, they will be raised with both of our cultures.”
Blue lotus.
“We will take a break now,” Yoshi says as they all dissipate through the door. All but Yoshi. He walks over and kneels. “You need to breathe.”
“I have a red flower.”
“It means nothing,” he assures, waving it off. “Prove him wrong.”
“Why are you on my side?”
“I’m not,” he rapidly replies. “I’m on Iris’ side. I’ve taken care of her since bringing her back from Guam.”
And now I know which one is me.
“You did it?”
“I was told I had to outsmart one of the best,” he informs with a smile. He picks up my gum.
“Have a piece,” I offer, and he does. “How will this take two days?”
“We are testing the qualities of the bushido.”
A wide grin comes across my face. A samurai—every lotus needs a warrior of her own. I think back to a time…
I imagine her in amongst the flowers and willows with her family. The Unholy will bow before Keishi Nakamura, and I become the warrior—his samurai—to regain control of Lotus. My only price will be his granddaughter.
“You need to own your truth,” he advises as the men file in. Some have drinks and have removed their jackets. “Don’t worry if the answer is pretty or not. We are all gangsters here, Sal.” He pats my shoulder and returns to his seat. “Shall we resume?”
“I would like to say something.” Wiping my sweaty palms on my slacks, I roll up onto my feet and face the dismal music of the one red flower. “I am engaged because my father threatened to kill the lotus. I didn’t want to do it. I was forced into it. I ask that the councilman reconsider in light of this.”
He nods.
But still refuses to flip his vote to blue.
“Thank you, Sal,” Yoshi says, welcoming the questions from the right side. “Masa, please begin.”
“You work out?”
“Yes,” I answer the odd question with a shifting gaze and a smirk. I look at his husky physique. “Do you?”
“Yes!” He grins. “What is your favorite activity?”
“I love to run.”
“Arm wrestle me?” He grabs another chair and places it on the other side of the table. I peek to Yoshi and he smiles. Masa pulls off his shirt to reveal two full sleeves of colorful ink. His nipples are pierced and he wears a gold chain.
“Do I get the girl then?”
“You already have her,” he replies. “We just may be the ones to break her heart.”
Something about the way he says it really hits home. I won’t be the one to hurt her; they will. I won’t even have a chance to say goodbye. She won’t think I’m rejecting her. She will know they rejected me. And somehow that matters as I sit down to arm wrestle with the young Masa.
“How old are you?”
“25.”
“Are you her cousin?” I ask, pulling off the gold and ruby ring with the crab inlay from Cristos.
“I’m her brother.” My eyes open wide. “Half, but still, her brother. Don’t mess this up, Boss.” He grins and I laugh at the bit of comic relief. “You’re left handed.”
“I am ambidextrous.”
“You also know Delarte.”
“I do,” I reply, putting my hand in his. The heated stare between us is intense as I wage to fight a vicious battle for my Angel.
The man beside him says, “Go!”
We are tied as the burn comes on quick. I should’ve done a cycle of bulking before this happened. The men are rallying around as sweat begins to pour from Masa’s temple. I release a little and he gains a small angle on me. I plant my feet firm to the ground and push through the agony as I hear Kaci screaming in my head, “Breathe, Raniero! Breathe!” I inhale and exhale. And force his arm back to the middle. I see the grimace in his eyes. I know, it fucking hurts, bro.
And so, will losing my girl.
With all the fight I have, I struggle through the pain in my hand and radiating heat in my bicep as I pray for the adrenaline rush to come quick. My mind flashes back to the pictures of Deacon and her together, making love like that—and I know I’m not angry with them. I’m angry with me. It should’ve been me; it always should be me.
I drop his arm back fast and the gathering family cheers. One of them hands him a towel. He wipes the sweat from his arms and face and hands it to me—this too is a test. I don’t hesitate to use it.
With a wide smile that looks so much like hers, Masa nods. “Good show!” He pats my shoulder and shakes my hand before placing his blue lotus on the table. “We’ll run before you leave.”
I put the chair back and deeply bow before him. He counts for more than one vote. He is her brother. Fuck—Iris has a brother. “Thank you, Sir Masa.”
“You’re welcome, Sir Salvatore.” He winks.
Resuming my spot on the floor, I take a deep breath and prepare for the next three. I practically guzzle down the bottle of water. The man doesn’t stand as he flips through several pieces of paper. “Will you be the sole benefactor of the Raniero Enterprises?”
“I have four sisters. I currently control fifty-one percent of the business.”
He scribbles on the page. “And what other assets do you currently have?”
“I have multiple properties in Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Nebraska, and Massachusetts.”
“At one point you had access to over a billion dollars, do you still?”
“No, we have invested a good portion of the funds in other ventures.”
Rubbing his face, he pulls off his glasses and asks, “So, you still have the money, but it is tied up?”
“Yes, we do.”
“Who is we?”
“Dom Gennaro, Deacon Cruz, Nico Cristos, and his father, Delarte Cristos.”
“And are you willing to liquidate some of those businesses and allow Lotus control?”
“Yes.”
“… No objection?”
“None,” I reply, honestly. “The only thing I refuse to sell is the real estate.”
He nods. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say as he sets his blue lotus on the table.
One brow uncontrollably shoots up as I puff out my cheeks. It’s easy to talk money, not so easy to talk private. “I like Domination—spanking, whipping, and restraint quite a bit.”
“And you’ve also been known to exhibit certain masochistic qualities with others and self-induced. How do you feel those will impact your relationship with the lotus?”
“She will provide the necessary means to accommodate them.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” I say as he gives a nod and the blue lotus.
The final man at the table smiles. “What is your biggest regret?”
“I don’t have any.”
He scrutinizes over me before sliding his blue lotus onto the table.
“We will be taking a break now,” Yoshi says.
Masa struts over and offers his hand. I take it and he helps me up. “You’re everything she said you were.”
“I need to piss,” I confide. “Please.”
He waves me on as we head back to the main warehouse where the six are sitting around playing cards. “Here,” he says, opening the door.
After the bottle of whiskey and most of the bottle of water, the relief of pissing is amazing. “You should know, the last four are going to be rough. They are The Chairman’s top advisors.”
I finish and go to wash my hands. “Is she close?”
“Yeah,” he says, escorting me back through the warehouse to the room. He opens the door and I stop dead in my tracks at the sight of her sitting at the final table. “She’s real close.” In a dark purple dress, she is talking with Yoshi and giggling as the men take their seats. “Good luck.”
With those luminous sapphires, Iris blinks, spotting me, as I pace towards the table. I reach behind me and pull off my tank top and toss it by my things as I continue walking closer. I turn on the balls of my feet, spread my arms wide, and show off my Iris Amarie ink. I pivot back, take one giant step closer, and kneel on one knee. I extend my hand and she rises up as I briefly lower my head.
“Did you think I wouldn’t come see you, Salvatore?”
“I didn’t know.”
“You aren’t done,” she points out, pulling ever so gently on my fingers. I stand up. “But I couldn’t stay away.”
Every Minute I Love You (a Tomb of Ashen Tears Book 3) Page 42
