A Love For Always (21 page)

She glanced over to Sam who was wrapping up testing the controls of the upgraded security system. Nate informed her of its impending installation—keyword being “informed.” There were many things she could debate with him, but security was not one of them. When it came to its technology, manpower, or method, she trusted Nate.

“Sam, can you see what’s taking Taylor so long? Maybe he couldn’t get the door open while carrying that piece for the restaurant.” Her sous chef said he found a cool koi painting to hang on one of the walls. Sam’s nod was fleeting. The bodyguard was a man of few words, but was very efficient and exacting in his actions. Nate appeared to trust the man implicitly, even if he had not been with BSI long. According to Nate though, Sam’s mettle was tested in a horrific assault on the safe house where Beatrice had been ensconced in when she had been a target for revenge on the admiral and Gabe. Sam had fought alongside Nate and the admiral in that firefight, and they held down the fort, outnumbered and all, until reinforcements arrived.

Minutes passed. Now where the hell was Sam?

Her phone buzzed.
 

“Kato?”

Her assistant’s panicked voice rattled through the phone.

“Kato. Calm down. I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“They shut it down!”

“What got shut down?”

“Our RevivalTrail campaign! We had raised over $5000. I got a call from one of our customers who said they couldn’t find it, so I logged on, and I see it, but I can’t change anything. It’s frozen.”

“So, it’s still there?” Sylvie tried her best to remain calm.

“Yes. I sent an email to their customer service, but I have yet to hear a response. What’s going on?”

“I’ll find out.” Her phone beeped, informing her of another incoming call. Nate. “It might be the contents of our campaign and someone might have taken issue with it and filed a complaint.”

“It’s fairly standard. I compared it to someone else’s project and there was nothing unusual about ours.”

 
“Look, Nate’s calling,” Sylvie said. “Are you at the guesthouse with Nana and Mom?”

“Yes. The admiral called Nate. He’s probably on it now.”

She sighed. Nate was taking on her problems again. How could he stand it? Any sane man would drop her quickly and run the other way. But he seemed to be facing each and every obstacle with her, even propping her up when she felt like sinking under the weight of all her drama.
 

She was a second late answering his call and it went to voice mail. Sylvie hurried along the hallway to the back exit. She yanked it open and stilled. Taylor and Sam were squared off against two men in suits. They didn’t seem to be like any of Hiroshi’s men nor her father’s.

“Ms. Yoshida, go back inside,” Sam growled, using his body to shield her.
 

“What’s going on?” She snuck a peek around her bodyguard’s broad shoulder.
 

“Ms. Yoshida. FBI.” Both men flashed their badges and gave their names. The first suit addressed Sam. “You can’t stop us from asking our questions. That’s obstructing a federal investigation.”

“A federal investigation into what?” Sylvie asked, bewildered.

“You have a crowd-funding campaign that was reported to be a front for money laundering.”

The bottom fell out of her gut. “What?”

“A lead came across our tip line last night, but we didn’t take action until this morning when ten thousand dollars was pledged to your project.”

“It could be a generous benefactor,” Taylor pointed out.

One FBI agent smirked, the other one sneered and said, “We weren’t born yesterday, buddy.”

“That’s not a very professional response. Besides isn’t 10k a bit small for money laundering?” Sylvie stated, still looking from behind Sam. Or rather, Sam had a very effective way of keeping the two suits away from her. “How are we even sure you’re FBI? I mean, if you are, you should’ve been aware of the attempt on my life and should have known better than just show up here unannounced. You can’t blame Mr. Harper for being diligent in his job. ”

The two agents at least appeared embarrassed. Just then, the sound of a motorcycle roared closer. Nate.

His bike zipped right beside Taylor’s car. He was off it in a flash, stalking to her side while glaring at the two feds.
 

“Are you all right?” Nate asked, a muscle ticked his jaw.

Sylvie nodded, unable to speak. Relief stole the wind of her false bravado, but she clenched her jaw to keep her lips from trembling.
 

The feds flashed their badges again and was about to introduce themselves when Nate cut them off.

“I know who you both are.” His voice was edged with vitriol. He repeated the names the feds said earlier. Their eyes widened in surprise. “You two bozos are coming with me to meet with your department head so we can get to the bottom of this nonsense.”

“Now wait a minute—” one of the feds sputtered.

“Go ahead,” Nate said tersely. “Check in with your superior.” He turned to Sylvie. “I’m meeting up with Porter at the J. Edgar Hoover building.” His hand squeezed her shoulder. “It’ll be okay.”

The two FBI agents suddenly looked less confident. One of them walked a few steps away to make a phone call.
 

“Sam will take you home. I’m already asking Travis to recall Boyd and send him over to cover for the admiral,” Nate told her before looking at her bodyguard. “Sam?”

“On it, boss,” Sam squared up.

The fed who made the phone call walked back to the group, red-faced. “We’ve been recalled,” he informed his partner. “Looks like Mr. Reece pulled some strings.” The disdain in his tone couldn’t be masked. Without another word, the agents returned to their car and drove away.

“Thank you,” Sylvie said, smiling weakly up at her man. “What do you think is going on?”

“My guess? The same person who’s trying to get to your father through you,” Nate said. “Don’t worry, okay?”

“I won’t. Not when you’re handling it.”

Nate eyes gleamed with an emotion Sylvie couldn’t quite interpret. It was happiness, pride, and affection all rolled into one. It actually looked a lot like love. Her chest suddenly felt full. Despite all the unfortunate events happening to her lately, with Nate by her side, she felt invincible.
 

*****

“This is all that man’s fault.”

Nana was fuming as she chopped some mushrooms for the salad she was making. She was still using the main house’s kitchen since Taylor and Kato commandeered the one at the guesthouse. “That man” was her father, as her grandma would fondly refer to him, although there was nothing really fond regarding her feelings toward him. When her grandma was angrily chopping stuff on a cutting board or wielding her cleaver like it was an extension of her hand, no one deigned to contradict her. Least of all her mother, who was at that moment, staring into space.
 

Sylvie idly picked through some strawberries, listening to her grandma’s rant. She felt conflicted sometimes. On one hand, she understood why her grandma would hate Daichi Yoshida, but if her mother never hooked up with her father, Sylvie wouldn’t exist, right? As always, Nana could tell when her tirades had gone too far. She stopped chopping and looked at Sylvie.

“You do know you’re the only good thing that came out of that man, right?” her Nana said softly, eyes tender with the love Sylvie had always basked in.
 

“Geez, Ma,” Pru suddenly burst out. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record. When will you ever accept that Dai is Sylvie’s blood. It’s been years and years. She has grown into a lovely woman. She’s hardworking. She takes care of us. You keep reminding her what a bad person her father is because you’re afraid she’ll turn out like him.”

Sylvie braced for her grandma’s retort, which would normally devolve into bitter words, but it never came. Her grandma’s shoulders slump.
 

“I wasn’t afraid of that at all,” Nana whispered.
 

Somehow there was no conviction in her tone. It was time to clear this up once and for all.

“Your fears are well founded, Nana,” Sylvie said quietly. Both women froze to stare at her. “I do have Dad’s ruthlessness; I can feel it inside me. I would do anything, even break the law to make sure people I care about are okay. I don’t think that mentality came from you or Mom. It came from Dad. But I will never use it for my own personal or monetary gain. You can be assured those values come from a Buchanan. I may be a Yoshida, but I have Buchanan blood as well.”

Her Nana smiled proudly and was about to say something when Sam burst into the kitchen. “Into the guesthouse. Now!”

“Wh—?” All the women started to exclaim.

A loud thud, followed by a crash sent the front door splintering. A device was thrown in just as Sam flung his body at Sylvie and Nana who were closest to the door at the same time yelling, “Down!”

They crashed behind the kitchen counter. The wind got knocked out of Sylvie’s lungs as she tried desperately to see where her mom was. She was relieved to see her hunkering near Nana who was as dazed as everyone else. Sam immediately lifted from her. The racking of slides of guns sounded ominous.
 

“Drop your weapon.”

Hiroshi!

Sam must have had a stubborn look on his face. Sylvie peeked behind the kitchen center island. There was smoke, but little else, and what she saw was a Mexican standoff between five men including Hiroshi and Sam. There was no way her bodyguard could come out of this alive.

“I won’t repeat myself again. Do you want any of the women to get hurt in the crossfire, because I assure you, I have nothing to lose at this point,” Hiroshi said coldly.

“Sam,” Sylvie pleaded, coming around from behind the counter. “Do what he wants.” She lowered her voice. “Live to fight another day.”

Defeat and self-loathing poured from Sam in waves. Her heart broke for him.
 

“Fuck!” he muttered, and with great reluctance, he uncocked his gun, threaded his finger through the trigger guard, letting it dangle in surrender.

“Put it slowly on the ground and kick it over.”

Sam did as he was told. Hiroshi signaled his men to secure him. They pushed him roughly to his knees and bound his wrists behind him with a zip tie.
 

“Hey!” Sylvie yelled, walking over to the men working Sam over, ignoring Nana and her mom’s frightened cry. She pushed angrily against one of them. “That’s uncalled for.”

“Sylvie,” Sam growled. “Stay out of this.”

“No.” She spun around and pinned Hiroshi with a look full of wrath. “Let me guess. You want to use me against my dad? Well, get in line.”

She was sick and tired of people treating her as a pawn in this power play against her father. Sick and freaking tired. So when she saw Hiroshi’s hand pull across his body and swing out to backhand her, she didn’t even flinch. She absorbed the pain exploding from her cheek and used it to feed her fury. Sylvie stumbled backward, but didn’t fall. She didn’t touch her burning cheek either, even if it hurt like hell. She wasn’t giving this sadistic bastard any satisfaction.
 

“Sylvie!” Her mom and Nana came rushing forward, but Hiroshi’s henchmen stopped them. Both of them were crying and clawing against the men restraining them.
 

 
“I’m all right,” Sylvie said, her voice surprisingly level. Turning back to Hiroshi, she said, “So what now?”

“You’re coming with me.” Her father’s lieutenant frowned at her.

“And if I do, no one else will get hurt?”

“Dammit, Sylvie. No!” Sam shouted, and for his outburst, he got whacked on the head with the butt end of a gun.

Was there really any other choice? No. No one else was going to get hurt because of her. She stepped forward. “No one else gets hurt.”

Hiroshi’s hand snaked out, his fingers digging into her hair and pulling her close. “You think you have anything to bargain with? What will stop me from killing everyone and simply taking you?”

“I won’t fight you,” Sylvie said. “That’s what you want, right? A woman who will be subservient to you? Well, you’ll need people I care about—alive—to hold over my head.”

Interest flickered in Hiroshi’s eyes. Sylvie was desperate to get this insane man away from Nana, her mother, and especially Sam who was in danger of being the first casualty if Hiroshi decided to go on a killing spree. And she really, really hoped Kato and Taylor were not coming to the main house.
 

“What game are you playing at, Sylvie San?” Hiroshi said softly.
 

“No game. You want me, let’s go.”

“Bring her mother,” Hiroshi instructed.
 

“No!” Sylvie shrieked and panicked when she saw her mother willingly go with Hiroshi’s goon.
 

Nana was sobbing helplessly, wailing and crying, “Leave them alone . . . please. They’re all I have left.”

Hiroshi laughed maniacally. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.” He yanked Sylvie to him. “Shall we seal this with a kiss?”

Bile rose up her throat as he bent close to kiss her. A muffled pop echoed through the house, warm liquid splattered on her face as she absorbed the ghastly scene of Hiroshi losing a section of his head. She was falling, dragged down by his weight. She landed on her side, jarring her hip bone and pinned partially by Hiroshi’s dead weight.

Strong hands dragged her from under him, and she was brought face to face with her father.

*****

“You okay?”

Sylvie nodded. She was speechless, not quite believing her dad was actually here. Her father barked instructions in Japanese to his men who looked to be the elite soldiers of the ACS.
 
Daichi Yoshida always surrounded himself with the best. They secured Hiroshi’s men, taking their weapons away and marching them outside.

Her father approached Pru and spoke to her quietly. Her mother moved into the circle of his arms and they hugged for a while. From what Sylvie remembered, there had never been any bitterness between them, and she didn’t doubt if Daichi Yoshida wasn’t living a life of crime, things would have turned out differently. When they broke apart, her father turned to Sylvie. “I’ve come for you. I need to take you back with me to Japan. You will be safe there.”