Dearly Beloved (Siren Publishing Allure) (15 page)

The man of the hour sat at the head of the table with his wife, Setsuko, at his left, and Tomio to his right. Ebony sat on the other side of Tomio next to Gina. Hajime’s bodyguards were close at hand, and kept an eye on anybody who came near to congratulate their boss.

The party began with a rousing rendition of
Happy Birthday
, and then the party began. There was a table set up for gifts. Ebony also noticed people handing Hajime red envelopes. She’d been in the country long enough to know they were monetary gifts.

“Do you want to dance?” Tomio asked.

Ebony nodded. The music sounded good and she and Tomio hadn’t had a chance to do any dancing since the Azuma party. Eiji and Gina joined them on the dance floor.

There was a roast in Hajime’s honor, and the MC introduced the family. It surprised Ebony that the man actually knew her name. This drew more attention to her than she liked, especially when her father-in-law asked her to dance. There was no way she could turn him down, even with his wife staring daggers at her from across the table.

The singer in the band sung the perfect song…Cyndi Lauper’s “Time after Time,” and in Japanese, no less. The elder Nakamura was surprisingly light on his feet, and actually was just as good a dancer as his son. He entertained her with conversation and asked her about her health. He also told her how glad he was to have her in his family and married to his son. He escorted her back to their table and held the seat for her to sit down. Setsuko continued to look at her disapprovingly.

Tomio asked his mother to dance, which got her out of Ebony’s face for a few minutes. Soon after that, men she didn’t know came to the table, not only to wish Hajime Happy Birthday, but also to introduce themselves to her as Tomio’s new wife.

“You’re very popular,” Tomio said to her as they ate the delicious food the chefs had prepared.

“I guess it’s because it would be rude not to speak to me,” Ebony said.

“They’re curious. They all want to know the beautiful woman who has captured the heart of the notorious Tomio Nakamura,” he explained with a smile.

“Is that what they call you?”

Tomio shook his head. “My father’s friends used to call me
kid
. Some still do.”

Ebony chuckled. Tomio was taller than his father and his friends. Kid just didn’t fit anymore. She looked around. “So tell me, how many of these women have you dated?”

Tomio picked up his glass of wine and sipped. “A few. But I married you. Remember that.”

Ebony rolled her eyes playfully at him. “Your father is having a good time.” He was back on the dance floor with some of the older guys, who were later identified as his friends and close advisors. They were doing a cultural dance she’d never seen before. Most of them were drunk already and it got a smile out of her. “I need to pee,” she whispered to Tomio. The baby was resting on her bladder. She rose.

“Are you going somewhere?” Gina asked.

“Ladies room.”

Gina got out of her seat. “I have to go, too.”

Some women must have followed them into the restroom. Ebony couldn’t help but hear them talking about her.

“What does Tomio see in her anyway?” one of them asked. “She’s not even Japanese.”

“And she’s pregnant and strutting around here like she’s a queen or something,” another one said. It sounded like Eriko Ayase.

Gina exited the stall first. Ebony came out and joined her at the sink. It was Eriko. The women were in front of the mirrors putting on more makeup. Eriko rolled her eyes at her while Ebony washed her hands. The woman was older than she was, had pasty white skin, and had on too much eyeliner.

“Bitch,” Eriko said.

Ebony looked at her for a second and then shook her head. She walked over to the paper towel dispenser and dried her hands.

Gina wasn’t so nice. “Excuse me, what did you just say?”

“Oh, sorry, Gina, I wasn’t talking about you,” Eriko said in Japanese.

“Apparently,” Gina said.

“I was speaking to that trash over there drying her hands.”

Gina slapped Eriko across the face.

“Ouch,” Eriko cried out.

“Apologize to her,” Gina ordered.

“No.”

Gina slapped her again. “Apologize.”

The other woman ran out of the room, leaving Eriko.

“Apologize or I will tell Tomio what you called her.”

“Sorry,” she said in English.

“Thank you,” Ebony said in Japanese. “And if you ever call me that word again, or even look at me funny, I will cut out your tongue and feed it to the cats. Now get the fuck out of here before I slam that pretty face of yours into that mirror.”

Eriko’s eyes widened in terror. She ran out of the door.

Ebony bowed to Gina. “Thank you for defending my honor.”

“No thanks needed, Sister-in-law. It is a matter of principle. And, for the record, I didn’t know you had such a mouth on you. You’re normally so cool and collected.”

“Back home she would have been picking her teeth off of the floor had she called me that. But I am no longer in America, and Tomio’s wife. That doesn’t mean I’m just going to let someone walk all over me though.”

“Let’s get back to our table,” Gina said. “I’m sure Eriko went running back to her friends to tell them what happened. That story is going to circulate around this place very quickly. Of course, she will play the victim.”

“If she keeps messing with me she will be the victim,” Ebony said as they walked back into the hall.

“Do you know who she is?” Gina asked.

“Yeah, one of Tomio’s old girlfriends. I met her at the Azuma party. She was talking smack back then, too.”

“Well, speaking of his old girlfriends, Rika is here, too.”

Ebony scowled. “Tomio has women coming out of the woodworks.”

“Just remember that he married you. Those other women are in the past.”

Rika was seated at the Nakamura family table. “Skank,” Ebony said.

“I’ve never heard that term before,” Gina said. “What does it mean?”

“One who is filthy and promiscuous.” Gina laughed. Ebony couldn’t help but notice women looking at her as they walked. Gina was right, word was getting around. “I feel like I’m being watched by every woman here.”

“Don’t let them bother you,” Gina said.

“I’m not bothered,” Ebony replied. “I’ve dealt with worse women than these. I can care less what they think of me.”

Gina chuckled all the way back to her seat.

* * * *

The last person he expected to see when he exited the men’s room was Eriko Ayase, one of his ex-girlfriends. It was bad enough that Rika had been invited.

“Long time, no see, Tomio,” Eriko said.

“What are you doing here?” Tomio asked.

“I’m here to pay respects to your father,” Eriko answered. “And to see the woman who has finally landed you.”

“I’m not a fish,” Tomio said, trying to walk away.

Erika grabbed his arm. “She insulted me when I was in the ladies room, and your brother’s wife took up for her.”

Tomio stopped. “Who insulted you?”

“Your wife,” Eriko said. “She called me dirty names in Japanese.”

Tomio had known Eriko most of his life. She’d been a drama queen in school, and she still was. “What exactly did she call you?”

“I don’t remember,” Eriko said. “And she threatened to bash my face into a mirror.”

Tomio scowled. “That doesn’t sound like my wife. Maybe you’re mistaken.”

“Black female, pregnant, and doesn’t know her place,” Eriko said.

“That sounds like her,” Tomio said. “Why in the world would she threaten you and call you names?”

“I don’t know,” Eriko said. “I was just freshening up my makeup when she came out of the stall and just went off on me. And when I tried to defend myself, Gina slapped me.”

Tomio tried not to laugh. “Gina slapped you?”

Eriko nodded. “She wanted me to apologize to your wife and threatened to tell you that I disrespected her.”

Tomio could smell a lie a mile away. He bowed. “I apologize for my wife and my sister-in-law’s actions. But, unfortunately, I know you better than you think. You would be smart to leave my wife alone. And for the record, she is not a bitch.” Tomio walked away, leaving Eriko looking like a complete idiot. He smiled. Tomio went back to the table and did not mention what had just happen to Ebony and Gina. If there were a fight, his money would definitely be on his wife.

A couple of waiters pushed out a cart with a huge cake on it. Everyone stood up and sang
Happy Birthday
again to his father. He cut the first piece and gave the cake knife back to one of the waiters to finish slicing it. The young man served the cake to the guests, and the party continued.

It was very late when the party ended and everyone started to leave. Most of the older guys were drunk on their asses from drinking too much sake. The Nakamura family was on the sidewalk outside waiting for their chauffeurs to arrive and talking with some of the invited guests. Ebony and Gina had gone to the ladies room again and were still inside. Tomio noticed something strange. A long black car was coming from the opposite direction down a one-way street. Something didn’t feel right. Moments later he saw the windows on the passenger side open. Guns appeared. “It’s a hit,” he shouted.

Ebony and Gina stepped outside. Tomio tried to reach his wife, but a bullet caught him in his shoulder. Another one hit him in the chest. He went down hard. The last thing he heard was a woman scream. It sounded like Ebony.

The sound of beeping machines and the odor of rubbing alcohol woke him. Tomio opened one eye first and then the other. There was a strange ceiling above him. He lowered his gaze. Several of the senior members of the organization and his brothers were standing around his bed wearing black suits. He knew instantly that something had gone terribly wrong.

“He’s awake,” one of them said.

Tomio recognized the voice. It was Yomei Umi, his father’s senior advisor.

The others knelt down beside the bed.

“Shit,” Tomio said. “Who died?”

Eiji rose. “Mother and Father.”

It took a while for the words to register. Suddenly he sat up with a start. “And my wife?”

“Resting at home,” Eiji answered. “She’s been by your side night and day. She hasn’t eaten or slept.”

“How long have I been here?” Tomio asked as he tossed the sheet aside with his left hand. His right one was in a sling and there was something heavy on his chest.

“Two days,” his younger brother Makoto answered. “You’ve had a terrible fever, and you’ve been in and out of consciousness since the shooting.”

Tomio tried to get out of the bed but there was stuff strapped to his chest. One of the machines beeped. Moments later a nurse entered the room.

“You gentlemen will have to move so I can see to the patient,” she said sternly. The men rose and got out of her way. “I’m glad you’re finally awake,” she said as he adjusted the covers back over his body. “The doctor has been waiting to speak to you.”

Tomio didn’t have time for all of this. He had to see to his wife, funeral arrangements had to be made for his parents, and he had to find out who had done this to his family.

The nurse shoed the powerful yakuza members out of the room like they were a bunch of kids. She went out with them, but returned with a doctor.

“The patient is awake, Doctor,” the nurse said.

The doctor came over to the bed and shined a light in his eyes.

Tomio blinked. “Would you mind not doing that?”

The doctor removed the light. “How are you feeling, Mr. Nakamura?”

“I don’t know,” Tomio said.

“Are you in any pain?”

“A little.”

“You’ve been shot,” the doctor said. “Once in the shoulder and in the chest. You’re a very lucky man. The bullets went straight through you and didn’t hit any organs.”

He didn’t consider himself lucky. His head felt groggy, he had cottonmouth, and both of his parents were dead. “How long before I can leave here?” He didn’t have time to lie around in a bed feeling sorry for himself. He had plans to make and a wife that needed him.

“Another day or so if there aren’t any complications,” the doctor answered. “I’m going to give you something for infection and for pain. It should help you sleep.”

Tomio didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to find the bastards who disrupted his father’s birthday and took his life.

The doctor and nurse finally left and his brothers reentered the room.

“The doctor said I can leave here in a couple of days. I need you guys to find the motherfuckers who did this.”

“We have some guys working on a lead from some information Ebony provided for us,” Eiji said.

Before Eiji could tell him what, the door opened again, and Ebony walked in. She had on a black dress, no makeup, and her hair was pulled back in a chignon.