Dearly Beloved (Siren Publishing Allure) (6 page)

Hajime waved them in. The look on Setsuko’s face could have soured milk.

Tomio did the introductions. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet my wife, Ebony.”

She got more than just a curious glance from the men.

“Babe, you already know my parents, so I’ll skip them,” Tomio continued.

Thank the Lord.
She didn’t think she could say anything civil to Setsuko at the moment.

“You know Kazuhiko too, but this is his wife, Haruka.”

Ebony bowed to the other woman. Gina had mentioned this one. She told her to watch her back. Haruka was older than her, but shorter. She had shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She did not smile, but simply nodded her head. Ebony smiled at Kazuhiko. “Hello, boss.”

“Hey, beautiful,” Kazuhiko said.

That got him an elbow in the ribs from his wife. Ebony had also heard a lot about Haruka when she worked at the club. None of it was good. She was pretty, but like Setsuko, Haruka’s hatred toward her was written all over her face.

“You already know Eiji and Gina.”

“Welcome to our home,” Gina said to her.

“Thank you.”

Tomio escorted her over to another couple. “This is my younger brother Makoto, and his wife, Takara.”

Ebony bowed to them, too. Makoto was quite handsome, and reminded her of a younger, thinner Tomio. His wife was also older than Ebony. Takara ran her gaze all over her as if she was looking for something to pass judgment on. She, too, was pretty with long, light brown hair and eyes. She was about an inch or so shorter than Haruka, and slimmer by about twenty pounds.

Makoto came forward and gave her a hug. “Welcome to the family.”

He had a pleasant voice, wore a nice suit, and he wasn’t afraid to show affection. “Thank you. It’s very nice to finally get the chance to meet you. Tomio has told me many wonderful things about you.”

“All of it good, I hope,” Makoto said as he returned to his wife’s side.

Ebony nodded. “Yes, all good.”

Takara wasn’t as nice. “Your belly is awfully big. Are you sure you counted the months correctly?”

So rude. What is she trying to say
?

“The doctor said the baby is going to be big and long,” Tomio said proudly. “He’s going to play center for a professional basketball team.”

The men in the room all clapped and congratulated him. Tomio was six feet tall and she was five-foot-nine. Why did Takara think their child wouldn’t take after them? The bitch was just looking to cause trouble. Gina had told her about that one, too. Lazy, spoiled, and pampered was the way she had described her. Just five minutes in her company and Ebony wanted to strangle her.

Finally, Tomio introduced her to the three other men, Ushio Kazuto, Hizuru Kazuaki, and Shabaski Toshio—all senior lieutenants of the Nakamura organization.

Ebony showed them the same respect she had shown the others by bowing. “It is an honor to meet you. Please continue to serve the Nakamura family. Tomio has spoken highly of each of you. Please take care of me.” She bowed again.

“She’s beautiful, Tomio,” the one named Hizuru Kazuaki said. The three men were in their late fifties, not as tall as the bodyguards, but had a more powerful aura about them. “Who knew you had such good tastes.”

“I did,” Hajime said. “He takes after me.”

The men in the room laughed and agreed with him.

The time had come for Ebony to speak to Tomio’s parents. It was proper to bring a small gift when visiting a home. Ebony hadn’t been sure what she should buy once the invitation to dinner arrived, so she asked Gina to accompany her to the mall to find something nice they would like. “This is for you, Father,” she said giving Hajime a box of his favorite cigars.

“Thank you, Daughter,” Hajime said. He opened the box. “Ohh, the good kind. I’m going to enjoy these late in the evenings when I’m outside thinking.” He smiled at her.

Ebony presented the next box to Setsuko. “This is for you, Mother. Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful home.” She figured the less said the better.

Setsuko accepted the box and opened it. She pulled out a silk scarf. Gina had told her that Setsuko loved pretty things, and the scarf was colorful. Setsuko accepted the scarf without a thank you. Ebony smiled to herself. The old bitty would probably toss it into the trash the first chance she got.

A maid appeared and announced that dinner was ready. Everyone walked out of the receiving room and headed toward the dining room. Despite the nice things she had said earlier, she still didn’t feel comfortable, but she would try her best not to show it.

Tomio helped her into a seat. The conversation continued as they ate, but it was mostly the men doing all the talking. She picked up that there had been several raids on their businesses over the last month or so. The name Juunta Sawaki came up a couple of times. Ebony didn’t know if he was behind the raids, or another member of the yakuza. Tomio and the others promised to put an end to the trouble. Ebony had often wondered how Tomio acted when he wasn’t around her. Was he the same sweet person she fell in love with, or some kind of monster?

“How is the house hunting coming?” Hajime asked Tomio.

Tomio stopped eating to answer his father. “Slow, but I have a couple that I’m going to go see this weekend.”

“You’re looking for a house?” Eiji asked.

Tomio nodded. “The apartment is fine for just the two of us, but with the baby coming I think it’s time to move into something larger.”

“Are you looking to rent or to buy?”

“Buy,” Tomio answered. “We would prefer something in Yotsuya that we can move into as soon as possible.”

“What’s the rush?” Makoto asked.

“Because I have to hire people to help look after it and to work on security.”

“My bank may own a few,” Eiji said. “What are you looking for specifically?”

“Something large, between four and six bedrooms, and baths, modern, if possible. It has to be near schools and shopping. It would also be nice if it had a nursery, and I will definitely need an office and somewhere to receive guests.”

“You can always move back here,” Haruka said with a sarcastic chuckle.

Ebony nearly dropped one of her chopsticks.
Hell to the no.

“No way,” Tomio said. “I’m too old to stay with my parents, and Ebony and I like our privacy.”

Whew!
Ebony went back to eating.

“But won’t you need someone to help with the baby after she is born?” Haruka asked.

“Why are you so sure that we are having a girl?” Tomio asked.

“Because my grandmother said if a woman carries high, it’s a girl. And your wife is all breasts. I’m sure it’s a female.”

The remark brought all the men in the room’s gazes to her chest. True, she had gotten bigger in the bosom, but she’d also put on a lot of weight on her hips and ass.

“We’re hiring a nanny to help out,” Tomio replied.

Relief washed over Setsuko’s face. Ebony bet she thought that she and Tomio would move in so they could help with the baby. No way in hell was that going to happen. The woman didn’t want her there now. No doubt she threw a fit when Hajime suggested it.

“I think them getting a house is a wonderful idea,” Setsuko said. “We’ll have enough with Eiji and Gina’s bundle of joy. One child in the house is enough.”

Hajime didn’t seem to agree with her. “Nonsense. There is room for both babies in this house. They will grow up together.” He rudely pointed his chopstick at Haruka and Takara. “You two better get busy giving me grandchildren.”

Both young women looked like they were about to faint. Fortunately, they didn’t, and Tomio took her back to their apartment shortly after the meal ended. Unfortunately, not before she overheard her evil mother-in-law and two wicked sisters-in-law talking about her behind her back when she went into the powder room to use the toilet. Gina had been the only one who stood up for her.

* * * *

Gina sat quietly in the parlor sipping her tea while her mother-in-law and her sisters-in-law discussed Tomio and Ebony’s visit.

“I never felt so uncomfortable in my own home,” Setsuko said.

“What did you do with the scarf she gave you?” Takara asked.

Setsuko chuckled. “I gave the box to one of the maids to discard. I don’t want anything from her.”

Takara and Haruka chuckled.

“Maybe she thought she could make up to me for what she did,” Setsuko continued. “I will never forgive her.”

Gina sighed. She’d never seen this side of her mother-in-law before, and she didn’t like it. “She does want to make amends. I was with her when she picked out that scarf for you. She thought it would go perfectly with your beautiful eyes.”

Setsuko turned up her nose. “Why are you on her side?”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Gina said. “I’m just saying that she’s trying.”

“Well, she can stop trying,” Haruka said. “We don’t need her.”

Gina frowned. Haruka could be such a bitch. “What has she done to you?”

Haruka put down her teacup. “She left Tomio.”

“Yes, Tomio, not you,” Gina said. “If he has forgiven her, you need to get over it. And since when have you and Tomio become friends? The last time I heard, he hated your guts.”

“He does not hate me,” Haruka said.

“Yes, he does,” Takara said. “I do believe he still thinks that Kazuhiko should divorce you and send you back to your family.”

That wiped the smug look from Haruka’s face. Takara just laughed. Gina didn’t see anything funny about any of this.

“I still don’t want her here,” Setsuko said. “I only agreed to tonight since Hajime insisted.”

“It would have been rude not to invite her since she is a member of this family,” Gina said. Maybe it was time for her and Eiji to get their own place, and let Setsuko depend on Haruka and Takara to help her around the house. Now that she thought about it, she liked the idea. She would speak to Eiji later about it.

Another of their places got raided in an attempt by the police to run them out of business. Tomio feared that one day soon, the reign of the yakuza would come to an end. That’s why he and Eiji had begun putting most of the group’s assets into real estate and other legitimate businesses, to have something to fall back on.

“What do you suppose we do about it?” Hajime asked as he chaired a meeting of his people. They were at the Nakamura Organization headquarters in the heart of Ochiai.

Most of the heavy hitters were there, including Hajime’s
saiko-koman
—senior advisor—Yomei Umi, and the
sohonbucho
—the headquarters chief—Sagura Saski. The older guys passed around cups of sake while they talked.

Eiji and Makoto were also present, but Kazuhiko was home sleeping after being up all night at the Golden Goddess.

“We could always strike back against them,” Lieutenant Ushio Kazuto suggested.

“Against the police?” Hajime asked.

“Yeah,” the big yakuza answered. “Why not?”

“Where do you suppose we begin?” Hajime asked. “We don’t know what cop is behind this.”

“It is safe to say that it’s someone higher up pulling the strings,” Makoto said. “The Chief of Police, or maybe even someone from the Justice Department.”

“And we’re not the only ones taking a hit,” Tomio said. “Both the Nanami Group on the east side, and Fujio Group on the west side have also had their share of raids.”

“That is why I think we need to lay low for a while,” Eiji said. “We have the money to go legit.”

“You mean disband the organization?” Yomei asked.

Eiji nodded. “It’s either that or go to jail.”

“I’m nearly sixty-five years old,” Sagura said. “What kind of business can someone my age go into? Being in the yakuza is all I know. I’ve been involved since I was fourteen.”

A lot of the older members began to voice their concerns, too.

“You can retire,” Yomei said. “I think Eiji is right. I am too old to be locked up. It’s a young man’s game.”

“This can be a win-win situation for all of us,” Eiji continued. “Each member of the organization will stand to profit. Most of us are college educated and can use what we know to make sure the young are gainfully employed, and the older members can retire and do things they never had a chance to do.”

“Like what?” Sagura asked.

“Take a trip, enjoy your grandchildren, and sleep without fear that some rival gang will shoot you down in the street.”

The more Tomio heard, the more he liked. He was tired of fighting and the stigma that went along with being in the mob. Now with the baby coming, he was starting to think about these things. Previously, he didn’t care what he did, but soon he would have a young mind to nurture. He didn’t want to bring a child up in the yakuza as he and his siblings had been forced to experience. He’d also thought that Ebony should have a better life too, and not have to worry about becoming a young widow.

On the positive side, Eiji had found him a house, and Tomio was going to see it as soon as the meeting ended.