Chapter Eight #2
When he turned to see who it was, relief flared in his chest. Taro had arrived.
He would know what to do; he’d always been the one to take charge in times of trouble.
But his relief was quickly replaced by misgiving when Taro’s glare fixed on the woman standing at Jiro’s side, his face twisting in a grimace.
“I thought I told you, no cops,” he growled.
Jiro had forgotten he was still holding Aurora’s hands, but she was the one to quickly withdraw toward the window, taking up a protective stance, arms crossed and legs akimbo as she faced Taro.
Jiro suddenly understood how this might look to his brother, who’d expressly forbidden him to involve the police.
He opened his mouth to tell him everything was okay, that she was one of them, when Taro spoke again.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” He pointed menacingly at Aurora, lowering his head, almost like a bull getting ready to charge. She uncrossed her arms, and one hand went to rest on the holster hanging low on her hip.
Shit. How had this situation turned so suddenly?
Jiro had been just about to kiss Aurora, and now she was sizing up Taro, getting ready to use force to control him if need be.
He needed to prevent his brother from escalating this even further before he did something they both regretted.
Jiro moved between his brother and Aurora, getting in his line of sight and forcing Taro’s gaze back onto him.
But where was he to start with his story? What would Taro believe?
“Aurora is a friend. I wouldn’t have been able to get to Papa without her.
” That was the truth, but it didn’t begin to explain the complicated relationship that was forming between himself and the rookie cop.
Fleetingly he wondered if Aurora considered herself his friend, but left that question for another time.
“I don’t give a shit. You’ve put us all in danger by involving her,” Taro exploded.
“Get out of here now,” he demanded, staring angrily over Jiro’s shoulder at Aurora.
All of Jiro’s relief at seeing his older brother walk through that door now washed away as reality hit.
Taro might not be here to save the day as he’d hoped; he might be bringing more complications.
One thing was for certain, however, he certainly didn’t get to talk to either of them that way.
“She’s not going anywhere. Not until you tell me why you don’t want the cops involved.
” Now it was Jiro’s turn to go on the attack.
He took a step forward and got up into his brother’s face; he had two inches on Taro and he intended to use every bit of that height advantage.
Jiro could count on one hand the number of times he’d confronted Taro like this; he wasn’t normally one for conflict, which was why Taro often won their arguments.
But not this time. “You haven’t told me jack shit about anything that’s going on.
You don’t know what I’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours.
You can’t just fly in here and start dropping orders as if you’re in charge.
” He kept his voice low and in control, but he saw Taro’s eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise.
He could feel Aurora’s gaze boring into his back, and he hoped she didn’t still have her hand on her gun holster, because that wouldn’t solve anything.
Taro was the first to take a step back. He glared at Jiro for many long seconds before his gaze finally flittered away to look at the body lying unmoving on the hospital bed.
“Tell me about his condition,” Taro demanded, his about-face in their conversation making Jiro’s head spin.
Taro strode over to the bed to stare down at his father, now completely ignoring Aurora, who moved a few more steps into the corner to give them space.
Jiro noted that her hands were now by her sides, but her wary focus never left his brother.
What must she think of his family now? Probably even more fucked up than she had imagined.
“Still non-responsive,” Jiro replied through gritted teeth, going around to the other side of the bed, ostensibly so he could look directly at his brother, but also getting closer to Aurora.
“The doctors can give us no prognosis at the moment. They surmise he was probably in that freezing cold cabin for at least six hours.” Which might be the only thing that would save him.
For some reason, it seemed as if the kidnappers had kept Kenichi somewhere else when they’d first taken him, then transferred him to the cabin around midnight, after the snow had stopped falling.
Almost as if they were leaving a trail for Jiro to follow.
“He’d been drugged so that he wouldn’t escape,” Jiro continued.
“He’s suffering severe hypothermia, and he went into cardiac arrest just as we got him into the hospital.
Luckily, they were able to resuscitate him, but they’re not sure if there’s any brain damage. ”
“Fuuuuck.” Taro breathed the word on a long exhale.
“I’m so sorry, Papa,” he whispered, leaning over the bed.
Then, as if his knees might buckle, Taro groped for the chair beside the bed, sitting down heavily.
All his bluster and bluff seemed to drain right out of him.
“This is all my fault.” Taro put his head in his hands, much like Jiro had done moments earlier.
“What’s going on?” Jiro hunkered down next to his brother, his voice soft, pleading. “I need to know.”
“I know you do,” Taro relented, lifting his head, features now pale and drawn. Jiro didn’t think he’d ever seen his brother look more defeated. “But you have to get rid of her first.”
Jiro hesitated. He wanted to hear what Taro had to say, but Aurora had been through everything so far with him, and part of him wanted to demand that she stay.
And depending on what Taro told them, she might even be able to help.
But he could tell by the grim set of Taro’s mouth that he wouldn’t speak unless Aurora left the room.
If he sent Aurora away, she might never trust him again. But he wasn’t sure he had a choice.
Aurora made the choice for him. “It’s okay, I was just leaving anyway.
” She made for the door, but as her fingers reached for the handle, she turned and said, “I hope you’re not getting in too deep here.
” Her words were meant for Jiro alone, and he knew it.
Flicking her gaze toward Taro, she narrowed her eyes, but said nothing more as she slipped through the doorway.
Jiro had to stop himself from going after her.
Had to remind himself that this was his family, his mess to sort out, and the last thing he needed was to be airing his dirty laundry in front of a Swedish police officer.
But he knew she was more than just a police officer.
She’d risked his life for him and for his father.
Risked her career as well, most likely. And he still wondered why she’d done that.
It was hard for him to disentangle all the emotions that floated around them like a tangled spiderweb.
He liked her. A lot. Yet if Taro was to be believed, he needed to have nothing to do with her.
And what was the point in liking a woman who lived so far away from where he’d settled his home and carer? It made no sense.
“Have you finished ogling that copper’s backside yet?” Taro’s voice broke into his musings. He chose not to react to his brother’s jibe. He did agree on one thing, however, it was a very shapely backside, made even more shapely by the tight, dark-blue uniform.
Refocusing his energy, he turned around and fixed his brother with a steely stare. “Right, let’s get into it.” He leaned a hip against the hospital bed, choosing to stand so that he had a height advantage over his brother. “Tell me everything.”
Taro grimaced and shot a quick look at their father. “Are you sure Papa can’t hear us?
Jiro just nodded. He had no idea whether Kenichi could hear what was being said, and even if he could, would he remember it? But that wasn’t going to stop him from asking the questions. It was time everything came out into the open.
“Why was Papa kidnapped? I’m assuming that’s what happened, because there is no way he drove himself to that cabin, drugged himself so that he passed out, and then nearly died of hypothermia. And how did you know where to find him? What the fuck is going on, Taro?”
“It’s complicated,” his brother replied, but Jiro merely leveled a hard stare at him until he shrugged and said, “You have to believe me. I was trying to get out. I told them I’d had enough. But they didn’t agree.” Taro hung his head again.
“Who are they?” Jiro prompted.
Taro sighed again and rubbed his lips together. “You have to understand how difficult this is for me.”
“I’m trying to understand, but all this talking in circles is doing my head in.
Just start at the beginning, Taro.” Jiro hoped he’d moderated his tone so that his frustration didn’t show, but he wasn’t sure it was working.
Drawing in a couple of deep breaths, Jiro tried to calm himself.
They were going to get nowhere if this descended into a shouting match, so he pursed his lips and waited for his brother to speak.