Chapter Eighteen #3
Kenichi had confirmed it was the phone call on the night before they’d visited the reindeer farm that’d started the ball rolling.
He hadn’t known it at the time, but the menacing voice on the other end of the phone had belonged to Liam Kenzo.
Liam had demanded that his father meet him in the barbecue hut the following day, and to make sure he was alone, and if he didn’t follow instructions then Jiro’s life might be in danger.
Kenichi had no idea at the time what the threatening call had been about, but he’d done as he was told to protect Jiro.
And then for the same reason, Kenichi had willingly followed Liam out of the hut and into the forest, where he’d hidden a snowmobile behind a large stand of birch trees.
That was when Liam had injected Kenichi with something, and he could remember no more until he woke up in the hospital.
When Jiro asked him if he suspected the phone call had something to do with Taro, Kenichi had nodded sadly, admitting he’d had the same gut feeling as Jiro about his oldest son’s dodgy dealings, but would never lose face by acknowledging it at the time.
Jiro was both disappointed in his father for his stubborn adherence to his own ego, and proud of him for seeing through Taro’s veil of lies at the same time.
Perhaps if his father had been able to profess his thoughts aloud when Jiro first brought up his own misgivings, all of this might’ve been averted.
But the past couldn’t be changed, and so Jiro let go of his frustration with his father’s pride so that he could move forward.
A small part of Jiro was surprisingly pleased with how brave Kenichi had been; putting his son’s welfare above his own, aware that he might be putting himself in danger.
He now looked at his father with a little more respect, and indeed admiration.
It was a good start toward mending their relationship, perhaps for good.
On the subject of mending the rift that was separating them, Kenichi had also revealed that was the reason he’d asked Jiro to go on the cruise with him in the first place.
In his own way, he realized he was the reason his son would no longer visit, and with his suspicions that Taro was wandering into perhaps criminal territory, Kenichi was determined not to lose both of his sons.
Again, while Jiro couldn’t really applaud his father’s tactics, the sentiments behind his actions were good.
At least now Kenichi was coming to realize the benefits of being able to sit down and just talk things through instead of bottling it all away.
“When are you going to visit that nice police lady back in Sweden?” Kenichi’s sudden question shook Jiro out of his reverie.
“What?” He coughed, nearly choking on his tea.
The query had come out of the blue. Was Papa referring to Aurora?
And if so, how did he even know something had developed between them?
Jiro had never mentioned the fact that they’d become close.
Whenever Aurora came up in the conversation, he behaved as if she’d been very helpful in finding Kenichi, but they were no more than acquaintances.
“I know the look of someone who is lovesick when I see it. And you, my son, are pining severely after that young lady.” Kenichi’s sharp observation shocked Jiro. The old man had never mentioned anything like this over the past week. Why was he bringing it up now?
“I…ah…” He didn’t know what to say. Even if he wanted to, he wasn’t free to return to Sweden anytime soon.
His responsibilities were here, looking after his father and making sure Taro got a fair trial, as well as doing anything he possibly could for his brother’s family.
Once the trial had taken place, and hopefully the FBI rendered the Yakuza threat to Taro’s family null and void, they’d need a lot of support to get back on their feet without the man of the house around.
Jiro couldn’t see himself being able to leave the States for at least the next six months, if not even a year.
It was a hopeless case. He was a hopeless case. And he should just forget about her.
He drew in a deep breath. There was no point in beating around the bush with Kenichi anymore.
“Aurora was a special lady. But she understands as well as I do that there is no chance for us to be together. We both lead very separate lives, and she’s not about to move to America, so we just need to forget about each other.
” Although they’d never had the chance to have this conversation in person, Jiro had had it plenty of times in his own head.
He’d gone over and over the various scenarios in which he and Aurora could be together.
“It’s actually not that hard, my boy. If she doesn’t want to move, why don’t you relocate? If it’s true love, then anything is possible.”
“It’s not love,” Jiro argued. “We barely knew each other. And besides…” He stopped right before he said, “And I need to stay here and look after you,” because he knew that would get his papa’s hackles up.
Kenichi would argue black and blue that he didn’t need anyone to take care of him, which clearly wasn’t true.
Instead he said, “I have a good job here. And my family is here; I don’t want to leave all that behind. ”
“Hmm,” Kenichi looked at him askance. “The heart wants with the heart wants,” he said cryptically.
“I think it’s pretty clear what your heart wants, but how do you know what her heart wants unless you ask her?
” When had his father become so philosophical?
He wasn’t having this conversation right now.
It was impossible, end of story, so he changed the subject to one that he knew would distract his papa.
“I think I might have found a lawyer who’s willing to represent Taro. I sent him an email yesterday, and I got his reply today. Do you want me to read it to you?”
Kenichi stiffened in his chair, his knuckles going white around his teacup.
This was always going to be upsetting to their father, but it was a process that Kenichi was determined to be a part of.
Papa would be paying the legal fees, as all of Taro’s assets had been frozen, even his bank accounts, which were considered to be ill-gotten gains and the proceeds of crime.
Jiro had been tasked with the job of finding a good lawyer they could afford, who’d help them try to get Taro’s sentence down as far as possible.
This guy had actually been recommended by Agent Utsi, who’d told him his suggestion was strictly off the record as the FBI might see it as a conflict of interest on his part.
Which it blatantly was, and Jiro wondered if Jacob might get in trouble if anyone found out.
He also wondered if Aurora had had anything to do with Agent Utsi’s recommendation?
She could conceivably have asked her police partner—supposedly Jacob’s good friend—to help him wherever he could.
There he went, thinking about Aurora again.
He just couldn’t seem to get her off his mind.
Perhaps his father was right when he said he was lovesick, because he’d never felt anything like this before.
Like he was an empty vessel, and nothing could refill him.
He was floating through every day almost on autopilot, doing the necessary things to care for his father, filling out paperwork, making phone calls and sending emails, making dinner, taking his father to doctor’s appointments, completing more interviews with the FBI, all while a little piece of his mind was somewhere else.
Every time he closed his eyes, an image of Aurora would form uninvited.
Her face as she glanced up at him, brown eyes wide and thoughtful, wisps of escaped hair floating around her face right after they had kissed in the snow that first time; vulnerable yet not afraid of him.
Not afraid of what’d happened between them.
Aurora crouched down in the snow, weapon held at the ready, intense gaze fixed on the sniper as she’d returned fire; a warrior goddess ready to serve and protect.
To protect him. Aurora laughing, her delicious mouth turned up at the corners, as her eyes twinkled with mirth; witty and intelligent.
Everything he loved in a woman. Everything he wanted in a woman.
The only problem was he couldn’t have this woman. And it was driving him quietly insane.
“Go on then,” his father prompted, interrupting Jiro’s thoughts. “Tell me about this lawyer.” So Jiro put away the images of a very special woman and tried to concentrate as he pulled up his email on his phone.
This was his life for now; he just needed to accept it.
Without regrets or recriminations. He had to get his father through this Christmas with as much cheer as possible, so he couldn’t allow thoughts of Aurora to get him down.
He decided he needed to be more present, and just put her out of his mind once and for all.