Chapter 24
Augusto
Sipping on my morning coffee, I can’t stop thinking about last night long enough to focus on work.
I knew Yuki would be a tight fit, but damn, I only got half my cock inside her.
It was one hell of a fucking turn on.
For the first time since I took over as the head of the Vitale family, I contemplate taking time off so I can spend the day fucking my wife.
My phone rings, and letting out a sigh, I dig the device out of my pocket.
“Morning,” I greet Lorenzo.
“Morning. I’m outside. Someone set one of the warehouses on fire.”
“Jesus Christ!” Leaving my mug on the island, I dart up and jog out of the kitchen. “Give me a minute.”
I end the call and take the stairs two at a time. Rushing into Yuki’s bedroom, I hear the shower running, and not giving two shits, I open the door and go into the bathroom.
The first thing I see is the hickey I gave her before my eyes roam over her wet body.
“Fucking work,” I growl while gripping her by the back of her neck, not caring that my sleeve is getting wet. I tug her closer and press a quick kiss to her parted lips. “Have a good day, my love.”
“You too.”
I rush out of her room and down the stairs again, and by the time I reach the SUV, I’m fucking pissed off.
“Let’s go,” I bark as soon as I’m seated in the passenger seat.
Lorenzo grabs an armored vest from the back seat and shoves it onto my lap. “Put it on. I’m not taking any chances today.”
While he reverses out of the driveway, I shrug my jacket off and put on the damn vest. “What’s the damage?”
“We lost two printers.”
“Fuck!” That’s going to slow down production.
The ride takes longer than usual because we hit traffic in a couple of spots. When Lorenzo brings the SUV to a stop by the warehouse, and I see the familiar sedan of the detective that’s on my payroll, I let out a sigh.
Getting out, I walk toward Jerry, who’s giving me a shiteating grin. “I got rid of the fire department.”
I stop a couple of feet from him and cross my arms over my chest. “And how much is that going to cost me?”
“I don’t know. How charitable do you feel today?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Jerry,” I growl as I take a threatening step closer. “I’m not getting to spend the day fucking my wife and need to get rid of a lot of pent-up anger. Give me the fucking amount, or I’m beating you to death.”
He holds up his hands, his expression filling with caution. “Whoa, no need for violence. Five thousand will do the trick.”
I shoot him a glare as I walk to the entrance of the warehouse while shouting, “Lorenzo, pay the fucker.”
I’m hit with the suffocating stink of smoke, and seeing my workers gathering by a table, I go to them. Maria, who’s been with us since before I was born, is cradling her arm, and when I see the ugly burn mark, my temper shoots through the roof.
“Jesus, Maria. What are you still doing here?”
“I wanted to tell you what I saw, Mr. Vitale. It was an Asian man. I was outside having a smoke when I saw him run toward the river. I did my best to put out the fire, but a pile of notes caught light.”
“You did good, Maria.” Taking hold of her wrist, I look at the wound. Glancing at the other workers, my eyes land on Asher. “Take her straight to the hospital. Right now.”
I pat her shoulder as I look into her eyes. “Take all the time you need to heal. I’ll make a payment to your account so you don’t have to worry about money while you’re gone from work.”
“Thank you, Mr. Vitale.”
Seeing her chin quiver, I add, “Tell Dr. Milazzo to give you all the painkillers you need.”
I watch her leave the warehouse with Asher, then look at Lorenzo. “Another Asian.”
“I heard. I checked around the back. No messages.”
I let out a heavy breath as I head to the printers, which are burned to a crisp, and getting to work with the rest of my employees, we check what counterfeit notes can be salvaged.
There are no cameras around the warehouse we can check, because I didn’t want the security feeds falling into the wrong hands.
Another attack. This time, they went after my business.
Who the fuck wants me to start a war with the Yakuza?
My phone rings, and I let out another sigh as I dig the device out of my pocket. When I see Rocco’s name on the screen, the blood chills in my veins because he never calls unless something is very wrong.
Yuki
(Twenty minutes earlier…)
After checking the fridge and pantry, I place an order for a delivery before going outside to do some pottery.
I’ve been making a variety of sizes of pots, and once they're all ready, I plan to give one to each of the women in the Cosa Nostra when I host a brunch.
Last week, Samantha said it’s a good idea, and she’ll help me organize the get-together.
I sit down, and pushing my foot down on the pedal, the wheel begins to spin as I gather some water to wet the clay.
My thoughts turn to last night, and I smile as I relive the romantic date and intimate moments I shared with Augusto.
Our marriage is now consummated. All the worry about having sex for the first time has rolled off my shoulders.
I remember the way Augusto looked at me. I can still feel his hands on my body, and I’m tender between my legs.
A happy sigh escapes me as I sit and daydream about the most unbelievable night of my life.
The doorbell rings, pulling me out of my deep thoughts. I quickly wipe my hands on a rag I keep nearby and call out, “Rocco! My food delivery is here.”
Getting up, I walk into the house, and when I hear footsteps behind me, I glance over my shoulder and smile at Aldo.
“Rocco is using the restroom,” he explains. “I’ll get the delivery for you.”
“Thank you.”
I wait to the side as Aldo checks through the peephole. He keeps his hand on his weapon as he opens the door, but the next second, shopping bags are thrown at him. As he brings his weapon up, a man performs a move I’ve only seen in movies and practically flies over my guard.
Before I can even think to scream, he disarms Aldo and slams the gun against his head.
As Aldo drops to the floor, my eyes widen in shock. I’m grabbed by my arm, then my body goes airborne as I’m hauled over the man’s shoulder.
“Rocco!!!” I finally manage to scream at the top of my lungs while trying to free myself from the man’s tight hold. “No! Let me go!”
The man carries me out of the house as if I weigh nothing, and no amount of slamming my fists against his back deters him from running to a van and tossing me inside.
NoNoNoNoNo!
My kidnapper gets into the van and pulls the door shut behind him, then shouts in Japanese, “GoGoGo!”
The tires squeal as the van shoots forward, and scared out of my mind, I get my first good look at the man who’s dressed in a delivery uniform.
My breathing speeds up as we stare at each other, and even though he looks familiar, his features have changed too much for me to be sure it’s him.
“Hi, Yuki,” he says, a smile tugging at his mouth. “I told you I’d find you again.”
Intense goose bumps spread over my body, and I’m inundated with such a strong emotion, I forget to breathe. “Ryo?”
When he nods, I dart forward, throwing my arms around my brother’s neck. He engulfs me in a tight hug, his body so much bigger since we last got to hold each other.
“Yuki.” He lets out a sigh that sounds like it comes all the way from his soul. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.”
We pull apart and stare at each other.
For eleven years, I hoped and prayed to be reunited with my brother, but now that the moment is here, I’m too overwhelmed to think straight.
I take in all the ways he has changed from a boy into a man. There’s a scar that runs through his right eyebrow and a bigger one across his cheek. I also see ink peeking out from the collar of his shirt, and there are more scars on his forearms.
My brother is all muscle and reminds me too much of a seasoned Yakuza soldier.
Sadness creeps into my heart as I ask, “What did they do to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Ryo’s eyes begin to burn with anger as they drift over my face. “I heard about what happened to you.” Lifting his hand, he cups my cheek. “After I left the monastery to join the Yakuza, you were already gone. I overheard Yutaro laughing with some of the men.”
He pauses for a moment while he shakes his head, and when he speaks again, his voice is filled with hatred. “I heard they gave you to a Sicilian after he almost killed you.”
When I see the promise of death in Ryo’s eyes, I quickly shake my head, but before I can say anything, he growls, “I’m going to kill him for daring to touch you.”
“No!” I scoot closer to Ryo, giving him a pleading look. “It was a misunderstanding. Augusto thought I was a man because Father made me pretend to be you.”
Shock ripples over his face. “What?”
“After you left, they injected fillers into my face to make me look like a boy. I was trained to act like you. I was your decoy.”
He shakes his head as he moves from the kneeling position to sit flat on his ass. “Yuki…”
“Once my identity was compromised, they changed my appearance back to normal and arranged a marriage for me.”
He scrubs his palms over his face, and I notice all the tiny scars on his knuckles.
Reaching for his hand, I take hold of it and brush my fingers over his marked skin. “It looks like we’ve both been through hell.”
He shoots forward again and yanks me into another hug. “I missed you so much. I only survived so I could see your face again.”
“Me too.” I choke on a sob, clinging tightly to my brother. “You were all that kept me going.”
The van comes to a sudden stop, and we almost topple over, but Ryo catches us.
When the door rolls open, I look at the older man, not recognizing him. He’s large and bald, looking very scary, but then a broad smile stretches over his face.
“You were right, Ryo. She’s pretty,” he says, gesturing for us to hurry. “Come inside before anyone sees us.”
I’m helped out of the van, and Ryo keeps his arm wrapped around my shoulders as we rush into a building that’s seen better days.
When I’m ushered into an apartment, I glance around the empty space, only seeing two sleeping bags and a small wooden table with an empty pizza box.
“We’ll lay low for a few days before we go home,” Ryo informs me.
“Home?”
“Tokyo.” Ryo sits down on the sleeping bag and pats the space beside him. “Tell me everything. What happened after they took me away?”
“Wait.” I kneel on the thin fabric before sitting back on my haunches. “I don’t want to go back to Tokyo.”
Ryo’s expression grows grim, and his eyes fill with danger. “Why?”
“Because I’m married to Augusto.” Realizing he must be worried out of his mind, I ask, “Do you have a phone so I can call him?”
“You’re not calling that bastard!” Ryo shouts before he makes a visible effort to calm down again.
Framing my face with his hands, he shakes his head.
“You’re safe now, Yuki. I’m going to protect you.
We’ll get the marriage annulled once we’re in Tokyo, and you can do whatever you want with the rest of your life. I’ll provide for you.”
I lift my hand and wrap my fingers around his wrist. “Thank you for coming to me, Ryo.” I tilt my head as I smile at him. “But I don’t want to divorce Augusto. I’ve fallen in love with him.”
A heartbroken expression flits over his face before it’s replaced with more anger. “It’s Stockholm syndrome. I’ll get you help.” He shakes his head as he moves onto his knees, and his tone is filled with urgency as he says, “Everything will be better once we’re back home.”
“No, Ryo.” With a pleading look, I spell it out for him.
“Augusto has been nothing but kind and caring. He’s treated me with respect, and not once has he forced me to do anything I didn’t want to.
I have fallen in love with my husband, and I want to stay with him.
” I pause to take a deep breath before I quickly continue, “Come home with me and meet him. You’ll see he’s a good man. ”
When Ryo just stares at me, my stomach sinks, and it’s only then that I think of something and ask, “Were you the person behind the attack on Augusto?”
“Yeah, but the plan didn’t work. I was hoping he’d go to Japan to kill Father, and while he was gone, I’d get you out of that house. Once Father was dead, it would’ve been easy for me to take over as the head of the Yakuza. ”
“Oh, Ryo.” I grip his hand between mine, my eyebrows drawing together. “You didn’t have to do all of that. I know if we talk with Augusto, he’ll help you take down Father.”
The man who drove the van places two cups of tea on the floor, then takes a seat on the other sleeping bag.
“Who is he?” I ask, leaving the tea untouched in case it’s spiked.
“Takeru Mashima. The monk who trained me.”
Takeru nods his head at me, once again smiling.
Turning my attention back to Ryo, I say, “We need to go back to my house. Augusto will worry about me.”
“You’re not going back to that man, Yuki,” Ryo growls.
I climb to my feet and hurry to the door, but before I can open it, Ryo grabs hold of me and drags me away from it.
“Stop!” I shout angrily, and swinging around, I shove at his chest. “I missed you, and I really wanted to see you again, but I won’t let you take me away from Augusto.
I’m finally happy, Ryo!” Tears begin to trickle down my cheeks as I meet his eyes.
“I’m happy, and it’s all because of my husband, who has done nothing but go out of his way to be good to me.
I’m going home. You can either come with me or let me go. ”
“Yuki.” There’s heartache in Ryo’s voice as he stares at me. “Don’t ask me to let you go. I can’t do that.”
“Then come with me,” I whisper. “Don’t make me choose between you and Augusto. Please.”