Shadow Reaper (Shadow Riders 2)

Curious, he opened the two remaining doors, one built into the bedroom and one the main living quarters. Both opened to narrow corridors. When he opened the door, LED lights lit up along the ceiling, illuminating the hallway. Ricco followed each hallway. One led to the kitchen, the other to Nao's master bedroom. When Nao had guests, clearly he didn't want Darin to be seen.

Finally, knowing he was taking up far too much time, Ricco slipped into another shadow that allowed him to reach the others faster than he could have walking. Taviano had cleared the cameras so they could move quickly to the master bedroom.

Nao's bedroom was enormous. The bed was king-sized with a mirror on the ceiling. One wall held a long floor-to-ceiling mirror. The walk-in closet was designed for someone in a wheelchair, the clothes set lower to be easily accessible. Both doors were wide open, revealing the huge room, one that was nearly as big as some apartments. Nao obviously liked clothes and shoes. Every kind of shoe and boot was lined up in neat rows. Hundreds of pairs.

The door to the passageway Darin used was in the corner to the front of the room and left of the main entryway. Two panels on either side of the bed, from floor to ceiling, were lights that would instantly illuminate the room if Nao turned them on. It also made the man feel safe.

Stefano and Ricco exchanged a long look. Nao was vain. The wheelchair hadn't affected his narcissistic personality in the least. From all reports, he was a master manipulator and closed deals faster than his father--who had been renowned for being a closer--had ever done. It was rumored--but not proven--that threats were often used and companies caved immediately after speaking with Nao. Ricco, having witnessed the extent of his sociopathic behavior, believed all the rumors about the man.

The shadow took him to the left side of the bed. Stefano went right. Taviano searched the other rooms thoroughly and shook his head to indicate Darin wasn't anywhere to be found. More, with Nao soundly sleeping, there was no evidence that the caretaker had been there in the last few hours. He slipped back into the shadows in order to protect them. Ricco waved to Mariko to position herself at the head of the bed, so the first thing Nao would see when he opened his eyes was her. The men looked at her and she nodded.

"Nao," she called softly. "Akiko wanted me to give you her regards."

Nao shifted uneasily in his sleep, a frown chasing across his face.

"Did you think she wouldn't keep an eye on you? She doesn't like that you would attempt to harm the rest of her family."

Nao scowled and batted at the air. "Go away." His hand fluttered in midair and then dropped to his chest. "Stop coming here."

There was some satisfaction in knowing that Akiko was still on Nao's mind. Ricco pressed his knee into the mattress to help wake him. The movement caused the man to thump his fist into the pillow and scrunch his eyes closed tighter.

"Go away, Akiko. You're dead."

"Yes," Mariko said. "I'm dead. You killed me. That means I can come visit you anytime I want to. You've been sending men after my sister to kill her. I don't like that. Wake up and look at me." She put command into her voice.

Nao's eyelids fluttered and then he forced himself to peek at her. His sudden inhale was audible and his eyes widened with shock. He reached behind him for the crosspiece running along the four posts, gripped with both fists and pulled himself into a sitting position, the entire time staring at her. He fumbled for a moment and then hit a button. The large panels on either side of the headboard lit up, throwing a dim light across the room.

"Who are you?"

"Mariko. Akiko's sister. Where is my brother, Ryuu?"

Ricco was proud of the low demand in her voice. She didn't overplay it or act theatrical, she just stated the truth softly.

"How the fuck should I know where your twisted wreck of a brother is? That double-crossing bastard stole my companies' research right out from under me. Hacked into our computers and then got his company the patents without doing any of the work. Osamu put him up to it. Feeding him lies about me, blaming me for Eiji's and Hachiro's deaths. She never wanted to believe they threatened my family if I didn't go with them."

"Where is he?" Mariko persisted.

"Get out of my bedroom before I call the cops." As Nao gave the order, he reached for the phone beside his bed. Ricco's hand was there first, so Nao's fingers tried gripping his. Nao's head swung around and he gasped in alarm. "Ricco Ferraro."

"Not dead, Nao. Wet work didn't suit your team of assassins."

"I heard your father died."

Ricco nodded. "He did. No one else."

"That's too bad."

Nao grinned, looking both sly and evil. Ricco didn't like that his attention kept straying to Mariko. He wanted Nao's entire focus on him at all times. There was just something nagging at him, something he couldn't put his finger on, but he was worried. He didn't want Mariko anywhere near Nao or danger, and he sensed they were all in danger.

"Where's Ryuu?" He kept his voice low but commanding.

"I told you, I have no idea." Nao gripped the bar behind him tightly and dragged himself into a very upright sitting position. He glanced at the bell on his nightstand, the one that presumably called his caretaker, but made no move toward it. Instead, he clasped his arms behind his head and leaned back, his eyes on Mariko.

"Osamu told me you'd fuck Ricco. You really are a little slut just like your mother. Osamu and the other women did their best to tell your father, but he wouldn't listen. He was weak. We didn't need weak riders. We can't tolerate weak riders. It was our job to weed them out."

"Whose job?" Stefano spoke for the first time, and Nao's head swiveled to face the new threat.

Ricco watched him closely. Nao had that same superior look he remembered so vividly in his nightmares from his teenage years.

Nao leaned toward Stefano. "All of us. All riders. We can't allow the gene pool to grow weak. It should be pure."

"Pure?" Stefano echoed, one eyebrow shooting up. "Pure what?"

"Not tainted by weak men or women."

"Akiko defeated you," Ricco reminded. "I was there. I saw what she did. You couldn't take that a woman was stronger than you."

"She wasn't stronger." Nao spat the words at him, glaring now, his famous temper rising. "She was slutty, just like her mother. I heard the talk about Tanaka. What a worm he was. Throwing away greatness. His name. His honor. All for what?" He sneered the last as he looked at Mariko. "A whore."

"She wasn't a whore," Ricco said softly, his voice so low Nao swung his head back toward that thread of a sound. "We investigated her, just as your father's family would have done before he married her." He didn't look at Mariko, he couldn't. He knew he was revealing far too much. She would know his family had investigated her. "Marie Hammond was a good woman, not a whore. Osamu and the other women were jealous that Daiki Tanaka married her instead of one of them, and they were vicious, turning everyone against her. The lies Osamu told Chiharu caused her to turn on Marie."

"The International Council investigated your family," Stefano said, drawing Nao's attention to him. "Their findings were interesting. Four of your family members were quietly killed by other family members. Do you know why? They went mad. The Archambaults destroyed two others. Osamu has been hospitalized twice in a psych ward and your father once."

"For depression!" Nao screamed, his face turning bright red with anger. Both fists clenched. "For depression. My father lost everything thanks to that twisted troll and her . . ." He spat toward Mariko.

"Actually, Nao," Ricco said calmly, "your father was out of his mind. He tried to kill several nurses after he'd physically assaulted them."

"You liar. You're a fucking liar. You fuck a whore, you don't let them lead you around by your dick. She's infected you with her weakness. With depravity." Nao leaned forward, his hands sliding along his mattress as he did so. Instantly the lights on either side of him went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Instincts kicking in, Ricco dove for Mariko. He was too far away

to get to her fast enough. Stefano made the same dive from the other side of the bed. It was Taviano who took her to the floor, landing on top of her, his body covering hers. Ricco and Stefano hit the floor on either side of her, wrapping arms around their brother so no part of Mariko's body was exposed.

A faint hum shimmered in the air for one moment. A thunk. Ricco turned his head away from the bed, peering into the darkness behind them. The door to Darin's passageway was open and a shadowy figure, holding a crossbow, suddenly turned to run. As the intruder turned, three figures emerged from the shadows, and Ricco recognized three of the Archambault riders.

"Cover me," he hissed in Stefano's ear. He patted Taviano on the back and rolled toward the partially open door.

Stefano and Taviano stood, both between the French riders and the door to the passageway. Taviano gallantly helped Mariko to her feet.

All three stared at Nao. An arrow protruded from his chest. His mouth was open grotesquely, as if he'd seen death coming and had tried to stop it with a shout.

"Maxence," Stefano greeted, looking to the oldest brother. "What are you doing here?" He knew it looked bad, but they were all empty-handed. Still, the French riders would know Ricco had been there as well.

"The investigations are complete. We were here to bring justice to Nao Yamamoto. Where is Ryuu?"

There was something in Maxence's voice that had Mariko turning pale and Stefano feeling like an old man, tired of always being right. "We don't know," he said. "Why?"

"Osamu Saito trained Ryuu as a shadow rider and used him as an instrument of revenge against the Yamamoto family. He began taking their companies apart by hacking in and stealing research and selling it to the highest bidder. He proved to be extremely good at industrial espionage. He also managed to transfer most of Nao's personal fortune into an account he'd set up for himself offshore."

Mariko stepped back, away from Taviano and Stefano, shaking her head. Taviano made a move to slip his arm around her, but she stiffened and stepped back farther. "That's impossible," she whispered. "My brother's bones were broken and twisted. He couldn't ride the shadows, as much as he wanted to."

"You're certain Osamu trained him?" Stefano asked, already knowing the answer. The International Council would never have sent the French riders if they weren't 100 percent convinced that they had all the facts.

Maxence nodded. "I'm afraid so, Stefano. Ryuu and Osamu are behind the attack on your family. They used the money Ryuu stole from the Yamamotos to fund the mercenaries. We traced the money back to the account Ryuu set up. They also targeted the Yamamotos. Sango Yamamoto was pushed onto the tracks. Witnesses said another woman was with her. We believe that woman, from the description, was Osamu."

Stefano shook his head. "Osamu had to have been totally insane."

Maxence agreed. "She had been courted by Daiki Tanaka when they were young, but at the last minute he backed out. There is a small trail that leads us to believe she began plotting revenge on him. Certainly she was known to say things against Daiki to her friends and her sons. We believe she tracked Marie down and killed her. She was in the same small town at the same time as Marie's death, and that's just too big of a coincidence for us to swallow."

Taviano moved closer to Mariko. She was pale, her eyes looking like two bruised flowers pressed into her head. At his movement, Stefano glanced back at Taviano. Somewhere, in the house, Ricco was hunting right at that moment. Ricco and Stefano had been worried that Ryuu was involved somehow. To what extent they didn't know, but nothing about the kidnapping made sense.

Stefano wanted Taviano to get his hands on Mariko. She was a very intelligent woman and she was going to realize that along with the Ferraro family, her brother and Osamu had targeted her. The moment Ricco realized who was in the passageway, his expression had turned murderous. He would want to protect Mariko before anything else, not realizing that if he killed her brother, she might not ever forgive him.

"We do our own investigations and our findings differed from the police's when it came to Isamu's suicide. We kept those findings secret, but we knew he wasn't alone when he killed himself. More than likely Ryuu put a gun to Osamu's head and forced Isamu to kill himself to save his sister. He just hadn't realized that his sister was bent on revenge."

"Do you think Dai knew his wife was behind those deaths?" The last thing Stefano wanted was for one of the French riders to come across Ricco killing Ryuu. He tried to stall them.

Maxence shrugged. "Everyone knew he loved her, and yet he killed her. He wouldn't have killed her unless he knew there was no other way out. He had to know the moment the International Council launched an investigation into the deaths of the Tanaka family that we would uncover Osamu's conspiracy to take down all the families involved."

Stefano sighed. "If Dai knew all along and did nothing, he was as guilty as she was."

Maxence nodded. "Agreed. We found evidence that the Ito family was next in line for the pair to take down. All along Ryuu had been pretending to help Nao. Nao was obsessed with Ricco. From the evidence we gathered, he admired Ricco. He began pitting himself against Ricco by trying to outbid him for various items they both collected. Ricco's collection came first, but Nao was determined to rival it. During that time, he trusted Ryuu and gave him access to his computers without realizing it. That enabled Ryuu to begin his destruction of the Yamamoto empire."

Stefano's investigators had known someone was stealing from Nao Yamamoto and that his personal assets as well as companies were slowly being drained in a variety of ways. "Ryuu changed the compound for the making of casings for the race cars, didn't he? That was Yamamoto's company."

Maxence nodded again. "We believe he made certain that your brother's car received the bad casing. He's been watching your brother for a long time."

"Ricco worried for years that someone was entering his house. He made certain no one, not even a rider, could."

Maxence's eyebrow shot up, but he didn't comment on that bit of information. "Ryuu killed Darin Salsberry. His body is in one of the hall closets. We're certain that Ryuu is somewhere in this house. He could use the passageway without fear that Darin would stumble onto him. My brothers are hunting him as we speak."

A small sound of distress escaped before Mariko could stop it. Not her brother. He wouldn't do this. He would never conspire to kill an entire family, just wipe them out because Osamu told him to. Would he? She pressed trembling fingers to her lips and took another small, gliding step back away from the men and toward the passage where Ricco had followed Nao's killer.

She could not believe that Ryuu would do this, but a part of her was already recognizing the red flags she'd chosen not to see. The many times Ryuu had laughed when Osamu had shamed her. He'd come to her room later and tell her he was sorry, it was just that Osamu looked so funny with the broom, bashing at her as if she could sweep her under a rug. Although his laughter had hurt at the time, she'd allowed him to coax her into smiles after.

There were so many incidents growing up that she'd overlooked because she'd needed to believe Ryuu loved her. Someone had to love her. Now he was somewhere in the house with Ricco after him. Ricco. Her heart stuttered. Ryuu could kill him. Ricco had a gentle heart. He might hesitate because Ryuu was her brother. How would she feel if he killed Ryuu? She didn't know. Her normally calm mind became utter chaos.

She turned and dashed for the passageway. She didn't care if the French riders were angry at what she was doing. She had to find her brother. She needed answers. She needed to know that he hadn't done these things and Osamu hadn't turned him completely against her. Fighting back emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she raced down the passage, looking for shadows that would tell her which way they went.

*

Ricco sprinted down the narrow passage after the shadowy figure he knew was Ryuu. He had begun, almost from the very beginning, to worry that Mariko's brother was involved. When she had lost the trail and then the investigators had said there was no trail,

he had looked at the surveillance footage of the hotel cameras himself. He and Stefano. Neither had said one word of their suspicions to Mariko. Ricco had wanted to be wrong. He'd even sent up a prayer or two, and he wasn't a praying man.

There was plenty of footage of Ryuu walking to his hotel room, but none of him coming out of it. Stefano and Ricco had watched every inch of the recordings, identifying the guests and following up to make certain each person entering the hotel had legitimate business there. No one had come to kidnap Ryuu, and seemingly, he'd never left his room. That left only two ways possible. Someone could have tampered with the cameras, but there was no evidence of that. Or, Ryuu was a shadow rider and he had left that room on his own. If that were the truth, then he had to be a big part of the conspiracy against the Ferraro family.

It explained a lot of other things as well. Nao's collection mimicking Ricco's so closely. Ryuu could have been entering Ricco's home and photographing the weapons for Nao. Ricco had always suspected someone was coming into his house. As a shadow rider, Ryuu would know about the Ferraros using shadows to travel and he could have warned the mercenaries to attack the shadows.

Ricco opened the door leading to the caretaker's rooms cautiously, mindful of the attack on Vittorio outside the Fausti home. He somersaulted into the room, scanning as he rolled across toward the door. It appeared empty but the lights were on, throwing shadows across the room. He kept rolling until he was just at the mouth of one of them, the largest that led under the door to the next room, and then he leapt up and into it.

Ryuu tried to take his head off with a vicious kick right to the exact place he'd taken such a beating in the accident on the track. Expecting the attack, he dropped low and swept Ryuu's leg out from under him. Ryuu went down, but as he did, he dove forward, deeper into the shadow, letting it swallow him.

Ricco raced after him. The shadow tore him apart, reminding him he wasn't 100 percent physically. He consoled himself with the knowledge that Ryuu's body wasn't perfect, either, and the brutal pull of the shadow on him had to be just as painful. There was some satisfaction in that.