Reno looked at his reflection in the mirror as he wiped the coffee off. He’d set things straight; she knew exactly where she stood. Last night was only an aberration, a one-night stand, the sort of thing he excelled at. It meant absolutely nothing.
And the added side benefit—unless she was a masochist, she’d be completely over him, which is just the way he wanted it. He never wanted another night like last night. When he couldn’t get enough of her, no matter how he pushed it, no matter what he lured her into doing. It wasn’t enough. It would never be enough, and that scared the hell out of him.
Attacking a woman’s sexuality was always an effective way to get rid of an unwanted leftover. There’s no way she’d ever let down her defenses with him again—he’d scarred her too deeply. He had no doubt she hated him more than she thought she had the capacity to hate. He could have told her otherwise. Humans, even the least experienced, had an infinite capacity for hate.
Hating him was the best thing he could do for her. She’d be able to turn her back on everything that had happened in Japan. And he could turn his back on her.
He shoved a hand through the spiky red hair. Yeah, he was a real hard-ass, he thought, putting his sunglasses back on his nose. She didn’t need to see that his eyes were a dead giveaway if she had the chance to look closely enough. He didn’t need or want anyone, ever. And this momentary insanity would be over as soon as he managed to dump her.
Hitomi’s men would be on the lookout for him, but there were at least three secret entrances to the compound, made for a last-minute escape, and he doubted Hitomi had found them. Even Ojiisan’s bodyguard, Kobayashi, didn’t know of their existence.
She’d do what he told her now—he’d managed to strip away any remaining defenses when he’d stripped away her clothes. She’d stay put while he went out to reconnoiter, and if he had any doubts, he’d cut the electric cord off a lamp and tie her up.
But frankly, he’d rather not do that. For a number of reasons, not the least of which was that it would turn him on. And he wasn’t going near her, ever again. She was far too dangerous to his peace of mind.
His new white shirt was ruined, but he’d bought several, and he headed out into the living area, shirtless, ready to set things straight.
The room was deserted. Once more he’d underestimated her. She’d taken off, rather than spend another minute with him. And if he didn’t catch up with her, and fast, she might have no more minutes left in her life.
Holy motherfucker, what an idiot he’d been. You never went in with more firepower than you needed, and he could have scared her off without bringing out the big guns. But for the first time in his life he’d been frightened, of her, of what he was feeling for her, and he’d miscalculated.
He was shoving his feet into his cowboy boots, pulling on a clean shirt as he stumbled out the door of the hotel room. He was going to kill her when he found her.
The snow was falling more heavily when he left the hotel. He’d checked with the front desk—no one had seen the tall gaijin leave, and she tended to stand out in a crowd. If she’d gone outside, she’d be easy enough to find. He ran out onto the sidewalk, searching through the throngs of people getting out of work. No tall, blond gaijins anywhere, and he had no idea which way she could have headed. She had no money, no identification, not even a coat, and the silk clothes he’d bought her had been an impulse on his part, a stupid one. She’d be freezing.
He pulled out his cell and began texting—he was going to need help if he stood any chance of finding her, and Kyo was his first choice.
A meaty fist appeared in front of him, picking the cell phone out of his hand and dropping it on the sidewalk. Kobayashi, always light on his feet, loomed over him. “You need to come to the compound.”
He was faster than Kobayashi, and he didn’t see anyone else around who could stop him. “I don’t think so. I’m not walking into a trap.”
“Yes, you are, young master. You would never stand by and see someone you loved be tortured and killed.”
“My grandfather can withstand torture.”
“I’m talking about your gaijin. Hitomi-san has her and there’s nothing your grandfather can’t do about it. If I don’t bring you back with me, he’s going to start cutting pieces off.”
Odd, he could see his breath, but he wasn’t cold. He looked at Kobayashi, murder in his eyes. “You touch her…”
“No one will touch her, Hiromasa-san. Not if you come back. She has no value on her own; her only worth is to get you and Taka to come. If you don’t care enough, Hitomi-san will get rid of her.” He gave Reno a sorrowful look. “You should know I would never betray your grandfather. He has always known that something was going on, and he has had me go along with them. Your warning only gave him more proof. Your grandfather is smarter and stronger than five Hitomi-sans. You should know that.”
“Then why did you let them take her?”
Kobayashi shook his head. “She is of little worth to your grandfather and none to me. If I do not bring you back, they will kill her, and they will know I failed. They will no longer trust me. You need to come back with me, young master. Or Hitomi will win me and your grandfather will fall.”
There’d never been any real question. “What do they want with me?”
“Hitomi-san has said he will trade the girl’s life for yours. He thinks you are sentimental enough to make such a bargain. I told him he was wrong, but he took her anyway, and he’s awaiting word from me. If you refuse, he will kill the girl and then he will go for your grandfather, and I will not be there to stop him.” There were tears in Kobayashi’s eyes. “Please, Hiromasa-san. You’re the only one who has any chance of stopping him.”
Reno looked at him for a long, silent moment. And then he bowed. “Tell Hitomi-san I’m coming,” he said. “And if he even touches her little finger, I’ll rip his heart out.”
For a moment Kobayashi looked disapproving. “Your grandfather will never approve. Look at the shame and trouble your worthless mother brought to the family. If you choose to marry a gaijin like your father—”
“I’m not marrying anyone!” he protested, truly horrified.
Kobayashi did not look appeased. “Your grandfather will be very unhappy. His days are not long, and you are his favorite grandson.”
“I’m his only grandson,” Reno said. “And I’m not going to let anything happen to the old man. Or to Jilly Lovitz. Is that understood?”