She took my hand and led me toward the small loveseat in the center of the living room. “Let’s sit, and I will tell you a condensed version of everything. You are old enough now to understand.”
I sat and turned to her expectantly, but also a bit fearfully. What if she told me things I didn’t want to hear? What if she told me things that changed everything?
“When I met your father, I was training to be a kunoichi.”
“What?” I reared back, stunned. Mama was a kunoichi too? Was she a ninja by choice, or had she been forced to learn ninjutsu like me? “But…how? When? I mean, I had no idea.”
She clasped my hand and pulled it into her lap. “When I was sixteen, my parents took me to Japan for a holiday. Our hotel was robbed one night, my parents murdered. I was taken captive by the men who killed my family. They said they were in need of more females for their program. I later learned that they targeted visiting families with teenage daughters, murdering the parents so that the girls had no choice but to become a kunoichi.”
My breath caught. “Oh Mama. So they forced you to become a kunoichi?”
“Yes. They gave me the choice of joining them or dying. It was at their secret training camp near the Suzuka Mountains that I met your father, who was also in training to become a shinobi. We fell in love and met secretly at night for several years. I wanted to leave, to sneak away, but he warned me that they would come after me and kill me if I escaped. So I stayed. I endured. I trained and fought, and learned to kill. I was taught in the ways of espionage, disguise, and stealth. I was sent on missions to seduce men, infiltrate their organizations, and extract information from them. Sometimes, I was also ordered to assassinate them.” She avoided my eyes, as if she feared my reaction to such a revelation. But as shocking as it was that my own mother had been a kunoichi, she was still my mother. And I was a kunoichi too. I may not have been sent out on missions like she had, I may not have killed anyone yet, but it was very possible that day might come. My mother had been forced to do things she didn’t want to do. Just like me. So I didn’t judge her. I admired her.
“Then the unexpected happened. I became pregnant with you.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I knew if they found out I was pregnant, they would make me terminate the pregnancy. Or they would kill me. So I kept it a secret for as long as I was physically able.”
Fascinated by the story, I leaned into her like I had done as a child, linking my arm through hers, and listened intently. “When did Father find out about me?”
She hesitated. “Not until you were five years old. And it was quite by accident. You see, I managed to escape the training camp one night. I was about four months pregnant at the time. I didn’t get a chance to tell your father goodbye. He had been sent out on an undercover mission and was gone for many months. He had still not returned by the time I escaped. I slipped off into the mountains and disappeared, hiding for several days. Then I met an old rice farmer who gave me a ride into Gifu. I stayed in Gifu until you were born five months later. Then I made my way to Tokyo. I changed my name, my birthdate, my appearance. I enrolled in school and got my degree and became a surgeon. It wasn’t easy, but I had a daughter to raise, and I was determined to keep you safe. I was determined to forget my past life and start fresh as a new person. I figured it would be easier to hide in a big city like Tokyo, and for a while, that was true. Then I quite literally stumbled into your father one night.”
She closed her eyes again and let out another sigh. “He was so furious with me for leaving without telling him goodbye. He said I was dead to him. I believe he would have killed me then and there if we weren’t standing in a busy shopping area. That’s how offended he was that I’d left. He took it so personally. It broke my heart to have to leave him, but you were more important to me, and I never regretted it.”
I had always wondered why my father never took any interest in me until I was sixteen. “So when and how did Father find out about me?” I asked breathlessly.
“He followed me home, unbeknownst to me. He kept tabs on me. And then one day when I took you out with me, he saw you. He immediately figured out the truth and confronted me about it. I admitted that you were the reason I had left. He didn’t understand my desire to keep my child—our child. In his eyes, I chose you over him, and to him, that made me a traitor. He told me that someday I would pay for leaving him, for betraying him. And then when you were sixteen, he made that vow come true. He took you away. He did it to punish me.”
That was why my father had stolen me away. To punish my mother. Fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “I hate him, Mama,” I admitted. “He’s evil. He made me be his slave for the past eight years. He made me train to be a kunoichi even though I didn’t want to. He treats me like a boy, not a girl.”
My mother hugged me tightly, her breath hitching. “I am so sorry, Nishi. I wish I could have protected you from him. Your father has more power here in America than he did in Japan. He captured me a few weeks ago, his men kidnapping me as I was leaving the hospital one night. He kept me hostage here, waiting for his deal with Malik to go through. Then he handed me over to Malik for safekeeping after you escaped on the night of the wedding.” She let out a soft laugh. “I was so proud of you when I learned you had gotten away.” She gently set me away and looked into my eyes. “Thank you for sending the dregs to rescue me. They are interesting men. Very unique. Your Logan and his friends are fierce warriors. Very impressive. Now that I am free, I need to figure out a way to disappear, and so do you. As long as your father is alive, we won’t be safe.”
I looked into her eyes. “I can’t leave Logan, Mama. I love him.”
She smiled. “I figured you would say that. He is a special man. I think you are probably safer with Logan. Noah The Hacker told me he can create a new identity for me and help get me settled in a new place here in America. I am going to take him up on that offer.”
I hugged her again, overwhelmed with emotion. “I am glad. Noah’s very smart. He can probably do that. I would like to keep in touch with you as much as possible.”
She pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Oh, we will, my darling. We will. From now on, I will never be far.”
I snuggled against her on the couch, content, so happy my mother was okay. We sat there for a long time, renewing our bond, and sharing stories about our lives and the things that had happened over the past eight years. I was so glad to have my mother back.
Soon, we would have to deal with my father. And Malik.
But for now, I could just pretend all was well.
My mother was here at last.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Logan
I woke to the sound of feminine voices. Momentarily confused, I blinked, turning my head.
Nishi.
She stood across the room with her mother. Talking quietly. How long had I been asleep? Had Ryan and Luke brought Nishi back? How long had she been here? Content to just lay there and watch them, I relaxed back against the pillow. Being able to help Nishi reunite with her mother was a good feeling. And seeing their obvious affection for each other, the deep mother-daughter bond between them made my chest tighten with emotion. I was glad I had been able to help.
I listened to their voices for a moment. They weren’t speaking in English. Did they not want me to know what they were saying? Reena probably didn’t know about my dreg talent. But Nishi did.
My brain quickly processed the words they had spoken. Hindi. Reena had asked Nishi how she’d escaped Malik. Nishi had replied that she’d stabbed Malik in the balls with a safety pin and thrown up all over him.
I snorted out a laugh, unable to keep quiet after hearing that.
They both jerked toward me in surprise.
“You’re awake!” Nishi said in Hindi. She rushed to my side, taking my hand in hers.
Reena cocked a surprised brow. “You speak Hindi?”
I cleared my throat and answered in Hindi. “I can speak any language in the world.”
&nb
sp; Her brow furrowed. “How? That is not possible.”
Nishi brushed her fingers up and down my arm. “He’s a dreg, Mama. His special talent is the ability to ‘train’ himself to learn and speak any language in the world simply by listening to a few sentences spoken in that language. He’s amazing, don’t you think?”
Reena’s expression filled with admiration. “I have to say that is quite impressive, Logan.” A smile spread across her face. Then she spoke in English. “Very impressive.”
Warmth filled my chest. I really liked Nishi’s mother. I didn’t know what her plans were, but I imagined Nishi would want her to stick around for a while. I would like that, too.
I turned to Nishi, the brave, beautiful girl who had stolen my heart the night I’d found her in the back of my truck. “I’m so glad you escaped that bastard,” I murmured. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to kill him for you. I promise I will take him out the next time I see him. Did he hurt you, Nishi?”
She shook her head. “I am fine. I don’t want to talk about Malik.” She gave a little shudder. “Please, let’s not mention him again.”
I studied her face, seeing the discomfort in her eyes. Malik had hurt her. But I sensed she didn’t want to worry her mother, or me, so she was downplaying what had happened. Later, when I had a chance to talk to her alone, I would urge to her tell me what that bastard had done to her. I vowed I would make everything all right. I wanted to draw her close, hold her tightly, and erase from her mind whatever Malik had done to her.
“I witnessed something amazing yesterday,” Reena announced. “Direct transfer of human blood. As a doctor, I never imagined I would ever see such a thing, but it was real, Nishi. And it was incredible.”
Nishi stared at her mother, then glanced at me. “What are you talking about, Mama?”
“Logan had two gunshot wounds and he lost a lot of blood. He needed a transfusion. His friend Noah showed me how the dregs do blood transfusions. All I had to do was hook Noah up to a tube, gather his blood into a collection bag, then transfer his blood into Logan.”
Nishi glanced back at me, her eyes wide. “It helps boost my immune system and promotes faster healing,” I informed her. “I’m already feeling stronger than I did right after getting injured.”
Nishi’s brow shot up. “Really? It’s only been twenty-four hours since you were shot.”
I shrugged. “I’m a dreg.”
Nishi glanced back at her mother. Reena shrugged as well. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself. Your Logan is a special man.”
Nishi turned back to me, her eyes filling with an emotion that made my heart skip a beat. Was I seeing in her eyes what I thought I was seeing?
Reena cleared her throat. “I will let you two have some time alone now. We will catch up more later, Nishi. For now, I will let you be with your Logan.”
My lips twitched. I liked that Reena called me Nishi’s Logan. I wanted to be Nishi’s Logan. Did Nishi want me to be her Logan?
Nishi hugged her mother again and walked her to the door of my apartment. Their voices floated back to me. I closed my eyes and relaxed again.
Nishi was back safe and sound. Her mother was safe, too.
And I was rapidly recovering from my injuries.
All was well.
Nishi returned, laying a hand over my brow. I opened my eyes, smiling up at her.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “I can fix you something to eat.”
I shook my head. “Not right now. I’m just tired. Will you lay with me?”
“Yes.” She slipped into the bed beside me. I drew her close with my uninjured arm, spooning her small body against mine.
“Thank you.” I breathed in her clean, feminine scent, sighing contentedly with her in my arms. “Are you really okay?” I asked. “Are you sure Malik didn’t hurt you?”
She swallowed hard. “I am fine now that you are holding me. You help me to forget.”
My heart clenched. “Please tell me he didn’t touch you.”
“I will not lie, Logan. He tried to make me do…things to him. He did touch me, but I had to let him in order to get close enough to stab him. I did not like it. In fact, I threw up all over him. But he didn’t rape me. I escaped before then. I was afraid…” she trailed off. “I was afraid that after what Malik did to me that I would react badly when you touched me, but that isn’t the case at all. Your touch is soothing. Special. It makes me feel good. Please, keep holding me.”
“Gladly.” I drew her tighter against him. “I will hold you forever, Nishi.” Son-of-a-bitch. A murderous rage consumed me. Malik was going down. If I had to go back there by myself and take the bastard out, I would. He wasn’t getting away with hurting Nishi. I wouldn’t let him. He was going to suffer. And suffer good.
She covered my hand with her own and let out a soft sigh. “Thank you, Logan.”
I pushed my vengeful thoughts aside.
“You’re welcome.”
We grew silent after that, content to be in each other’s arms. It was amazing, holding her close like this. Cuddling. I was content with her here beside me. I knew in my heart that she was my soulmate. My forever love. My brave, sweet Nishi. And I could never let her go. Someday soon, I would make her mine in every sense of the word. We would strengthen—seal—our bond physically, as well as emotionally. I wanted to be as close to Nishi as a man and woman could be.
Shortly thereafter, I drifted off to sleep, happiness filling my chest. Nishi was back and she was safe.
The sound of my apartment door crashing open with a bang jerked us both awake. Was I dreaming? Hurried footsteps, then Luke’s urgent voice made it clear this was not a dream.
“We’ve got a problem, man. You’re going to have to get up, and get up right now.”
He paused in the doorway to my bedroom, his gaze going from me to a bleary-eyed Nishi, and back.
Dread settled deep in my bones. “What’s going on?”
“Only the worst possible fucking thing that could happen,” he hissed out, his eyes going cold and hard.
I sat up, my heart racing. “What?”
“Our hideout has been compromised.”
Nishi let out a soft gasp, bolting upright next to me. “No. How?”
“Shit.” I raked a hand through my shaggy hair. “Is it The Company?”
Luke sighed heavily. “No. Tommy called on the two-way a few minutes ago, reporting an army of ‘black dudes’ heading our way.”
Nishi’s eyes widened. “Who is Tommy?”
Luke glanced back at her. “A kid we help tutor with his homework. In exchange, he lets us know of any approaching danger.”
Nishi turned to me with fear in her eyes.
“We don’t know how they found us,” Luke went on. “They must have followed us last night. We already checked for tracking devices and couldn’t find any.” His gaze hardened as he looked from Nishi to me. “Every single one of us is going to have to fight. To the death. And that includes you, Logan, injured or not. We’re going to need all the manpower we have.” I didn’t miss the flash of worry that flickered in his eyes.
Nishi let out another gasp, shaking her head back and forth in denial. “No,” she whispered. “No. Malik can’t be here. He can’t.”
Luke glanced at Nishi. “Yes, little Nishi. It’s true. Malik has come for you. Are you ready to fight?”
She swallowed hard and glanced up into his hard gaze.
“Are you ready to fight?” he repeated, more loudly. “Are you ready to kill?”
“Yes,” she whispered, though she couldn’t hide the fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
He shook his head in denial, letting out a deep sigh. “No one’s blaming you.” He straightened. “Noah estimates we’ve got less than ten minutes before they’re here.”
Luke turned toward the door, paused, then spun back around. “If you don’t want Malik to take you again, little Nishi, then you—or one of us—is going to have to kill
him. Tonight.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Nishi
Malik has come for you. Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to kill?
Luke’s blunt words rang in my head. Malik was here. He’d found the dregs’ hideout. I tried not to tremble in terror, but I was terrified of Malik.
I had to save my mother. I had to protect Logan, who was still injured. It was time to be a true fighter. A shadow warrior.
It was time to kill Malik.
I helped Logan dress—his bullet wounds made his arm and leg weak, and he gritted his teeth at the pain as I helped him slip his clothes on. But he still planned to fight. He had to fight. He told me he’d be fine, that he’d suffered much worse. Though I believed him, I was also afraid for him. I didn’t want him to die. And in his injured state, he wasn’t as strong as he needed to be. Could he grip a rifle the way he needed to with a bullet wound in his arm? Could he crouch on his injured leg to fire at the enemy? Could he physically fight with his wounds? His opponent would have the advantage, and that scared me. What if Malik attacked him out there? What if Malik killed him?
Pushing my fears aside, I followed Logan to Noah’s tech room where everyone had gathered while Noah monitored the Rapsters’ approach.
“They set off both trip wires just seconds ago,” Noah announced. He motioned to a monitor to the far right. “See here, they have discovered the maze.”
I stared at the screen, watching as Malik’s thugs cautiously entered the maze. They were all armed with assault rifles. Lots of men. At least twenty or thirty.
I didn’t see Malik on the screen, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t here. He was probably still outside somewhere.
Ryan and Luke exchanged a glance. “This is not good,” Ryan murmured. “We’re going to have to head them off in the maze and blow up a section of the tunnel to keep them out. There’s too many of them for us to fight them all off.”
I let out a soft gasp. “Blow up the maze? Then where will you live?”
“We can set off explosives that will collapse certain sections of the maze around them, but far enough away that it won’t reach back here to our living quarters,” Luke informed me. “It will block off the tunnel so that our only way out is the escape hatch up into the mansion. But even if we do get trapped inside for a while, we should have enough food and supplies here for several weeks while we dig a way out. We are prepared for such a thing. Right guys?”
The Trainer (military romantic suspense) (The Dregs Book 5) Page 19