“Nishi. That’s too much for you to take on. I don’t want you to have to deal with such a burden. Let me take you away from here. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
She kept shaking her head. “No. You don’t understand. As long as he’s alive, I’m in danger. You’re in danger. I will run away with you, Logan. I will.”
She looked me in the eye. “But first, I’m killing my father.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Nishi
Logan tried to talk me out of going after my father. It was the first argument we had. But I stayed firm. I knew my father wouldn’t give up. He was likely furious that Logan and the other dregs had messed up his plans. He would seek revenge. He would come after Logan and kill him. And he would come after me and punish me. None of us would be safe until my father was dead. I had to deal with him first if I ever wanted to have a future with Logan. I loved Logan. He was my hero. My lover. My friend. My everything. And I wasn’t about to let my father take away my happiness. Logan was mine and I wasn’t letting him go.
Frustrated with me and my refusal to give up my determined vow to kill my father, Logan finally got up and left the room.
Guilt spiraled through me. I’d hurt him by my refusal to let this go. I knew he was only worried about me, but I couldn’t just run and hide. My father would find me eventually, and I didn’t want to have to always be looking over my shoulder, wondering when he might show up. It was because of my father that my mother was dead, and he needed to pay for that.
I had to take care of my father.
I had to kill him.
Killing my father would probably be the most difficult thing I would ever do. I wasn’t even sure if I could pull it off. But I had no choice. I had to do it. If I didn’t kill him, he would kill Logan. And maybe even me.
I found Logan in the gym several minutes later, sparring with Noah. Noah winked at me as I approached the ring. He threw a punch at Logan, who darted aside just in time. “I’m glad you’ve made this boy so happy, Nishi. But why are you two arguing now? Why don’t you just leave with him and let us take care of your father?”
Logan must have told him what we’d argued about. I put my hands on my hips and glowered at Noah. “You don’t know my father like I do. None of you do. He’s a shinobi. A shadow warrior. He won’t be easy to kill.”
Noah turned to face me, walking away from Logan. “Killing anyone is not easy. But we were trained to do that. We’ve already done that. Many times. Don’t you think you should just let one of us kill your father for you?”
I glanced at Logan, who was eyeing me from under lowered lashes. “I wouldn’t want anyone to do it but me. He’s my father. He’s my burden to deal with.”
Logan stepped forward. “I will kill him for you, Nishi. I would gladly die for you. You don’t need to get any blood on your hands.”
I would gladly die for you. I believed him. I believed he would risk himself for me. But I couldn’t let him do that. Hot tears swam in my eyes. My throat thickened with emotion. I couldn’t watch Logan die. Losing him would destroy me.
“I can’t expect you to do that, Logan.”
“Why don’t you let the dregs help you?” Noah suggested gently, his gaze kind. “There’s eight of us. We can call the other dregs and request that they come help us deal with your father. All of the dregs together are a formidable force. We can kick some serious ass. We can take your father down.”
I had no doubt about that. But this wasn’t their fight. It was mine.
“I can’t ask you to do that. What if one of you gets killed? What if one of the dregs who has a family is hurt?” I shook my head. “No. This is my fight, and I will deal with my father.”
“I understand being too proud and too stubborn to accept someone’s help,” a voice said from behind me. I turned to find Ryan and Luke standing behind me. They must have entered the gym while we were talking. “We’ve all been there at some point,” Ryan continued. “But sometimes you have to know when you’re beaten. You have to know when to let go of your stubborn pride and accept what is being offered.”
I met his gaze. “I’ve never had anyone to help me before,” I admitted softly, my face heating. I’d always been on my own. “I don’t know how to ask for help.”
Suddenly Logan was beside me. He drew me into his arms and squeezed me tightly to him. “You’re not alone anymore, Nishi. And you don’t have to ask for help. We’re offering it to you. Because we want to help you.”
“He’s right,” Luke spoke up. “We wouldn’t offer to help you if we didn’t want to. The Black Dragons need to go down. No one’s debating that. But we can’t let you go after them on your own. I’m not saying you’re not tough,” he added hurriedly, as if he sensed my sudden ire. “I’ve seen you fight, and you’re damn good. But you’re going to need help, and the fact that Yamamoto is your father is going to make killing him extremely difficult for you. Frankly, I don’t think you can do it. And that’s why the dregs are going to help you. We’re the best ones to do it.”
I pulled out of Logan’s arms and turned to look at Luke. These guys were offering to help me take my father down. It was unlikely I would ever receive such an offer ever again. The dregs were indeed more capable than anyone else. Better trained. More experienced. They were true warriors.
“Just say yes,” Ryan urged gently. “We’ll take care of your father, and then you and Logan can run away together and go live happily ever after.”
Luke let out a snort and rolled his eyes, as if he didn’t believe in happily ever after—maybe he didn’t—but when he glanced back at me, his gaze was serious again. He repeated Ryan’s words. “Just say yes, little Nishi.”
I glanced at Noah, who had exited the ring and joined us where we all stood in a group. He smiled at me, his gaze kind and encouraging. I turned to Logan.
Logan waited patiently, watching me closely.
They were all offering to help me kill my father. To take the Black Dragons down. I knew that they were capable. But my father had over a hundred men. There were only eight dregs. That wasn’t very good odds. What if one or more of the dregs were killed in the process? I couldn’t live with that. I just couldn’t.
This was my fight.
I would have no trouble getting back inside the Black Dragons’ compound, because I had no doubt my father would let me in. My father would probably welcome me back so that he could have Katsu torture me.
But the dregs wouldn’t be able to get in so easily. They were all large, muscular men. They unfortunately couldn’t decrease their height. They would easily stand out around my father’s shorter men. As soon as they walked on the campus, they would be spotted. How would they get inside undetected?
I had no choice but to do this alone.
And then it hit me. The perfect plan. What I had to do.
There was only one way I would be able to defeat my father and get away with it. Only one way my father’s thugs wouldn’t retaliate.
I had to challenge him to a fight. A duel to the death.
The winner of such a battle would become the new leader of the Black Dragons.
The dregs could help me best by training me, preparing me for a battle against my father.
A duel to the death.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Logan
“This is a bad idea,” I argued.
Nishi had just announced her plan, stunning us all. She wanted to go in alone and challenge her father to a duel to the death. She’d said it was the only way to deal with her father without retaliation from his men. While I had to admit the plan was brilliant, the idea of sending her in there alone scared the living bejesus out of me.
“It’s the only way,” Nishi countered. “If you just go in guns a-blazing, you’ll all die. My father has too many men.”
Several moments of silence passed while everyone contemplated Nishi’s words.
“I think it’s a good plan,” Luke announced. “We can help prepare Nishi for the fight, teach her any k
illing blows she doesn’t know, help train her for battle.”
“Jacob will be a tremendous help in this situation. When he gets here, he can assist.” Ryan glanced at Nishi and explained, “Jacob is the one of best fighters in the world. He can teach you things even your father doesn’t know.”
Ryan looked at me. “She can go into the compound and arrange the fight with her father. The rest of us can wait until dark before going in. If it looks like she’s not going to win the battle, then we can rush in and assist her.”
Noah glanced at me, obviously feeling my turmoil. “It’s a good plan. There will be less bloodshed if Nishi kills her father in battle. The other Dragons will have to accept her as their leader and do what she says. We won’t have to battle it out with them.”
Which meant we were less likely to die. But what about Nishi? She was more likely to die in such a situation. How could I possibly sit back and not try to stop her from doing this?
“What if your father refuses? What if he just kills you outright?”
Nishi shook her head. “He won’t. He can’t resist a challenge. It will make him look weak in front of his men if he turns me down.”
I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath, then slowly exhaling. I opened my eyes and pinned her with my stare. “What if you lose the battle?”
“Then we kill as many of those bastards as we can,” Luke announced. “We’ll be ready. And you’ll get to her and free her before her father kills her.”
My chest squeezed. I didn’t like this. Not at all. I couldn’t lose her. I drew Nishi close. “I don’t want to lose you, little one.”
“You won’t,” she promised, leaning back and looking into my eyes. “I have to do this if I want a future with you. It’s the only way.”
I sighed. She was right. This might be the only way to defeat her father without anyone else getting hurt. If she managed to pull it off, none of the rest of us would have to fight or kill any Dragons.
“Should I call the others?” Noah asked, holding my gaze. Though I didn’t want to pull the other dregs away from their women and their families—especially Tony, who had just left with Grace and her foster kids a little over a week ago—I couldn’t deny we might need their help to take down the Black Dragons. The more dregs we had, the better. Every one of my dreg brothers was a skilled fighter, a soldier, a warrior. Every one of them had special talents and skills that would come in handy.
I puffed out a breath. “Yeah, go ahead.”
Noah clapped me on the shoulder and walked out, heading to the surface to call the other dregs.
Early the next day, Ryan and Luke went to Atlanta so that Ryan could be fitted for a new prosthetic. Ryan was going to the same place he’d gotten his last prosthetic from, so he didn’t anticipate any issues. They returned later that day with Ryan’s new arm, and he spent the next several days familiarizing himself with the arm so he would be ready in time for battle.
Three days later, the other dregs arrived, and we all gathered in Noah’s tech room to plan how we would get inside the Black Dragons’ compound. It wasn’t going to be easy. Noah had pulled up the plans and the layout of Brenau University using whatever secret methods he had, and we studied those plans while Nishi informed us what areas were used for what purposes.
“Where’s their weakest link?” Luke asked.
“There are no weak links in my father’s compound,” Nishi informed. “I should know. I tried for eight years to escape.”
“You got away,” Luke pointed out. “So you must have found a weak link somewhere.”
She sighed. “Jiro. He was a new guard. I seduced him, then knocked him over the head. But he’s dead now. My father killed him for his betrayal.”
Luke let out a soft grunt. “If there is one weakness, there will be others. We just have to find out who and what they are. Tell us everything you know about your father and his men.”
And so we all listened while Nishi told us everything she knew about the Black Dragons. Her father had over a hundred men. All trained fighters. They also had a high-tech security system, but Noah could easily hack into it long enough for us to get inside.
Jacob taught Nishi some “death” moves that she hadn’t known, while I watched from the outside of the ring, offering pointers when needed. She was a fast learner and caught on quickly. My chest squeezed as I watched her practice the moves, again and again. She was amazing, my sweet Nishi, but deep down, I was terrified I was going to lose her. What if her father got the upper hand? What if I couldn’t save her in time?
Over the next several days, we strategized. We prepared. We went over the plans of the university again and again, familiarizing ourselves with the layout. We worked out, getting our minds ready for “mission mode” so we could do whatever we had to do. And we gathered all the necessary weapons. We had to be prepared for war in the event Nishi didn’t win the battle.
Nishi practiced her new fight moves, over and over, her new determination stealing most of her concentration. We didn’t make love at all over those next few days. So I simply held her, cuddling her close, and she hugged me back.
A week passed. And then the day finally arrived that Nishi announced she was ready to do this.
She was going through another round of fight lessons with Jacob, wherein he pushed her harder than he had before, trying to ready her for what was to come. Tracker, Nate, Tony, Ryan, Luke, Noah, and I all watched from the outside of the ring while Jacob ran her through the moves again and again.
“Damn,” Ryan murmured. “She’s fucking good.”
My heart swelled with pride. Yeah, she was. But was she good enough to kill her father? And if she wasn’t, would I be able to save her in time?
“I’m looking forward to seeing her take her father down,” Luke said from beside me.
“Me, too.” Noah turned to me with a smile. “Your girl is pretty amazing.”
“After this mission, you guys really ought to just pack your shit up and leave this place.” Tony eyed me from where he leaned against the ropes next to Nate several feet away. “What’s even keeping you here? A year ago—hell, even a few months ago—this was the perfect place to hide. But now, it’s too dangerous. It’s been compromised too many times. You’re damn lucky none of you died when the Rapsters found you here last week.”
“He’s right,” Nate announced, eyeing me with that serious look he had, then turning and subjecting Noah, then Ryan and Luke with the same stare. “What’s keeping you guys here? You should come with us. There’s nothing but danger here.”
I had already been thinking about that. “I plan to,” I announced, glancing at Nishi again while she struck out at Jacob in the ring. “But Nishi won’t talk about it until after she deals with her father. She loves Grace, and I’ll bet she would get along great with Jessica, Anna, and Alissa, as well. So yeah, we will definitely be leaving here soon.”
Tracker watched Jacob guiding Nishi through a few more moves, then he glanced at me. “Jacob and I found the perfect building to use for a fight gym. We signed the papers last week, so now it’s officially ours. We’ll be opening the doors for business in a few more weeks, once we get all the equipment in. People are already signing up for memberships. You guys are all welcome to come use the gym anytime you want. You can even buy into it if you’re interested.”
I liked the sound of that. Ownership in a gym? I could totally do that. “I’m interested.”
Tracker nodded, glancing away.
Would Nishi want to go away with me? Leave this place?
“I’m game,” Noah announced, glancing at me, then turning to Tracker. “I’ll need to pack up all my tech shit, which could take me a little while to get everything carefully packed and organized, but yeah, I’ll head your way soon. I’ll even buy into your gym.”
Tracker grinned. “You hear that Jacob? We’re going to have some new owners in the gym.”
“Yep, I heard.” Jacob darted aside as Nishi struck out at him. “Sounds good to me.
Just a little faster, Nishi,” he instructed. “Let’s try that again from the opposite side.”
Everyone turned to Ryan and Luke, awaiting their response.
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t see why not. If there are hot chicks there, then I’m all for it.”
Luke sniggered. “The more women, the better. I’m interested. Do you think Ryan and I might be able to open a mechanic shop there somewhere?”
“Oh, definitely.” Tracker glanced at each of them. “You guys should do it.”
Ryan and Luke exchanged a long glance. “We’ll look into it.”
I smiled, glancing back at Nishi. Once we finished this mission, we would all leave this place. I would take Nishi across country where it was safe. And we could start our future together.
But first, she had to kill her father.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Nishi
I was a kunoichi. A skilled fighter. I would use the new moves Jacob had taught me, plus the rigorous training my father had forced on me to take my father down. I was ready to do this.
Logan dropped me off several blocks from the Black Dragons’ compound the following afternoon. The other dregs were all waiting across town at Riverwalk Augusta. They would wait until dark to slip inside the campus.
“Be careful,” Logan whispered, kissing me gently. “We’ll sneak in at nightfall.”
I hugged him tightly once more. I couldn’t deny I was scared, afraid I would never see him again. But it was time to take my father down.
Logan waited until I was walking down the sidewalk before he drove away, heading back to where the other dregs waited.
I didn’t bring any weapons with me, as I knew my father’s men would just take them away. If my father agreed to the duel, then I would be able to choose which weapon to fight with.
I had psyched myself up on the drive, repeating over and over in my head that I was a shadow warrior and that I was going to kill my father, that I was going to take the head off of the beast.
And by the time we had reached Brenau University, I had almost convinced myself I could do this. Even though it was early afternoon, very few people were out and about. This city was now so overrun with gang violence that the people who had stayed rarely ventured outside for fear of being mugged or killed. I didn’t blame them. The gangs ruled here now, smuggling their drugs and guns and women slaves in and out. I was the only one stupid enough to walk down the street without any weapons. The only one stupid enough to be heading straight for the place where the Black Dragons lived.
The Trainer (military romantic suspense) (The Dregs Book 5) Page 23