“And the other?”
I don’t want to tell Mouser this, but I’ve been having the worst time. I love Ivy, but there’s no way she could dedicate time to running this properly with twins. Amara is part of the club so she’s automatically out. That leaves Camila, and Kat . . . but she’s the Prez’s wife and already has so many duties because of that. Plus, she has a baby on the way. “I haven’t made up my mind quite yet.”
Mouser nods, picking up his coffee and taking a sip of the black liquid. Goodness, I don’t know how he can drink it that way. “You know, I heard Widow saying Tania might be leaving the Jackals soon. She doesn’t have any commitments beside that . . . so, it might be worth looking into.” He does bring up a good point.
“Thanks. Whenever she stops by the club again, I’ll bring it up to her.”
“Alright. When are you leaving to go look at properties?” Mouser asks as he starts to head over to the fridge.
“I’m thinking in an hour. I want to walk over to the girls’ house and check in on how they’re doing before we go. It must be a big change for them, and I want to show them I’m here in whatever way they might need me to be. In my experience you can never offer too much support.”
Mouser walks around the kitchen island and presses his lips against the top of my head. “I’m convinced you’re the sweetest woman on this Earth. Want me to come with you?”
Shaking my head, I give him my answer. “No, I think I can manage. Plus, we’re on club property and I don’t feel like there’s any sort of threat here.”
“Damon did say for me to be your bodyguard,” Mouser mutters, trying to convince himself he needs to stick to my hip like a Siamese twin.
“I’ll be fine. I’m only walking a couple hundred meters away from the clubhouse. For fuck’s sake, I’m still on the club property. I’ll be fine. We’ll meet back here in an hour and you can take me around on the back of your bike while we look at these properties. How does that sound?” I ask, smiling away while I take a sip of my tea.
Mouser caves in, “Alright. One hour though. No funny business.”
“Funny business? What’s that supposed to mean!” I laugh, scooting off the barstool I stand and kiss him gently as I begin to walk toward the door.
“It means, don’t do that thing where you end up getting over here thirty minutes after the fact. We have a date, woman.”
Rolling my eyes, I blow him a kiss as I walk out of the house and trek along the stone pathway up to the house the girls are in. One of them must’ve been cleaning up the porch area because there’s a couple chairs out there with a porch swing on the end, making it seem a bit cozier.
Not bothering to knock I place my hand on the door handle and twist it, opening the door and walking inside. Shutting it behind me, I head into the kitchen which has an open concept to the dining room and see if any of the girls are awake. It’s around seven in the morning so they might not be up quite yet, but I do spot one of them.
Yami’s brewing her own tea right now, which automatically causes me to smile. “Traditional habits don’t ever go out of style it seems,” I say, walking up behind her. She jumps, obviously startled by my sudden arrival and turns around with her hand on her chest.
“Sakura, you nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“Oh gosh, that wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to come over here and see how you girls were coping with all of the changes. I’m sure it’s been a lot.”
Yami smirks before her expression shifts to a frown, “Yes, it . . . it’s been a lot, but it will all get better soon, right?”
I nod, giving her a bit of confirmation.
Yami opens her mouth for a split second and shuts it. Something in my gut sends an eerie feeling coursing through my body, so I act on instinct. “What’s on your mind?”
“I . . . I didn’t expect you to be so kind. If anything, I thought you were going to be a monster too.”
Too? What does she mean? “I don’t understand,” I murmur, not catching what she’s saying. “You ladies are my responsibility, therefore it’s my job to make sure you’re okay. Whether it’s coming over as a friend, making sure you’re healthy in a mental or physical capacity or something else. I’d never imagine being a monster to you ladies. Not ever.”
Yami’s chestnut brown eyes stare right into mine and I don’t mistake the way they’re shining over like she’s about to cry. I know people get emotional however, I don’t understand what’s happening right now. Why is she all of a sudden getting upset?
Yami wraps her arms around herself and falls to the floor, “I’ve made a terrible mistake. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I’m so incredibly sorry.”
I rush over and slide on the wooden floor, pulling Yami into my arms. “What’s going on? Tell me so I can help.”
“I thought you’d be just like her. She . . . she and her men took my daughter. They took my daughter and said I had to get you back, that I needed to infiltrate this place and get you back for her.”
“Who?” I ask, not meaning for my tone to sound so demanding.
“Your mother.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop
~Rumi
Mouser
“Hello?” I answer my cell after Farrah’s called for what has to be the tenth time today. Typically, I dodge her calls and eventually call her back in the evening. Considering it’s maybe seven ten in the morning right now, I’m not lookin’ forward to havin’ a full-on discussion with her.
“Okay, let me be real with you. The fact I’ve had to call you eight times is ridiculous, especially since I can see you’ve read my texts too, asshole. The luxury of having an idiot brother who doesn’t know how to turn off his read receipts. Anyways, Lennox and I are about six hours out so we’ll see you later this evening.” Motherfucker, I can hear her smilin’ through the damn phone.
“What?” I say, knowing very well what she’s just said. My sisters are comin’ to visit me here. Fuck.
“I said, get ready to see your two favorite ladies on the planet, jerkoff.”
“Oh wait, Nikki Bella and Heidi Klum are coming to see me?”
“Smartass,” Farrah comments with a grumble.
“You two know you’re supposed to let me know when you’re comin’ down so I can make sure I’m here.”
“And I am, six hours before we arrive so you should really be thanking me. I could’ve waited until we were three hours out.” Farrah is the most stuck up little brat of a sister in all of existence. I’m sure of it.
“Fine, I’ll get . . .” I start to say somethin’ to Farrah but when the clubhouse door flies open and I see Sakura with Yami’s hand in her own, lookin’ like a woman on a mission I know somethin’ is wrong. “I gotta go, sis. See ya when you get here. Drive safe and whatever,” I end the call and walk right up to the two women.
“We need to see Damon, now.” Sakura spits, the second I get within a few feet of her.
“Wanna tell me what the hell is goin’ on that’s got you so riled up?”
“If I wanted to tell you, I would. Now where the fuck is Damon, Mouser? Don’t make me ask again.” Now, Sakura is the sweetest woman on the planet. Never has she snapped at me like this, which further confirms somethin’ is seriously wrong right now.
I wave my hand and lead the two women back to where Damon’s office is, knocking on the door until I hear him call out that whoever it is can come in. I open the door and the three of us walk in.
“We have a situation, Damon.” Sakura immediately says, makin’ sure she shuts the door behind her.
Amara is in here with her brother, sittin’ on a chair in the corner of the room, furrowing her brows as she assesses the situation. “Alright, tell me what’s going on.” Damon instructs.
“Yami is working for my mother. She was told to get me away from the club and notify her men of where we were so they could grab me and take me back to Japan. Now, before anyone g
ets their panties in a bunch, Yami told me. I didn’t have to dig this out of her. She was honest and told me.”
“What in the fuck is she still doing here,” Amara jumps up from her seat, stalking toward Sakura and Yami. She circles them, “I could knock all of her fuckin’ teeth out right now.”
“No, you can’t!” Sakura defends the woman, and even I can’t figure this shit out. Why would she bother defending a girl who was sent here to practically cause harm?
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t!” Amara snarls at my woman. She’s my VP so I gotta just stand here and let it play out.
“Because my mother and her men kidnapped Yami’s daughter. They have a four-year-old girl, guys. They’re using Yami’s daughter as leverage to get her to do what they want. She’s a pawn, just like I was.”
“Christ, we can’t ever catch a break around here.” Damon hisses, obviously displeased.
“That would just make shit boring, brother. Look at the positive side,” Amara laughs.
“Which is?” Damon asks.
“Now we can get our hands dirty and cause a little mayhem. We can use Yami to lure the lowlife fucks out from their hole and give them hell.”
“What about my daughter?” Yami shoots her question out, lookin’ straight at Amara with hope in her eyes.
“Geez, let me finish. You’re going to offer a trade. Their daughter for your daughter. Only, we’re going to have our men planted around the meeting point and sorry Sakura, but you’re gonna be used as bait.”
“There has to be another way,” I interject, not likin’ this plan one bit.
“I wish there was, but I think Amara is right.” Damon agrees with his sister.
Sakura releases Yami’s hand and comes over to me, taking mine in hers. “Mouser, I don’t like this either but my mother is holding an innocent little girl captive. One who’s probably confused, terrified out of her mind, wondering where her mother is. We can’t just sit back and let this happen. We have to get this little girl out of harm’s way.”
Moments pass by of pure silence and I look to Yami, “What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Mari, and she’s the only important thing in my life. Please help me. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t ever want harm to come to Sakura but with my own daughter’s life in jeopardy I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t say no.”
I want to believe this woman and that she’s not lying to me, but I can’t fucking be sure. If I’ve learned anything these days it’s to not trust people. Because of situations like this. You can never be too safe, and unfortunately a lot of the time people are quick to betray you. “Why did she target you? The Yakuza members are those who give up their families and whatnot, right? So, how are you in the Yakuza if you have a child?”
I make sure to watch Yami’s face closely. If she’s lying, I’m going to ensure I pick up on it. “I’m not in the Yakuza. I’m just a woman who fled Japan after my father joined. He was dead to me when he did. I was able to get a job as a translator for a company in Las Vegas, but I needed them to sponsor me to obtain my visa. They did that and I worked there until I was twenty-two, but over the four years I’ve been here I’ve been able to get my citizenship. I never had any desire to go back to Japan.”
“How did you go from being a translator to wanting to work in a brothel?”
Yami’s expression falters, and the first thing I recognize is shame. “I . . . I slept with one of my bosses at the company. When I ended up pregnant no one really thought anything of it, but last year the owner of the company asked me if Mari was my boss’ child. I could’ve lied, but I didn’t, and the owner ended up firing me for breaking the contract. We weren’t supposed to have relationships with other employees. I tried to get another job as a translator but . . . I couldn’t find one. Not one that would give me the option to have daycare for her like my last job did. I had little money and I couldn’t afford to work with Mari at daycare. All of my money would go to the daycare provider and I wouldn’t be able to provide for her. I . . . I lost all hope of doing well in this country. We were in a small one-bedroom apartment until a couple months ago,”
Yami looks directly to Sakura now. “Sora paid me a hefty bit of cash to become your friend, to somehow weasel my way into your life. I took the money because I didn’t have any other option. Mari needed a good life, so I took it, and I’m so sorry. But your mother didn’t like how I wasn’t getting anywhere, making progress that is. So, she took my daughter and has had her for weeks. She gave me a heads up that you had an open call for brothel workers and I tried to get in. I made it my mission actually. I needed to get the job so I could get Mari back.”
While Sakura is passionate, she’s turning red in the face with fury. “Did you even need the job in the brothel in the first place?”
Yami nods, “Yes, I have no other options at this point. The money your mother gave me will run out soon.”
“How much money did she pay you?” Amara asks the question we’re all wondering. Yami said it was hefty, so I’ll assume it’s twenty-thousand or so.
“Five-thousand dollars.”
“Fuck,” Damon mutters under his breath, shaking his head. Sora Kobayashi obviously took advantage of this woman who was in a tough spot. We already knew she was a monster, but this just makes her even worse than we’d thought.
I hate admitting this, but I see a woman who’s desperate to keep a roof over her daughter’s head and food on the table. The woman I see in front of me doesn’t seem malicious in the least bit. She’s only trying to do what’s best for her child.
“We need to come up with a plan and quickly. This little girl can’t be with my mother or her men for long. It has to be traumatizing the little one.” Sakura states, looking to Damon and Amara.
“Alright, so this is what we’re going to do . . .” Amara starts off and we all take a seat. When it comes to children, we’ll do whatever it takes. We won’t ever leave them behind.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Be enough for yourself first. The rest of the world can wait
~ Fw
Sakura
We’ve agreed to meet at a location in the desert just after dusk. One where Cobra and Mouser were at a couple weeks ago to spy on Cobra’s father, Titan. They’re familiar with the place so they know the vantage points which will work.
Damon said he’d have three guys up on the hill with sniper rifles ready to take whoever down after the transfer was made. I’d be handed off to my mother or her men and Yami’s daughter, Mari would be safely with her.
Amara made it a point to tell Yami to get behind the car as soon as she had Mari, because it’s likely gunfire will be shooting off in every direction. I’m only hoping that this plan they’ve made goes off without a hitch.
Mouser told us his younger sisters were on their way out to the club and would be here within a few hours, before we go do what we have to after sunset so this is going to be the most awkward thing ever. Amara took Yami’s phone and texted a number for one of my mother’s men, instructing them to meet her there tonight because she’d be tricking me into going with her to look at a property, obviously I’m in on all this, but my mother nor her men know about it.
So, we have to act all dandy and perfect until just before we’re about to leave. Yami’s going to take me in her piece of crap car to the meeting point and the guys would already be there. Everything is going to be okay. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. There’s always the possibility this could go horribly wrong.
With every passing day this month the temperature has been fluctuating, but today we’re blessed with a relatively cool day. Mouser and I sit out front at one of the picnic tables, sipping on iced teas and trying to relax even though we know what’s coming up later tonight is scary.
“You realize you’ve never told me your name, right?” I say, trying to loosen up the mood. Or at least, I was trying to. Knowing his full name might be a good idea considering his sisters are coming to visit an
d will be here any minute.
“Christopher Michael Valentine,” He says, cringing his way through it. “But my Dad gave me the name Mouser, ‘cause I’m talented when it comes to trackin’ people down.”
“What’s your Dad’s road name again?” I ask, knowing I’ve heard it before but it’s slipped my mind.
“Bow, ‘cause he’s an archer and he hunts. It’s the name Fist gave him way back when.” Fist, the former National Charter Prez. He died recently protecting one of our own, Alexa, who’s Bull’s ol’ lady up at our Billings, Montana charter.
Tires rolling over the dirt and gravel colored lane down to the clubhouse cause us both to look up and I can already see two women. One’s driving and has long blonde hair, while the other’s eyes are glued to her phone in the passenger seat. The one in the passenger seat has long curly brownish hair from the looks of it.
“The blondie is Lennox, and the other one is Farrah.” Mouser says as he gets up to greet his sisters. They park right next to the bikes and Farrah is quick to jump out of the car and go running up to her brother. Lennox takes a bit longer and casually walks up to Mouser, hugging him as well.
I approach the group of siblings slowly, waiting for the right moment to be introduced to the two women. Mouser takes a step back and smiles wide. “Girls, this is Sakura. She’s my ol’ lady.”
Farrah rushes over to me and traps me in her embrace. However, Lennox isn’t so welcoming. She crosses her arms and looks at her brother like he’s lost his mind. “You, settling down . . . really?”
“When you find the right one, it’s all you want to do. Surely, you’d know that.” Mouser retorts, eyeing the massive rock on her left hand.
“Congratulations,” I say, and Farrah releases me. “It’s so nice to meet you both. I’ve heard such lovely things about you.” Which is a lie. I haven’t heard hardly a thing about them, but I’ll say whatever I have to make them like me.
Chaos: A Reapers MC Boxset Page 67