A Love For Always

by Victoria Paige

  The two FBI agents suddenly looked less confident. One of them walked a few steps away to make a phone call.

  “Sam will take you home. I’m already asking Travis to recall Boyd and send him over to cover for the admiral,” Nate told her before looking at her bodyguard. “Sam?”

  “On it, boss,” Sam squared up.

  The fed who made the phone call walked back to the group, red-faced. “We’ve been recalled,” he informed his partner. “Looks like Mr. Reece pulled some strings.” The disdain in his tone couldn’t be masked. Without another word, the agents returned to their car and drove away.

  “Thank you,” Sylvie said, smiling weakly up at her man. “What do you think is going on?”

  “My guess? The same person who’s trying to get to your father through you,” Nate said. “Don’t worry, okay?”

  “I won’t. Not when you’re handling it.”

  Nate eyes gleamed with an emotion Sylvie couldn’t quite interpret. It was happiness, pride, and affection all rolled into one. It actually looked a lot like love. Her chest suddenly felt full. Despite all the unfortunate events happening to her lately, with Nate by her side, she felt invincible.

  *****

  “This is all that man’s fault.”

  Nana was fuming as she chopped some mushrooms for the salad she was making. She was still using the main house’s kitchen since Taylor and Kato commandeered the one at the guesthouse. “That man” was her father, as her grandma would fondly refer to him, although there was nothing really fond regarding her feelings toward him. When her grandma was angrily chopping stuff on a cutting board or wielding her cleaver like it was an extension of her hand, no one deigned to contradict her. Least of all her mother, who was at that moment, staring into space.

  Sylvie idly picked through some strawberries, listening to her grandma’s rant. She felt conflicted sometimes. On one hand, she understood why her grandma would hate Daichi Yoshida, but if her mother never hooked up with her father, Sylvie wouldn’t exist, right? As always, Nana could tell when her tirades had gone too far. She stopped chopping and looked at Sylvie.

  “You do know you’re the only good thing that came out of that man, right?” her Nana said softly, eyes tender with the love Sylvie had always basked in.

  “Geez, Ma,” Pru suddenly burst out. “You’re starting to sound like a broken record. When will you ever accept that Dai is Sylvie’s blood. It’s been years and years. She has grown into a lovely woman. She’s hardworking. She takes care of us. You keep reminding her what a bad person her father is because you’re afraid she’ll turn out like him.”

  Sylvie braced for her grandma’s retort, which would normally devolve into bitter words, but it never came. Her grandma’s shoulders slump.

  “I wasn’t afraid of that at all,” Nana whispered.

  Somehow there was no conviction in her tone. It was time to clear this up once and for all.

  “Your fears are well founded, Nana,” Sylvie said quietly. Both women froze to stare at her. “I do have Dad’s ruthlessness; I can feel it inside me. I would do anything, even break the law to make sure people I care about are okay. I don’t think that mentality came from you or Mom. It came from Dad. But I will never use it for my own personal or monetary gain. You can be assured those values come from a Buchanan. I may be a Yoshida, but I have Buchanan blood as well.”

  Her Nana smiled proudly and was about to say something when Sam burst into the kitchen. “Into the guesthouse. Now!”

  “Wh—?” All the women started to exclaim.

  A loud thud, followed by a crash sent the front door splintering. A device was thrown in just as Sam flung his body at Sylvie and Nana who were closest to the door at the same time yelling, “Down!”

  They crashed behind the kitchen counter. The wind got knocked out of Sylvie’s lungs as she tried desperately to see where her mom was. She was relieved to see her hunkering near Nana who was as dazed as everyone else. Sam immediately lifted from her. The racking of slides of guns sounded ominous.

  “Drop your weapon.”

  Hiroshi!

  Sam must have had a stubborn look on his face. Sylvie peeked behind the kitchen center island. There was smoke, but little else, and what she saw was a Mexican standoff between five men including Hiroshi and Sam. There was no way her bodyguard could come out of this alive.

  “I won’t repeat myself again. Do you want any of the women to get hurt in the crossfire, because I assure you, I have nothing to lose at this point,” Hiroshi said coldly.

  “Sam,” Sylvie pleaded, coming around from behind the counter. “Do what he wants.” She lowered her voice. “Live to fight another day.”

  Defeat and self-loathing poured from Sam in waves. Her heart broke for him.

  “Fuck!” he muttered, and with great reluctance, he uncocked his gun, threaded his finger through the trigger guard, letting it dangle in surrender.

  “Put it slowly on the ground and kick it over.”

  Sam did as he was told. Hiroshi signaled his men to secure him. They pushed him roughly to his knees and bound his wrists behind him with a zip tie.

  “Hey!” Sylvie yelled, walking over to the men working Sam over, ignoring Nana and her mom’s frightened cry. She pushed angrily against one of them. “That’s uncalled for.”

  “Sylvie,” Sam growled. “Stay out of this.”

  “No.” She spun around and pinned Hiroshi with a look full of wrath. “Let me guess. You want to use me against my dad? Well, get in line.”

  She was sick and tired of people treating her as a pawn in this power play against her father. Sick and freaking tired. So when she saw Hiroshi’s hand pull across his body and swing out to backhand her, she didn’t even flinch. She absorbed the pain exploding from her cheek and used it to feed her fury. Sylvie stumbled backward, but didn’t fall. She didn’t touch her burning cheek either, even if it hurt like hell. She wasn’t giving this sadistic bastard any satisfaction.

  “Sylvie!” Her mom and Nana came rushing forward, but Hiroshi’s henchmen stopped them. Both of them were crying and clawing against the men restraining them.

  “I’m all right,” Sylvie said, her voice surprisingly level. Turning back to Hiroshi, she said, “So what now?”

  “You’re coming with me.” Her father’s lieutenant frowned at her.

  “And if I do, no one else will get hurt?”

  “Dammit, Sylvie. No!” Sam shouted, and for his outburst, he got whacked on the head with the butt end of a gun.

  Was there really any other choice? No. No one else was going to get hurt because of her. She stepped forward. “No one else gets hurt.”

  Hiroshi’s hand snaked out, his fingers digging into her hair and pulling her close. “You think you have anything to bargain with? What will stop me from killing everyone and simply taking you?”

  “I won’t fight you,” Sylvie said. “That’s what you want, right? A woman who will be subservient to you? Well, you’ll need people I care about—alive—to hold over my head.”

  Interest flickered in Hiroshi’s eyes. Sylvie was desperate to get this insane man away from Nana, her mother, and especially Sam who was in danger of being the first casualty if Hiroshi decided to go on a killing spree. And she really, really hoped Kato and Taylor were not coming to the main house.

  “What game are you playing at, Sylvie San?” Hiroshi said softly.

  “No game. You want me, let’s go.”

  “Bring her mother,” Hiroshi instructed.

  “No!” Sylvie shrieked and panicked when she saw her mother willingly go with Hiroshi’s goon.

  Nana was sobbing helplessly, wailing and crying, “Leave them alone . . . please. They’re all I have left.”

  Hiroshi laughed maniacally. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them.” He yanked Sylvie to him. “Shall we seal this with a kiss?”

  Bile rose up her throat as he bent close to kiss her. A muffled pop echoed through the house, warm liquid splattered on her face as she ab
sorbed the ghastly scene of Hiroshi losing a section of his head. She was falling, dragged down by his weight. She landed on her side, jarring her hip bone and pinned partially by Hiroshi’s dead weight.

  Strong hands dragged her from under him, and she was brought face to face with her father.

  *****

  “You okay?”

  Sylvie nodded. She was speechless, not quite believing her dad was actually here. Her father barked instructions in Japanese to his men who looked to be the elite soldiers of the ACS. Daichi Yoshida always surrounded himself with the best. They secured Hiroshi’s men, taking their weapons away and marching them outside.

  Her father approached Pru and spoke to her quietly. Her mother moved into the circle of his arms and they hugged for a while. From what Sylvie remembered, there had never been any bitterness between them, and she didn’t doubt if Daichi Yoshida wasn’t living a life of crime, things would have turned out differently. When they broke apart, her father turned to Sylvie. “I’ve come for you. I need to take you back with me to Japan. You will be safe there.”

  “I can’t just leave; I have a restaurant to rebuild.”

  “There would be nothing to rebuild if you are dead,” her father replied. He addressed her mother. “You should come as well.”

  “Not on your life,” Nana snapped, pulling Pru to her with one hand and Sylvie with the other. “Sylvie’s man will protect us.”

  “Nathan Reece?” her father said skeptically. “I had no time to . . . vet this person. I will not trust my daughter to anyone else after what happened with Hiroshi.”

  “I choose to stay here, Dad,” Sylvie said. She glared at her father’s goon who was pointing a gun at Sam. “For heaven’s sake, will someone cut him loose?”

  “No,” her father said sharply. “I’m afraid you leave me no choice, Sylvie.”

  “Dai, Nate can protect her—”

  “Where is this Nathan Reece now?” her father mocked. “One person to protect her.” He looked scathingly at Sam whose beady eyes seemed darker and full of anger. “Hiroshi marched in here and so did I.”

  Just then, one of Daichi’s men called his attention. Sylvie’s grasp on Japanese was workable, and as far as she could tell, the cops were on their way. Someone called 911. But who? Taylor? Kato?

  “We need to leave now,” her father said urgently, grabbing hold of Sylvie’s arm and dragging her to the door. “You can come, Pru, but I will not force you.”

  “I’m not leaving Ma,” Pru replied. “Dai, be reasonable—”

  “I’ve no time to argue—”

  “Wait just a minute, Dad!” Sylvie said angrily and yanked her arm away from his grasp. Somehow she wasn’t afraid of him and knew she could reason with him. Hopefully. “If you just tell us what is going on, we could better . . . Yow!” She felt a prick on her neck. She whirled on her father’s henchman, who was holding an injector. “What the hell . . .”

  She heard her Nana and mother’s cries of outrage, but Sylvie was quickly getting discombobulated. Sluggishness overwhelmed her body. “You . . .”

  Her father’s blurry face came closer, and she was swept up in someone’s arms. “Just a little sedative.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  What did he give me?

  She was conscious, but she couldn’t move her limbs. Sylvie had never felt more helpless in her life. Her ocular and auditory faculties were conscious, but impaired. She heard her environment in a vacuum. She was loaded in the back of a black SUV, her father getting in beside her after having a vicious argument with her mother. She couldn’t make out what was said, but her father had no recourse but to have Nana and her mother tied up as well. Sam fought pretty hard against her father’s men, but with his hands secured behind his back, they managed to knock him unconscious again.

  When the car started moving, her panic must had been palpable because her father tenderly stroked her brow. “You’ll be okay in a few minutes. It was just a mild tranquilizer.” Her father’s voice was weird— low, distorted, and reminded her of a poorly dubbed Japanese movie, but her earlier confusion was fading.

  Her world was spinning. She found some relief when she closed her eyes, so she did. Her father spoke to her in hushed tones. Telling her that a big pharmaceutical company was after his biochemist for some drug that needed the benefits of the GDE. The ACS voted for a partnership, but the pharmaceutical company wanted total autonomy in exchange for a sum of money. However, Toshiro Endo, their biochemist was a savant in the field of biochemistry and genetics. He was young, not yet thirty, and had a long career ahead of him that could not be quantified.

  The car’s intermittent stop and go told her they were taking the side roads and not the interstate. Nate. Would he wait for her? Look for her? She was thankful for the tranquilizer for it must have numbed her somewhat. Still there was a dull ache in the center of her chest.

  “So you see, Sylvie, I have no choice, but once we’ve gotten rid of the threat, you will be free to return to your life,” her father said. He continued talking about other things. Like maybe how she might like to settle in Japan. “I’ll make it up to you, daughter, have no doubt.”

  A jarring swerve of the car threw her against the door. Her father’s driver started speaking in rapid-fire Japanese. Someone on a motorcycle tried to run them off the road.

  Her man had come after her.

  Strong emotions tingled over her body. Her muscles reacted, and she was pretty sure her lips lifted in a smile. Her father scowled at her. “This your Nathan Reece?”

  She couldn’t move her neck yet and her tongue felt like lead, but her answer must have shown in her eyes. Daichi’s men who were in another vehicle shouted through the radio, asking if they should take evasive or offensive maneuvers. Sylvie’s heart thudded painfully; her eyes pleaded with her father not to hurt Nate. He was on a motorcycle. If the SUVs chose to bump him off the road, it could prove fatal.

  Their SUV swerved again, then her father gave the order.

  *****

  Nate was pissed.

  Fucking pissed.

  His woman simply couldn’t catch a break, and now her own father had abducted her. He’d been en route home when Taylor called him and reported armed men had attacked the house. Boyd, the second security person he had assigned to assist Sam with security was stuck in fucking D.C. traffic and didn’t get to his house in time.

  Nate immediately called Travis, filling him on the situation and told his friend to head in the general direction of his house. Porter was in the car behind him, and when the admiral was apprised of the situation, he called Gabe for backup. Beatrice’s husband worked for Artemis Guardian Services (AGS) an elite security company specializing in special ops. Everyone was highly trained and were the go-to guys whenever the DoD needed to execute politically sensitive operations that couldn’t be traced back to the U.S. Government.

  When Daichi Yoshida left his house, Taylor and Kato freed Sam and the women. Sam went on the security monitor and called back the feed of the driveway and gave Nate the license plate of the cars. At about the same time, the cops arrived. Nate told Sam to deny access to the security feeds for now because the last thing he wanted was a manhunt on Sylvie’s dad. He fed the information back to the AGS data center and their analyst was able to extrapolate possible routes to the airports or roads out of D.C. Finally, they traced the convoy. Sylvie’s father did not travel lightly. They were in four SUVs. Sam said there were about eight of her father’s men, plus four from Hiroshi who Nate was surprised to find out had been executed. He didn’t want to dwell on the why because he was sure it was something Hiroshi did to Sylvie. Too many thoughts and feelings were pinging inside his system, he had to shut those down and focus on a singular goal of getting his woman back. Controlled fury was always effective in centering his mind with laser like precision.

  They spotted the convoy moving through a small commercial area. Nate gave instructions to stand down until they got into a stretch of road flanked by acres of f
armland.

  And then he made his move.

  His motorcycle accelerated, checking each vehicle for occupants, shooting past the lead car and slowing down. Nate was sure Sylvie was in the second SUV, the least occupied one given what he could tell from the heavily tinted windows of three vehicles sporting New York license plates. Without giving any time for the drivers to react, he harassed the first car, swerving within inches of the front bumper, before veering off. The SUV predictably avoided him, but continued to forge ahead.

  Nate could feel eyes burning into him as the convoy took evasive formation.

  “What the fuck, bro?” Travis barked on his comms’ earpiece. His friend was in the Suburban with Porter and they were following behind Yoshida’s rear vehicle. “Sylvie isn’t gonna appreciate picking up your splattered ass all over the pavement.”

  “Nice graphic,” Nate muttered. “How far are the Guardians?”

  “ETA three minutes,” Gabe joined comms. “I’ll have your six soon. Try not to become roadkill in the meantime, will ya?”

  “You boys are fucking hilarious,” he answered snidely. Nate checked his rearview mirror to make sure no weapons were pointed at him. He was counting on Daichi Yoshida’s reluctance to create a scene, especially after the furor Hiroshi caused in the underground parking garage.

  The SUVs started to slow down. One by one, they pulled to the shoulder. Trying to contain the urge to drive alongside the second one and yank the door open, Nate crossed the double line and parked on the opposite shoulder. Travis did the same and lined up behind his bike. The driver exited the second vehicle and opened the passenger door of the SUV, allowing a distinguished gentleman to alight. He caught sight of another person in the car, but the door was abruptly closed. This was making him antsy. Nate knew the man before him was Daichi Yoshida based on the files he’d obtained of the ACS boss. He looked a bit older, but there was no doubt it was Sylvie’s father.