by Alexia Praks
Jane was helping her with evening wear gown of gold and black silk when Sakura asked, "So did Luke tell the brothers?"
Jane looked behind before answering. "I'm afraid so, Sakura."
A lump formed in her throat. "Well, I guess it won't be too long before they go to the gallery."
"Sakura," Jane said, zipping up the gown. "They already went."
"What?" Sakura spun around so fast she got a little dizzy in the process. "They what?"
Jane took a deep breath as she eyed her friend. She was concerned, as Sakura looked like she was about to drop. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked awfully pale. She wondered if Sakura had been working too hard.
"I'm so sorry, Sakura. But Luke, that stupid brother of mine, he told the brothers where the gallery is. He told me they've went there two weeks ago."
Sakura did a quick calculation within her head and groaned. That must have been the same day she and Jane had been to see both Haruka and Mr. Tachibana. The day she returned home and--
"No wonder I smelled colognes," she said softly, remembering what Ned had said. Boys! There had been boys visiting the gallery.
"Colognes?" Jane asked curiously. "What does colognes have to do with the brothers?"
Sakura sighed. "Nothing, Jane."
As she came out of the dressing room, Ned's statement about how a woman could smell her soulmate even when he wasn't in the room echoed within her head.
For two hours, Sakura tried on different outfits for Mr. Tachibana, Haruka, and Ms. Ruka to inspect. She was just changing the last one when her phone rang. Clutching the material of the gown against her breasts so it wouldn't fall off her person, she reached out for her bag.
With the cell phone in one hand, she put it to her ear. "Hello?"
"Sakura? It's me, Akira."
Sakura blinked and her heart skipped a beat. The panicky voice she heard made her worry. Instantly, her mind rushed to Toby. Her friend did promise to take Toby to the vet today, and she wondered if they had found something wrong with the dog. She hoped it was nothing serious, but Akira's voice on the other side of the line made her wonder if--
"Sakura, I've lost Toby!"
Sakura found her throat dry when she said, "What?"
"Let me explain. I took the dog to the vet, right? And things happened. Mainly with that arrogant dragon Nicolas. He accused me of stealing your dog, Sakura. The gall of him. And anyway, now I've lost the dog. I can't find him anywhere in the apartment."
Sakura frowned over this. Who was this dragon Nicolas Akira was talking about? The guy up at the penthouse? But she didn't dwell on that particular person and what he had to do with Akira. She was more worried about Toby.
"Have you tried the third floor?" she asked as she now shuffled the gown down her person and grabbed for her bra. "He was there the last time he went missing."
"No, I haven't. I'll go and do that now."
"You do that," Sakura said. "I'm on my way."
"Okay, see you soon."
"Bye," Sakura said. She rested the phone in her bag and quickly grabbed her clothing.
She got dressed in a minute flat and then rushed out of the dressing room. She came across Haruka and begged an apology. "Toby is missing. I'll come back the moment I find him and am sure he's okay."
Haruka nodded and ushered her out the door.
*
Conrad thought he was going nuts. For two weeks now, he kept hearing Toby barking. Tristan had told him it was his hallucination, mistaking other dogs' barks for Toby's. This only spurred Conrad ever more to want to go to the gallery to see Sakura. Of course, that bloody Ned had decided to avoid them by staying in Los Angeles, so nothing was done about making Sakura come around and let them back into her life.
When he'd suggested they just up and go to see her anyway, Logan had said, "You'll frighten her with your unpleasant appearance, Conrad. We've agreed with Ned not to bother her until he makes her come around."
Of course, he knew both Sebastian and Darcy had been doing their rounds through Soho, just to get a peek at the gallery, hoping to see Sakura. It was odd lately that Sebastian seemed so chummy about something. He was grinning to himself all the time, which annoyed both Conrad and Darcy equally. When Darcy had asked the brother if he had a secret to share, Sebastian just said, "Just thinking of my conversation with a friend."
"Bloody hell," Conrad muttered under his breath, storming into the living area where everyone was getting ready for lunch.
Beth looked up. "What's bothering you, Master Conrad?"
"Toby. Is it really just me? Didn't you guys hear the bark?"
Tristan laughed. "Your imagination again."
"We heard the barks, Conrad. Dog barks along the streets," Hayden said, turning the page of the newspaper in his hands. "It's not unusual."
"Are you sure you're all right, bro?" Logan put in, looking at Conrad over his bland coffee. "Need to see a doctor or something?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Conrad snapped. He took a seat beside Tristan and changed the subject. "Where's Nicolas and Sebastian?"
"Nicolas is at the hotel doing some stuff. He's elbow deep in paperwork, apparently. Sebastian is doing a deal with some new business partner in Brooklyn."
"Darcy?"
"At his loft," Hayden said. "He's dealing with some issue with the art and design for our new game."
"Seven Knights?"
"Lame," Tristan said. "Seven Knights."
"Eight now," Hayden said. "It was Darcy's idea. He wants eight now. And don't you say it's lame. If it's lame, it wouldn't be still selling in the millions."
"Does it have more moves and weapons?"
"Shitload," Hayden replied. "Katana."
"Sick!" Conrad laughed. "I love katana."
It was then Conrad looked up and saw a white dog run across the length of the courtyard. "Toby!" he shouted, pointing a finger at the window.
The brothers turned to look but didn't see any dog. Tristan pulled Conrad down to sit again and placed the back of his hand against Conrad's forehead.
"You're not sick," he said, noting his temperature was okay.
Conrad slapped his brother's hand away. "Who the hell says I'm sick?" He was obviously so upset he shot up and headed out the room in annoyance.
Tristan said, "What did I say?"
Hayden shrugged his shoulders as if to say he didn't have a clue, and Logan laughed.
Conrad came out into the garden and went about searching for the little culprit who made everyone think he was going mad. There, the barking was getting louder. The corridor? Conrad rushed over to the other side and, taking a deep breath, he jerked the door open.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Conrad staggered back as he stared wide at the little dog jumping around his feet with excitement. When the shock finally receded, the man bent down to his knees and gathered the pup into his arms.
"Toby?"
Woof! was the reply.
Conrad couldn't help himself. He laughed and squeezed the white furry canine in his arms. "Toby, how the hell did you get here?"
Another bark came as a reply.
"Conrad, what are you doing there?" Logan called out from the house. He even sported a suspicious look on his face.
Conrad turned and shouted, "It's Toby! I found him."
"Don't shit with me, Conrad!" the brother swore loudly.
"Jesus, man, I'm not shitting you. It really is Toby," Conrad yelled back. To Toby, he said, "See? They don't believe me. Well, let's show them. See who's the one going crazy now! Let's go, Toby."
At Toby's bark of agreement, Conrad turned on his heel and headed back across the garden to the house.
The moment Logan saw Toby at the door, he stared at the dog in shocked surprise and nearly spilled his coffee. Beth, who was carrying two plates of sandwiches, froze in her spot. The sight of the little beast was too much for her to bear, and the plates and food crashed to the floor.
"Shit! It really is Toby!" Logan sh
outed.
Across the room, Tristan and Hayden came rushing over, perplexed at the sight of the beloved little beast. Toby barked excitedly at the men, pleased he was the center of their attention once again.
Logan stroked the dog and uttered, "But, hell, how? I mean..."
Conrad couldn't find an answer either, but he was just happy they got to see Toby once again.
Beth finally got her act together. With legs shaking, she came to Toby and gave the dog a pat. "Oh, it really is Toby. Oh God!" Then tears started brewing in her eyes.
"What about Sakura?" Tristan asked no one in particular.
"Well," Hayden said, cocking his head to one side as he gazed at the dog close range. "Toby can't have gotten here by himself. Sakura will have to be close by." Because his face was only inch from the dog, Toby licked him on the nose, and the man laughed. "Where's your master, buddy? Why don't you bring her to us?"
Toby barked excitedly again, in agreement of course.
"Oh, thank God you found him," came the female voice at the door.
The brothers turned to see Akira standing there, looking as flushed and beautiful as ever. Beside her, looking pissed and stony, was Nicolas.
Akira rushed into the living area and begged for the dog back. Conrad backed away and asked in outrage, "Toby's with you?" There was a note of an accusation in his voice that Akira didn't miss.
Akira blinked, confused as to why Conrad looked as though he didn't want her to touch the dog, as though she were some kind of villain, here to take the dog away for execution.
"Well, of course he is." She sighed indignantly and continued. "Don't tell me you think I've stolen him like Nicolas did!" She folded her arms across her chest. "Well, I didn't. Like I said, I'm looking after him for a friend."
At this, Logan and Tristan looked at each other, confused. Logan asked, "Friend?"
Akira sighed once again. She was about to blurt out it was Sakura when she caught herself on time. The brothers noticed and knew something was up. Could it be that Akira happened to know Sakura? The possibility was indeed interesting, and none of the brothers wanted to just leave it at that. They wanted to find out. Heck! They wanted to see Sakura again, and they'd do anything, even blackmailing this lovely woman, to get what they wanted.
"Please, can you just return Toby to me before--" She halted and turned bright red.
"Before what?" Tristan asked. At that moment, he decided to play the gorgeous flirt he was known for in order to get more information from Akira. He came around, standing so imposingly handsome in front of her. He even gave her a dashing smile that would have made any female melt into him. "Akira-chan?" he asked, his voice smooth and soft like liquid gold. "Who's your friend?"
Oddly enough, Akira was immunized against Tristan's charm. She didn't get infected like most females did. In fact, she wasn't about to budge. She turned her attention to the youngest brother who was hugging Toby tightly against his chest, as if the dog were very precious to him.
"Please, Conrad," she said. She also noted he was moving farther away from her. "I would like Toby back."
The dog barked and rubbed his head against Conrad's chest. The man stroked him fondly. "He doesn't want to go just yet."
Beth nodded in agreement, since she couldn't find her voice to speak. She was still pretty shocked.
When she saw no one was on her side, Akira chose to turn her attention to the eldest brother. She blasted her anger at the man who had been pestering her since he'd found her car broken down on her way to the vet.
"Nicolas? This is outrageous. If you and your brothers do not give me back Toby, I swear I will phone the police and tell them you've kidnapped Sakura's dog!"
She was still heaving by the time she finished. It was only then she saw the triumphant look on Nicolas's face, which annoyed the hell out of her. And she realized shit had finally hit the fan.
"Baka!" she muttered and spun around to see both Tristan and Logan sporting a satisfied grin.
Beth looked like she was about to faint. She decided to take a seat. "You boys take care of this. I'm feeling a bit tired all of a sudden."
Hayden said, "Well, there we go. All sorted."
Conrad nodded. "Come on, Toby. Let's return you to your master."
The dog agreed with a friendly bark. As the brothers walked out the door, Akira called out, "Where are you going?"
"To your apartment," Conrad said.
"Or would you rather have Sakura come here for the dog?" Nicolas asked, one blond brow rising in a challenge.
Akira held her head high and said, "Go to hell." With that, she marched out the door, leaving the brothers to follow her.
*
CHAPTER 20
Finally, Sakura My Love
Sebastian was really pissed with himself as of early this morning. He hadn't been able to sleep since he'd reluctantly logged off the internet. Why the hell did he type those words to her last night?
I want to kiss you.
Now that he thought about it, the sentence made him sound like a stalker. And bloody hell, he didn't want himself to sound like that to Sakura. As of last night, or rather early this morning, however, that was very likely. He was a stalker to Sakura. He'd pushed her away with his uncontrollable love and desire for her. He couldn't keep his feelings to himself. He'd wanted her to know how much he loved her. He'd wanted her to come back into their lives that badly. And of course, he'd totally screwed it up. Both for him and his brothers.
Hell! It had gone so great, first with her emailing him about the rent. It was actually a reasonable price considering the market at the moment, but it was Sakura. Heck! He had to lower it for her, no questions asked. He'd do anything for her. He'd even let her have the place rent free if she asked. Then he couldn't control himself and started emailing her, knowing fully well she'd never reply. She surprised him, however, by emailing back. And then off they went, online pen pals.
Everything was going great, and it made Sebastian so gushingly happy that even his brothers noticed. Darcy kept asking him if he had a secret to tell. Damn if he'd expose his private time with Sakura. He was greedy in that regard; he'd admit that. But that sentence--I want to kiss you--that had changed their close relationship. Sebastian doubted she'd reply if he emailed her again and knew in his guts he'd have to. Regardless of her fear of his words, he needed her to come back to him and start over.
He'd just finished dealing with the new contract for a new lease on the building when he got the call from Tristan.
"Hey, what's up?"
"You need to hurry back, Seb." This was followed by a laugh. "Toby's in the apartment, and Sakura is coming soon. You wouldn't believe it if I told you, but heck, I'm going to tell you anyway. Sakura has been living with Sosuke and his family for the past few weeks."
"What?" Sebastian shouted into the phone, a little more than confused at the information.
"Hey, don't yell at me, bro. I'm just bearing the news. Come quick. She'd be here anytime soon now."
"I'm on my way," Sebastian said and hung up.
As he switched on the engine, he shook his head. "Small world. Such a small world." As he reversed the car, he said under his breath, "Sakura, sweetheart, you're not running away from us again. That I can promise you."
*
Darcy wondered if he'd somehow turned into a stalker as he gazed at the painting of the cherry blossom tree he'd brought from Tanaka Gallery, from his dearest Sakura. Every day for two weeks now, he'd parked the car on the opposite side of the gallery, staring at it, hoping to get a glimpse of Sakura herself. He did see her a few times, busy doing this and that. Every time he saw her, he desperately wanted to walk up to her and pull her into his arms. And of course, kiss her until she was breathless. He even imagined himself doing that. But he was a coward and so resigned to just sitting there, watching her from the distance.
Now he lifted his fingers to caress the canvas once again, stroking the line of the pink cherry blossoms, imagining caressing the pai
nter herself.
"Sakura, sweetheart, when will you let us back into your life?" he said under his breath.
He was ready. He knew if he were to see her again, he was ready to march right up to her and take her into his arms and never again let go.
His cell phone rang, and Darcy sighed in annoyance. He reluctantly turned away from the painting and headed to the coffee table where his cell phone, as well as his laptop and drawing material, resided.
Picking it up to his ear, he said, "Hayden?"
"Emergency, bro," came Hayden's voice. "We found Toby. And Sakura is coming."
"What?"
"Shit, man. Sakura has been living with Lady Haruka and Sosuke for the past two weeks, right under our roof. Bro, are you coming or what?"
Darcy found himself tense from head to toe as the news sank in. "Yeah. I'm coming. I'm coming," he shouted, grabbing his keys and wallet. "Why is she living with Lady Haruka?" he asked as he raced out the door and then down the stairs.
"No idea. Tristan just phoned Sebastian and he's on his way as well."
"What about Mom and Dad?"
"Yeah, Nicolas is currently talking to them. I have a feeling this is it, man! This is it!"
Outside, Darcy clicked the button on his keys and then slid into the car. "I'll be there soon."
"Yeah, sure." After a long pause, he added, "Darcy? Drive safely, bro, and don't do anything stupid."
Darcy took a deep breath. "Thanks. But I'm not planning on doing anything stupid. Just keeping Sakura from running away again."
Hayden laughed. "Yeah, well, that's what we're all trying to do."
"Right, bye for now," Darcy said and hung up. He put the gear on reverse and then moved out of the parking lot.
"Sakura, sweetheart, I won't let you run again this time," he said as he sped along the street.
*
The moment Sakura stepped out of the taxi, the world spun around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew she hadn't been feeling well for the past week. She'd been a little more than just fatigued and wondered if she was low in something and very sick. Of course, the lack of sleep, long work hours, and her anxiety over the drama at the gallery didn't help either.
Once the dizziness disappeared, she hastily made her way to the entrance of the apartment building and then to the elevator. Her mind was once again on Toby as the lift took her up to the second floor. She hoped Akira had found the dog already. The thought of losing the little pup made Sakura feel even sicker than she already did.