Crown and Anchor Series: Book 1-4

by Kerri Ann

  Growing quiet for a moment, looking at him in the elevator mirror, I see the guy who’s always been there, but never seen. He’s always just there. That’s the downfall of our lives. We’ve passed through without seeing those beneath us. It takes something like this to take notice. It may sound awfully conceited, but the truth hurts sometimes.

  We’ve been taught that our family is the strength of Japan, that those who are not Yakuza are not the powerful. We reign. Miori believes it wholeheartedly. Uncle and Father molded her, worked her in a way that tainted her to their will. And I have been left alone to a point. My partial deafness has left me outside the inner circle for years. Because of that, I’m both thankful and disappointed. Just because I can’t hear them on one side, doesn’t make me an idiot. I know more than they think.

  He raises his eyes to look at me through the reflection in the mirrored wall. “I didn’t listen to Miori,” he says in flawless Japanese. His stare is electric as he tries to impart that he’s only listened in on me. I guess I’ve been just as bad as the rest, ignoring that which is outside my immediate bubble. Taking in Jacob, I have to admit, he’s a good-looking guy. His smile is sweet and his eyes are gentle. With a strong jaw, dark coffee skin that’s coated in freckles across his nose and cheeks, Jacob is a nice package. But not for now.

  Mentally cursing myself, I’m glad when the doors open. Hopping out, teetering slightly until I get a rhythm, Jacob stays back to catch me if I fall. Rounding the corner and entering the waiting area, I see everyone is clearly unhappy.

  “Mi,” I say to grab her attention.

  Looking up, her makeup is streaked and her eyes are puffy. Her usual contained self is breaking down.

  “What’s going on?” I ask in Japanese, taking a seat in the chair beside her.

  Sniffling for a minute, she gathers her composure. “Why are you here? You’re supposed to be resting.” There was no way I was staying behind while I didn’t know the fate of my family.

  “Good luck with that, Ms. Katana. Kano wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Jacob says beside me. Looking around the room, the Crown’s don’t understand a word of what we’re saying, and that right now is okay with me. I have the feeling this private affair would be worse with more voices shouting.

  “She’s sustained heavy damage to her kidneys and they need a donor. They have her on support, but it’s only a matter of time.”

  “Kaori could die?”

  She nods, with fresh tears falling down her face. “Yes.”

  Attempting to rise back out of the chair, I lean on the crutches. “Then why are we sitting here? Let’s go tell the doctor we’ll do it. I will. I can’t believe you hadn’t already volunteered. Why haven’t you, Mi?”

  Standing, she puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. “It’s not that simple. We have to match.”

  She’s upset, but not enough it seems. At least not like I am. I shrug off her touch. “I don’t get you. Why wouldn’t we match, Miori? We’re her sisters.”

  “No. We’re her half-sisters.”

  What?

  “Pardon? What did you say? It sounded like you said we’re not her sisters?”

  Miori and I face off. “We are, but we’re not. Our father is the same, our mothers are not.”

  I’m stewing for a fight. Why would she spring this on me now? Ignoring the fact that I’ve been lied to and she knows the truth, won’t help Kaori. So instead, I settle and try again to convince my sister we need to help. “Miori, she’s our sister. Blood full or half, it doesn’t matter. We need to help her.” Making my way to the do not enter sign, I bang with my crutch. Shortly after, a nurse arrives.

  “Yes? May I help you?”

  “I need to see the surgeon for Kaori Katana. Now.”

  Nodding curtly, but with respect, she closes the door and bounds off.

  “Kano, think about this.”

  “No, Miori, you think about this.” I try pleading with her. “She’s our sister. We have to save her. And if you can’t, I won’t say no.”

  “And if I lose two sisters, then what? What about me, Mono.” Miori is very formal, so for her to use my nickname, she’s clearly upset. Still not enough though, it seems.

  “Then we did our best.”

  JAMIESON

  For close to twenty minutes, the two sisters, along with some guy that came in with Kano, have been talking to the doctor and a second surgeon in Japanese. We’ve been sitting here, wondering, trying to figure out from their facial expressions what the hell is going on. None of us understand, and we’re all afraid to interrupt.

  So we wait.

  When they stop their yelling and hand throwing conversation, the guy walks over to me. Extending his hand out, expecting a shake, I do. “Hey. I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Jacob, the guy who flew you out to the hotel.”

  “Thanks. I’m guessing you brought Kano back? Do you know what’s going on? There seems to be a lot of hustle now that they’re done talking.” There are nurses and doctors scrambling all around.

  “We’re waiting to see if they’re a match for a donor kidney. The sisters are arguing who will go under, but I have the feeling that Miori is the frontrunner after Kano’s gunshot wound today.”

  “I know how that goes. I was a donor once,” I tell him, thinking about Petra. Damn, if I was a match I’d do it again, no questions asked. “So when will they find out?”

  Motion from the girls as they argue further, presumably about who will do it, causes a ruckus in the room.

  “Excuse me,” Jacob says, pretty much jogging across the room.

  “Hey. How ya doin’, James?” Wyatt’s tentative, and with good reason. This dredges up old memories that I’d forgotten, or swept under the rug.

  “No, really, I’m not. But I’m trying.”

  Patting me on the shoulder with his good arm, I know this must be wearing on him too. Walking off to sit, Wyatt must find this exhausting. Two days out of the hospital and we’re globe hopping, dealing with gunshots, further death, and more hospitals. Turning to Circe, I tell her to keep an eye on him. The last thing we need is Wyatt in a full-on depressive state, or worse. We may be a fucked up family, but we care deeply about each other. No matter how far I was, no matter where I was, I always thought about my siblings. Yeah, Mom and Dad made it hard to be close, but we’re family, and I’ll do anything for family.

  Walking over, Miori approaches me. “Jamieson, I know you care for her and your baby. I’ll do everything I can to save her, I promise. It’s the least I can do.” Bowing low, then raising her head up, I see the tears still pulling at the corners of her eyes.

  Without thought, I grab her for a hug, even though I’m not much of a hugger. I think we both need it. When she steps back, I see that same fire and determination in her eyes that I always see in Carli’s. She’s a strong woman.

  “Well, I better go. I promise to do as much as I can.” Turning toward the operating doors, confusion crests her face. “Where’s Kano?”

  I look around the space. She’s gone.

  “I’m sorry. She made me promise I’d help her,” Jacob admits, looking guilty as sin.

  Spewing words in Japanese again, pushing Jacob up against the wall, Miori is slapping the hell out of him, and he takes it without argument.

  I can only handle watching it for so long before grabbing her, and holding her at bay. “Where’s Kano? Did she go with the surgeons?”

  “Yeah, man. She slipped through while you were talking with Miori. She’s gone to surgery. If they find her as a match, it’s done.”

  I’m not sure if I’m impressed, pissed, or scared shitless.

  CARLI

  Oh my God! What bus hit me? My tongue is fat, my mouth is dry like the morning after an all-night bender, and I’m so tired. Tired is too weak a word, but my mind is mush. I’d love to think up something more intelligent, but it ain’t happenin’.

  Ugh! Even the act of opening my eyes is awful. Who replaced my mascara with sandpaper? Arguing agai
nst the lids, I push with all my might. The light here is so fucking bright.

  “Good morning,” someone says in Japanese.

  What the ever-loving fuck! Where the hell am I?

  Clearing the gauzy feel, I look around the space. White walls, stark metal cabinets, a hospital bed, and me, with monitors attached.

  Oh, yeah. Kato, Jamieson, Hiro, and my sisters!

  Stretching out my hand, I see the IV running down the back of it. The needle makes it hard to move. Lifting my other one, I’m thankful there’s nothing on it. I pull slowly and gently on the cover. The need to get out of this bed and see my sisters is paramount.

  Rushing to my side, a nurse halts my exit. “Whoa, whoa. Hold on, Ms. Katana. You can’t go anywhere. You’ve just woken up from major surgery. Let me get the doctor for you, he’ll explain it all.”

  She reaches over and presses the button on the side of the bed. “I bet you’d like some water.” Reaching the side table, pulling over a glass of water in a cheap Styrofoam cup, she raises the bed slightly, angling a straw toward my mouth. As soon as the cool liquid hits my throat, I want to rejoice. My oh my, that’s lovely.

  “How do you feel?”

  Clearing my throat, I try to speak. “Tired. Where are my sisters?” My voice sounds like it was dragged through nails and gravel.

  “They’ve been here night and day, waiting.”

  Why does it sound like she’s talking about more than one day? Before I can ask, the doctor arrives. He’s no less than fifty, pretty short, with thinning hair and thick eyebrows behind wire rimmed glasses.

  “Ms. Katana, I’m glad you’re awake. Good to see you.” His smile is bright and sweet. “Let me tell you what’s gone on. You came in from an apparent gunshot wound. We rushed you into emergency and found extensive damage to your kidneys. You’d already lost too much blood and failure was occurring. We needed a donor.” He pauses, checking a few of my monitors that start to beep. “Your sisters were not a match, but thankfully, one of the people that were here when you came in was. You were really lucky, Ms. Katana.”

  The Crowns? One of the Crowns were a match? Who?

  “Baby?”

  His smile is wide. “The baby’s fine. You were both very lucky. Now, you need more rest.” Pushing something into the IV, I immediately feel groggy again. “Sleep. You’ll feel better soon.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I don’t know if hours or days have passed, but I wake up feeling less like a B52 bomber is dragging me behind it on the runway. The monitors still beep, the IV is still attached, and my body is sore, but it’s better. Looking around the room, I see that the nurse is different than the one I saw last. The room is dark, the lights are low, and the clock says eleven. Scrambling around on the bed, slowly, I search out the call button and depress it.

  “Can I help you?”

  “What day is it?” I ask.

  “Saturday afternoon, Miss. Are you hurting?”

  “No, not at all, but I could do with a bite.”

  She looks slightly shocked. “You feel up to food? Well, that’s a good sign. Let me see if I can wrangle up something soft. How’s Jell-O?”

  You have got to be kidding me.

  “The red kind, please.”

  Smirking, she leaves the room.

  “Of course you’d want the red.”

  I know the voice immediately. “Jamieson? Where are you?”

  Pushing the curtain back, lying in the bed beside me, his smile is…

  No beard? I didn’t think he could be more beautiful, but man, it’s amazing. Best thing I’ve seen all day. Or, at least, I think so.

  “You helped me?”

  He smiles and gives me a nod. “I can’t date the mother of my child if she dies.”

  Laughing to myself, I take in the change. His grin was beautiful through the beard, as you knew it had to work itself through all that hair to be seen beaming as bright as it did. To see him smiling without a beard, is just...it’s extraordinary.

  “You saved me, but I don’t get it? You’d already helped your sister before, so why would they let you do it again?”

  “We didn’t let him do anything. He insisted once we knew your sisters weren’t matches. He was, thankfully,” the nurse states, bringing me a cute little cup of red goodness. I figure if Wyatt and Circe would wrestle after it, then it must not be that bad tasting. And right now, the ass end of skunk would be great.

  “So you saved me, just for a date?”

  “Maybe more, maybe less. But I couldn’t find out if you died now could I?”

  “Sound logic, Crown.” Spooning a mouthful of the red goo, I touch my tongue to it before trying it. The texture is odd, but decidedly, it’s not disgusting. Being as hungry as I am, though, it’s like heaven to a starved man. Mouthful after mouthful until the cup is empty, I try to scrape the edges to get even the smallest amounts out.

  “Would you like more?” the nurse asks.

  “Keep it coming,” I say, handing her the empty cup, but keeping the spoon. With a smile, she turns and walks off.

  Leaving us alone, it gives us a chance to talk. Thinking on all the things I should have said to him, my mind just explodes with every thought imaginable. “I’m sorry. I should have told you first when I found out I was pregnant. Then I shouldn’t have kicked you out, because I really wanted you to stay. Then, when my uncle was there, holding me hostage, I really didn’t want you there, but I did. I didn’t want to be alone and I knew you’d make me feel safe. And after you pushed me out of the way, saving me, I couldn’t tell you anything because I don’t remember a damn thing. But I’m glad you’re here.”

  Pausing for a second, taking a deep breath, I ask the one question that’s been niggling in my mind since they arrived. “Why did you all fly out here? Didn’t you have your mother’s funeral?”

  Grinning slyly the whole time I’ve spewed all that mental junk, the nurse returns with not one, but two bowls of Jell-O. “Sorry, only red and green left. I figure she’ll get first dibs as the mother.”

  “Yep. You’re totally right.” Taking the offered cup and spoon, Jamieson smiles wide. “She’s going to win for years, and Jell-O is just a starting point. Ask my brother outside the door, he’ll tell you. When it comes to strong women, I don’t think we’ll ever win a fight, and I’ll be happy to lose.”

  CARLI — THREE MONTHS LATER

  “It’s been a long road. It took that long for me to recover and to let Jamieson stop treating me like a breakable China Doll. No offense.” Looking to his sister sitting at the head table, she grins wide, winks, then kisses Risen. “But in that time, I’ve gotten fat.” I motion to the little pot I’ve grown. “Jamieson has been busy considering how to set up shop here, and you two are finally ready to get married. I can’t say enough about you both and how happy I am you found each other at that TT race. Honestly, if you’d never met there, I wouldn’t have met Jamieson and fallen into this rabbit hole. Alice, I’m sorry, but you have nothing on our crazy.

  “I’m excited to see where we go next as a family, because that’s what we are.” Raising my goblet of pink grapefruit juice, I continue. “To Casper Fucking Crown, or Wyatt, as his Siren calls him. You are a strong man, not because you fight your demons every day, but because I’ve seen you steal Jell-O that wasn’t yours and you kept your fingers. You are sweet, attentive, and adorably, if not sickly perfect, for Circe. To you.” Sipping the cup, I prepare for the second half of my speech.

  “To Circe. Woman, what can I say that isn’t already known by the newscasters of the racing world? You are my wingman, my best friend, and soon to be godmother to my children. If you hadn’t asked for me to toss it in with those hookers, then we would still be eating crappy boxed food. Your mother wouldn’t be dating…excuse me, occasionally sleeping with Crane.” Looking at her mother, who flew in a few days ago, I know the moment she starts to sharpen those mental daggers she wants to toss at my head.

  “Without that day, none of us would be wher
e we are. Doll would still be sitting on the sidelines without a cop to ride. I wouldn’t have come home to my sisters, and I wouldn’t have noticed what I had. Life is quirky, life takes twists we don’t expect, and we best figure out how to enjoy it along the track.

  “I know that Crown’s will always be a force to reckon with, whether this generation or the next. And these two,” touching my stomach, I smile, “they’ll be sassy Katana’s like me, and crass daredevils like the rest of you. So, to the woman who will be tied to a bed within the hour, I wish you the best in your marriage, life, and future.”

  As both Jamieson and I recovered, the two families stayed at Amanemu.

  That first week, my sisters explained to me about our parentage, but it made no difference to me; they’re my sisters in all the ways that count. Our father’s indiscretions, or wanderings didn’t matter. They’re my family. And while they waited for me to be cleared by Jamieson for active duty, they interacted with the Crown’s. Cool thing, not to be outdone in antics, Kano and China competed in all ways possible. I never knew my little sister was such a daredevil, but it was cool to see her and China finding a friendship. Even more, I was happy to see her outside the control of our family obligations.

  Miori, on the other hand, flourished in a different way. Taking over the family workings, cleaning house of the evil, she has slowly cut ties with the underworld connections. They say you only leave one way, but they didn’t realize how cunning she was. Listing every underhanded dealing, learning everything father and Kato wished her to, they thought they were creating the perfect little soldier. What a rude awakening the Yakuza had when she’d been the downfall of our clan. Handing over everything to Chen Chow, Miori single-handedly cleaned up the Ryu name. Now our money is ours, not a collective, and we are in the business of whatever we wish, not what they direct.

  And this party? This is the proper engagement party that my friends deserve. Yeah, there’s to be a really public wedding in the future, but for now, it’s just us and good friends to enjoy this night. And enjoy it they will, if I have any say in it.