Chapter 21

Yuka Sakura looked even more drawn and stressed-out than she had the other day when Shiki had intercepted her at the café. She stood in the elegant living room of his suite as if she were his captive. In a way, she was. His orders to his men had been precise; bring her to him without fail, but voluntarily. Persuade her. Create a sense of urgency that she couldn't ignore.

Anything could happen in Tokyo.

He needed to speak with her before she got there. He wanted her on his side. He wanted her at least to understand his position.

And if he could get it, he wanted information from her. What did she know about the sniper investigation? Did anyone realize he'd contacted her? Were the feds trying to pin the Central Park attack on him? Mochu was drawing blanks in Tokyo. He was useless.

"Who were those men?" Yuka tossed her head in an obvious effort to look outraged, but she was too upset, too frightened, to pull it off. "Your hired thugs?"

"Bodyguards. In my position –"

"As a fugitive," she cut coldly.

"As a wealthy man, who not only my enemies but my own government want to bring down."

She snorted. "Spare me your self-pity. What do you want?" her tone was slicing. "Your 'bodyguards' made it clear they'd drag me here if I didn't come on my own."

"I'm sure you're reading into their manner. I apologize for any –"

"Just tell me what you want. My husband and I are flying to Tokyo later this afternoon." She had on her travel clothes, a smart black suit with her fashionable but comfortable shoes. "A car is picking up in half an hour. I have to be back."

Shiki sipped a glass of a Jack Daniels he was fond of. "You'll be back in plenty of time. Won't you sit down?"

"No"

She is strong willed, a beautiful woman in her prime. According to his source, Izumi Sakura was still a vital, interesting man, but he wasn't the man she'd married. He was increasingly dependent on her. But Yuka would never let people think she had any regrets about marrying a man so much older than she.

"Can I offer you some lunch?" Shiki asked mildly.

She shook her head, her hands clasped firmly on her handbag. The way she was dressed, the way she carried herself, her hair, her grooming; she looked as if she belonged in the tasteful surrounding. Shiki had to work at looking the part, although his wealthy far, far exceeded that of the Sakuras. But inside, he felt like a phony. A thug, a common criminal.

That he thought would change.

"You're free to leave. It's not as you're my prisoner." He spoke with wry amusement, but Yuka didn't relax even slightly. He set the liquor glass down on a small, antique table. "I have contacts in Tokyo who told me that the FBI's spinning its wheels in its investigation into the shooting. They haven't made any headway since they found that drug addict dead –"

"What contacts?"

"That's not important. What's important is that you and your husband are walking into a very tense situation. My contacts also told me that the FBI and the Alice Secret Service are bracing for another attack."

"I want to see my son," she said tightly. "That's all."

"Of course. I understand."

She leveled her unflinching gaze on him. "I'm going to tell Ruka and the investigators that you've approached me several times since last fall. As soon as I learned of your legal status I've asked you not to contact me."

It was the truth, as far as it went, but she wasn't saying how she'd learned he was a fugitive. Misaki Ando. Either Yuka was deliberately not mentioning her meeting with the young army captain or didn't think it was important. But the FBI would want to know how Yuka Sakura had found out her old college classmate was a fugitive; they'd want to know everything murdered army captain Misaki Ando had told her. Shiki knew now he should have acted sooner, before Misaki Ando had contacted Yuka.

"I've done nothing wrong," Yuka said. "What you're up to –"

"I'm not up to anything. I'm just a man in legal limbo who ran into an old friend –" He smiled, remembering her previous stinging words on that subject. "An old acquaintance."

Her brown eyes narrowed slightly. "My son's situation and yours had better be coincidence and nothing more."

Or what? Shiki almost asked her, almost called her bluff, fought an urge to threaten her and demonstrate how dangerous he was. "I'm sure they will. In the meantime, they could cause us both problems. You're not only the mother of a wounded agent; you're a friend of the Prime Minister."

"Don't bring Narumi into this."

Shiki shrugged, rising so that he was a few inches above eye level with her. "Yuka, I'm an innocent man. I want to put my legal problems behind me and do well in the world. You can help me."

She gave a small gasp that she must have wished she could have held back. "I have no intention of helping you!"

He smiled gently. "You already have. Just seeing you has made a difference to me."

She took a breath. "Shiki, please. Stay out of my life."

"I had nothing to do with the attack on your son. It's insane to think I did. But if you tell the authorities about me-"

"Are you suggesting I don't? What, are you going to threaten me?"

But she regained her self-control and tilted her head back, studying him a moment through those half closed eyes. They were beautiful eyes. Stormy and vivid with just enough mystery.

"Why did you seek me out in the first place? The FBI's going to want to know, if they don't already."

"Yuka, remember I knew Narumi Anju in college too. He was my friend too."

She inhaled through her nose. "Don't you even think –"

"Why, because he complicates everything for you? Or because you know you should have married him?"

"That's it I'm leaving. I don't ever want to see you again. If your men come near me, I'll call the police."

"I'm a decent man, Yuka." He ached to reach her to, to convince her. "If a mad a mistake in fleeing my country, it was because I wasn't thinking. I want to go home. I want to see my mother's grave."

She stared at him, and he wondered if she was seeing him at eighteen, misfit intellectuality, socially and culturally. She'd tried to help him make more friends. She'd felt sorry for him them she'd had sympathy for him.

But all of that was gone.

He couldn't count convincing her to want to step on his behalf with the Prime Minister being nice. He saw that now.

"A Prime Ministerial pardon would clear my name." He spoke softly and met her eyes, saw the shock in them. "You could make it happen."

"Bastard." She said through her teeth and ran for the door, pushing past a bodyguard who could have snapped her neck without breaking a sweat. Shiki motioned for him to let her go. She gave him one last, scathing look and started for the steep, curving stairs. "Don't you ever try to contact me again."

"Yuka. Don't leave. Not just yet." He lifted an envelope from a small side table. "There's a picture of a woman in here."

"I'm leaving." But her voice faltered, and she didn't move.

Shiki withdrew the photograph Misaki Ando he'd cut of a newspaper. "You recognize this woman, don't you? She's an army captain. You two met last fall."

Yuka gasped. "What – Shiki, what's going on? Why was her picture in the paper?"

"She was found dead two days after you met with her. Shot in the chest. Point-blank range. Hookers found her in the red-light district." Shiki set the picture face up on the table. "Paris's a safe city, but –" He didn't finish. "It's a very sad story."

"She's dead? Murdered? My god, I had no idea. Izumi and I left for home a day or two after I saw her. She told me about your fugitive status." Yuka spoke in a tight, rapid voice. "I didn't mention her because I didn't think it was any of your business. I never heard from her again."

"Perhaps because she was dead." Shiki eased back onto his chair, aware of how brittle with tension she was. He had to play this moment very carefully. "Another coincidence."

Her eyebrows arched. He could see her fear now. "How do you know I met with her?"

"It's not important. But if I know, Yuka, other people know. The FBI will want to know. The French Police."

"I'll tell them everything, of course, but I don't even remember the poor woman's name."

In silence, she bit her lower lip and grasped her stomach, as if she might vomit. Do you believe her killer is also responsible for shooting my son and the other agent who was with him? Shiki, please. Tell me what you know."

"Your captain was in army intelligence. Just because she told you about my situation doesn't mean she was investigating me." But of course, that wasn't true. "Yuka, I don't need to remind you that our husband is an important man. He has important enemies inside and outside the government."

"But not violent enemies."

"Everyone is violent these days, one way or another. People listen to your husband. The Prime Minister listens. That makes him powerful."

"I'm leaving. You're deliberately trying to scare me."

"This can all spin out of control, Yuka, if you aren't careful. I know you want to protect your family. Let me help you." He let his gaze connect with hers. "Then you can help me."

But she fled, taking the steep, curving stairs as fast as she possibly could.

Shiki flopped back against his chair and stifled a moan of pain and despair. His head throbbed. He was so tired. But while their meeting could have gone better, it had gone about as well as he'd expected. He'd planted the seed. Soon she would realize that the only way to get him out of her life and to save her family was to use her influence with Prime Minister Narumi Anju and persuade him to pardon an old college classmate.

Before his other activities came to light.

When he returned to his drink, there was a cal for him. "Is the money ready?" the voice on the other end asked. "You'll have your pardon within twenty-four hours."

"What? Who are you? Stay the hell out of my affairs!"

"The clock is ticking."

"Wait-"

But the caller had already disconnected.


To all the readers, followers, reviewers, critics and to those people who added both of my stories on their favorites list. I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you, If weren't for you I wouldn't gain to trust myself and be confident to write ;) Thank you for all the support.

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Lots Of Love XOXO,

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