Wheels of Steel Book 4

  “The Yakuza?” Jason said his brow gathered.

  Amberly tentatively reached for the address book, which set next to the atrophying digit, leafing through it until she found what she was looking for. Quickly she dialed the number to the man that she feared and loathed more than anyone else.

  “Hello,” she said anxiously. “Is this Yagano’s uncle?”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Robin and Y were led to the attached parking garage. While in the elevator she had placed the hand not being held by Riyu into her pocket where she slipped her cellphone, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t see what she was doing.

  The weapons carried by the Yakuza were discreetly hidden while they made their way through the parking lot. It was empty which Robin wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing since the two thugs were still holding Y firmly in their grip. If anyone witnessed it they might get hurt.

  Riyu, on the other hand, had been nothing but polite to Robin although he didn’t release the light hold that he had on her hand.

  “Miss Mathena, after you.” Riyu said when he led her to the back seat of the limo opposite Yagano and the two men sitting beside him with guns pointed into his sides.

  Y looked at her and then at Riyu. “Let her go. It won’t do you any good to bring her.”

  “I can’t let her go. Do you want her to return to that room with the others?” Riyu asked. “She has to come—otherwise, how can I keep her from harm.” Riyu looked at Robin who was visibly shaking. “I want no harm to befall you, my dear.” He said politely. “After all, you’re one of the stars of our label.”

  Robin looked at Y in confusion. Did he say our? Was this crazy man involved in Akita Tom Productions and is this the reason the two had had such a violent conversation?

  “Please, let me go.” She said in a pleading voice.

  Riyu’s eyes flashed darkly at her. “Now hush, you.”

  “Robin,” Y warned, “Don’t say anything.”

  Yes, she thought. She would just make things worse.

  “What do you expect to gain by kidnapping me and Robin?” Y directed at his father’s son.

  “Yagano, when you turned your back on the Yakuza you made the worst mistake of your life. And now it’s time that you pay what you owe.”

  Yagano’s nose flared. “You know nothing-“

  “I know that your uncle kept you safe and untouched for years. And then you disrespect him.”

  Yagano’s head began to spin. “So he sends you here to take out his wrath on me?”

  Riyu smirked. “I’ll be damned if you’ll be more of a success than me. I run an entire gang! You’ve been seen in the papers and magazines as if you think you’re a celebrity! I know Akita Tom left you shares of his stock and that you think you’re going to cut out the Yakuza of its rightful share. Well your stock is going to join with the rest of it that the Yakuza purchased in your name and the profits are coming directly to us—through me this time!”

  Yagano smiled but said nothing.

  Riyu hesitated. “What do you have to smile about?”

  Yagano looked out the window. “Why do you think I called a meeting of the board, Riyu?”

  Riyu watched the younger man. “What are you talking about?”

  Yagano looked at his brother. “As of about two hours ago I no longer own any shares in Akita Tom Productions.”

  “What--?” Riyu stammered.

  “I gave them up. Call Hideo, your little bitch if you don’t believe me.”

  Riyu’s throat began to work. “That stock belonged to the Yakuza! It was our money that paid for it-“

  “And you have long since recouped the price for it!”

  Riyu lunged for Yagano, his hands going around the younger man’s throat. “You lie!” He screeched. Yagano brought his hands together beneath them and then thrust upward roughly, dislodging Riyu’s grip on his neck. The armed gangsters didn’t seem to know what to do. One tried to restrain Y but he was now out of his seat and throwing punches at his brother’s face.

  Robin crouched against the door. She tried to open it even though the car was moving at a good speed, but it was locked.

  Riyu suddenly kneed Yagano in the stomach and his men were able to finally restrain him once the breath was knocked out of him.

  “Y!” Robin cried out when he choked and his eyes rolled up to the top of his head. He suddenly gasped and dragged in a ragged breath. But then Riyu crouched over him and began to beat him with his good fist, slamming it into the half unconscious man’s face.

  Once Yagano stopped struggling Riyu finally stopped hitting the semi-conscious man. By that time Robin was cowering on the floor of the limo with her face covered and crying.

  That man was going to beat Yagano to death! How could anyone withstand such a beating? Y’s face was bruised and bleeding and Robin wanted to try to grab for the gun that was in Riyu’s holster. But she had never touched a gun in her life. She knew nothing about firing it or determining whether the safety was on, and if she made a grab for the gun and was unsuccessful she would just seal her own fate.

  And then she felt a soft vibration from her pants pocket. With excitement she considered how she could answer the phone. But then once they heard whoever was calling her on the other end it would only make things worse. As of yet, no one had pistol-whipped her and answering her cell phone in the middle of a kidnapping was a sure fire way to cause that to happen.

  Worried that the faint sound of the vibration might clue someone in Robin pressed her thigh against the carpeted base of the seat. Finally the vibration ended only to begin again. She knew that it was Jason calling her. He had gotten her message and he was probably freaking out. But God, he needed to stop calling …

  Riyu hit Yagano a few more times, mostly in the stomach and Robin was disgusted to realize that the only thing that prevented them from hearing the vibration of her cellphone was the muffled punches that Riyu was delivering to Yagano.

  By the time the limo stopped, Riyu was cleaning the blood from his knuckles with a handkerchief. The phone hadn’t rang again and Robin had never been more thankful of anything because Riyu then turned to her.

  He gazed down at the nearly hysterical Robin. “There there, young one. I didn’t hurt him too bad. See,” Riyu jerked back Yagano’s head by his hair. Robin looked at the bloody face but saw that Yagano’s eyes were partly opened and he was breathing. His eyes cleared enough to see Robin and his mouth tried to form a word. After several attempts he whispered.

  “Breathe.”

  Robin nodded her head and tried to push back her terrified tears. She had to stay calm so that she could help Yagano, because this was not the end of what Riyu had in store for him. This she knew without a doubt.

  The door of the limo opened and the driver hefted Robin to her feet.

  “Careful.” Riyu said to the man. He offered his hand to her once he stepped out of the vehicle, and although the sight of his bruised and bloodstained fists scared her she didn’t dare reject his offered hand.

  Robin saw that they were in a secluded part of the Tokyo waterfront. It was crowded with debris and construction material. Old barges set docked so close together that an expert navigator would have had to land them.

  Crowded nearly on top of each other were brick warehouses. Some were large buildings two or three stories high while others were just one story structures. She couldn’t read the signs, which indicated the purpose of the buildings but they were either being used as storage or factories.

  Riyu escorted her to one of the warehouses and the two men dragged Yagano behind them.

  “It’s most unfortunate that you’ve had to witness this dirty side of our affairs.” Riyu stated. “But no one fractures my arm without paying retribution—and they don’t dare do it in my home--in front of my son.”

  She could feel the anger wafting from him and she tried to think of something to say that could put a stop to this madness.

  “Yagano told me that you two had the sam
e father,” Robin stated tentatively.

  “He did? Then you two must be very good friends.”

  The limo driver opened the door to one of the warehouses and Riyu and Robin entered.

  For some reason, being inside of this dirty place scared her more than at any other time. This place represented finality. She looked up at Riyu with pleading eyes.

  “Yagano is my friend,” she nodded. “Please don’t hurt him anymore. He did … what he did to you, and now you got him back. Please don’t hurt him anymore!” She spoke rapidly, realizing that Riyu hadn’t told her to shut up. “I’m no big star right now, but God willing I will be. And I’ll owe you a favor if you spare Yagano anymore pain.” Robin continued, tears streaming from her eyes.

  Y lifted his head. “No … Robin, don’t promise him anything.” One of his captors slapped him roughly and Robin flinched.

  Riyu regarded her with interest. “I don’t intend to kill my father’s bastard child. In fact, I’ll leave his fate up to him.” He turned to look at Yagano who was now on his knees glaring up him. His nose was bleeding and both eyes were nearly swollen closed.

  “Your defiance has left you without the backing of the Yakuza.” Riyu said, finally releasing Robin’s hand so that he could stand in front of Yagano. “Taking your livelihood would have been the icing on the cake, but making sure you are punished for your insolence will have to do.” Riyu removed a switchblade from his pocket and Robin gasped.

  “Please,” she begged. Riyu ignored her but one of the guards took her roughly by the arm and she closed her mouth before she really did get pistol-whipped.

  Riyu released the blade with a loud click. He studied it closely as he resumed speaking.

  “You can return to your prior position with the Yakuza—our dog to call, doing our bidding, and always at my mercy. And for the honor of remaining in that position you will give me the first knuckle of your pinky finger. Of course you will do this willingly—and then all will be forgiven between us.”

  Robin’s eyes had grown large. No. No …

  Riyu began to circle Yagano, who only continued to glare at the man, still not showing fear or begging for mercy.

  “If you refuse yubitsume then I will take that to mean that you no longer wish to be part of the family.” Riyu walked over to a large metal canister and withdrew a poker. The tip was in the shape of a flat disc—a red hot disc.

  “In which case the mon will have to be removed. No traitor can bear the crest of the inagawa-kai on their body.”

  Oh my God, Robin thought. This man was insane. This couldn’t be happening in front of her!

  Yagano knew that the fight was out of him. He could barely keep his swollen eyes open. He could give his fingertip but he didn’t think that Riyu would still not do what he really wanted—which was to take his pound of flesh.

  “What will it be Yagano?” Riyu asked in a mocking tone.

  “If it’s revenge that you want, then you will have to take it. I’ll give you nothing.”

  “Then I think you’ve made your choice.” This time three of the men roughly grabbed Yagano. One held his un-tatted arm while it took two to hold out the one with the tattoo sleeve.

  Robin watched in horror as Riyu brought the hot poker to Yagano who struggled to get loose but was much to weak to be effective.

  “Stop!” Robin screamed when Riyu brought the poker towards Yagano’s inner arm.

  Yagano watched the glowing disc come closer to the inside of his wrist but no matter how much he tried to pull away he couldn’t, the hold on him was too firm. And then the disc was pressed to his skin. He heard it sizzle before he even felt the pain. But soon the pain was upon him.

  Yagano grit his teeth in agony, foam forming at the corners of his mouth as he fought not to scream. Distantly he heard Robin’s screams and cries of protest and then it was more than he could take and gratefully his mind went black.

  Riyu watched Yagano’s agonized struggles before he fell unconscious and the only regret he had is that he had not managed to make him scream. But that was the little bastard in a nutshell. He was stoic—even as a child. Riyu had done everything in his power to punish the bastard but Yagano always held an expression of supremacy—as if Riyu did not have the power to truly touch him. It had enraged Riyu and made him amplify his efforts to render a response from his father’s bastard.

  “Let him go,” Riyu said calmly. The gangsters released Yagano and he fell to the hard cement floor completely out cold. Riyu studied the poker in satisfaction. It had picked up the outer layer of flesh from the bastard’s arm. He would no longer bear the crest of the Yakuza clan.

  Robin was crying hysterically and Riyu gestured to her. “Let her go.” Robin went stumbling from the grasp of the man that held her and she rushed to Y, lifting his head from the ground and cradling it on her knees.

  She gently stroked the side of his swollen face and his sweat and blood soaked hair as tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked at his arm and there was a brand now pressed to his wrist in the form of a perfect circle. The wound was sickening and just beginning to seep blood.

  “Y, you’re okay now.” She turned him so that she could look into his face and then she cradled him in her arms as if he was a broken doll. He looked dead, and if his brother did anything more to him, he just might end up that way.

  Riyu walked towards them and Robin stiffened, refusing to release Y. She was unsure of how she could protect him from further abuse but she couldn’t stand idly by while this sadist further tortured him.

  Riyu crouched until he was just a foot from Robin. “You don’t know anything. You don’t know my name. You don’t know why you were brought here. The only thing you know is that I can find you whenever I want you.”

  The polite demeanor he had worn when talking to her had disappeared. There was just coldness in the dark depths of his eyes. This man felt no remorse for his actions. Robin felt a cold fear settle into her very soul. And then she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

  Riyu rose to his feet and that’s when the door to the warehouse bounded open and several men flowed into the room with weapons drawn and poised. Riyu’s men were shocked but didn’t dare go for their weapons as the heavily armed men outnumbered them two to one.

  A man who was unarmed entered. He was older, handsome and carried himself with an air of importance. The man blanched at the sight of her and Yagano before he turned to regard Riyu with a look of pure rage.

  The man barked out something in Japanese and Riyu pointed at Yagano, replying in rapid Japanese.

  Robin didn’t know who the man was. All she could think is that if this was the cavalry, then they were a day late and a dollar short.

  Yori Akhiro could only look on in disbelief at the carnage that was his nephew. He hurried to Yagano’s fallen body and grimaced at the sight of the beating he had received. And then Yori saw the raw wound on his wrist where the crest of their clan had once been etched by one of the finest artists known to the Yakuza.

  He looked at Riyu in disgust. The man still held the offending weapon that had been used against Yagano as he stood there attempting to rationalize his actions.

  “I told you to leave him alone!” Yori roared as he came to his feet.

  Riyu lifted his broken arm. “I had every right! Look what he did to my arm! He broke into my-“

  Yori snatched the poker from Riyu’s hand and he swung it hard against Riyu’s face burning him slightly with the tool, which was still very hot. Riyu grabbed his face in pained disbelief.

  “You struck me … how dare yo-?”

  Before he could complete the sentence Yori struck him again and this time Riyu hit the floor screeching in pain at the burns that now laced both of his cheeks along with the blunt trauma of the strikes.

  “You disobeyed me!” Yori spoke. “You were a spoiled child and you grew into a terrible excuse for a man. You know nothing about what it means to be ninkyō dantai and your father allowed you to get away with it!”
>
  Riyu looked at Yori with almost the same expression of disbelief that Robin and Riyu’s henchmen wore.

  “Old man,” Riyu said in anger, “you have sealed your fate. My father will-“

  Yori pulled out a switchblade and Riyu stopped talking. “I am your father’s right hand. He sends you this. You know what to do with it.”

  Riyu looked at the switchblade in horror. “My father wouldn’t …”

  “Your father expressly forbade you to harm your brother. And I negotiated with you a means for you to leave him alone forever. I knew it would be a high price for Yagano to pay, but the alternative would have been worse.”

  Yori knew his nephew’s kind heart. Riyu was to send Yagano to oversee the illegal host and hostess bars where the children of their clients were sent to work off the debts that their families had failed to repay. These fetish bars dealt in full prostitution and to variant taste. No one liked admitting that this side of their organization existed but prostitution brought in the most money for the gangs—even more than drugs. So although no one wanted to manage the hostess bars, they were a necessary evil.

  When Daisuke refused to intervene between his two sons that left it up to Yori to make sure that Yagano would not be further crushed by his father’s neglect. It was Yori that had always protected Yagano, even when his own father allowed Riyu to put him in harms way. The man’s guilt that his first-born son hated him caused him to lose the love of the son who wanted nothing more than to be fully accepted.

  As a man with no children of his own, Yori basked in the role of Yagano’s surrogate father. So it would be over his dead body if he allowed Riyu and Daisuke to destroy the person that he had spent so much time carefully honing into a man.

  Riyu looked at the switchblade held out by his father’s right hand man. His father believed in the ways of the Yakuza and this would be the ultimate punishment for his disobedience. He hadn’t killed the little fuck … and yet he had harmed him despite his father’s long standing orders.

  Riyu looked at the henchmen in the room and knew that what happened now would dictate how others would come to view him in the future. He accepted the switchblade. One of Yori’s men came forward with a pristine white handkerchief, which he handed to Riyu.