Page 60 of Fatal Temptation

He felt the car stop and then the engine turned off. He opened his eyes and looked at Gemma. Her knuckles were white as she squeezed the hell out of the steering wheel. She turned her head, likely feeling his gaze on her and he caught a sliver of fear in her icy blues before her expression shuddered and she released the steering wheel.

“Let’s go,” she said and stepped out of the car.

Akio took a second before he unbuckled his seat belt and followed her out onto the street. Gemma headed for the back of the car and opened the trunk. He moved toward her with heavy steps.

“Here,” Gemma said, handing him a Kevlar vest. “Put it under your shirt.”

He took the black vest, grimacing as he held it in front of him.

“Is it necessary?”

Kuroki was much too sadistic to simply shoot him. He would want him to suffer. It would hurt physically. He knew he would never truly be prepared for that but that wasn’t what he feared. It was not what he had nightmares about.

A chill ran down his back and if it wasn’t for the lives he’d already cost others, he would’ve tucked tail and run already.

“Humor me,” Gemma said though the look she gave him made it clear she was leaving no room for discussion.

He nodded and held the vest between his legs to pull his jacket and shirt off. He put the vest on and as he fit it on himself, he watched Gemma do the same with hers. She pulled the strips with Velcro tight across her chest, so he copied her.

He was glad he at least had an undershirt on because the vest wasn’t exactly soft against the skin. It made his upper body feel completely stiff and his movements were impeded. It forced him to hold his arms a little away from his body.

He grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on. Good thing it was black. Kuroki might not notice the vest under it. At least not from a distance. His jacket would probably help to conceal it, too.

“Let’s go,” Gemma said and shut the trunk.

He tried to keep up with her long strides. He was only a little shorter than her, but her legs were definitely longer, or perhaps it was simply that they were walking in a direction he didn’t want to go in.

They were in an industrial area. He could hear a train close by though he couldn’t see any tracks. They were likely behind the two-story building Gemma was leading them toward. There were a few trucks and building supplies in the fenced-in yard next to the building and a lot of cars parked along the street. He didn’t see any people, though.

When they reached the open gate of that yard, Gemma continued inside, heading toward a side entrance. She stopped in front of the door and took an audible breath. Her hand wrapped around his upper arm, and they shared a quick look before she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

They walked into a large room with several rows of huge, filled shelving units. Halfway down the row Gemma was taking them down was a group of at least seven men. They all had black hair and Asian features, one of them with a scar through his left eyebrow.

Kuroki stood in front of his men, all of them wearing expensive suits as if that would hide the fact that they were some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. His father had been much the same. He had preached about etiquette and image while throwing his son into a cage when hemisbehavedwhich was just his fancy way of saying that Akio had disappointed him by not being his brother.

“Took you long enough.”

Gemma didn’t answer, she just pulled Akio to a halt a few feet away from Kuroki and his men.

Kuroki’s cold eyes were chilling. He tried to stave off any flashbacks and memories of his father, but it was hard. Very fucking hard considering the situation they were in.

He was about to go back into that cage. Willingly.

It felt like letting his father win though he would happily surrender himself when it meant that the others had a chance to take down this piece of shit before he hurt anyone else.

His hand went to the bracelet around his wrist. It was a risk to be sure. Kuroki might have it removed later but it was the only thing he could think of to help the others find them. His fingers wrapped around his wrist and when he felt the gemstone under his palm, he pressed down on it. He kept his hand over it, holding firm.

Kuroki tilted his head to the side, a wicked smile on his lips as he ran his gaze over Akio.

“How long has it been, hmm? Four? Five years? Welcome home, Yokota-San.”

Akio knew better than to speak. He glared at Kuroki with all the ire he felt for him.

There he was. The one man responsible for so many ruined lives.

He almost felt bad for him because he knew how Kuroki had been raised. He’d seen the bruises Kuroki’s father had left on him when he fucked up, but he also knew he was the stronger of the two. He hadn’t given in to his father’s sadistic ways. Kuroki had.

“And our deal?” Kuroki asked Gemma when Akio didn’t rise to his bait.

---