Fire and Ice Read online

  She thought she’d finished when he turned her, pushing her back onto the narrow bed, still inside her, but the change just set off a new round of orgasms, and with each of his hard thrusts she went further, until he put his hands between them, touching her, and everything vanished in a flash of white heat, spiraling into darkness, and the only sound was his muffled cry of release.

  He was still inside her when she floated back out of the roiling darkness, and her face was wet with tears she hadn’t known she’d shed.

  He wasn’t that heavy; for all the strength and muscle, he didn’t weigh that much, but he pulled out, moving onto his side, pulling her with him, so that they were facing each other on the tiny cot, their bodies pressed up against each other’s.

  His hair had come loose from its long braid. His face was wet, too, but she couldn’t believe they were tears. He smiled at her then, a smile of such devastating sweetness that she was lost.

  “Sleep now, Ji-chan,” he whispered. “We’ve only got a few hours left before they come for us. Rest now.”

  She wanted more, but she was too drained to say a word. Any more would probably kill her, she thought, smiling to herself as she pressed her face against his sweat-slick shoulder.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked in an absent voice. His long hair was covering them both, and she felt him drape some of it over her shoulders, like some sort of powerful bond, tying them together.

  “I’m happy,” she said.

  “You’re probably going to die tomorrow and you’re happy? I’m not that good.”

  “Yes, you are. And I’m not going to die. You’re going to rescue me, as you’ve done so many times already, and we’re going to live happily ever after.”

  She almost thought she felt his body freeze, but she ignored it, drifting into a blissful, dreamless sleep, held tight in his arms.

  Holy motherfucker. What the hell had he done? Just when he thought he’d driven her away forever, he’d managed to sabotage himself. It was going to take nothing short of a bomb to get away from her now. Happily ever after? There was no such thing.

  He didn’t want her. He didn’t want to care about her, he didn’t want to get so turned on by her amateur and earth-shattering efforts at sex. He wanted his life the way he had it, with no room for a clinging gaijin.

  He could tell himself he had a good reason for making such a terrible mistake, fucking her again. They were facing death in the morning; it was a natural human response to try to deny it. But the problem was, he had no intention of dying. Or of letting her be killed, no matter how convenient that suddenly seemed. He’d just used it as an excuse to get inside her.

  In the cold light of day she’d know there was no such thing as a happy ending.

  And if she didn’t, he’d have to show her just how cruel the world could be to innocents who still believed in fairy tales. Whether he liked it or not.

  16

  She’d looked so peaceful when he yanked her out of her deep sleep. She was curled up next to him like a cat in the sunshine with a stomach full of cream when he leapt off the cot, dragging her with him.

  “Someone’s coming,” he said in a low voice. “Get in the box.”

  “The hell I will.”

  He was shoving her discarded clothes at her, what there were of them, at the same time pulling on his pants. “Don’t make me hurt you,” he said, his voice flat and cold.

  “I don’t hear anything.”

  “I do.” He grabbed her arm and hauled her over to the pile of boxes on the right, tipping one up. It was big enough, and empty, and she yanked on her pants as he shoved her under it, buttoning up her shirt as he dropped it down over her.

  “Don’t make a sound,” he said in something close to a growl.

  For once she did as he told her to. He moved silently to the door, waiting behind it. All he had was the element of surprise, and he probably wouldn’t have that. They’d be smart enough to guess that he’d try something. Most of the men who worked for his grandfather were smart, though following someone like Hitomi and betraying the old man was not only stupid but dishonorable.

  Someone was outside the door, trying his best to be quiet. There was only the one dim lightbulb, creating enough shadows in the cavernous room to give him a fighting chance, and he moved back. He could hear the lock click open—whoever was outside was picking the lock, not using a key. Which meant they were acting outside of orders, which could be either a bad thing or a good one.

  He flattened his body against the wall as the door opened, waiting, soundless, breathless, until the very last second before slamming it hard against whoever was sneaking in.

  The door hit solid rock, slamming him back against the wall. A moment later he was looking into the furious eyes of his cousin, Takashi O’Brien, as he shut the door behind him.

  “I thought it might be you locked in here,” he said, his voice cold and deadly. “What the fuck is going on? Why are you locked up, and why is Great-Uncle in seclusion?”

  Reno relaxed his body, just marginally. “Nice to see you, too, cousin. Here to play rescuer? All hell has been breaking loose while you’ve been in hiding.”

  “Are you accusing me of cowardice, little cousin?”

  He knew that tone of voice of Taka’s, knew the kind of danger it signaled, but now was no time to get into a fight. “You had no choice,” he said grudgingly. “The Russians who were after you were being paid for by Hitomi-san, Ojiisan’s new second in command. His family have gotten greedy, and they don’t like his rules, and neither of us was around to stop him.”

  “And?” Taka was practically vibrating with rage—not a good sign.

  “And they’re planning on getting rid of him and anyone who would inherit leadership. Which means you and me, and you just walked right in here, meaning we’re screwed,” Reno said bitterly.

  “You’re screwed,” Taka said. “They don’t know that I’m even here, and I’m not about to enlighten them. How many are there?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think the older generation would turn against Ojiisan, but I don’t know who we can trust. You got any ideas?”

  “Of course,” Taka said, his voice clipped. “I’ll get out of here the way I came in and get backup. In the meantime you can stay put so they don’t get suspicious.”

  “And if they kill me?”

  “Probably long overdue. But I have something even more important to ask you.”

  He knew that tone of voice from his older cousin, knew that flat, deadly expression, and he was wary. “What?”

  The fist came first, and it was only Reno’s lightning-fast reflexes that stopped it from landing in the middle of his face. He spun, and it landed on a rib that had already suffered a number of kicks from the night before, and he groaned.

  “Christ, Taka, give me a break,” he said, knowing exactly what the problem was. “She…”

  He came at him again, but this time Reno was ready for him, ducking in under him, knowing that Taka tended to head for the right. Taka fell back, murder in his eyes. “I’m supposed to tell my wife that my family failed her? I’m not going back to her until I beat the shit out of you.”

  “Don’t you think dealing with Ojiisan’s problem might be a higher priority?” Reno shot back, panting.

  This time Taka’s fist landed on his chin, a glancing blow since he saw it coming, but as he whirled backward he came up against the wall, and he stayed there, out of breath, glaring at his cousin.

  “If I beat you to a bloody pulp, they may leave you alone while I go for help. Consider this a gift,” he said, slamming his fist into his stomach.

  Reno doubled over in pain. Taka had learned a new fighting style in the past few years—he was no longer as predictable.

  “You don’t…” he said, choking.

  “Stop it!” The voice was muffled, the cardboard box thrashing around as Jilly tried to fight her way out from under it. Taka froze, staring, as Jilly finally managed to unbox herself. “I’m okay, Taka
. Reno saved my life. Many times. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”

  Taka didn’t move as he took her in. And then he stooped down, picking up a scrap of cloth from the floor. It would take a monk not to recognize the ripped thong, and Taka was no monk.

  Added to that, Jilly’s shirt was misbuttoned, she had a very visible love bite on the side of her neck, and she simply had that well-fucked look that was impossible to mistake.

  “I’m going to fucking kill you,” Taka said in a quiet voice, leaping on him in a white-hot rage. They both went down, rolling around on the dusty cement floor, flailing at each other. Taka was a little taller, a little stronger, but Reno had more street smarts, and besides, Jilly was watching. Some other time Reno would take the punishment he endured like a man, but not right now.

  He shoved his fist into Taka’s gut, getting no more than a muffled grunt in response, and then Taka was pounding him, a lot harder than when they were kids.

  Reno kicked up and Taka went flying, landing on his back with Reno following him, grabbing him by the shirt and preparing to slug him. There were more important things to worry about. Like Ojiisan and Hitomi’s ruthless plan. Like Jilly bashing them both with a huge fake Chanel purse so loaded with chains and buckles it could cause permanent damage.

  Reno rolled off, lying back on the floor and panting, and Taka just lay there, breathing heavily. Reno was tempted to kick him, but they’d work that out in private.

  Taka pulled himself into a sitting position, looking pissed. One of Reno’s fists had landed near his cheekbone, and he was going to have a hell of a black eye in a matter of hours, which at least was more noticeable than the cracked rib Taka had delivered. Reno sat up, as well, hiding his instinctive wince of pain.

  “How many times did we warn you to keep your goddamned hands off of Jilly?” Taka demanded in a dangerous voice. “Summer told you she had a crush on you—you knew better than to take advantage.”

  He heard Jilly’s swift intake of breath, and he didn’t make the mistake of looking at her. “Things don’t always work out the way you plan, Taka-san.” He went with the honorific name—Taka might hit him again if he went with the more affectionate “chan.” “It was an accident—it’s certainly not going to happen again.”

  “How does sleeping with my sister-in-law, the girl you were told to keep away from, constitute an accident?” Taka demanded bitterly. “You tripped over her and your cock accidentally landed inside?”

  This time Taka heard Jilly’s involuntary sound of distress, and he turned to look at her, and Reno’s eyes followed, as well. She was pale with shock and pain. “Sorry, Jilly,” Taka said belatedly. “It’s not your fault. Reno nails everyone he can. He knew you were vulnerable and he had orders to keep away from you.”

  “Someone had to save her life,” Reno snapped. “You were out of reach and the Committee’s in a mess.”

  “That someone didn’t have to screw her senseless,” Taka retorted. “Sorry, Jilly,” he added again.

  Reno rose to his feet, wincing slightly. “I think we can put off this argument until later. It’s a moot point—I’d already decided I wasn’t touching her again. We need to concentrate on getting Ojiisan the hell out of here. Along with us.”

  “I told you, I couldn’t get anywhere near him. All the approaches are heavily guarded. Where the hell is Kobayashi? Is he in on this? He’s always been devoted to the old man.”

  “He’s playing spy for Ojiisan. I don’t know how much Hitomi trusts him—everyone knows Kobayashi would die for Ojiisan.” He reached for his discarded shirt.

  Taka frowned. “And where does this Hitomi-san come from? Is he a long-term member of the family? I don’t remember him.” Taka scrambled to his feet, as well, touching the welt on his face carefully.

  “He’s from one of the gurentai families—I haven’t been able to find out which one, though I’m guessing it’s the Kuromaku gang. They’ve always been ultra-violent, but most of their membership has been killed off by the Yamaguchi-gumi. They need new kobun, and taking over Ojiisan’s family is a smart move.” Reno allowed himself a furtive glance at Jilly. She’d rebuttoned her shirt correctly, and she’d moved to one corner of the room, sitting cross-legged and remote. Totally emotionless, silent. He could only hope and pray that would last until Taka got her out of here.

  “You need to take Jilly to safety,” Reno said. “I’ll stay here and find a way to get to Ojiisan.” He half expected Jilly to argue, but she said nothing.

  Taka shook his head. “We can’t handle this on our own, particularly if the old man is being kept prisoner, and I don’t have any place to take her where they can’t find her. She needs to stay with you while I get help. Apparently you’ve saved her life more than once—I can count on you not to let anything happen to her. Just keep your goddamned hands off her.”

  “I’m not touching her again, I told you.” His voice was clipped, emotionless. “You know me, I don’t believe in commitments and relationships. I like novelty. I’ve already had her—I don’t need to revisit old territory.” He didn’t know who he was trying to fool—Taka or Jilly. Or maybe himself.

  Taka’s eyes narrowed, and Reno braced, ready for him to rush him again, but in the end he just nodded. “I’ll let Summer deal with you. In the meantime, you’re probably safer if you stay put. I tried to pick up as much intel as I could, and they’re not planning on doing anything with you two until they get their hands on me. So you should be safe. Otherwise I expect you to die trying to save her.”

  “She’s too much of a pain in the ass to die,” he said, glancing in her direction. She didn’t react—she just sat there, silent, waiting.

  Ignoring Reno, Taka turned and went over to her, kneeling down beside her, taking her hands in his. Which annoyed Reno—Taka had no business holding her hands. That was his business. It didn’t matter that he didn’t want anything more to do with her—he just didn’t want anyone else touching her, even her brother-in-law. He’d work out the logic of that later. In the meantime, all he could do was seethe.

  “Is this all right with you, Ji-chan? I hate leaving you with that miserable son of a bitch, but I don’t have any choice. He’ll keep you safe—I trust him that much.” His voice was gentle, another annoyance. It wasn’t Taka’s place to be gentle with Jilly, it was his. If he felt like it, he reminded himself.

  “Of course, Taka,” she said in a voice so calm Taka knew it was a lie. “Reno’s very good at protecting people, and I know you’ll do everything you can to help us. I wouldn’t want to slow you down.”

  Taka looked unconvinced. No shit, Sherlock, Reno thought, fuming. That calm, reasonable voice was a sure sign that Jilly was about to erupt.

  “Maybe I can get you to the American embassy before I—”

  “There’s no need,” she said. “I’ve put up with him for at least four days by now. I’m not sure—I’ve kind of lost track of time. I can survive another day or more. Particularly since he’s going to keep his hands off me.” At that she did look in his direction, her usually warm brown eyes looking flat and dark. She turned back to Taka and smiled with a sweetness she’d never shown him. “We’ll be fine.”

  Taka rose. “I promise you, Ji-chan, that Summer will make him wish he’d never been born.”

  She even laughed. A fake laugh, but Taka wouldn’t know that. Taka didn’t know her as well as he did, Reno thought sourly.

  “I’m sure she will,” she said. “I just wish I could be there to see it. But as soon as we get out of here I’d better head back to L.A. I have to get back to my classes. I’ll wait till you two can get away for a visit with my sister.”

  This was the best news Reno had heard in days. She was removing herself voluntarily. She’d live half a world away and she would no longer be his problem. It wasn’t like it was her first one-night stand.

  Or maybe it was, given her virginal state. Though she’d never explained what semivirgin meant. Presumably nothing that involved penetration.

&nb
sp; And he needed to stop thinking about words like that when he was looking at her.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can. No longer than twenty-four hours,” Taka promised her.

  “And what if they catch you on your way out of here?” Reno said. “You can’t be the hero and save the day if you’re already strung up.”

  He didn’t like the look Taka gave him. Instead of the hostility that had been bristling from him, he looked faintly amused. And then he answered, “I never get caught, Reno. You should know that. Only if I want to be, and right now I need to be free to roam around. Just keep her safe or I’ll rip your throat out.”

  And he gave him a rough, cousinly embrace, leaving Reno astonished, and then he was gone.

  “Holy motherfucker,” Reno muttered. “He thinks we’re going to die. Taka never hugs me unless something big is happening.”

  Jilly didn’t say anything. She was still sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, and she was staring off into nothingness. For a moment he panicked, wondering if she’d retreated back into that crippling state of shock that had possessed her after she blew the man’s head off.

  Though, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he had to wake her up the same way he had last time.

  No, she wasn’t in shock—she’d been conversing normally with Taka. And being told he had no interest in her anymore was a lot milder than blowing someone away.

  “Are you going to just sit there and ignore me?” he said, determined not to sound irritated. All his adult life women, annoyed with him, had tried to get to him with the silent treatment, and he was immune to it.

  Nothing from her, not even a glance. “Well, that certainly makes things easier,” he said, stretching out on the cot and trying not to think about what he’d been doing there a few short hours ago. “Taka may or may not be able to come up with some help. In the meantime, I don’t intend to sit around waiting for an execution.”