Homecoming - Chapter Ten

Kaori slowly regained consciousness to blinding lights, the distant hum of human voices, and the beeping of machines.

Something—a curtain?—to her left made a sliding noise, and a cheerful female voice greeted her. “Oh, you’re awake.”

It was too cheerful and too loud, making Kaori wince. Then, all pain forgotten, she sat up. The world spun in all possible directions, and nausea threatened, but she closed her eyes, counted slowly to ten, and swallowed the bile.

Gentle, yet firm hands tried pushing her back down into a lying position. “Don’t strain yourself, lie back down and rest.”

She couldn’t rest. Not with Noemi taken.

“I’m fine,” she snarled, eyeballing the pile of clothes on the chair beside the bed. Her clothes, torn and tattered, but there they were. “Get me my phone.”

The nurse, her face set in stern lines, pushed a little harder on her shoulders. “You’re not fine. We have to run tests, make sure you don’t have a concussion.”

Kaori didn’t budge. “Get me my damn phone!” she snapped, glad the world merely tilted as she glared at the nurse.

The nurse, who looked older than her voice indicated, sighed and picked her purse from the top of the pile of clothes. “You can make a call, but don’t you dare move from that bed. I will sedate you.”

Kaori ignored her as she scrolled through her contact list.

X Y Z

Miki arrived twenty-seven minutes later.

If the gasp and the horrified look on her friend’s face were any indication, Kaori knew she must look like hell. She felt like hell, too, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting out of the hospital and finding Noemi.

“What happened to you?” Miki asked.

“She was in an accident,” the nurse, who’d stayed vigil beside Kaori’s bed, making sure she hadn’t moved while waiting for Miki, replied. “She scraped her face, elbow, and knees, and she has a couple of bruised ribs, but nothing broken, and no internal bleeding. She could suffer from a possible concussion, which is why she isn’t to leave.” The nurse looked pointedly at Kaori. “No matter how much she wants to.”

Miki tsked and cooed as she inspected her face—her scraped face, isn’t that nice—and nodded solemnly at the nurse’s warnings.

“I have to get out of here,” Kaori reiterated, her voice pleading. She looked at the nurse. “I’ll sign whatever paperwork I need to sign, vow not to sue, donate blood, organs, whatever—just let me out.”

“Could you give us a moment?” Miki smiled at the huffing nurse and, when they were alone, glared at Kaori. “Are you insane? Didn’t you hear her? There could be a concussion in the mix. Stay the night.”

“Not an option,” Kaori snapped.

Miki sighed. “Since when are you afraid of hospitals?”

“I’m not.” She grabbed Miki’s hand. “It wasn’t an accident.”

“What?”

“Someone pushed me into the path of the car. The car that didn’t stop when I fell into the street. I barely avoided getting run over.”

Miki stilled, her eyes hardening. A mama bear in protection mode. “Why would someone do that?”

“They took Noemi.”

X Y Z

Ryo closed his laptop with a sigh, stood, and rubbed the back of his neck, hoping to stop the headache from coming fully to life. He didn’t know what hurt more, his head or his heart. And he didn’t really care. If it hurt, it meant he was alive. He hasn’t felt alive since Kaori threw him out of her apartment…

And he really shouldn’t think about her. She didn’t want anything to do with him; she’d asked—no, ordered him—to leave her alone. So he’d stay away. Even if it killed him. And he suspected it might. But he’d stay away. For her.

But damn it, he wanted to see her.

He sighed again, grabbed his jacket, and headed for his office door when it suddenly opened, and Mick’s head popped in.

“You need to get to the conference room, man.”

“What is it?” he asked, glancing at his watch. They didn’t have any meetings scheduled; hell, everybody’s probably gone home, judging by the late hour.

Mick shrugged. “I don’t know. Miki called Umi and said she was coming and that we should meet her in the conference room.”

Ryo rolled his eyes. Pregnancy sure made women suddenly develop a dramatic streak. They could’ve easily met at the café. But since they were all friends, he just shrugged on his jacket and indicated for Mick to precede him. Only to arch an eyebrow at the string of curses Mick uttered as he entered the conference room.

Ryo followed, but cursing was the last thing on his mind. Killing was first and foremost. Killing and dismembering the bastard who’d dared touch Kaori.

She sat there, huddled in one of the large chairs, bruised and scratched, her eyes enormous as she stared at him. Only at him.

And as always, no matter the time gap, he was unable to resist those eyes, the plea…The fear. He was at her side in a heartbeat, dropping onto his knees in front of the chair she sat in, her feet tucked under her like a small child.

“What happened?” he asked, surprised he managed to keep his voice gentle and soothing.

She merely swallowed, staring at him, and he wished he could read her mind.

He cocked his head and smiled slightly when all he wanted was to punch something. Make that someone. “This works a lot better with words, Kaori-chan.”

He’d never know whether it was the voice or the endearment that did it, but her eyes suddenly swam with tears. The next moment she was leaning forward, reaching for him, and he obliged. He straightened onto his knees, circled her waist with his arms, and pulled her closer. She clutched at his shoulders and pressed her face into his neck. He closed his eyes and just held her, listening to her soft whimpers.

Only those weren’t crying whimpers. Those were whimpers of pain. Shit! He was hurting her. He let her go as if scalded and glared at Miki.

“She should be at a hospital!”

Miki sniffed indignantly. “She was, but decided, against all recommendations, to leave.”

“Damn it, Miki!” he growled, then looked down at Kaori as she thumped him on his shoulder.

“It isn’t Miki’s fault,” she snapped.

He glared at her. “Whose is it then? What the hell happened?!”

“Somebody pushed me in the way of a car.”

She wasn’t making any sense. “Why would somebody push you under a car?” She’s been gone seven years; there was no City Hunter anymore.

“They took Noemi.” Her voice was trembling. “I went down, and they snatched her.”

Jesus, not the kid. Could it be related to their common past? Strike at him through Kaori and her daughter? But why, Kaori? Why now? Nobody had ever tried anything with Saeko or Momoko. So why now?

“Who?” he asked and quickly wanted to kick himself. How could she know who it was? Yet her next words were like a kick in the teeth.

“Her father.”