Homecoming - Chapter Nine

It’s been almost a week since the night Ryo walked out of her apartment. And if she’d only felt then that he was walking out of her life, she had the proof now. She hasn’t seen him at all since then.

One of the reasons was the fact she’d taken Noemi out of Tokyo for a few days, exploring the rest of the country, compiling a list of the best hanami spots. And since their return to the city, they’d visited Miki’s café only once, when she’d left Noemi on a playdate with Miki, Kazue, and the kids, while she and Saeko went on a shopping trip.

None of the women had breathed a word about Ryo. Or asked about what had happened between them.

She hadn’t seen Mick and Hayato either, so she could presume the men were out of town on business, but she doubted it. He was doing what she’d told him to. He was staying away.

That was it. End of story.

She and Noemi were leaving Japan anyway. She squashed a pang of regret blossoming inside her. They were leaving in two days, period. She wasn’t dwelling on anything. She wouldn’t regret anything. The kiss, the confession, the argument, the demand that he leave. And she wouldn’t seek him out to say goodbye. She would stay the hell away. It was better that way.

For everybody.

For her, for him, and for Noemi. She wasn’t an idiot. She wasn’t blind. Her daughter had grown attached to him, despite the briefness of their acquaintance. There was no point in making things even harder.

To make things a little easier, and to prevent Noemi from asking about Ryo’s whereabouts and when they’d see him again, Kaori decided to take her shopping for souvenirs. A distraction that worked for both of them, so that was an added bonus.

They were standing on the sidewalk in Ginza, waiting for the lights to change, and Kaori was listening to Noemi merrily jabber about seeing the San-ai building in a movie somewhere when someone shoved her from behind.

She caught her balance and was about to turn when she was shoved again. Harder. She lost her grip on Noemi’s hand and ended up on her knees on the street.

She gritted her teeth as she felt the bite of the asphalt through her jeans. Her gut was screaming at her as she turned toward the curb. Someone had shoved her on purpose. She needed to get to Noemi.

Her blood ran cold when she saw her daughter struggle against the grip of a hulking stranger. He had one arm wrapped around her daughter’s waist, the other hand over Noemi’s mouth. What did these creeps want with her daughter?

Kaori heard the roaring of an engine and, from the corner of her eye, saw a dark SUV with tinted windows rush toward her. What the hell? Didn’t they see her? Or was it because they did see her?

She struggled onto her feet and sprang out of the car’s way, but she wasn’t quick enough. The bumper clipped her side, sending her rolling toward the middle of the intersection, further away from Noemi.

Traffic came to a sudden stop, pedestrians screamed and gasped, calling for help, for the police. Brakes screeched as the SUV stopped at the curb, in front of the gorilla holding her daughter. Kaori lifted her head in time to see the man throw Noemi in the back. She gritted her teeth, trying to stand, trying to yell for help, when the back window of the car rolled down, and the cry welling up in her throat ended in a gasp of incredulity.

The man sitting in the back of the car smiled at her, and she felt pressure build up in her skull. Then the window rolled back up, and the SUV roared away.

Kaori felt hands holding her down, heard voices calling for an ambulance, and then everything went black.