Broken Storm Part One Read online

  Because though maybe she had been taken with the idea of Chase to begin with, right now didn't want to have anything to do with the man. Rich or not, handsome or not, he was a jerk.

  'You need to go over to his company tomorrow,' Jenny said excitedly as she wiggled a little, her hips shifting from side-to-side, her long shirt dancing over them, 'and say thank you.'

  Keiko opened her mouth to say that would never happen.

  Then she stopped.

  She looked down at the flowers, she twisted the card around in her fingers, and she got the sudden idea that just maybe she should go down to Harlow Enterprises tomorrow. Demand to see Chase, and then ask him exactly who he thought he was for stealing her documents and harassing her grandmother.

  Keiko really didn't like confrontation, but maybe she had never faced something that had made her this angry before, because as she finally went to bed, the plan solidified in her mind.

  Tomorrow morning she was going to make a visit to his offices. It would not be a friendly one.

  Chapter 9

  Chase Harlow

  He was in an important meeting with Julius and Victor, but he couldn't pay attention, no matter how important it was.

  His mind kept on fixating on Keiko and Ami Teshi. He’d really stuffed things up.

  Looking up from underneath his eyebrows, he glanced past the table, staring at the thick glass doors that separated the conference room from the hallway outside.

  He knew he shouldn't be so glum; it wasn't over yet. Even if Ami wouldn't talk, Chase could use his contacts in Japan to find out where her property was, and get someone to go and explore it. They would no doubt find the shrine, and within the next day Chase would know whether much of it was left.

  'Is there something wrong with you? You haven't said a thing,' Julius pointed out in a drawl. ‘News of this collection boring you?'

  Chase hazarded a grin, reaching towards his drink and rolling the glass around on the table a little. 'No, it rivets me,' he said in a dry voice.

  'So it should, because we haven't had information like this for a long time,' Victor agreed.

  Chase still hadn't told either of them about Keiko. What was he meant to say? He’d met this strange girl at a party, she’d told him how she’d died, showed him her scar, lent him her grandmother's documents, and probably never wanted to see him again?

  There would be no way to make this all make sense. Plus, was there any point? Was this actually a strong lead? Or was Chase just letting himself get distracted?

  Sighing, bringing his hand up, latching it onto his shoulder and pressing hard into the muscle, he shifted back in his chair.

  ‘Why do I get the feeling you want a break? Your heart is not in this meeting, is it?' Julius said as he leaned forward, clapping his hand onto the table and drumming his fingers onto it.

  Chase nodded.

  Then he pushed himself to his feet, kicking his chair out behind him.

  He made for the glass doors.

  And then he stopped, hand pressing into them, getting ready to push them open.

  He saw something. To be precise, he saw a small woman in loose jeans, a T-shirt, and a ragged cardigan.

  Keiko.

  He pushed open the doors with a jolt, practically running out of them.

  Tugging down on his shirt, grabbing his tie and pushing it underneath his closed jacket, he ran up to her.

  She was talking to his receptionist, and at the sound of his footfall, she turned.

  'I'll be honest, I didn't think you would come back,' he said honestly and through a light chuckle.

  She turned to him.

  She did not look pleased.

  For the first time she did not compulsively push her hair behind her ears, play with her hands, or look anywhere but at him.

  'Just who do you think you are?’ she asked, her voice wavering.

  ‘Sorry? Was there something wrong with the flowers?’ he asked stupidly.

  ‘There was nothing wrong with the flowers. But I would still like my documents back. In fact, I've come here to get them,’ she closed her arms around her middle, crossing them tightly.

  ‘They were sent to you yesterday, by courier,' he said clearly, making his voice slow as if Keiko was having trouble understanding him.

  ‘I didn't get them. I got the flowers. Got your card. But where are my documents? And why exactly did you think it was okay to go behind my back, track down my grandmother, and harass her? And why did you send somebody else in afterwards? I had to call the nurses and they had to sedate her so she could go to sleep.’

  Chase receded, his neck darting back into his shirt as his cheeks paled. ‘Sorry I,’ he began.

  ‘Yes, you should be sorry. Because just because you rich doesn't mean you can swan around doing exactly what you want. You scared the hell out of her, and that other man you sent practically gave her a heart attack,' Keiko snapped. Though she had her arms tightly closed around her, her knuckles practically white as her fingers latched onto the edges of her cardigan, she did not back away. And neither did she keep her voice quiet. She glared at him, and she did not look away.

  He opened his mouth to defend himself, then he stopped. ‘What other man? I didn't send anybody,' his hands started to slick with a cold sweat.

  'You don't need to lie to me. She already told me. Now give me back my documents,’ Keiko said in a harsh voice that was miles away from the personality she had displayed yesterday.

  ‘I told you, they were sent to your house by courier,' he cleared his throat.

  At that moment the receptionist caught his eye. He understood the look. She mouthed the word security.

  He shook his head.

  He realized that Victor and Julius had already left the conference room and were standing behind him.

  'Jesus, I can't believe I trusted you. Fine, if that's the line you're going to take, keep them.’ Keiko turned on her foot and stormed down the corridor, her arms still closed around her, her hands still clutching at her sleeves with tight, crooked fingers.

  For a moment Chase didn't say anything.

  How could he?

  ‘What the hell was that about?' Julius said from behind him.

  ‘I've seen her before,' Victor announced as he walked up to Chase’s side.

  Chase did not pay any attention to his friend’s statement.

  Instead he felt the cold sweat that had picked up crossed his neck travel down his back. It seemed to jolt right through him.

  It reinforced one simple fact. He had been stupid. Very, very stupid.

  Without thinking about it, he’d dragged Keiko into this world.

  Because Chase had not sent someone else to question Keiko's grandmother. He had also seen his receptionist personally hand the documents to the courier.

  He really doubted she was lying. Which left only one uncomfortable, dangerous possibility.

  One of Chase’s competitors, one of his enemies, had been following him. They’d found out he’d been interested in Keiko, and they’d picked up where he’d left off.

  Turning sharply, Chase half ran back to his office, Victor and Julius hot on his heels.

  He didn't say anything to either of them until the door was closed.

  'I'm telling you, I've seen that woman before,’ Victor said as he crossed his arms in a powerful move. ‘She was snooping around last Friday night. I found her outside your office.’

  Chase, reaching for his phone, suddenly stopped. ‘What?’

  ‘She was with the catering company. Pretended she was lost. Said she got off on the wrong floor. Who is she?’ Victor's eyes narrowed.

  Chase had known the man for a long time, and he could tell when his best friend was suspicious.

  And nearly everything made Victor suspicious. He did have a lot to be suspicious of though, to be fair. The competition they were up against was stiff, and it was also dangerous. Perilously dangerous. Men had and would continue to die over these secrets.

  'Do you thin
k she belongs to the Sect?’ Julius chimed in from his side.

  Chase spluttered.

  There was no way that Keiko Teshi belonged to the Sect. Despite the anger she had just shown, she did not have the bloodthirsty, murderous nature you would require to work for that group.

  She also had nothing to do with this world. Or at least she hadn't. And then Chase had done something stupid. He'd been lax, caught up with his own desires, and not smart enough to be careful. Swallowing uncomfortably, for a moment he hesitated.

  He wasn't sure exactly what he could do.

  He was just sure he had to do something.

  Keiko was in danger now, wasn't she? If the Sect had stolen those documents and sent someone in after her grandmother, then they too must think this was a clue worthwhile. That Keiko and her family posed an interesting and new angle into the mystery of Aiko. An angle that would have to be thoroughly investigated. Except while Chase was happy to leave his investigations to a short and unsuccessful conversation with Ami, the Sect would not be so kind.

  'Are you going to sit there looking like you've just swallowed a fish, or are you going to tell us who she is?' Julius said as he stood up, walked over to the dresser, and poured everyone a drink. 'Because I'm with Victor on this one. She looks suspicious.’

  Chase let out a sharp, uncomfortable laugh. 'Trust me, she is not.' He latched a hand on his cheek, let it pull over his jaw, then rested it on his neck as he closed his eyes.

  It took him a while, but Chase Harlow proceeded to share with his friends everything he knew about Keiko Teshi. From what the grandmother had said to the scar that Keiko had revealed.

  Chapter 10

  It had taken her a long time to calm down from her confrontation.

  But it wasn't nearly as excruciating as she’d thought it would be. Though her hands had shaken for a while, and her back was still slick with sweat, her mouth dry no matter how many times she swallowed, she didn't want to run away and hide under her bed covers and never come out again.

  In a way she was proud of herself.

  She hadn't backed down.

  She’d gone all the way to Chase Harlow and told him exactly what she thought of him.

  She’d been brave and courageous.

  Suicidal, possibly, but she had stood her ground. Her grandmother would be proud.

  Rather than heading in to work, Keiko had made a hasty call to Jenny and had begged her roommate to fill in for her. Jenny had agreed, possibly only because Keiko had admitted she’d gone to see Chase, and in Jenny's mind that meant one thing.

  Then Keiko had spent the rest of the day doing nothing, walking around the city, window shopping, and trying to calm down.

  She’d bought her lunch, settled down in the park, and had stared at the trees shifting about in the breeze.

  She told herself that she was never going to make a mistake like this again. She’d been taken away by his charm, good looks, and money, hadn’t she? Why else had she spent three days tracking down those documents, only to be so stupid to leave them with him?

  'Well it's not going to happen again,’ Keiko said firmly to herself, really trying to make herself believe her own words.

  Though she could spend the rest of the afternoon in the park, as the afternoon drew on, the air started to chill her even through her thick jacket. She’d pulled it from her car, along with some gloves and a scarf, but right now they weren’t doing their job, and with a quick look up to the fat, white, billowing clouds above, it almost looked like there was snow on the horizon.

  Like all other weather, Keiko loved snow. She loved wind, rain, hail, everything.

  Just staring up at the clouds, no matter what color they were or whether they were bucketing down with drenching rain, made her feel more alive. It made her forget herself and all her troubles.

  But before she could kick back on the grass, bring her hands behind her back and stare up at the wintry sky above, she forced herself to her feet instead.

  She had the afternoon off, and technically she should make the most of it. She had an assignment due in a week, and the apartment was a complete tip.

  So grumbling, Keiko walked through the park, heading towards the side street that would lead down to her parked car.

  She never reached it though.

  Because a car drew up just before her, sharp and quick, the tires actually screeching as they mounted the curb.

  It surprised her, and she shuddered, her hands still locked firmly in her pockets.

  She stared at it for a moment, then turned away and continued to walk on.

  She didn't get far. Someone jumped out of the car.

  They ran up to her. She turned.

  She expected him. She was wrong.

  The face she looked up into belonged to a large, heavyset man, with several scars jagged down his cheeks and eyebrows.

  'Can I help you?’ she asked quickly, her heart aflutter in her chest for some reason.

  'I reckon,' the guy said in a low voice.

  There was something about the tone and the peculiar curl of his lips that got to Keiko. It also made her realize how deserted the street around her was at that moment.

  There were several entrances to the park, and it just so happened that she was near the one that was least used. It backed out onto a series of alleyways, and though there were buildings all around, they were mostly restaurants that were used at night but were hardly ever open during the day.

  Keiko took a quick step back, the movement jerky.

  The guy didn't say anything. But he did follow.

  ‘I'm sorry, but I have to go,' Keiko managed through a shaking voice.

  She was not sorry; the guy was creeping her out. But Keiko had the kind of personality that had to excuse herself, even when she was facing down a brute of a man with scars all over his face and a menacing look in his eye.

  That did not stop her from pushing herself into a jerky half jog.

  She’d parked her car down a little side street that she knew well. It always had a few car spaces left, because it was practically abandoned. A fact that Keiko now dreaded.

  In an instant she realized she should not lead the man to her car, but as she ran through the mouth of the alleyway, she could no longer turn back.

  He was behind her; she could hear him.

  A strange kind of desperation that Keiko had never felt before rang through her belly and shook through her back.

  She could hardly breathe, hardly speak, hardly make a sound. Her jerky jog picked up into a run, then a sprint.

  He was still behind her.

  Just before she could open her mouth and force out a scream or reach for her phone, a car turned its way into the alley. It drove up fast, slamming on its breaks when it was opposite her.

  Someone forced the door open.

  It was Chase Harlow.

  She had no idea what to do.

  Then the guy behind caught up to her.

  Chase Harlow

  He’d gone out to find her. After he'd shared his story with Victor and Julius and the two had considered him with suspicion, Chase had realized that he couldn't just let this slide.

  After he made his secretary call the nursing home and confirm that indeed two man had gone to visit Ami Teshi yesterday, he couldn't ignore it any more.

  Somebody else knew about Keiko, and it had to be the sect. Or if not the Sect, maybe one of Chase’s other competitors. The point was, it was dangerous.

  He’d left Victor and Julius in his office, Victor mumbling something about going to check through the security logs to prove that Keiko had been snooping outside of Chase’s office.

  Chase had left him to it.

  Because the longer the afternoon had drawn on, the more the guilt had surged.

  He couldn't just leave Keiko alone, because he knew if he did, the Sect wouldn't.

  So he'd crammed himself into his car and driven around to her house.

  No one had answered, and swearing to himself, Chase had g
otten back in.

  He knew where she worked, as his secretary had already pulled up every snippet of information she could get on the woman, but Keiko was not at work either.

  Driving around the city, at a loss of what to do, Chase berated himself more and more.

  Because maybe Keiko was right. When she'd stormed into his office, she’d snapped at him that just because he was rich, he couldn't get away with everything he wanted. Maybe the possibility of finding out information about Aiko had gone to his head, and maybe Chase had forgotten that real people were involved in this. It wasn't just some personal game, some personal race to victory.

  Swearing again, he circled around the park. Not because he hoped to see her there, but because the roads around that area were the quickest route back onto the highway. She might have gone to visit her grandmother or maybe she'd gone back to her parents. He already had the right addresses.

  At that thought, Chase winced.

  He really was creepy, wasn't he? He really was using his wealth and position to do things any decent person wouldn't.

  But he was committed now, and he had to find her, before they did.

  Then providence had smiled.

  He’d been behind a car when it had roughly turned towards the curb, parking with a screech.

  Shaking his head at the bad driving, he’d pulled around them to move on.

  Then he'd seen her. Keiko. As he’d driven past, he’d seen her expression snap to white. Then she’d pushed across the street rather hurriedly, and made her way down the nearest alley.

  Chase had gone to turn in to follow, but the damn lane was one-way, so he’d looped around, speeding as he did, heart racing, mind ablaze.

  Did he recognize that car? The one that had parked so hastily on the curb.

  Did he recognized the thick-necked man who had piled out of it?

  Chase finally pulled into the alley, speeding up it and then slamming on his breaks when he saw her, the car jolting at the violent move.

  His heart in his throat, he flung open his door. 'Get in,’ he called to her.

  She hesitated.

  She did not run over to him.

  And that was when the man caught up to her.