Amery dropped her gaze.
He grabbed on to her chin and tipped her face up. “You knew.”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts.”
“After I decided to sign the contract, Shiori warned me I wouldn’t be working with her. A week or so later I got to thinking about how suspicious that sounded, so I called her on it, so she told me the truth. It’s been hard not telling you because my loyalty to you will always come first. But she begged me not to say anything because she needed to wait until the timing was right.”
“And for you, did that loyalty start before or after Okada cut you a big fat check?”
Immediately after he said it, he knew it was a dick move.
She stepped back. The hurt on her face sliced into him, and he reached for her, but she dodged him. “Did you ever consider the reason that your sister doesn’t share anything personal with you is because you can be such a judgmental ass**le when it comes to family stuff?”
Keep your goddamn mouth shut for once, before you make it worse.
“I didn’t ask to be her confidante. But I like her. I don’t hold a grudge against her for your mistake. Granted, I don’t know everything that’s gone on in your family saga—frankly I don’t want to know. But if we’re going to be together, then your sister will be in my life. I intend to have her as a good part of it because god knows I don’t have anything like that with my family.”
“What the f**k does if we’re going to be together mean?” he demanded. “We are together. We goddamn live together.”
“Not yet we don’t. And right now, I don’t want to be in the same apartment with you, let alone the same bed.” Amery snatched her purse off the end table. “Unfuckingbelievable.”
“Amery—”
She whirled around. “That’s what you took from everything I just said? You made it about you? Why don’t you think of someone else for a change? You really believe that Shiori is hanging out in the dojo because she needs a place to train? Wrong. She’s there because she wants to rebuild her relationship with you.”
“Then why didn’t she just say that?” he bellowed.
She poked him in the chest. “For that reason, right there.”
He couldn’t think of a damn thing to say as the elevator doors closed in his face.
• • •
THAT’S how Ronin found himself at the Ritz-Carlton at nine o’clock at night.
Maybe it’d been typical behavior for him, commanding his sister meet him in the bar. But she’d agreed, so he must not have been too much of a raging ass**le.
He’d taken a booth in the corner and ordered. He’d barely had a chance to savor the subtle notes in the scotch before Shiori slid across from him.
The waiter was immediately tableside, wearing a big smile. “Ms. Hirano, it’s wonderful to have you back. What are you drinking this evening?”
Shiori pointed to Ronin’s glass. “Whatever he’s having.”
“The Highland Park 1958 single-malt scotch coming right up.”
“You’re hitting the good stuff tonight.”
“Life is too short to drink shitty scotch.”
She smiled. “You’ve developed a sophisticated palate simply because you don’t have to drink cheap, shitty scotch.”
“I’ll admit it’s an indulgence.”
Neither said anything until she received her drink.
Shiori raised her glass for a toast. “To the finer things in life—good booze and good company.”
Ronin touched his glass to hers and drank. “The last part is up in the air.”
“Lucky me, summoned when you’re in a lousy mood.”
“Then put me in a good mood. Tell me if you found out anything about Naomi’s accomplices.”
Shiori delicately sipped. “I spoke to Jenko. The protection business in Japan can be incestuous, so he knows the guy. Hiko Tamagachi. Jenko says he’s not surprised Hiko threw in with someone like Naomi.”
“That son of a bitch held Amery while that other f**ker hit her. Hit her in the face,” he repeated as if Shiori didn’t know.
“Jenko has put the word out about what Hiko did and to whom. Trust me—Hiko’s protection days are over. At least with the clientele that used to hire him.”
“What else?”
“Nothing on the other guy. We’re betting the biker look was a disguise. As far as Naomi and her motivation to screw with you . . . we did a little digging and found out that after you put Naomi on an Okada jet to Tokyo almost four years ago, her family picked her up and she vanished. We also discovered her background had been completely fabricated—even our investigative team had been fooled.”
“That had to sit well with Grandfather,” he said dryly.
“Ronin, he didn’t know back then, and I’m not going to tell him now.”
“So you’re keeping it from him out of sibling solidarity?”
“Yes. Although I’m sure you find that hard to swallow.”
Just for an instant, Ronin saw a glimpse of his baby sister—the sweet-faced tomboy who’d trailed after him from the moment she could toddle along—and not the cut-throat business mogul she’d become.
“He wouldn’t have wanted you anywhere near such a psycho bitch. Ojisan adores you. I know you see everything he’s ever done as manipulation, but control isn’t his only motivation. He doesn’t show affection well, and he sees meddling in your life as a way to show he cares about you.”