Intense goose bumps spread over my body, and I’m inundated with such a strong emotion, I forget to breathe. “Ryo?”
When he nods, I dart forward, throwing my arms around my brother’s neck. He engulfs me in a tight hug, his body so much bigger since we last got to hold each other.
“Yuki.” He lets out a sigh that sounds like it comes all the way from his soul. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.”
We pull apart and stare at each other.
For eleven years, I hoped and prayed to be reunited with my brother, but now that the moment is here, I’m too overwhelmed to think straight.
I take in all the ways he has changed from a boy into a man. There’s a scar that runs through his right eyebrow and a bigger one across his cheek. I also see ink peeking out from the collar of his shirt, and there are more scars on his forearms.
My brother is all muscle and reminds me too much of a seasoned Yakuza soldier.
Sadness creeps into my heart as I ask, “What did they do to you?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” Ryo’s eyes begin to burn with anger as they drift over my face. “I heard about what happened to you.” Lifting his hand, he cups my cheek. “After I left the monastery to join the Yakuza, you were already gone. I overheard Yutaro laughing with some of the men.”
He pauses for a moment while he shakes his head, and when he speaks again, his voice is filled with hatred. “I heard they gave you to a Sicilian after he almost killed you.”
When I see the promise of death in Ryo’s eyes, I quickly shake my head, but before I can say anything, he growls, “I’m going to kill him for daring to touch you.”
“No!” I scoot closer to Ryo, giving him a pleading look. “It was a misunderstanding. Augusto thought I was a man because Father made me pretend to be you.”
Shock ripples over his face. “What?”
“After you left, they injected fillers into my face to make me look like a boy. I was trained to act like you. I was your decoy.”
He shakes his head as he moves from the kneeling position to sit flat on his ass. “Yuki…”
“Once my identity was compromised, they changed my appearance back to normal and arranged a marriage for me.”
He scrubs his palms over his face, and I notice all the tiny scars on his knuckles.
Reaching for his hand, I take hold of it and brush my fingers over his marked skin. “It looks like we’ve both been through hell.”
He shoots forward again and yanks me into another hug. “I missed you so much. I only survived so I could see your face again.”
“Me too.” I choke on a sob, clinging tightly to my brother. “You were all that kept me going.”
The van comes to a sudden stop, and we almost topple over, but Ryo catches us.
When the door rolls open, I look at the older man, not recognizing him. He’s large and bald, looking very scary, but then a broad smile stretches over his face.
“You were right, Ryo. She’s pretty,” he says, gesturing for us to hurry. “Come inside before anyone sees us.”
I’m helped out of the van, and Ryo keeps his arm wrapped around my shoulders as we rush into a building that’s seen better days.
When I’m ushered into an apartment, I glance around the empty space, only seeing two sleeping bags and a small wooden table with an empty pizza box.
“We’ll lay low for a few days before we go home,” Ryo informs me.
“Home?”
“Tokyo.” Ryo sits down on the sleeping bag and pats the space beside him. “Tell me everything. What happened after they took me away?”
“Wait.” I kneel on the thin fabric before sitting back on my haunches. “I don’t want to go back to Tokyo.”
Ryo’s expression grows grim, and his eyes fill with danger. “Why?”
