“Yes!”Jiro’s jubilant cry sent her heart juddering.
Oh, thank God.She wanted to sink to her knees also, the adrenaline rush starting to leave her body.But this was only part of the rescue.They still had to find out what condition he was in, get him back to the car and to the hospital as soon as possible.He was most likely suffering from severe hypothermia, but hopefully that’s all it was.Perhaps it was time to call in the cavalry now.The only thing stopping her was Taro’s warning not to involve the cops.But how would the people who had put Mr.Nashimori here know the cops were involved?Unless they were watching.
That thought sent a shiver of premonition through her.This might not have been a trap, but there was definitely someone watching them.Waiting to see if they retrieved the old man.But to what end?And now they had him, what was the next step?Was this all part of someone else’s complicated plan?Would they be requiring more from Jiro and his family?Even if the old man was safe, did that mean this ordeal was over?Or was it just beginning?
CHAPTER EIGHT
JIRO SAT WITH his head in his hands.It was nearly midnight.Eighteen hours since they rescued Papa and there was still no sign of him waking up.He lay just as still and unmoving in his hospital bed as he had when they first brought him in.Non-responsive, the doctors had said.But that didn’t tell Jiro anything.He needed to know whether his father was going to wake up.Kenichi had been suffering from severe hypothermia, and had been very close to death.When they first arrived at the hospital, Kenichi had suffered a cardiac arrest.Thank God the doctors had been right there to resuscitate him.And now they were doing their best to warm him up slowly; had even put him on a blood-warming machine for a short time.Now, there were tubes and machines all around the bed monitoring his vitals.But his age was a limiting factor, and at the moment the doctors would not give him any proper prognosis.It was justwait-and-see, especially after the cardiac arrest.
A small sound from the direction of the window brought him back to the present, and he remembered Aurora was still here.“You should go home.”He lifted his head to look at her.“There’s no point in your staying.”He couldn’t remember exactly when she had arrived—probably around eight, when her shift finished—but she had come bearing a chicken burrito, for which he was eternally grateful, remembering he hadn’t actually eaten all day.
She looked from Jiro, who was sitting in a visitor’s chair in the corner, to his father lying in the bed, and back again.He could tell something was bothering her, but he couldn’t figure out what.
Aurora had been his pillar of support today.Without her, he didn’t think he would’ve made it through.He certainly wouldn’t have been able to get his comatose father out of the cabin and back to the car on his own.Between the two of them, they’d managed to carry Kenichi back down the trail, he holding his shoulders, and she his legs.Getting him over the locked gate was an awkward act of juggling and trying not to drop him.But once they had him in the backseat of the car, Jiro cradled his head in his lap, willing him to continue breathing, while Aurora drove as fast as she dared on the icy roads, Aurora calling head to the hospital to let them know they were coming in—an ambulance would’ve taken too long to reach them she’d told him.
When they had found Papa in the cabin, she’d wanted to call her partner in to help, but Jiro had argued that if any police were glimpsed at the scene, it might turn out badly for them.Or for his brother.So she’d relented, but only after getting him to agree that as soon as they arrived at the hospital, she could call Viskten.They would keep it on the down low; he could enter discreetly through a side door and keep the police presence to a minimum.But they needed to at least let the authorities know Kenichi had been found and to call off the search.Jiro eventually agreed; they couldn’t keep this from the police forever.But he asked that they keep his brother out of it for now.Tell her supervisors he’d received an anonymous tip-off.She’d only agreed because an anonymous tip-off was a better excuse for her not to have informed the inspector straight away.She thought it was probably going to be a dead end, and therefore decided not to involve the whole police force, which would’ve wasted everyone’s time following false leads, instead going to check it out alone first.It was a good story, and so far it seemed to be holding up.
As soon as they’d entered the emergency department, Aurora had left Jiro to stay by his father’s side, while she went off to face Viskten.An hour later, she’d returned to find him in the room they allocated to his father, her face drawn and pale, but her shoulders straight and filled with purpose.
“I need to go into the office for a while,” she’d said.“But I will be back, I promise.Send me a message if there’s any improvement.”Then she did something completely unexpected.She stepped in and gave him a quick hug.He wasn’t sure why she had done it.She hadn’t offered him this kind of comfort at all yesterday or last night, so what was the difference today?Perhaps there was something in his face that was telling of his utter distress.Or was she somehow more invested in his story now?After all, she cared for her sick father and would understand a little of the trauma he was going through.Jiro had felt a short period of relief when he’d found his father’s pulse at his neck, but that had quickly turned to anguish when the doctors could give him no real hope of whether he would survive or not.And now his anguish and lack of sleep were turning into a deep-seated trepidation as he worried about what the future might hold for him, his father, and even his brother.Aurora must’ve sensed some of this panic and dread and reached out to him.Which he was very grateful for.He had let her go with some regret—she’d felt good in his arms and under different circumstances he would’ve relished the closeness of her body against his.
Aurora had been true to her word and had returned just after lunchtime to check on them both.This time she’d been wearing her uniform and had Inspector Viskten by her side.The inspector had interviewed Jiro earlier in the morning, but Jiro had stuck to his story that it’d been an anonymous tip that’d sent them out into the snow.But when the inspector had requested to see his cell phone, Jiro had resisted, shaking his head in apology, saying that he had accidentally deleted the message—when really he had gone back and purposefully deleted the incriminating text message from his brother.It was clear Viskten didn’t believe him, but he couldn’t argue when Aurora backed him up.Jiro only hoped that Aurora would keep his secret; he could tell she was struggling not to reveal the truth to her police partner.Perhaps it was even the first time she had told a bald-faced lie to him.Add that guilt on top of the guilt he was feeling over watching his father lie in a hospital bed, and he felt like he might drown.Aurora had left again soon after, but then returned later in the night bearing the much-needed burrito, and had remained by his side, both of them listening to his father’s heartbeat through the monitor attached to his finger.She’d let him wallow in his silence, for which he was grateful, her presence a balm for his soul.
“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Aurora replied now, taking a step toward him.
It was sweet that she cared about him enough to sit by his side all night, but it was about time he stopped using her as a crutch.“It’s okay.You need to get some sleep.”She would be expected to turn up to work tomorrow and would need to catch some rest if she was going to function properly.“My brother should be here soon anyway.”
“Are you sure?”She looked uncertain, but the glare of the fluorescent lighting above the hospital bed did nothing to hide the dark circles under her eyes, and he could see how tired she really was.
“Yes,” he replied gently.“You should go.”
Jiro stood and made his way over to her until they were only a few inches apart.He stared down into her face, getting lost for a second in her dark-brown eyes, warm as chocolate.They might be lined with fatigue but he still found them fascinating.She was a very interesting woman.Caring.Compassionate.But clearly, with a backbone of steel.The glint of silver from her stud earrings caught his eye again.He suddenly wondered what’d made her want to join the police force.There was an inscrutability in her gaze that seemed to hint at a history of past adversity.But he knew she wasn’t the type to offer up her secrets easily.As he stared deep into her eyes, he suddenly wanted to know some of those secrets, to delve a little deeper into the dark recesses of her life story.Find out more about the woman behind the enigmatic stare.
She moved as if to step away, breaking his reverie, but before she could retreat out of his reach this time, it was he who initiated contact, wrapping his arms around her to give her a quick hug.“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me and my father.You’re a rockstar in a police uniform.”
She laughed at that and withdrew from his embrace, but he kept hold of her hands, not wanting to let her go entirely.He hadn’t forgotten about his father lying there in the bed next to them, but Aurora’s touch felt good, distracted him for just a second from the here and now, and he didn’t want to lose that.They stood in silence for a few moments, and his eyes drifted down to her mouth almost of their own accord.She had full lips, and when she smiled, her mouth was wide and expressive.But now, as she regarded him pensively, he noted how her front teeth protruded just slightly.Some people might say she had buck teeth, but that wouldn’t be fair; it was more like cute bunny teeth that he found incredibly sexy.In fact, he’d like to kiss those lips, swipe his tongue into her mouth and explore those amazing teeth.He dipped his head.
All of a sudden, the door swung open, and Jiro reared back.Shit, he’d been about to kiss her.
When he turned to see who it was, relief flared in his chest.Taro had arrived.He would know what to do; he’d always been the one to take charge in times of trouble.But his relief was quickly replaced by misgiving when Taro’s glare fixed on the woman standing at Jiro’s side, his face twisting in a grimace.
“I thought I told you, no cops,” he growled.
Jiro had forgotten he was still holding Aurora’s hands, but she was the one to quickly withdraw toward the window, taking up a protective stance, arms crossed and legs akimbo as she faced Taro.Jiro suddenly understood how this might look to his brother, who’d expressly forbidden him to involve the police.He opened his mouth to tell him everything was okay, that she was one of them, when Taro spoke again.
“What the fuck is she doing here?”He pointed menacingly at Aurora, lowering his head, almost like a bull getting ready to charge.She uncrossed her arms, and one hand went to rest on the holster hanging low on her hip.
Shit.How had this situation turned so suddenly?Jiro had been just about to kiss Aurora, and now she was sizing up Taro, getting ready to use force to control him if need be.He needed to prevent his brother from escalating this even further before he did something they both regretted.Jiro moved between his brother and Aurora, getting in his line of sight and forcing Taro’s gaze back onto him.But where was he to start with his story?What would Taro believe?
“Aurora is a friend.I wouldn’t have been able to get to Papa without her.”That was the truth, but it didn’t begin to explain the complicated relationship that was forming between himself and the rookie cop.Fleetingly he wondered if Aurora considered herselfhisfriend, but left that question for another time.
“I don’t give a shit.You’ve put us all in danger by involving her,” Taro exploded.“Get out of here now,” he demanded, staring angrily over Jiro’s shoulder at Aurora.All of Jiro’s relief at seeing his older brother walk through that door now washed away as reality hit.Taro might not be here to save the day as he’d hoped; he might be bringing more complications.One thing was for certain, however, he certainly didn’t get to talk to either of them that way.
“She’s not going anywhere.Not until you tell me why you don’t want the cops involved.”Now it was Jiro’s turn to go on the attack.He took a step forward and got up into his brother’s face; he had two inches on Taro and he intended to use every bit of that height advantage.Jiro could count on one hand the number of times he’d confronted Taro like this; he wasn’t normally one for conflict, which was why Taro often won their arguments.But not this time.“You haven’t told me jack shit about anything that’s going on.You don’t know what I’ve been through in the past forty-eight hours.You can’t just fly in here and start dropping orders as if you’re in charge.”He kept his voice low and in control, but he saw Taro’s eyes widen ever so slightly in surprise.He could feel Aurora’s gaze boring into his back, and he hoped she didn’t still have her hand on her gun holster, because that wouldn’t solve anything.
Taro was the first to take a step back.He glared at Jiro for many long seconds before his gaze finally flittered away to look at the body lying unmoving on the hospital bed.
“Tell me about his condition,” Taro demanded, his about-face in their conversation making Jiro’s head spin.Taro strode over to the bed to stare down at his father, now completely ignoring Aurora, who moved a few more steps into the corner to give them space.Jiro noted that her hands were now by her sides, but her wary focus never left his brother.What must she think of his family now?Probably even more fucked up than she had imagined.
