Shadow Reaper (Shadow #2)(142)

       
         
       
        



"The International Council investigated your family," Stefano said, drawing Nao's attention to him. "Their findings were interesting. Four of your family members were quietly killed by other family members. Do you know why? They went mad. The Archambaults destroyed two others. Osamu has been hospitalized twice in a psych ward and your father once."



"For depression!" Nao screamed, his face turning bright red with anger. Both fists clenched. "For depression. My father lost everything thanks to that twisted troll and her … " He spat toward Mariko.



"Actually, Nao," Ricco said calmly, "your father was out of his mind. He tried to kill several nurses after he'd physically assaulted them."



"You liar. You're a fucking liar. You fuck a whore, you don't let them lead you around by your dick. She's infected you with her weakness. With depravity." Nao leaned forward, his hands sliding along his mattress as he did so. Instantly the lights on either side of him went out, plunging the room into darkness.



Instincts kicking in, Ricco dove for Mariko. He was too far away to get to her fast enough. Stefano made the same dive from the other side of the bed. It was Taviano who took her to the floor, landing on top of her, his body covering hers. Ricco and Stefano hit the floor on either side of her, wrapping arms around their brother so no part of Mariko's body was exposed.



A faint hum shimmered in the air for one moment. A thunk. Ricco turned his head away from the bed, peering into the darkness behind them. The door to Darin's passageway was open and a shadowy figure, holding a crossbow, suddenly turned to run. As the intruder turned, three figures emerged from the shadows, and Ricco recognized three of the Archambault riders.



"Cover me," he hissed in Stefano's ear. He patted Taviano on the back and rolled toward the partially open door.



Stefano and Taviano stood, both between the French riders and the door to the passageway. Taviano gallantly helped Mariko to her feet.



All three stared at Nao. An arrow protruded from his chest. His mouth was open grotesquely, as if he'd seen death coming and had tried to stop it with a shout.



"Maxence," Stefano greeted, looking to the oldest brother. "What are you doing here?" He knew it looked bad, but they were all empty-handed. Still, the French riders would know Ricco had been there as well.



"The investigations are complete. We were here to bring justice to Nao Yamamoto. Where is Ryuu?"



There was something in Maxence's voice that had Mariko turning pale and Stefano feeling like an old man, tired of always being right. "We don't know," he said. "Why?" 



"Osamu Saito trained Ryuu as a shadow rider and used him as an instrument of revenge against the Yamamoto family. He began taking their companies apart by hacking in and stealing research and selling it to the highest bidder. He proved to be extremely good at industrial espionage. He also managed to transfer most of Nao's personal fortune into an account he'd set up for himself offshore."



Mariko stepped back, away from Taviano and Stefano, shaking her head. Taviano made a move to slip his arm around her, but she stiffened and stepped back farther. "That's impossible," she whispered. "My brother's bones were broken and twisted. He couldn't ride the shadows, as much as he wanted to."



"You're certain Osamu trained him?" Stefano asked, already knowing the answer. The International Council would never have sent the French riders if they weren't 100 percent convinced that they had all the facts.



Maxence nodded. "I'm afraid so, Stefano. Ryuu and Osamu are behind the attack on your family. They used the money Ryuu stole from the Yamamotos to fund the mercenaries. We traced the money back to the account Ryuu set up. They also targeted the Yamamotos. Sango Yamamoto was pushed onto the tracks. Witnesses said another woman was with her. We believe that woman, from the description, was Osamu."



Stefano shook his head. "Osamu had to have been totally insane."



Maxence agreed. "She had been courted by Daiki Tanaka when they were young, but at the last minute he backed out. There is a small trail that leads us to believe she began plotting revenge on him. Certainly she was known to say things against Daiki to her friends and her sons. We believe she tracked Marie down and killed her. She was in the same small town at the same time as Marie's death, and that's just too big of a coincidence for us to swallow."



Taviano moved closer to Mariko. She was pale, her eyes looking like two bruised flowers pressed into her head. At his movement, Stefano glanced back at Taviano. Somewhere, in the house, Ricco was hunting right at that moment. Ricco and Stefano had been worried that Ryuu was involved somehow. To what extent they didn't know, but nothing about the kidnapping made sense.