A Haunted Love - 11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“Hideki-kun,” Haru’s mother said when she saw him. “It’s been so long since I saw you. Why haven’t you come over?”

Hideki smiled in greeting, taking her right hand.

“I’m sorry I have been so busy, Auntie.”

“I know how hard you work, but you should take time off too. Come visit us and we can have lunch out in the garden,” Haru’s mother said.

Hideki nodded.

“I will, Auntie. Is Haru home? Can I see him?”

She smiled.

“Haru has been sleeping all day lately. He hasn’t visited the green houses either. I wonder what has gotten into him. Maybe you can pull him out of his mood?”

Hideki winced, knowing he was the reason Haru was hiding away.

“I will do my best.”

“That son of mine is moody,” Haru’s mum said with a sigh. “Go on up to his room, he won’t come down.”

Hideki nodded and started up the stairs. Haru’s door was the second to his right on the second floor. He paused outside the door afraid of seeing his best friend after their last conversation. Kazuma’s suspicions made him wary too. He didn’t want to imagine Haru would have anything to do with his assailants.

“I’ll wait here,” Rui said behind him.

“That would be best,” Hideki said.

He knocked once on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer. Entering Haru’s bedroom, he closed the door, his gaze sweeping the large bedroom.

Haru sat in the middle of his bed, his sheets rumpled around him. Soft music filled the room, and the curtains were drawn tight. The television was on, though the sound was muted.

Hideki took two steps into the room, before Haru glanced up from the book he was reading.

Hideki shrugged his jacket off, and draped it over the nearest armchair. He put his hands in his pocket and looked around the neat room.

“Do you know it’s only six in the evening?” Hideki asked. “What are you doing in bed, Haru? Are you ill?”

“That’s not your business anymore, is it?” Haru scoffed closing the book on his lap. “I’m surprised you remembered the way to my house, Hideki.”

“Regardless of what’s happened between us,” Hideki said. “You’re still my best friend, Haru.”

“Am I?” Haru glanced at him, his eyes filled with pain.

Hideki wished he could avoid this conversation, and return to their comfortable days. Haru’s love had always felt like a burden to him. Now that he knew what it felt like to long for someone, to wish they would look at you the same way…

Hideki looked away from Haru. He couldn’t run away from Haru’s pain. Not when he’d caused it.

“I’m sorry,” Hideki said, moving closer to the large bed.

He removed his hands from his pockets and turned to perch on the foot of the bed, his back to Haru.

“I—

Hideki broke off because he didn’t have the right words. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath.

“I wish it could be different between us, Haru. You’re someone I cherish and I can’t imagine losing you.”

“As a friend,” Haru said in a whisper behind him.

Hideki opened his eyes and stared at the blue Turkish carpet on the floor.

“Yes, you’re my oldest friend, Haru. My most precious one,” Hideki said.

They sat in silence for almost five minutes. Hideki stared at the floor wondering how to broach the subject that had driven him to Haru’s house in the first place. His heart ached at the idea of Haru betraying him. He could barely breathe thinking about it.

“I have something to tell you,” Haru said, breaking the silence.

Hideki shifted on the bed, so that he could look at Haru.

“It’s surreal,” Haru said, meeting his gaze. “I have imagined you sitting there with a different expression. The number of times I have wished for you, Hideki. I wonder if you understand.”

Hideki didn’t look away this time. He took in Haru’s pain, understanding that the fact that he couldn’t love Haru as he loved Kazuma had changed their relationship. His heart ached at the thought that all he could do was apologize.

“Don’t say you’re sorry,” Haru said when he started to talk. “It makes it worse.”

“What do you want me to do?” Hideki asked. “Tell me what to do to fix this.”

“Love me,” Haru said. “I want you to love me instead of Kazuma. Can you do that?”

“I love you as my friend, Haru.”

“Then, you can’t fix this,” Haru said. “Don’t try.”

Hideki got up from the bed unable to ask Haru about his schedule, and his would be assailants. Kazuma would have to find another way.

This pain, he pressed his hand against his chest, his gaze on Haru, he didn’t think he could handle it.

“I’ll leave then,” Hideki said.

“Wait,” Haru pushed the sheet away and slid his feet over the bed. He got to his feet adjusting his t-shirt over his pajama pants. “I have something to tell you and you’re not going to like it.”

Hideki took a step back, the fear that had started when he realized Kazuma was going through his club accounts grew.

“I’m sorry,” Haru said, facing him. “I didn’t think it would escalate, but in my desperation, I pushed Jin into a bad decision.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Hyde,” Haru said. “I have loved you so long I don’t remember a time when I didn’t. I was happiest when you clung to me. Sadly, the only time you clung was when something bad happened to you out there. It was the only time I was the first call you made, and we could spend unlimited time together.”

“Haru, we can still hang out,” Hideki said. “That won’t change. You’re my friend.”

“Yes, that’s true, but for a while I saw hope for more, especially when you were dating the Goth boyfriend. God, I hated that guy. He was an idiot, Hyde. If I could, I’d have shot him, but you liked him, you even allowed him to change your style. Then you had that accident with the car in Tokyo, remember? You were so shaken; you had me flown to meet you. It was the first time you let me sleep the night with you. Days later you were back with that stupid guy, it pissed me off me so much.”

Haru chuckled, the sound of it bitter.

“Then I realized I had found a solution to getting that guy to go away for good. I got Jin to help me put you in trouble again so you could call me back,” Haru confessed.

Hideki took another step back. The Haru standing by the side of the bed looked like a stranger. No sense of recognition in those eyes…Hideki wished Kazuma had come along.

“It started out as a prank, but the plan escalated too fast,” Haru said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry about your motorcycle. I know how much you loved it—

“What are you telling me?” Hideki asked. “Haru?”

“They weren’t meant to make your motorcycle explode,” Haru said. “We did it to scare you—

“Take it back, Haru.”

He’d been wrong, the betrayal hurt worse than physical pain.

“I’m sorry,” Haru said. “I just wanted you to love me, Hyde.”

“So you plotted to have me killed?” Hideki asked, a deep hole gaping where his heart used to be. He pressed his hand in to his chest at a loss. “You and Jin…what am I supposed to do with this?”

“The accidents after that day had nothing to do with me, Hyde,” Haru said, his eyes wide as he tried to exonerate himself. “Jin…I don’t know what game he’s playing, but I told him to stop when they brought in Kazuma. The burning motorcycle was dangerous, then you started falling for Kazuma. I wanted to stop it, but Jin wouldn’t stop, he said he couldn’t—

Hideki turned away then, unable to listen to anymore. He needed to see Kazuma. Kazuma would know how to solve this. Flinging the door open, Hideki ran past Rui, racing for the stairs.

“Hyde,” Haru called.

Hideki didn’t stop, needing to get as far away from Haru as possible. How could Haru do this to him? The men with the guns in the forest, the exploding car, the bastard who had tried to kidnap him at the club—

Tears filled his eyes. He could barely see where he was going. Hideki ran in the direction of his family property. He wanted to keep running and never stop.

How was he to look at Haru and Jin again? Those two, the trust he’d given them, it hurt…his chest hurt thinking about them. He had defended them to his father, and Kazuma. He loved them both like family and they had betrayed him.

Hideki wiped his eyes with his sleeve, a sob escaping. He ran past a pair of trees, and a sharp pain exploded in the back of his head.

He lost his footing and blacked out.

***

“Where is Hideki?” Kazuma demanded of Haru two hours later. “What did you do with him?”

“Nothing,” Haru wailed his eyes red from crying. “I told him the truth, and he ran out of the house, that new bodyguard behind him. I thought they were headed home. I’m sorry, I didn’t think—

“Fucking idiot, you deserve a beating. You’re going to pay for this,” Kazuma said, walking away from the stupid punk before he killed him.

God, if anything happened to Hideki. He should have come with them as Hideki had asked instead of going over Club H’s accounts. It had taken him an hour to realize Rui hadn’t called in. Thinking they were delayed at Haru’s house, Kazuma had called Hideki with no answer. That was when he raised alarm and raced to Haru’s house.

“Kazu,” Sora said into his ear. “Rui’s tracker is dead.”

“What about Hyde?” Kazuma asked, afraid of the truth.

Outside, Renegade Security officers prowled Haru’s property and the Takada estate looking for Hideki. No one had found any trace of them yet.

“The coin, can you activate it? Hyde had it on a chain around his neck. He knows not to take it off.”

“I’m doing the best I can,” Sora said. “You understand the fact that I can’t get—

“I know,” Kazuma cut her off.

He understood that Hideki was probably in the hands of his kidnappers. They would take measures to destroy the trackers, including extracting any internal trackers in Hideki.

His worst fear realized. Another charge in the hands of his kidnappers.

Kazuma stood in the middle of Haru’s front lawn, his fingers digging into his hair.

Hideki, he whispered.

“We’ll find him,” Sora said into his ear. “Keep it together, Kazuma. We need you.”

Kazuma let out a harsh breath.

“Kazuma,” Sora said into his ear. “Are you with me?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Focus,” Sora said, her tone calming. “What do we do next?”

Kazuma dropped his hands, his gaze on the security men with dogs hurrying toward the edge of the property.

“Check the satellite feed,” Kazuma said, clearing his throat. “Go back two hours from now. If we can figure out who took him, then we’ll have a fighting chance. Alert local police, they’ll help us lock down the city. As long as they can’t get him out, we’ll find him.”

“Should we alert the press?”

“Absolutely not,” Kazuma said. “I need to talk to Jin.”

“I’ve sent men to get him,” Sora said.

“We have a starting point. Jin and Haru,” Kazuma turned to Haru’s house again. “I’m not losing this one, Sora. Not Hideki.”

***

Hideki woke to a throbbing headache. He tried to bring his hand up to touch the back of his head, but his hands wouldn’t move. Opening his eyes, he blinked in the dim light. Closing his eyes again, he took in a deep breath and tested his limbs.

His arms were tied behind him, his feet were free, and his knees stung. Opening his eyes again, he shifted slightly, groaning because his whole body ached.

“Don’t struggle. Sit up, and lean against the wall if you can. Your cuffs are chained to the wall.”

Hideki sat up fast at the sound of Jin’s voice. The light in the room was too dim. He could only make out the shape of a man across the small room.

“I’m sorry,” Jin said. “It wasn’t supposed to end this way.”

Hideki bit his lip, remembering Haru’s confession. The gaping hole in his chest yawned wide, this betrayal beyond anything he had ever felt in his life.

“Why?” Hideki asked.

“The money,” Jin said after a minute passed. “You’ve always had it. You’d never understand living without, Hyde.”

Hideki closed his eyes.

“How much?”

“Hyde—

“How much was our friendship worth, Jin?” Hideki demanded.

Jin sighed.

“Three million dollars,” Jin said in a quiet voice.

“I hope it makes you happy.”

Jin scoffed.

“That’s funny, since I won’t be seeing a dime of it. She betrayed me too. Stuck me in here with you the moment I transferred the money.”

“What do you want? Sympathy?” Hideki asked, anger so hot racing through him. The anger preferable to the pain. “Who is she anyway? Your lover?”

“Not really,” Jin said with a sigh, “though she knows your family.”

“Of course,” Hideki scoffed. “Idiot.”

“She has a grudge against your family.”

“There’s someone with a grudge against my family on every block in this country.” Hideki scoffed. “You’ve always known that.”

“Not like her,” Jin said. “She says you killed her brother. You have to believe I didn’t want anything to happen to you, Hideki.”

“Revenge, money laundering…betrayal, it’s all the same to me,” Hideki said, leaning his head back on the wall.

He closed his eyes unable to look at Jin any longer. Now that he was here in this discolored room, all he could do was hope Kazuma would find him.

***

“The city is locked down tight. They moved too fast, boss.”

Tina Keijo cursed under her breath, bringing her right hand up to rub her brow.

Damn that Kazuma. He was too smart for his own good. She had hoped Kazuma would be the one with Hideki when they caught him. Instead, it had been the one in the suit. One shot to his chest, and he’d fallen without much fight. She was still disappointed that Rui shadowed Hideki instead of Kazuma.

Now, they were stuck in the middle of a small city, with an eighty million payout pending in the storage room. If she couldn’t get them out of the city to the docks where a boat waited to take them into International waters, the men she’d hired would kill her too.

“Tina.”

She turned to look at the man standing a few feet away.

“I’m thinking of a way out, Kota.”

“This gets too hot, and we’re going to have to dump him, and run,” Kota said. “It’s the best option.”

“No,” Tina shook her head. “I’m not letting him go without payback.”

“And I’m not getting shot down because of a botched plan,” Kota snapped. “We have two hours to get to the ship. If we don’t get there, they’ll leave, and we’ll be left without a way out.”

Tina cursed at him and stalked out of the messy living area. They were in an abandoned house she had found blocks away from Hideki Takada’s club. The place was perfect as a hideout. She walked to the end of a short corridor and pushed the door to the storage room open.

She couldn’t help the smile when she saw Hideki was awake.

Oh, how she had waited. How long she had waited to make him hurt.

This man who murdered her brother.

“Glad to see you awake,” she said, ignoring Jin in the corner. “Welcome to a new world, Hideki Takada.”

“You only get the money with proof of life,” Hideki answered in a bored tone. “You’ll need a newspaper in the morning, if you can hold out until then.”

“Your confidence is annoying me,” Tina said, moving to crouch next to him.

He was right, but did he have to rub it in?

Touching Hideki’s jaw, she smiled when he jerked away. She trailed her finger to the back of his right ear. There was dried blood in his hair. She had hit him good with a block of wood.

Tina pressed a finger into the wound there, and Hideki moaned, biting his lip to cut the sound off.

“Do you remember Keijo Takuya?” she asked, leaning closer to him, so that she could look into his eyes. “Do you, Hideki?”

“Barely,” Hideki said, his gaze cold.

“Do you remember how you killed him?” Tina asked, allowing old hatred to color her voice. “How you let him fall to the ground. Do you remember that?”

Hideki held her gaze, barely showing any sense of remorse.

“I don’t,” he said.

Tina stared into those honeyed eyes and sneered.

“Well…don’t worry, by the time this is over, you will remember.”

“What will you do?” Hideki asked. “Hurt me?”

She poked her finger into his wound again and got to her feet. Getting to her feet, she got the gun she had slipped into her boot and turned to Jin. She aimed for Jin’s heart, and shot him without a word.

Hideki broke into a wild scream, so loud she thought it would be heard for blocks.

Kicking Jin’s boot, she left the store room and locked the door behind her. She didn’t care if she lived through this. She was getting her revenge against the Takada family. Fuck the plan, they were on her schedule now.

***

“Jin?”

Hideki stared at his best friend. His voice sounded hoarse to his ears. Clearing it, he shifted, hoping to get closer to Jin, but the chain behind him stopped his movement.

Jin was so still.

“Jin,” Hideki tried again, this time his voice was stronger.

Jin wouldn’t lift his head. Hideki’s gaze dropped to the red stain on Jin’s green t-shirt, and he looked away almost as quickly. His brain couldn’t handle the truth right now.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to be in Kazuma’s arms.

He wanted not to be a Takada right then.

Tears filled his eyes.

“Kazuma, please find me already.”

***

“Jin is missing,” Sora reported to Kazuma.

They were at the Renegade securities office. The Dome was alive with activity. Sora had a whole team combing through street cameras, and satellite feeds.

“No one at the club has seen him since this morning. His apartment is empty.”

“Follow the money he was laundering,” Kazuma ordered.

“Rui was found at the edge of Haru’s property, the bullet in his chest missed his heart by five inches. He’s in surgery,” Phillip said. “We’re dealing with someone who is not afraid of pulling the trigger.”

“They need proof of life to get the insurance money,” Kazuma said. Hideki would be unharmed until they could take a clear video to show him alive. “Alright, forget tracing their exit strategy. It was solid. We need to find out where they planned on hiding.”

“The city is locked down, including the docks,” Phillip said. “We are combing through Jin’s life, but we need a clue. A starting point, we still don’t know who is involved here.”

Kazuma dumped his phone on Sora’s desk and headed to the door.

“Where are you going?” Phillip asked.

“To talk to Haru,” Kazuma said through gritted teeth.

“Kazuma—” Phillip started after him.

“I need five minutes with him, uninterrupted,” Kazuma said, turning to look at his boss.

Phillip stopped in his tracks, and then gave him a nod of approval.

Kazuma walked to the holding rooms Renegade Securities used for suspects. He stopped outside room four. Haru was inside.

Riku had asked him to get Hideki back using any means necessary. Kazuma was grateful for the backing. He had no qualms extracting Haru from his house and bringing him here.

Closing his eyes, Kazuma wore his earpiece, fighting to control his panic. It was almost ten o’clock at night. Hideki had been missing since seven in the evening. He wanted to tear down the city, but he couldn’t, because he had to think through every decision. He needed to find the culprit before the bastard had a reason to shoot Hideki.

Kazuma took in another deep breath.

He opened his eyes, swiped his ID card over the pad on the wall, and opened the door into the holding room. Haru paced the length of the small table, stopping when he saw Kazuma.

Kazuma didn’t give him a chance to speak.

He grabbed Haru by his neck, slamming him down on the table, his fingers wrapping around Haru’s neck, he let his anger free. This man, this bastard, was the reason why Hideki was missing.

“Kazuma, you’re killing him,” Sora said into his ear. “Kazu—

Kazuma ignored Sora’s whisper, though he eased his tight hold on Haru’s neck. Leaning over the younger man, he asked.

“Are you scared?”

Haru gasped, his eyes filling with tears, as Kazuma tightened his hold again.

“Good,” Kazuma said. “Hideki is going through worse. You put him there. I want to kill you for doing that to him. I doubt anyone here would stop me, Haru. Do you know that?”

Haru closed his eyes, gasping for air.

Kazuma leaned even closer.

“You’re going to tell me everything you know about Jin, and the club. If I don’t find Hideki by dawn, I’m going to make your life a living hell, Haru. Do you understand?”

Haru nodded, and Kazuma let go, stepping back, his anger momentarily sated. Haru fell on the floor, his hand going to his neck, tears tracking down his cheeks. He stared at Kazuma with wide eyes filled with fear.

***

“I have watched you for years,” Tina told Hideki at around one o’clock at night.

She had dragged him out of the storage room and brought him to the living room. His arms and legs were tied to the chair. Tina sat across him on top of a table, her legs folded under her.

“In and out of the Takada estate you went, enjoying your father’s money, living it up with Haru, and that,” Tina scoffed, pointing in the direction of the storage room. “Jin. Did you know he was robbing you blind?”

Hideki watched her refusing to answer her questions. Afraid of what she would do if he spoke. The last time he tried answering her questions, she had punched his stomach like a crazy woman. Tied to a chair, unable to deflect her blows, the pain in his ribs was unbearable.

Tina scoffed and picked up a pack of cigarettes from the table beside her. She lighted one with a sigh and took a long drag.

“I can’t believe I’m all alone now. Those stupid bastards I hired ran away when we couldn’t get a ride out of here to the dock. Your father has made it impossible to leave the city. He’s using his money to pay off the police to help find you.” Tina shook her head, her expression full of disgust. “That’s what I hate about your family, Hideki.”

“Money,” Tina said, cocking her head to the side to study him. “You used it to hide the truth when my brother died. Didn’t you?”

“No.” Hideki held her gaze. “I didn’t kill your brother, he let go of my hand and fell.”

“You pushed him over the edge,” Tina accused. “You did it! You did it!”

Hideki whispered. “I did not kill Keijo.”

“Yes you did,” Tina got her gun and pointed it at him. “Admit that you did it, or I’m going to kill you right here.”

Hideki waited to see if she would pull the trigger. He couldn’t get a read on the woman. He wondered if a promise of money would work with her. But then, she’d already stolen Jin’s millions, so—

“I want your father to suffer,” Tina said, taking a drag on her cigarette. “I want you to suffer. I want you to think about me and my brother everyday for the rest of your life. I’ve been wondering what I should do with you. Should I shoot you, kill you? Mm…maybe disfigure your handsome face….” She chuckled. “Haru told me you like kissing boys…if I make you ugly, those boys won’t want to kiss you. That should hurt…

She went on for hours.

Hideki wished he could turn her off, beg her to shut up, but she seemed caught up in her madness. The older the night got, the worse she got, threatening to cut him open…

His head hurt, his limbs were numb, fear grew…fear that Kazuma wouldn’t find him in time. At some point, Tina got an alert on her phone. She screamed in anger and directed the screen to him. He stared at his own face.

Tina hit his temple with the butt of her gun. He blacked out for the second time that night.

He woke up to loud shouts. Bright lights filled the living room, Tina looming over him, her expression wild, her gun trained at him. Then she was falling to the ground.

“Hyde.”

Kazuma came into his line of vision. Gentle hands touched his face, a kiss on his lips. Hideki buried his face into Kazuma’s shoulder in relief.

“Baby, I’m sorry I’m late.”

Hideki closed his eyes when Kazuma wrapped his arms around him, allowing oblivion to recapture him again.

***

“Her name is Tina Keijo,” Kazuma reported to Riku at around six in the morning.

They stood in Hideki’s bedroom, both of them unable to leave him alone, none of them willing to step outside to talk. Hideki was asleep on the large bed. The family doctor had come in and checked on him, prescribing pain medicine and rest.

“She was Takuya Keijo’s younger sister. Her mad scheme of revenge was corrupted by a budding kidnapping gang. They bailed on her when we locked down the city. This Tina approached Jin months ago and blackmailed him about the funds he was stealing from the club. Together, they used Haru to get information on Hideki’s daily life.”

Kazuma folded his arms against his chest.

“Yesterday, Haru allowed Tina into his compound, giving her access to Hideki. That’s how they were able to get him out so quickly. We found Jin dead in a storage room at the abandoned house where she was holding Hideki.”

“I heard you went beyond the necessary to find my son. Is that true?” Riku asked, turning to look at him.

Kazuma held Riku’s gaze.

“I wasn’t going to lose him.”

“You were afraid of losing another charge under your care,” Riku noted.

Kazuma nodded.

“Nothing could have stopped me from finding him, sir.”

Riku studied him for a moment.

“You care for my son.”

Kazuma’s gaze returned to Hideki, lying exhausted on the bed.

“I—,” Kazuma swallowed hard and met Riku’s gaze. “I love him.”

Riku smiled.

“I love him too.”

Kazuma chuckled and wiped a hand down his face in embarrassment.

“I will handle the legal issues that will arise with Haru’s family,” Riku said. “I think it’s time my son took a small vacation. It will be good for him to forget this unpleasantness. What do you think?”

Kazuma nodded.

“I agree.”

Riku moved to the bed. He leaned down to kiss Hideki’s forehead.

“I’ll be back to check on him later.” Riku straightened, touching Hideki’s chin gently, before he left the room.

Kazuma waited for the door to close, and then walked to the bed too. He lay down on Hideki’s right side, careful not to disturb Hideki. He slid his left arm under Hideki. Closing his eyes, he pressed a soft kiss on Hideki’s forehead too, and finally took a deep breath in relief. He’d been terrified he wouldn’t find Hideki.

Terrified.

Hideki shifted and settled his head on Kazuma’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Hideki said, his voice bereft of sleep.

“You’re awake,” Kazuma said in surprise.

“Can barely sleep with you two prowling my room.” Hideki looking up to meet Kazuma’s gaze. “I knew you would find me.”

Kazuma touched Hideki’s left temple where a bruise had formed.

“I almost choked Haru to death in the process.”

Hideki frowned and shadows filled his gaze.

“Jin is dead. Tina shot him.”

“I know.”

“I—I—” Hideki looked away, his fingers bunching Kazuma’s shirt.

Kazuma pulled Hideki into his arms, holding him tight.

“It’s okay to cry.”

“Kazu,” Hideki said, in a whisper. “I don’t know that I can forgive them. But now Jin is dead, and I can’t—”

Hideki buried his face into Kazuma’s shoulder. Kazuma closed his eyes when Hideki broke into hard sobs. All he could do was hold on as Hideki fell apart in his arms.

***