A Haunted Love - 1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Hideki Takada gripped the handles on his black Ducati, his thighs hugging the sides, head down, his gaze on the road ahead. His heart beat a thousand times a minute. Adrenaline swept through every cell in his body, filling him with the thrill of the ride.

He took a curve too fast, his left knee extended for balance, it made him feel light, like he was flying. Straightening the powerful machine, he considered ignoring the white flag ahead. Gripping the handles tighter, Hideki increased speed, the white flag waved frantically, and he chuckled.

He wasn’t going to stop, that much he knew. At the flag, he lifted one hand at the flag bearer, passing with a grin, he settled in for another turn. A glint of the sun in the bleachers caught his eye for a second, he searched, but—

A loud explosion filled his head and his motorcycle lost balance.

Hideki groaned as he was thrown with force off the machine, he rolled on the tarmac, trying to get away from his damaged motorcycle. There was fire, screams…and then pain.

***

Kazuma Daiko walked into the Renegade Securities building nursing a raging hangover. The guard at the entrance nodded his head at him in greeting. Kazuma lifted his I.D. badge and swiped it over the panel next to the guard. The rods rolled open, letting him into the main lobby and he clipped the badge on his jacket lapel.

Kazuma rubbed his blood short eyes as he walked to the elevator banks.

“Morning.”

Kazuma groaned when he turned to find his boss, Phillip Geneaux, standing beside him.

“Hard night?” Phillip asked.

“Don’t start on me,” Kazuma said, entering the elevator when the doors opened.

Phillip followed him in and stopped anyone else from entering. Kazuma’s frown deepened as the doors closed. He hit the button for the fourth floor, the top floor of the building.

“How long will you live like this?” Phillip asked. “It’s been a year.”

“Let’s not do this,” Kazuma said, leaning back against the wall.

“We need to,” Phillip said, his decisive tone raising Kazuma’s suspicion.

“I have a client I can’t turn away,” Phillip said, when Kazuma didn’t comment further. “Someone who needs the best in the business.”

“Rui is the best,” Kazuma said, referring to the other Special Forces agent who worked at Renegade Securities.

“Rui is in China, and he is clinical. He works best in situations that don’t require finesse. I need you, Kazuma. This client is not someone I can push away.”

“Because of money?” Kazuma asked.

Phillip shrugged. The fine line of his suit jacket framed his shoulders. Born to a French father and a Japanese mother, Phillip had pale skin, and startling blue eyes. Most people didn’t believe Phillip was Japanese.

Phillip gave him a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Money is why we’re in the business. Renegade Securities is doing well, but if we land this client, we’re set for years, Kazuma.”

Kazuma scratched his dark stubble.

He barely shaved lately. Compared to Phillip’s clean cut appearance, he looked wild in faded jeans, black t-shirt and a weathered leather jacket. He tapped his left black boot on the wall, loathe to give up the comfort of his current existence. Taking an assignment would send that comfort to hell.

“You owe me,” Phillip said.

Kazuma sighed.

“You just had to go there.”

“You leave me no choice,” Phillip said, with a matching sigh. “You belong in the field not managing supplies and logistics.”

“I happen to like supplies and logistics.” Kazuma folded his arms against his chest. “Who is this person?”

Phillip frowned.

“First, I need to know you’re on board.”

Kazuma gave Phillip a skeptical glance. When Phillip remained silent, Kazuma’s interest peaked. Phillip’s silence meant their client required high level privacy. This client had to be high up on the food chain. Their kind of trouble was hard to resist. It was hard to ignore the spark of excitement that raced down his back.

“I’ll do it,” Kazuma heard himself say. “Who is it?”

Phillip grinned.

“In my office,” Phillip said, as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

***

Renegade Securities took up the four floors of the building, but the top floor was sorely left to supplies and logistics, and security personnel. Phillip insisted on keeping personnel on the top floor to ensure privacy, and to maintain togetherness.

Kazuma figured the man just liked knowing where his assets were. After all, the security agents at Renegade were the guard dogs of the rich and privileged, if any of them went wrong, Phillip needed to know so as to decommission them before trouble started.

Staff members greeted Phillip as they made their way through a long corridor. They passed Kazuma’s office in the supplies and logistics corridor. Phillip paused to greet the three others Kazuma worked with before they continued on. The security agents’ offices were next, and Phillip paused at each office talking to them. Kazuma followed along, his hands in his pockets.

Phillip was a born politician, Kazuma thought as they entered the heart of Renegade Securities.

This circular room in the middle of the fourth floor was where Renegade Personnel monitored the status of each of their clients. There were days the Dome, as they all liked to call it, got busy, other times, like now, only one person was needed behind the controls.

“Hi Kazu,” Sora Ayaki, the Dome Administrator, said. “Good to see you out of S&L.”

“Sora,” Kazuma said, giving her a faint smile.

She grinned and he followed Phillip down a short hallway to a pair of fortified glass doors. Phillip’s office was tucked into the corner of the building, designed for space and absolute privacy.

Phillip opened the doors and let Kazuma in before he closed them.

“How long have we known each other?” Phillip asked, following Kazuma into the conservative office.

“Ten years or so?” Kazuma dropped into a comfortable chair before Phillip’s neat cherry wood desk.

“Eleven actually,” Phillip corrected him, as he went around his desk to sit in his chair. “That’s more years than I’ve lived with my wife, Kazu. You’re family.”

Kazuma laughed and settled in his chair.”

“What’s going on? Who is this client?”

“Someone I consider family too,” Phillip said. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Riku Takada.”

“The whole world has heard of Riku Takada,” Kazuma joked. “Billionaire, richest man in Asia, business mogul, philanthropist with a dark past.”

Phillip chuckled and lifted a hand to stop him.

“I get it. Riku is also just a man. He lives in Kita Kamakura in Kanagawa. He has a family home there, a very beautiful place.”

“Wonderful,” Kazuma frowned. “Why are we talking about Riku’s family home?”

“Because he’s our client,” Phillip said. “Riku’s son is in danger. There have been several kidnap attempts, and last week someone tried to assassinate Riku’s son at the Tokyo Arc Club in Kamakura. Riku says he can’t trust anyone working for him.”

Kazuma closed his eyes.

“This is why you wanted me to commit before you told me the details.”

“Yes.”

Phillip got up and walked around his desk. He came to lean on the edge, his gaze on Kazuma.

“I know how hard this type of assignment will be for you, Kazu. I wouldn’t insist if I didn’t know you can handle it.”

“How do you know I can handle this?” Kazuma asked, hating the slight tremor in his voice.

The thought of being responsible for a life again made him tremble.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Phillip said, as though reading his thoughts.

Kazuma met worried blue eyes.

“How can you know that? There was so much I could have done.”

“Don’t play that game,” Phillip said. “You know where it leads. You’re punishing yourself and it doesn’t help either of us. I need you here, Kazu. Riku is desperate and worried for his son.”

Kazuma wiped a hand down his face.

“This world’s turned to shit if I’m the one a desperate father is turning to, Phillip.”

“I wish you wouldn’t see it that way. I’ve let you stay on the sidelines because you needed time, my friend. But, Riku’s important to me, not just as a client. He’s a good friend. I recommended the best to him.”

Well, if Phillip put it that way, Kazuma thought shaking his head.

***

Hideki studied the scratches on his left thigh. They’d scabbed over. He fought the urge to itch them, though it was hard. They’d looked raw three days ago, today they looked and felt like an annoyance.

Patting a towel over them, Hideki finished wiping down after his shower and tied the towel around his hips. Taking his toothbrush from the holder at the sink, he turned it on and stood staring at the man staring back in the mirror.

There was nothing special about him. His face was too slender, his hair too straight. Months ago, he’d cut the sides, and grown out the top, courtesy of his last boyfriend. They’d hang out in Goth scenes until he’d gotten bored. He’d kept the hairstyle, and booted the boyfriend.

His eyes were his mother’s or so his father said, brown with specks of gold.

Ordinary, he thought.

He bent down and spit out toothpaste foam. Rinsing his mouth, he ran the toothbrush under water and turned the tap off. Wiping his mouth with a face cloth, he dropped it on top of the sink and met his gaze.

“You’re fine,” he said to the man in the mirror.

The words sounded flat to his ears. He reached for his deodorant, sprayed it on, and then left the bathroom running his fingers through his damp hair.

He stopped short when he saw the man seated on his bed.

“Feel better?”

Hideki dropped his hand and glanced at the bedroom door. He would have sworn he locked it.

“What?” Haru Yasuo asked. “The door? I didn’t open it. Patrick did. He’s paranoid you’ll run out of here without telling him.”

“What’s the point of having a lock then?” Hideki walked to his closet. “Where are you headed? You look dressed up.”

“To see Jin,” Haru said, watching Hideki look for clothes in his closet. “Want to come? You haven’t gone to the club since the incident. Everyone is worried what’s going on with you.”

Hideki refused to think about the incident.

“Why do you want me to come with you?” Hideki dropped his towel appreciating Haru’s gaze on him.

Haru was his neighbor. They’d grown up together. They were friends, sometimes lovers. Haru always needed more than he could give.

“Say hi to Jin,” Hideki said, getting a pair of boxer shorts. He pulled them on, quite aware of Haru watching his every move.

“Is that what you’re going to say, Hyde? Are you jealous?”

Hideki scoffed and wore a pair of fitting black jeans. Grabbing a belt from a rack, he put it on.

“I’m not jealous,” Hideki said, pushing his hair away from his eyes. “You’re free, Haru. We agreed on that.”

“Yeah,” Haru’s gaze slid over Hideki’s naked chest. “That agreement is for your benefit, Hyde.”

Hideki got a white long sleeved t-shirt and pulled it on.

“Does it bother you?” Hideki asked.

“Should it?” Haru asked, meeting his gaze.

When Hideki remained silent, Haru scoffed and got off the bed.

“Right, that’s not an answer I should expect from you. Finish dressing. Meet me downstairs if you want to come along. I don’t want to turn into an idiot just yet.”

“You’re not, you know,” Hideki felt compelled to say.

When Haru looked at him, Hideki smiled.

“An idiot,” Hideki said. “You’re not one.”

Haru stared at him, longing filled his dark brown eyes. Hideki pretended not to see it.

“Meet you downstairs in ten,” Hideki said, turning to get a hair dryer he’d left on a shelf in the closet.

The bedroom door slammed closed and he paused staring at the dryer in his hands. He was right to keep Haru at arm’s length. Haru cared for him. He knew that, had seen it in the way Haru looked at him. Hideki sighed and plugged in the hair dryer.

He, on the other hand, was the bastard who took it all without giving anything of himself. He liked sex with Haru. It was sufficient, enjoyable, but he couldn’t find the energy to give more to Haru.

Haru hurt every time they fell into old habits.

So, he’d decided to push Haru away.

There were days when Haru was especially kind to him and he wished his heart would wake up if only to ease Haru’s longing.

In the end, the most he ever did was wish.

Turning on the hairdryer, Hideki pushed all thoughts of relationships out of his head. They tired him out.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Hideki went downstairs and stopped in the front hall of his home. He found two men in black suits waiting for him. Patrick and Daniel, foreigners: French brothers. His father had hired them to keep him safe.

“You’re ready?” Hideki asked, referring to their security protocols.

“Haru is in the car. Are you sure you want to go out tonight?” Patrick, the head of security asked. “Your father is anxious. He prefers you stay inside the estate. It is safer.”

“If we’re all anxious, who is living?” Hideki asked. “Come on, Patrick. I have to check on the club.”

“More parties?” Daniel asked with a groan.

“Not just parties,” Hideki said as they left the house. “Clients dancing and having drinks, equals to lots of money for the night. Add a sighting of me and it triples sales.”

Daniel scoffed.

“Of course, money is all you think of. You are your father’s son.”

Hideki laughed and slid into the backseat of the black Mercedes he used.

Haru sat on the other side reading an article on his pad. Hideki was glad he looked happier. Haru was his closest friend, despite their complicated issues, he remained someone Hideki liked to have around.

“Ready?” Hideki asked Haru.

Haru leaned over and kissed his jaw.

“Ready. That’s so you know we’re good. I like to know where I stand with you.”

Hideki nodded and settled in his seat.

“Do you think Jin is getting tired of running the club?”

“No,” Haru said. “He loves that place. He runs it better than I would have, Hyde. Jin knows everyone in this city.”

Hideki rubbed his left brow for a moment. Jin Takuya made the third in their circle. He and Haru had met Jin at Tokyo University.

Jin was outgoing. He knew how to talk to people, get them to do anything, Hideki thought. Sometimes that ability worried him. Jin could be manipulative. It also made him wonder why Jin opted to run his club instead of working on the finance career he’d trained for at Tokyo University.

“You’ve gotten a challenge,” Haru said, holding out the pad to him.

Hideki took the pad and scanned Haru’s Line social page.

“Who’s Katya?” Hideki asked, when he saw the post Haru was talking about.

“Model from Russia, she’s at Club H. She never lets anyone dance with her, not even super stars.”

Jin had posted a picture of Katya and tagged Hideki with the question, ‘Can Hyde kiss this?’

Manipulative, Hideki thought with a sigh.

“You have to do it,” Haru said. “Though you might have to get your ego bruised.”

“Whose side are you on?” Hideki asked.

“Yours, Hyde,” Haru said with a wide smile. “It seems she likes red wine.”

Haru took the pad from him and scrolled through it with a grim expression. “It’s all over her candid photos at home, a way in maybe? You have to do this, Hyde. Jin is smirking at you in this picture.”

“Just one kiss?” Hideki looked at Haru with a grin.

“Jeez, turn that off, it’s bad enough you smell so good. Yes, one kiss will do with Katya. We can then smirk back at Jin.”

Hideki laughed and faced forward.

“I’ll do it for you, Haru,” he promised.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hideki saw Haru smile.

***

Kazuma crossed the street, headed to the Luna Plaza in downtown Kamakura. Club H was tucked into the corner of the building.

“This is insane,” Kazuma murmured.

“Go with it,” Sora said into his ear.

Kazuma reached up to adjust the earpiece he wore. Phillip had insisted on running this assignment with complete surveillance, that included Sora watching his every move.

“Mr. Takada doesn’t want to interfere with his son’s lifestyle,” Sora explained.

Kazuma paused at the entrance to the club. The security was lax, but it was a place of business. He noted four bouncers stationed outside the doors: two inside the door and two outside checking identification cards.

He walked in with a simple nod at the bouncers.

“My nightmare,” Kazuma said, when he was inside the main club.

The place was packed with people. It was too noisy, visibility was low.

He stopped.

“Club H,” Sora said into his ear, “is owned by Hideki. His father gifted him the Lunar Plaza seven years ago when he turned eighteen. Hideki opened the club a year later and placed Jin Takuya as top manager. Jin is one of Hideki’s friends. The other is a Haru Yasuo. They are probably together right now.”

“Financials?” Kazuma asked.

“Solid, the club makes money,” Sora said. “The club’s social media pictures show off a posh VIP area on the second floor. You’re looking for stairs to your right.”

“Thank you, Sora.”

Kazuma adjusted his jacket, concealing his weapon and headed to the VIP stairs. There was a red velvet rope closing off the stairs. He reached to undo the one end, and stopped when a tall burly man in a dark suit appeared from a short corridor leading to a backroom.

“Where to?” the man asked.

“VIP,” Kazuma said.

“With whose invite?” the man asked.

“Hideki Takada,” Kazuma said.

“Try again.”

Kazuma smiled.

Finally, some resistance, he looked up the stairs and saw a secondary man watching them from the top. Getting to Hideki was harder than he’d thought.

“Phillip is on the line with Riku,” Sora said into his ear. “They should get a call in the next—

Kazuma heard the tall burly man’s phone buzz.

“—minute,” Sora said.

Kazuma stepped back allowing the burly man to answer his phone. Dark eyes studied him as the man spoke, then the red velvet rope was lifted from its hold.

“Kazuma-san?” the burly man asked. “New head of security?”

“Temporary arrangement,” Kazuma said, he paused a step higher than the burly man. “I was a tad disturbed that I could get into the club so easily. I’m glad the VIP area is tight, but there’s room for improvement.”

“Yes Sir,” the burly man said. “I’m Patrick. Upstairs you’ll find Daniel. Master Hideki likes his freedom, Sir. We try not to make this hard on him.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kazuma said, with a short nod.

He continued up the stairs already weary and he’d barely started this assignment.

The VIP area was well lit. The dance floor packed with people. It made him cringe. Private tables lined the walls of the club.

“Do you see him?” Sora asked.

“Shouldn’t you have eyes on him before me?” Kazuma teased.

“I do, I just wanted to see if you’ve gotten rusty,” Sora said.

Kazuma’s reply lodged in his throat, his gaze transfixed on Hideki Takada.

The pictures Phillip had given him were ineffective.

They missed so much…left out so much.

Hideki stood in the middle of the dance floor, a tall blond woman in his arms. She sipped wine from a glass Hideki held. Hideki whispered something in her ear, and she laughed. They danced in slow steps, despite the fast techno beat, caught up in their own world. Hideki touched the blonde woman’s lips with his thumb, and she bent her head slightly.

Hot jealousy burned through Kazuma’s stomach when Hideki met her lips in a kiss. His jealousy burned so hot, for a moment all he could think about was walking over to pull the woman out of Hideki’s arms.

Hideki stopped moving and Kazuma stared as they kissed in the middle of the dance floor.

Kazuma let out a short breath and turned away.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

“Kazu,” Sora said into his ear. “Are you there, Kazu?”

Kazuma cleared his throat and wiped a hand down his face.

“Yeah,” Kazuma said gruffly. “I have eyes on Hideki.”

“Quite the playboy,” Sora said in amusement. “That’s Katya Puchenka, Russian supermodel. I guess it’s true that she only dates young billionaires, must be nice.”

Kazuma cleared his throat, looking back in time to see Hideki and Katya end the kiss. They were just talking now.

“I didn’t think he had a girlfriend,” Kazuma said, his gaze seeking Hideki’s table.

He spotted Haru, recognizing him from the pictures Phillip had passed along to him. Kazuma chose a table right behind Haru. He ordered orange juice when a waitress came hurrying to him. His gaze returned to Hideki.

“Hideki’s single,” Sora said. “He must have hooked up with the model today.”

Kazuma watched Hideki and the model for the next half hour. They danced and kissed, each kiss annoying him more than the next. He sipped his orange juice and wondered if he shouldn’t visit his ex-boyfriend. They still had an open door policy. Maybe impersonal hot sex would help him focus on guarding Hideki, instead of lusting after him.

Hideki smiled and he cursed under his breath.

Damn it, Hideki looked too good.

“Kazuma, the club is getting overcrowded downstairs,” Sora said.

The variables were changing too quickly. The VIP area was secure, but an assassin for hire could get past Patrick at the stairs. The waiters and waitresses moved freely on both floors.

“Plan an alternative exit,” Kazuma said. “We need four extra men downstairs.”

“Alright,” Sora said.

Kazuma watched Hideki and the model separate. Katya headed to the exit, and Hideki walked to his table, carrying the empty glass of wine.

“Did you have to make a spectacle?” Jin asked.

Jin had dyed his hair blonde, and wore an impeccable blue shirt and dark slacks.

“You wanted pictures,” Hideki said, placing the glass on the round table before he slid next to Haru. “Were they good, Haru?”

“They got me hot,” Haru said with a small chuckle.

“Do you have another challenge, Jin?” Hideki asked.

“Nope,” Jin said with a laugh. “The club is full tonight. P.S. I asked for a kiss, what the hell was with the slow dancing and the hugging?”

Hideki shrugged.

“I was showing her a good time.”

“Yeah right,” Haru scoffed.

Hideki glanced at Haru. When Haru laughed, Hideki hit Haru’s shoulder lightly with his right hand.

“She knew what we were doing. She played along because of the wine. Two, having a picture or two of me with her is a plus for her PR. She used me too.”

“How hard it must be,” Haru said sarcastically.

“I’m not sure I’m going to the next place you want to go, Haru,” Hideki said.

Haru pouted and Hideki smiled at him, instantly the pout disappeared. Kazuma could understand Haru. There was something about Hideki’s smile….he frowned.

It seemed there was something more to Hideki and Haru’s relationship.

“I’m hungry,” Haru complained, rubbing his stomach. “You promised.

“You guys want to leave?” Jin asked.

“I’ve done my duty,” Hideki said, looking around the club. “I need to go somewhere less noisy, Jin. If I stay here longer things might get complicated.”

Jin nodded in understanding.

“Alright, let me call Aunt Naoki for you. You like her food, and she’s been asking about you.”

Hideki nodded, and got up.

“I’ll just go to the toilet.”

Kazuma waited a few seconds before he got up too, following Hideki to the men’s room.

“Who is Aunt Naoki?” Kazuma asked, pushing the men’s bathroom door open.

“I can’t find her anywhere,” Sora said. “Give me a few minutes.”

“Fuck!” Kazuma cursed when he entered the bathroom to find a man pressing a white cloth over Hideki’s mouth and nose from behind.

Hideki was struggling, but the man was taller and bigger.

“I need help,” Kazuma said, as he picked up the trashcan by the door and swung it at the assailant’s head. He hit the man’s head hard, dropping him to the ground. Throwing the trashcan to the floor, he reached for a panicked Hideki.

“Get off me,” Hideki shouted, pushing him away, although he was weak.

Kazuma held on as Hideki slid to the floor, his eyes drowsy. He’d obviously breathed in some of the drug on the white cloth. Kazuma wrapped his arms around Hideki, lowering him to the ground gently.

Hideki fought to keep his eyes open.

Beautiful brown eyes filled with panic and fear, Kazuma felt his heart squeeze tight.

“You’re safe. I’ve got you,” Kazuma said. “You’re okay.”

Those brown eyes held his for a moment and then they closed.

***