Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 582(@250wpm)___ 485(@300wpm)
Neil bandaged his arms before the walk to dinner. Dan and Matt disappeared afterward, and Nicky and Aaron piled into the hot tub with Renee and Allison. Kevin settled down by the fireplace with a history book, so Andrew and Neil ended up in the kitchen. Andrew poured drinks and let Neil deliver them to their teammates. Andrew had a shot for him when he was done making the last trip. Andrew offered silent toast and they drank together. Andrew's kiss was hotter than the whisky and more than enough to take the bite off his tongue.
When Dan and Matt returned the team migrated to the den with more drinks. They spent another late night talking about anything in the world except Exy. The fresh air and alcohol had Neil nodding off earlier than he meant to, but he wasn't the only one ready for an early night. Renee and Aaron headed upstairs right when Neil gave up staying awake. Andrew stayed behind to keep an eye on Kevin, so Neil went alone to the bedroom and made himself comfortable on his side of the bed. He woke up when Andrew came in, but drifted off again as soon as Andrew settled down.
Fingernails tapping on the door woke them both up some indeterminable time later. Neil reached for a gun and hit Andrew's arm instead. Andrew glanced back at him before rolling off the bed. The cabin was practically pitch black this late at night, but it was a straight shot from Andrew's side of the bed to the door. Neil couldn't see who was standing outside, but Renee's calm voice was unmistakable.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I need to borrow your car. I will bring it back before we check out."
"Light," Andrew said.
Neil reached blindly for the lamp on the bedside table. He found it on the fifth try and shielded his eyes against the sudden harsh glow. Andrew squinted at it in displeasure before heading for his bag. Renee stood fully dressed in the doorway, looking wide awake and grim.
"Renee?" Neil asked, because it was obvious Andrew wasn't going to make her explain.
Renee's words were a cold shock to his system: "Kengo is dead."
Neil stared blankly at her, but it didn't take long to figure the rest out. "Jean?"
"Riko hurt him," Renee said. "I am going to get him."
"They won't let you into Evermore," Neil said.
Renee's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Yes, they will."
Andrew pressed the keys into her waiting palm. Renee nodded gratitude and turned away. Andrew followed her out, presumably to lock the front door behind her. Neil heard the engine hum to life outside, and headlights splashed a sharp beam through the bedroom window as she pulled out of the gravel drive. Andrew came back alone and closed the door on his way to the bed. Neil waited until he was under the sheets before killing the lights again. He listened to Andrew's breathing smooth out, but he didn't get anymore sleep that night. He couldn't stop thinking about Riko and Jean, and Tetsuji and Evermore, and what Kengo's death meant for the truce with his uncle.
Explaining Renee's absence the next day somehow fell to Neil. Kevin took the news as well as Neil thought he might and locked himself in the upstairs bedroom to have a panic attack. The morning started with Irish coffee for everyone. The afternoon was a little better until they realized Renee had turned her phone off. The Foxes trusted her judgment, but their vacation wasn't the same without her.
Renee returned mid-morning on Sunday since they needed both cars to make it back to South Carolina. Neil was on the back porch with Andrew, watching a cigarette burn to nothing, when he heard tires on gravel. Nicky was dozing in one of the rocking chairs, a mug of coffee forgotten in a loosely-cradled hand. Neil got him up and inside. The others had heard the car and were heading to the den. By the time Renee walked through the door they were all waiting for her.
"Oh," she said. "Good morning."
"How is he?" Kevin asked.
"He's not well," Renee said, "but Abby is doing what she can for him."
"You didn't seriously kidnap Jean," Dan said.
"I didn't have to." Renee shrugged out of her coat and draped it neatly over the back of a chair. "Edgar Allan's president lives on campus, so I stopped by his house and asked him to intervene."
"You didn't really," Allison said, staring at her.
"I put him on the phone with Stephanie," Renee said, meaning her foster mother. "She made it clear he had two choices: he could settle this quietly between us or she'd get all her industry friends to run with news of Evermore's violent hazing. He chose the one that would hurt his school the least, or at least he tried. Coach Moriyama couldn't produce Jean when Mr. Andritch asked him to, so we made an unannounced trip to the stadium. Did you know not even the president has access to the court? I don't think he knew his codes were out of date. He had to get the new ones from security. Either way, the Ravens weren't expecting us."
"That sounds like an understatement," Matt said dryly.
"The master would have covered his tracks," Kevin said. "If he knew Andritch was looking for Jean for some reason, he would have found a way to hide him from view."
"Coach Moriyama wasn't there. He was in New York," Renee said. Kevin stared at her, blank-faced in disbelief. Renee shook her head and said, "He was invited to the funeral. Riko wasn't."
Kevin's flinch was full body. "No."
Riko was his father's son in name only; he had been estranged from his father and brother his entire life. Despite that cold shoulder, Riko always believed he could win his father's attention and approval through his successes on the court. Kengo's death was a disastrous blow to Riko's dreams, and Kevin had warned Neil Riko's reaction would be ugly. That Ichirou had reached out to his uncle but skipped his brother entirely was acid on an open wound. With no one there to stay Riko's hand or distract him from his furious grief, Jean hadn't stood a chance.