A Love For Always (13 page)

“You got a better one?” Sylvie gasped out as she landed on the fallen shelf. It was wedged between the work table by the wall, and the center work table that was laden heavily at its bottom shelf. She nearly slipped from the wetness of the floor, but managed to gingerly step through the mess of broken ceramics and spilled ingredients.
 

Kato was chest down on the floor near the sink. His arms were at an odd angle, but it didn’t look like he was thrown or anything. She knelt and checked for a pulse. There was a slow, steady one. That was good right?

She could hear Rick trying to pry the door open. He was talking to someone else. Taylor?

“Kato? Wake up.” Sylvie brushed his cheek, looking around warily as the kitchen grew steadily darker with the dying fire.

He blinked, but didn’t quite open his eyes. “Chef?” he mumbled.

“You’re going to be fine.”

“What happened?”

“There was an accident.” She scanned his body for injuries. “Can you move your fingers and feet? Don’t move your head yet.”
 

Kato groaned. “I can feel them. I think I can get up.”

“Don’t!”

He didn’t listen and got up anyway. First to his knees, and then finally, with Sylvie’s help, to his feet. Kato looked bewilderedly around the mess of the kitchen. “What the fuck?”

Rick and Taylor finally nudged the door open wide enough to let her and Kato through.
 

“About time you woke up, kid,” Taylor said.

The four of them limped to the back exit. Just before they got to the door, it slammed open. The firefighters had arrived.

CHAPTER NINE

Nate tried Sylvie’s number over and over on the drive to the restaurant. Each time he got her voice mail, his panic escalated which was a feeling unfamiliar to him. So when his Ferrari pulled up to a sea of red and blue flashing lights and two fire trucks, his head swam with dread.

Before the vehicle even came to a full stop, he was already out of the car. Officers kept curious onlookers away from the building that housed Sapporo Ramen. There was a sizable crowd given that people were coming home from a night of clubbing and this was a mostly residential neighborhood. Nate zeroed in on the two ambulances and relief swept through him when he spotted Sylvie.

“Sir, you need to stand back,” a uniform informed him as he tried to pass the line.

Nate pointed to Sylvie. “That’s my girlfriend.”

The officer’s stern face relaxed and nodded for him to go through.
 

“Sylvie!” Nate called. She was standing at the back of the emergency vehicle, hovering over Kato who was being treated for injuries.

Her face was inscrutable when she turned to him. Was she in shock? But no. There was something else in her eyes. Anger. Pure unadulterated anger.
 

“Sylvie,” he repeated, reaching for her.

“Don’t touch me,” she warned, swiping his hand away.

“Babe—”

She stepped into his space. “It’s gone,” she snarled. “Everything I’ve worked for”—she slashed her arm toward the building—“destroyed. All because you”—she jabbed a finger at his chest—“decided to stick your nose in my business.”
 

She backed away, her lower lip trembling, and there was nothing Nate wanted more than to pull her into his arms.

“Sylvs, I know you—”

“You don’t know a damn thing!” Sylvie yelled. Some of the first responders looked at them curiously. Realizing the spectacle she was making, Sylvie swallowed a sob and stalked away from him.
 

Nate caught Cade’s eye, his jaw tightening. He’d deal with the DEA agent later.

He followed Sylvie to a relatively quiet area of the parking lot.

Her shoulders were slumped, hands on her hips. She was breathing heavily as if battling for control.

“Sylvs, you’re in shock, and when you’ve calmed down—”

“Don’t feed me more lies,” she whirled on him, her eyes shooting daggers. “I am not some fragile flower who can’t deal with the fact her boyfriend is using her to get to her father.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I’ve been trying to ignore the clues in my head, but they keep hitting me smack in the face,” Sylvie whisper-yelled. “I was managing just fine, and then not two weeks of you waltzing back into my life, things went to hell in a handbasket. The DEA is suddenly on to me. Hiroshi is starting to get nervous and is pushing to get married. Now my restaurant blows up nearly killing me and my crew.”

“You think I want to kill you?” Nate asked incredulously, his fury shooting straight to his head. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and he was trying to be a damned understanding boyfriend, but her words cut right through him. It fucking hurt.

“No. But you’ve pissed someone off, and they’re retaliating through me. I don’t know what you’re up to, Nate.” Sylvie shook her head. “Was I part of a long con? Did you have to put up with me for nine years? Showing up every now and then to keep me in line before you decided to take down my father?”

“You’re letting that scumbag Hiroshi fuck with your head. The ACS is so far down the CIA’s list, they’re not even a blip.”

“So, I’m right? You still work for the CIA?”

“Sylvie, this is not a conversation for right now.”

She ignored him and continued to rant. “Are you denying it was you who sent the pictures to my father to taunt him that I will never be safe?”

“What pictures?”

“Stop pretending,” Sylvie scoffed, her hands clenched at her sides.
 

Nate figured she was holding on by a thread, and if she’d let loose, she would have decked him by now. He longed to comfort her, hug her, even let her rail against him, but she was in an irrational state of mind.
 

“I don’t know how you did it,” she continued, “but those pictures were taken a few days ago from inside the restaurant. After Sam fixed the feed.” The way she looked at him killed him. As if he’d betrayed her.

“I swear to you, Sylvs,” Nate gritted through his teeth, “I had nothing to do with it.”

“He’s right,” Cade’s voice broke through their argument.

“Not now, Bowen.” Nate glared at the DEA agent.
 

If it was possible for her to lose any more color, she did. She split a confused look between the two of them.

“Were these the pictures that were sent to you?” Cade held out the screen of his phone to Sylvie.
 

“Rick?” she whispered. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not Rick Meyer. Name’s Cade Bowen. I’m DEA.” At Sylvie’s gasp, Cade hurriedly added, “But I had nothing to do with sending those pictures nor blowing up the restaurant. I was in there for fuck’s sake.”

Sylvie was backing away from both of them. Fear twisted Nate’s gut. He was losing her.

“You knew he was DEA?” Sylvie choked, looking accusingly at him.

Fuck!

“Sylvie, it’s not what you think.” Nate wanted to explain from the beginning. Damn Bowen, she wasn’t supposed to find out this way.
 

“Did you or did you not know Rick”—Sylvie’s mouth twisted in disdain—“oh sorry, Cade—was DEA? It’s a simple yes or no answer, Nate.”

“It really isn’t,” Nate shot back sarcastically, getting pissed.

“Yes or no!” Sylvie snapped.

“I think you know the answer.”

“Fuck you both,” Sylvie said scathingly. “I don’t want to see either of you ever again.” She looked at Cade. “You’re fired.”

She walked away from them, returning to the ambulance where Kato was getting ready to be loaded.

Nate moved to follow her.

“Give her some space, Reece.”

“Space?” Nate growled. “Someone tried to blow her up. Fuck space. She can be mad at me all she wants, but I’m not fucking letting her out of my sight.”

He had a couple of things to sort out however, so he’d give Sylvie a few hours to process what had happened, and then he’d come for her. He wasn’t going to let the asshole who destroyed her livelihood destroy them. No one was keeping him away from Sylvie, and that included her.

*****

Four freaking hours in the hospital. A tedious time answering questions from the MPD detectives, a CT scan, and getting poked and prodded by a doctor to check for concussion. Sylvie was hanging on at the edge of her patience. Right now she was in the sterile waiting area of the emergency room waiting for Kato to be released. His parents were sitting closer to the nurses’ station. She was drained and wanted to go home. But which home? She dreaded going to Nate’s house, but Nana’s serum was there. She was also regretting some of the words she’d said to him in anger and didn’t know how to face him.

As if she had conjured him up, his long frame folded on the seat beside her.
 

“You okay?” His eyes searched her face worriedly. “Do you have a concussion?”

Sylvie shook her head. A sudden surge of emotion threatened to send her into a sobbing mess. She’d been trying to hold back her tears, but with Nate showing up, she suddenly felt it okay to let go, to not be strong all the time. That he’d be there to pull her back in case she wallowed in too much self-pity.

“Nate,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

His chocolate brown eyes softened. He gave her a wry smile. “I know. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. I made some pretty fucked up accusations,” Sylvie puffed a mirthless laugh.

“You were in shock, Sylvie. I’ve also kept things from you. I’ve known Bowen a long time, but I was surprised to see him that day I turned up at your restaurant. That’s the truth.”

“I can’t believe Rick is DEA,” Sylvie said sadly. “I trusted him. I considered him a good friend.”

“He was just doing his job, Sylvs,” Nate said. “I’ve talked to Cade and he said those pictures were just regular surveillance photos. They were never meant to be used against your father. His boss promised an investigation.”

Just then, Kato showed up, a weak grin on his face. “I’m all clear,” he told his parents.

Sylvie stood and waited for Mrs. McMillan to finish fussing over her son before she approached.
 

When it was her turn, she said, “You scared the shit out of me, kiddo.”

Kato’s nose wrinkled at the endearment. “I’m tough. I just took a header against the edge of the work table, that’s all. Thanks for not running out on me.”

“Never.”

“So, I guess this means we’re on vacation.”

Sylvie grimaced. “I’ll have the structural engineers look over the damage. As soon as I know, I’ll contact everyone. I am not expecting you to wait around indefinitely. Don’t make a decision tonight. I’ll call everyone on Monday. Take what’s left of the weekend to relax.” She would also have to deal with the insurance company and wasn’t sure what she could claim given that the damage wasn’t accidental.
 

After giving Kato and his parents a hug, Sylvie nodded to Nate, signaling she was ready to head out.
 

“I lost my phone. It was beside the package that exploded,” Sylvie said as they walked through the hospital’s sliding doors. “I don’t have Nana and Mom’s phone numbers memorized in my head, but it should be on my computer. I should let them know I’m going to be late going down there today.” She looked at Nate. “You haven’t heard anything from Sam, have you? I’m worried about them, Nate.”

A pained expression crossed Nate’s face, worrying her more. “Ah, there’s something I need to tell you.”

*****

The sun just cleared the horizon when Nate finally pulled into his garage. Sylvie had dozed off. He took a moment to compose himself after holding back his frustration all night. The thought that he’d nearly lost her was tearing him apart. If she hadn’t stepped out of the room, she’d be dead. Who wanted her dead? The explosive device was more concussive as to cause damage by shockwave to the immediate vicinity than incendiary. He gripped the steering wheel a few seconds longer before killing the engine. He took a long drawn in breath and glanced at Sylvie, reaching out and brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers. He didn’t lose her. He needed to cling to that thought. Replaying “what ifs” in his head would only drive him insane. Funny that all his CIA training to compartmentalize shit was useless when it came to her.

She moaned softly before her lids fluttered open. “Nate?”

“Hey. Want me to carry you in?” he asked softly.
 

She grinned weakly. “Don’t be silly.” Sylvie exited the Ferrari and stretched like a cat before trudging around the car. When she got to his side, he put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
 

She returned the embrace, her fingers pressing in on the gunshot wound he had quickly patched up in the car when Porter was driving. He gritted his teeth, but a hiss escaped him.
 

“What’s this?” Sylvie’s brows drew together when her fingers felt the rough material. Nate didn’t want to add to her problems and was figuring out a good time to tell her about the attack in the basement parking. Her fingers gripped his shirt and yanked it up. “Oh, my God. Nate, what happened?”

“Let’s get you inside,” Nate muttered, quickly unlocking the door that opened to the kitchen. Walking in, he tossed the keys on the countertop. “Are you hungry? Want me to fix you something?”

Her expression turned mulish. She crossed her arms across her chest and said, “Take off your shirt.”

“Babe, I love that you can’t wait to get me naked, but now’s not the time to get frisky.”

“Nate? After the night I’ve had, I’m not finding this funny.”

He sighed. Guess humor wasn’t the right approach.

“Either your dad or your ardent admirer wanted to send me a message.”

Sylvie’s mouth gaped in disbelief. “When? What did they do? And take off your shirt.”

Shaking his head in resignation, he pulled the navy blue Henley over his head. He always carried extra clothes in his car, and he’d changed out of his blood-soaked shirt after pouring hydrogen peroxide and wrapping a bandage around his wound.

A pinched look came over Sylvie’s features as she stared at the damage from last night. “That bandage is soaked. Dammit, Nate, we were at the hospital, why didn’t you have it looked at. And your back … what—”