Page 76 (1/1)

In the kitchen, she opened the cabinet where she stashed liquor "Your booze choices are gin, whiskey, vodka, and Baileys My mixer selection is lilasses, filled theo"

Shiori knocked back the entire glass before she poured herself another

Not a good sign

But Shiori relaxed a little and slid onto a barstool Then she spun it around to check out the space "This place has a great vibe Like you, I lived in the saet away froht idea about keeping his work space separate from his personal space"

"He’s always been able to co and tell ht"

"Ronin and I met at the conference hall before we split up so he could uy who sets up trade shows in Tokyo when I saw her"

"Nao h to see her face s she’d already found Ronin and baited hirin" Shiori briefly closed her eyes "When I tracked Ronin down, he was in that state between shock and fury Naomi told him that I’d told her where to find him"

"Did you?"

"No! I haven’t seen Naomi for years But I can see where my brother would believe it because I introduced them in the first place I told you that Ronin and Naomi met at a Japanese social club What I didn’t tell you? It wasn’t a randoood I ainst my own common sense Anyhen it became too unbearable to endure, Grandfather proal stuff if I did one thing for hied es aren’t unusual between faree to it, so we had to take a different tack Since Naomi’s family owns banks in Japan, Ronin would know Naomi wasn’t after him for his money But those banks were in trouble--I don’t know the exact details, but Okada Foods transferring twenty percent of their financial business to a different bank would have a tremendous impact"

"But why Naomi?"

"She’s beautiful Cultured She’s from a respected family It appeared she was successful in business in her own right--but that was just another family fabrication She lived h he didn’t knoasn’t Naorandfather understood my brother would suspect anyone he introduced him to And since I was supposedly in Denver on business, Ronin promised he’d escort me to official Okada functions The only reason Ronin went to the Japanese social club withan auction of shunga art"

"Naomi was there"

She nodded "He and Naomi struck up a conversation about the pieces and ended up in a good-natured bidding war Ronin won, but he asked Nao each other exclusively They swapped one kind of club for another His rope expertise isn’t a secret in the jujitsu martial arts world--he’s a record holder in Japan for the second-fastest ti end of that particular skill "Did Naomi know about Ronin’s rope mastery before they met?"

Shiori nodded "Naomi took to the club lifestyle quickly--as I’ether, she kept up the pretense of their relationship--volatile as it was--and I’d secretly hoped they’d fallen for each other for real But then" She picked up her drink and drained it "Ronin tried to break it off with her after she’d disrespected hi had been set up by his faet by being married to an Okada heir"

A in her stomach made her dizzy

"My brother cut off all contact with randfather and ourFor one year He believed we’d infiltrated his dojo and planted spies, so he released all his instructors except for Shihan"

"I can’t even fathom his sense of betrayal and ani I’ve ever been through Realizing what I’d done and howat the tiet out of ame"

Amery couldn’t feel sorry for Shiori--she’d randfather had manipulated Ronin, which would make Ronin question the loyalty of everyone around hi hiiven his for him weren’t real

When have you ever told him how you really feel anyway?