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 considered turning around and walking away but suspected that was a good way to get shot in the back. He didn't know why he was here, since not even Riko had ever met his brother face-to-face, but he knew one misstep meant his uncle's hopeful truce was void. Neil pawed desperately at his memory, searching for any advice on how to handle this encounter. Neil couldn't face Ichirou as Neil Josten; he had to face Ichirou as a Wesninski would. That meant every word had to be the truth and this had to be the biggest lie Neil had ever told.
He bit down on his doubts and the first flicker of panic and said, very carefully, "May I come in?"
Ichirou flicked two fingers in silent command, and Neil climbed into the car. He closed the door behind himself, firmly but not loudly, and fixed his stare on Ichirou's shoulder.
"Do you know who I am?" Ichirou asked.
"Yes," Neil said, and faltered for a half-second as he grasped at a proper title. "Sir" didn't have the necessary respect, but Kevin had referred to Kengo more than once as "lord". It was an outdated and clumsy term but it was all Neil had right now. "You are Lord Moriyama."
"Yes," Ichirou said, with a measured calm Neil didn't trust for a second. "You are aware my father is dead? I have not yet heard your condolences."
"Offering them seems presumptuous," Neil said. "It assumes you value my words, but I am just a no-one."
"You are not no one," Ichirou said. "That is why I am here. You understand."
It wasn't a question, but Neil lowered his head and said, "My father is dead at my uncle's hands and the FBI is investigating what is left of his ring. I am a loose end that must be dealt with one way or another."
"I could stop it," Ichirou said, and Neil believed him. It didn't matter that the FBI already had boxes full of Neil's stories and names. If Ichirou wanted the story killed and rumors quieted, he could do it with a couple phone calls and enough money. "Instead I am here. I like to know the value of things before I throw them away so I know how to compensate for their loss."
"I have no value now," Neil said, "but if given the time and chance to do so I would repay your family for the inconveniences I've caused. The average professional Exy player makes three million dollars a year. I don't need that kind of money for myself. Let me donate it to your family instead. I can route it through whichever holdings and charities you've inherited."
"An unsubtle attempt to buy your safety."
"My lord," Neil said, "I am attempting to right a wrong and fulfill a broken promise. I was supposed to belong to your uncle. I should have been raised at Evermore to be a Raven and play for Court. My potential revenue has always belonged to you. I returned to Exy as soon as my mother died because I know my purpose."
"And yet you did not return to my uncle," Ichirou said.
It felt like a test where failure meant death. Neil knew what the safe answer probably was, but a dangerous thought burned his tongue. His father had served Kengo, but to hold so much territory and power Kengo would have had to trust him. Nathan would have had the right to bring threats and potential complications to Kengo's attention. Neil didn't have that authority, but he had to try.
"I know you have no reason to trust my word," Neil said, very carefully, "and I know I have not earned your ear or consideration. But I am a Wesninski. My family is your family. Please believe me when I say I would never risk the safety of your empire. Playing for Edgar Allan would betray everything my family is supposed to stand for."
He hesitated as if afraid of continuing and crossing a fragile line. Ichirou waited for him to make up his mind. Neil wished he could read something, anything, on Ichirou's face, but his expression was serene and his tone hadn't changed since this awful conversation started. Neil didn't know if he was fooling Ichirou, and he didn't know if it would make a difference even if he could.
Neil finally took a steadying breath and said, "Your brother is going to destroy everything of yours unless someone collars him."
It was enough to earn a thin smile from Ichirou. It was all Neil could do to not flinch when Ichirou said, "That is very bold."
"Yes," Neil said, "but it is the truth."
Ichirou said nothing for so long Neil wondered if he was supposed to get out of the car and walk away. Finally Ichirou gestured for him to continue.
"Riko has spent his entire life aiming to be the best player on the court," Neil said. "When he feels his superiority is threatened he lashes out without concern for collateral damage. This past year alone is proof of his increasing instability.
"Kevin Day was your uncle's second largest investment, but Riko destroyed him over injured pride. At the start of his sophomore year Kevin had a seven-digit net worth between his professional contract, his spot on the national team, and his endorsements. He could have earned your family fifteen, twenty million a year after graduation. Now Kevin is starting over from scratch.
"Riko killed one of my teammates in August and admitted to it in a public location," Neil said. "In November he interfered with the Oakland justice system and left a money trail from California to South Carolina all for the sake of hurting another teammate, and in December he bought out a psychiatrist at Easthaven in Columbia to continue that torture. Over Christmas break he gave me back my natural looks so my father's people could find and kill me. He laid the groundwork for the confrontation in Maryland that ended with my father's death and this entire federal investigation.
"Last week he reacted to your father's death by beating one of his teammates within an inch of his life. He is lucky it was Jean Moreau; Jean knows who your family is and would never speak out against Riko. But Jean is in our custody now while he heals and Edgar Allan University has launched a quiet investigation into the Ravens. They will find out about the hazing and abuse your uncle condones and someone will have to answer for it. What happens if they stumble across evidence of Riko's manipulations during their search?