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)
A security guard was waiting outside the changing room door to intercept him. "Neil Josten, they have a few last questions for you."
Neil turned soundlessly after him and followed him back to the inner ring. The stadium was completely empty and the police were long gone. Neil was too tired to ask what was going on so plodded along behind the guard in silence. A third of the way down was a gate the security guards used for moving between the inner ring and the stands. The guard unlocked it and motioned Neil through. Spilled soda made Neil's shoes stick to the ground, and the entire place reeked of greasy food and beer.
Past the next stairwell was one of the tunnel entrances that let fans into the stadium from the outer ring. Neil had been in the Foxes' outer ring only once, since the Foxes' locked entrance let him bypass the food stands and paraphernalia shops. The Ravens' outer ring looked much the same as the Foxes' did except for the dated championship banners that hung from the rafters. Once a source of pride, they would now serve as a visible reminder of tonight's failure.
EAST was written above an elevator in bold red letters, and Neil forgot about the banners. The guard had to swipe his badge and key in a six-digit code to get access. There were only two buttons inside, "Floor" and "Tower". Neil closed his eyes for the ride to the top.
The guard stayed behind when Neil stepped out, so Neil went on alone. A short hall opened up into a spacious room Neil recognized. Nine years ago he'd been here with Riko and Kevin while his father carved a man into a hundred pieces.
Stuart Hatford and a man Neil didn't recognize stood in the far corners. Tetsuji and Riko sat on one of the couches, Tetsuji straight-backed and stone-faced, Riko shuttered and hollow. Neil saw the white plaster of a cast poking out of the sling the doctors put Riko's arm in. Neil could have stared at it forever, but Ichirou was standing by the windows overlooking the court and Neil knew better than to ignore him. Neil stood halfway between the brothers and fixed his eyes on Ichirou's collar.
It was so quiet Neil heard someone's watch ticking. Neil counted a minute, then two, and still no one said a word. At last Ichirou drew a gloved hand from his pocket and gestured. The stranger brought him a handgun. Neil waited, silent and breathless, for Ichirou to turn that gun on him. He could ask for a second chance, but there was no point in trying. His words wouldn't change what happened tonight, and not even Neil could lie well enough to convince Ichirou he was sorry.
Ichirou started forward, but he didn't go to Neil. He stood before his uncle and spoke in quiet Japanese. Tetsuji listened to it all in silence, expression unchanging. When Ichirou went quiet, Tetsuji bowed low over his knees. He didn't sit up again, even when Ichirou turned his heavy stare on Riko. Riko finally stirred enough to look up, and the brothers faced each other for the first time. Ichirou crouched in front of him, wordless and slow.
"Ichirou," Riko said, so choked with emotion Neil almost couldn't understand him. He could have been cursing Ichirou's name for waiting so long to come into his life. He could have been begging for justice or revenge. Riko opened his mouth to say something else but closed it again when Ichirou cradled Riko's cheek in his free hand.
It wasn't comfort, but Neil didn't figure that out until it was too late. Ichirou put the gun to Riko's temple and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The gunshot was so unexpected, so loud, that Neil jumped. Riko's body jerked under the force of impact. Blood splattered across Tetsuji's back and the leather couch they shared. Ichirou withdrew his hands and let Riko fall.
As Ichirou straightened the stranger stepped forward. Ichirou passed the gun back, and the stranger knelt to press it into Riko's lifeless hand. Neil watched him curl Riko's fingers around the grip. In a distant corner of his mind Neil knew what was going on, but right now Neil was too shocked to make full sense of it.
Ichirou stopped in front of Neil. "You have cost the Ravens their coach and their captain. Are you satisfied?"
It made no sense at first, because Tetsuji was still alive. When Neil caught on he stopped breathing. Tetsuji Moriyama was stepping down—not necessarily because Neil had asked for it, but because Ichirou had been here firsthand to see what the Ravens had become under Tetsuji's guidance. Stuart had said Ichirou was cutting his losses. The Ravens' reckless violence and fraying sanity made them a glaring liability. Ichirou wanted nothing to do with Edgar Allan's tarnished reputation.
Neil was suddenly wide awake. "Your people are safe, as are mine. Yes, I'm satisfied."
Ichirou's smile was cold and fleeting. "Let them call you by whatever name they like. You will always be a Wesninski at heart." Ichirou gestured to Neil like he was shooing away an insignificant fly. "You are dismissed."
The security guard took Neil back to the locker room and left him at the door. Neil went inside alone and found all of the Foxes waiting for him. Neil looked from one tired face to the next, soaking them in, reveling in everything they'd accomplished tonight and imagining how they'd react when they heard the news tomorrow.
"What's so funny?" Nicky asked when he spotted Neil in the doorway.
Neil hadn't realized he was smiling. "Life?"
His good mood seemed to inject a little life back into the room. Dan sat up a bit straighter, and Matt managed a grin. Kevin pressed his fingers hard against his new tattoo. Aaron and Nicky exchanged triumphant looks, and Allison reached out to squeeze Renee's hand. Wymack's nod was approving; Abby's smile was proud.
"Let's blow this joint," Wymack said. "We've got a party to get to. Anyone who's not on the bus in two minutes gets to stay here overnight."