Owned by the Yakuza: A Japanese Mafia Bad Boy Romance Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Notice

  Join the Team!

  Teaser

  Notes & Glossary

  Owned by the Yakuza

  PART ONE

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  PART TWO

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  PART THREE

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Other Books by Ariel London

  About the Author

  Owned by the Yakuza

  ヤクザの所有

  Ariel London

  Copyright © 2016 by Ariel London

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Claimed by the Yakuza

  1st Digital Edition, August 2016

  Ariel London

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Individuals pictured on the cover and promotional material are models and are used for illustrative purposes only.

  This work contains scenes of explicit sexual content, violence, and language. There are themes that may be offensive to some readers. This story is intended for readers 18+.

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  “You are mine. I won’t let anyone try to hurt you. Ever.”

  Tadao

  My days of being the forgotten son are over. This is my chance to prove myself and step out from behind my brother’s shadow.

  When I discover than an old debt has gone unpaid, I must retrieve it. But I was not expecting to come face to face with the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. In one lust-driven moment, I’ve already broken my first rule: never mix business with pleasure.

  Oriana must repay her father’s debt, and I can’t fall in love with her before she does.

  Cassandra

  My father warned me to stay away from the Yakuza and now I’m working for them to pay off his debt.

  When the sparks between us finally ignite, Tadao releases the hunger within me and dominates me in ways I always dreamed of.

  As we grow closer, secrets of my father’s past are brought into the light and I realize there is no going back to my old life. Until the debt is paid, I am bound to the Yakuza. Tadao is my master and he will be the one to set me free.

  Set in the gritty underworld of Tokyo, Owned by the Yakuza is a dark romance between a dangerous bad boy and a fiery heroine with sinfully sexy scenes, gripping action and a happily ever after!

  It is recommended that you read Claimed by the Yakuza before reading Owned by the Yakuza, but both books can be enjoyed independently. If you want to read the first book, Claimed by the Yakuza can be read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. (Search ASIN B01K9886US)

  NOTES AND GLOSSARY

  When I wrote Claimed by the Yakuza, it was my first time writing a dark romance – I was a shy virgin of this genre and tried to keep my writing tame. Since it’s release, one of my biggest requests from my fans was to go darker. Well, get ready. In Owned by the Yakuza things are going to get very dark and deliciously dirty.

  Owned by the Yakuza is a sexy, dark romance that makes an effort to be faithful to the unique Japanese culture. Some artistic liberties have been taken, but I did my best to make the yakuza group as realistic as possible.

  Both the Himura-gumi and the Shimazu-kai are fictional yakuza gangs based out of Tokyo, Japan. Their main activity is focused in Shibuya, a ward in Tokyo that is famous for its nightlife and shopping.

  Common Japanese Terms

  Otō-san – Father

  Okā-san – Mother

  Oji-san – Uncle

  -Kun – An honorific used for younger men

  -Chan – An honorific used for younger women or children

  -San – A common honorific. Similar to Mr. or Ms.

  -Sama – An honorific which shows extreme respect

  -Sensei – An honorific used for teachers and doctors

  Oniisan – Older brother

  Otouto – Younger brother

  Yakuza – organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. Similar to the Italian mafia.

  -Gumi – A suffix meaning group. Eg. Himura-gumi means “Himura family group”

  -Kai – A suffix meaning organization Eg. Shimazu-kai means “Shimazu organization”

  Kumichō – the boss of a yakuza group

  Wakagashira – “first lieutenant” of a yakuza group, second in command

  Shateigashira – “second lieutenant” of a yakuza group, third in command

  Kyodai – “big brothers” senior members of a yakuza group

  Shatei – “little brothers” junior members of a yakuza group

  Yubitsume – The ritual of cutting off a finger to show remorse or as an apology

  Irezumi – Traditional Japanese tattoos

  Gaijin – Japanese slang for “foreigner”, sometimes seen as derogatory

  Omiyage – A hostess gift, brought when visiting someone’s house

  Genkan – A foyer at the entry way of a home where shoes are kept

  Kampai – Japanese equivalent to “cheers” when having drinks

  Owned by the Yakuza

  ヤクザの所有

  Ariel London

  PART ONE

  PROLOGUE

  Tadao

  忠夫

  I watched my brother and his bride. They looked so happy. Less than a month after the standoff with the Shimazu-kai, they were getting married. I was sure that okā-san had something to do with their rushed marriage. But it didn’t matter to them, they were perfect for each other. They were meant to be. Fated lovers.

  Cassandra looked breath-taking, radiating modesty and grace in her elaborate white and red kimono, her hair and makeup were done in a Japanese style. I was surprised that she agreed to a traditional Shinto wedding, but I was sure that my mother didn’t give her a choice.

  Kenichi and Cassandra drank three sips of sake, read their vows and exchanged rings.

  Shinto weddings were small affairs, meant just for families, but Cassandra had no family here in Japan so her friends Aiko and Sumiko were filling in for them. Aiko was crying and Sumiko was trying to keep her quiet.

  Finally, the
ceremony was over.

  “Omedetōgozaimasu,” I said to my brother and Cassandra as they approached. “Congratulations.”

  #

  After the ceremony, there was a reception party. Everyone had changed out of their traditional clothes and was dressed in regular eveningwear. The reception was a huge party. All of the family was here, all of the kyodai and members of friendly yakuza gangs. I was sure that invitations were sent to some of our rivals too, just to be polite. Cassandra had invited her friends and some of her co-workers.

  I sat at the bar with Yuji and Masaru. Tatsuya was off somewhere chasing women and Kaoru was already drunk, sitting with his head between his knees.

  “Why do you look so down, Tadao?” Yuji asked.

  I guess I wasn’t hiding my feelings very well. “Nothing,” I lied. “Just tired. The weeks leading up to the wedding were such a headache, I had to listen to okā-san go on and on.” I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh well, thankfully it’s done now.”

  “Yes, and life will go back to normal,” Masaru added.

  Normal. What would normal look like now? Our family had gotten revenge for our father’s death, Kenichi was the kumichō and I was his right-hand man. We had to rebuild Typhoon, the pub that had been destroyed during the feud, we had stockpiles of stolen weapons to rid ourselves of, and connections with yakuza groups in California to manage. It seemed like so much.

  “There’s that face again,” Yuji nudged me. “Come on, drink up. It’s time to celebrate.”

  I pushed the sake away. I never really liked drinking. My brother did enough of that for the both of us. “I think I’m going to go get some air.” I excused myself and went out to the balcony.

  The evening air hit me and I felt better instantly. I leaned against the railing, looking out to the city beyond. Everything was going to change.

  “I thought I saw you come out here, Otouto,” Kenichi's voice came from behind me. He stepped out onto the balcony and shut the door. The noise coming from ballroom was cut off abruptly.

  “Oniisan!” I said with surprise. “What are you doing out here? You should be inside.” Kenichi only called me Otouto when there was something going on.

  “Ugh, I’m tired of shaking hands. I need a break.” He leaned against the railing with his hands in his pockets. His tie was loose around his neck. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  I braced myself. Here it was, something he needed to talk to me about on a night like this couldn’t be good.

  “I meant to ask you earlier, but I completely forgot with all the excitement,” Kenichi gestured to the party inside. “Cassandra wants to go back to Washington state to see her family and have another wedding there.” The thought of it made him go pale. “And I said ok, it’s only fair. But she wants to go soon so we can be back before she starts working again.”

  “She’s still going to go back to work?” I blurted.

  Kenichi shrugged. “Independent woman,” He laughed. “I tried to tell her she didn’t need to, but she wouldn’t listen. Between you and me, I think the reason that she and okā-san get along so well is because they’re very similar,” He added quietly.

  I was quiet, waiting for him to continue.

  “Anyways, while I’m gone, I wanted to ask you to fill in for me and make sure that everything goes smoothly. We’ll only be gone for a week.”

  I held in a gasp. Fill in for Kenichi? I supposed that was my job, being second-in-command and all. “Ok, I’ll do it.” I could not let my reservations show.

  Kenichi smiled and patted me on the back. “Thanks. Don’t worry, it will go fine. Just keep everything going smoothly until we get back. Easy.”

  “Easy, right.” I forced a smile.

  I watched Kenichi return to the party, greeting everyone who stopped to bow or shake his hand. He met up with Cassandra, kissing her and holding her tight. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. I cringed at the feeling and tried to snap myself out of it. I couldn’t envy my brother – he had lost so much and finally found a woman to love him.

  But, hadn’t I been through it all too?

  No. No feelings like that should come from my heart today. My name meant a loyal man and that’s just who I was. I was my brother’s right-hand. No matter what, he was my brother and my kumichō. It was my duty to serve him and I would do everything within my power to make sure that our family was taken care of.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Tadao

  忠夫

  “I’m sorry sir, but business has been very slow lately, with it being summer holidays and all that,” The manager mumbled. He was holding his hands together at chest level, they were trembling. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

  I hated doing this dirty work. I hated seeing the people who gave us money begging and scared. I preferred to see the money once it was over, neatly bundled in stacks and piled in boxes. I loved the smell of cash. I loved the hum of the bill counter. Money didn’t talk or cry. Money didn’t smell like sweat – usually unless it came from a strip club.

  I sighed. “Aright, listen. I’m feeling gracious tonight,” I paused. The man let out a grateful sound from the back of his throat, clasping his hands tighter. “So, I will give you an extension to pay this money. One week. If it’s not here before then, well…” I trailed off because his imagination would devise a punishment infinitely worse than any I was prepared to give.

  The manager collapsed on the floor in a full bow, his head pressed to the dirty floor. “Thank you. Your kindness is much appreciated.”

  I stepped away from him. “I’ll be back on Friday. Don’t disappoint me.” I turned on my heel and pushed through the curtain that divided the kitchen from the seating area. The bar was dead – at least he hadn’t been lying about business.

  “Tch, your kindness is much appreciated.” Tatsuya mocked. He had an unlit cigarette in his mouth and was leaning against the counter.

  I looked at him.

  Tatsuya scowled at me. “You should have made him pay up.” He slammed the side of the cash register with his fist and the tray popped open with a chime. He rummaged around and grabbed a handful of change.

  “Don’t take that,” I started.

  “It’s interest.” Tatsuya pocketed the change and pushed off the counter. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  I heard the manager’s whimpering from behind the curtain. I shuddered and straightened my blazer. “Yeah.”

  Yuji was waiting for us outside in his red Miata. He had the top down and was staring at a bunch of girls across the street advertising for some new massage parlour.

  Tatsuya jumped into the back and lit his cigarette. “A new image club, huh?” He eyed the women dressed like maids. “Do you think it’s the Shimazu-kai?”

  Yuji shrugged. “I don’t know, but there’s been a lot of men going inside.”

  I slipped into the passenger side of the car and looked at both of them. They were practically drooling. “If you guys need some sex therapy, go to one of our clubs, don’t give your money to the Shimazu-kai – or any other gang for that matter.”

  Yuji looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “I wasn’t going to.”

  Tatsuya laughed. “We have way better girls anyways. Geez,” He bumped his fist against my shoulder. “Loosen up a bit.”

  “Did you get the money?” Yuji asked as he started the car.

  “No,” I said, simultaneously ignoring Tatsuya’s snicker and Yuji’s gasp. “It’s fine. He’s short this week. I told him it’s all due next Friday.”

  Tatsuya tilted his head back and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Idiot.”

  I clenched my fist. Out of all of the kyodai, I had never gotten along with Tatsuya. We were opposites and not in the way that complimented each other like my brother and I. We were like oil and water.

  “Show Tadao some respect,” Yuji turned around and snapped the cigarette from Tatsuya’s mouth, flicking it onto the street. “And no smoking in my new car!”

  “What? The top�
��s down!”

  Yuji stomped on the throttle and I watched the buildings pass, letting them argue.

  We were still newcomers to Shinjuku, edging further into the Shimazu-kai’s territory while they recovered from the death of their kumichō. The man who had murdered my father. The man who had been killed by my brother.

  I had never killed a man in all my life. I was twenty-seven and the worst I had done was shoot a man in the knee. All of the other kyodai had stopped keeping track of their kills. There were probably rookie shatei that were more intimidating than me.

  My strengths lied with my abilities with numbers and my perfect memory. These passive attributes weren’t exactly the kinds of things that made our rivals tremble in fear. To add insult to injury, before he left my brother had made me promise to bring Tatsuya with me whenever I went out on business – as if I was some kid that needed babysitting.

  The initial request for one week had become two, and I feared that Kenichi would spend so much time in America that he might never come back. He and I were two halves of a whole. I needed him to be the muscle and he needed me to be the brains.

  “Hey, Tadao, are you listening?”

  I shook myself and glanced at Yuji. “What?”

  “We’re going to go drinking, that was our last stop. You coming?”

  “No thanks. Just drop me at the office.”

  Yuji sighed, shaking his head. “Alright, have it your way.”

  #

  Back in the office, it felt like home.

  I sat at the desk, surrounded by piles of money and computers. I let out a sigh and rested my forehead on the desk, listening to the ticking of the clock. This was my place in the yakuza – not outside roughing up barkeepers who owed protection money.