Ratio: A Leopold Blake Thriller (A Private Investigator Series of Crime and Suspense Thrillers)

Copyright © 2014 Nick Stephenson and Kay Hadashi

The right of Nick Stephenson and Kay Hadashi to be identified as the authors of the Work has been asserted them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by WJ Books Ltd.

All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

Blake Family

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also: 
Blake
 (disambiguation)

The Blake family (/ˈbleɪk/ blayk) is an American industrial, political and banking family that made one of the world's largest fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with 
George D. Blake
 and his brother 
James D. Blake
 primarily through 
Standard Oil
.[1] The family is also known for its long association with and financial interest in the 
New Manhattan Bank
, now part of 
Blake Investments Inc
. They are generally seen as one of the most powerful families in the history of the United States.

Most recently, since
the death of Robert and Gisele Blake
, the sole heir to the family’s business interests, 
Leopold R. Blake
, has taken the family’s investments in a different direction and has disappeared from the political landscape to concentrate on developing business interests in the fields of modern biotechnology, clean energy, and charitable causes. [2] Although the circumstances following the deaths of Robert and Gisele Blake are still unclear, many believe…

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ratio: A Leopold Blake & June Kato Thriller

BONUS - Divide and Conquer: A June Kato Short Story

About the Authors

More Books by the Authors

RATIO

A Leopold Blake & June Kato Thriller

The Deadliest Game...

 
When an old acquaintance calls in a favor, Leopold Blake finds himself unable to refuse – despite his best efforts. A major political conference is hitting Seattle, and presidential hopeful Jack Melendez is fresh out of bodyguards – a problem that Leopold is in a unique position to remedy.

 With all eyes on the Emerald City, Blake and his team soon discover that all is not as it seems. What should have been a simple protection job quickly turns into the weekend from hell, as powerful enemies converge on their position, bent on revenge.
But who is the target?

 For June Kato, acclaimed neurosurgeon and martial arts expert, a weekend in Seattle was supposed to be the perfect getaway – an opportunity to connect with her new lover on a deeper level and finally enjoy some alone time. But fate, it seems, has other plans.

 As loyalties are tested and shocking secrets are revealed, Leopold and June find themselves drawn deeper and deeper into an elaborate and deadly trap that will change the course of their lives forever.

 Ratio
is another exhilarating installment in the Leopold Blake series of thrillers, which can be read and enjoyed in any order. This book also contains a bonus short story,
Divide and Conquer
, featuring June Kato.

Sign up for Nick Stephenson’s New Releases mailing list and get a free copy of the latest novella
Paydown: A Leopold Blake Thriller
.

Click here to get started:
www.nickstephensonbooks.com

Prologue

THE OLD MAN sat bare-chested in
seiza
: on his knees, back straight, hands folded in his lap. He listened to the sounds of the city below, feeling cool wind dance against his skin. Thirty floors up, the balcony offered a fine view of Tokyo’s jumbled vista, an endless metropolis stretching out as far as the old man’s tired eyes could focus. The evening sun hung low and heavy in the sky, casting a foggy light over the rumbling hills on the horizon. The city never slept, and neither did he. 

Death weighed too heavily on his mind. 

He shook his visions away and took a deep breath. His guest had been patient so far, with no need to keep him waiting any longer. The
gaijin
stood a few feet away surveying the streets below, his pale skin glowing in the fading light. The old man noticed faint pink scars around his forehead and jawline. The man’s eyes were obscured by sunglasses. He was Caucasian, slim, with chiseled features, and wore a tailored
saburo
, or Western-style suit, of deep blue. Underneath, a white shirt, no tie. His dark hair was flecked with gray and his voice cut through the air like a knife. 

“Oguchi-san, you’re trying too hard to forget,” the
gaijin
said. “You spend too much time in meditation.” He turned to face the older man. “Resolution comes only from action.” 

“I will meditate.” A deep breath. “You will act.” 

“As agreed.” The
gaijin
removed his sunglasses. His dark eyes settled on Oguchi’s chest, focused on the cherry-blossom tattoos covering much of his frail body. 

“You will stay for tea,” Oguchi said. 

The
gaijin
didn’t reply. 

“It is considered polite.” 

A nod. 

Oguchi turned his head. A young girl waited inside the apartment. He waved her forward. She fetched a low rosewood table with an iron kettle and two small ceramic cups. She knelt and poured half a cup of pale green liquid into each, tipping the contents away after a few seconds. She refilled the cups, now warm, leaving them within arms’ reach of the older man. Both palms on the floor, she bowed silently before retreating back toward the apartment. 

“Sit,” Oguchi said. 

The
gaijin
obliged, settling crossed-legged on the balcony floor opposite, taking one of the cups in both hands. The young girl seemed to sense her presence was no longer required and she slipped back inside, sliding the
shoji
door closed behind her.

Oguchi studied his guest carefully. “You have everything ready?” 

The man nodded. “A complex job. But vengeance never did come easy. Or cheap.” 

“If my soul can rest, no payment is too much.”

No reply. 

Oguchi sipped his tea. “Do you know what it is like to lose a son?”

“I have some idea.”

“I lost a son and a granddaughter.” He set the cup down on the tray. “When I am ashes, who will carry my memory?”

No reply. 

Oguchi didn’t press for an answer. Slowly, he reached out a hand, plucking a single poppy from a nearby trough. He held it up, studying it carefully. 

“Nature has its own way of balancing,” he said, picking out the seeds and tossing them onto the floor in front of him. “Each seed is an inconsequential part of a much greater whole. Perfectly balanced, uniform. The power of natural design. A perfect design.” 

“I’m familiar with the concept,” the
gaijin
said. He hadn’t touched his tea.

“This is the balance I seek,” said Oguchi. “This is worth your price.”

The visitor slipped his sunglasses back over his eyes and stood up. “I have done as you asked. The rest is up to you.” He headed for the door, stopped and turned around. “And you should know as well as I,” he said, “that nature has a way of playing by its own rules.” 

He opened the
shoji
and stepped inside the apartment, slipping away into the darkness.

Chapter 1

THE CRACKED WINDOW frame let in a deep howl as the wind picked up outside, the curtains pulled shut against the glare of the sun. In the darkness, a television hummed quietly to itself in the corner, casting a dull glow over the dingy room, the muted sounds of the news report barely audible over the sound of the killer’s heavy heartbeat. 

A face appeared on the screen, grinning wide. Handsome, Hispanic, a man with too much money and too many secrets to hide. US Ambassador and Presidential hopeful Jack Melendez beamed his trademark smile to the televised crowds, one of many pieces of stock footage the killer had forced himself to watch in the last week.