Page 3 of Awakening Storm

“You have something weighing on your mind, Child?”

“I may be traveling . . . to Japan.”

He smiled. “This is wonderful.”

“It’s far from certain, but I should know in a few days. I just wanted to let you know in case I don’t visit for a month or so.”

He sucked in a breath. “A month?”

He glanced down to hide his disappointment, but she had already seen it in his eyes. “I probably won’t get to go. I have to be chosen out of hundreds of applicants. And I don’t even have to accept if they choose me. So don’t worry. We can see how you are feeling and I can stay if you want me to.”

“No. You mustn’t hold up a magnificent opportunity such as this because of an old man. If it is your fate, it’s your fate. It’s not up to us.” He pulled himself straighter.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Grandfather.”

* * *

Rhianna lifted outof plank position to discover a handsome, toned man standing in the doorway of her Pilates studio. Her business partner, Terri, wore a giddy smile as she stood beside him and waved Rhia over.

Rhianna tried not to groan. Terri knew Rhia hated stepping out on a class, and she was clearly in the middle of one. Couldn’t they wait? Class was nearly over.

Terri waved more frantically.

Apparently not.

“Joy, will you lead the class in a cool down, please?” Rhia asked her assistant.

As Joy came to the front, Rhia headed to the back of the room. She redid the bobby pin holding her hair to the side while she walked, a little irritated. Ugh, she’d never get bangs again. Growing them out was such a pain.

She approached Terri and the stranger, and Terri tilted her head toward the exit. Rhia followed them out to the hallway with a sigh.

Her mind raced to fill in the blanks. The man looked vaguely familiar.

And that’s when she noticed the cameraman.

What the...?

“Rhianna Mori?” the man asked with a practiced voice. “I’m Dillon Savage from the reality television showIf You Dare, and you’re our adventure-trip winner! So drop everything, and let’s go!”

She stared at him, shocked and unprepared. She really hadn’t thought she’d be chosen. But the surprise of it was sort of the point, wasn’t it?

Another cameraman stepped into view off to her right. Here she was, in her exercise garb, and she was expected to drop what she was doing and take off for a dangerous, mysterious locale? In this case, the destination was Dragon’s Vortex off the pacific coast of Japan, an area with more unexplainable incidents than the Bermuda Triangle. Planes and ships passed through that area and the people simply vanished, never to be heard from again.

Just like her great-grandfather.

Her heart thudded in her chest. Now was the time to back out if that’s what she wanted to do.

No, You signed up for this,she reminded herself. She had to do it. She had to find out what exactly had happened to her great-grandfather, to at least try to come home with an answer that would give her grandfather peace.

For a few seconds, she numbly perused Dillon Savage. Funny, he was shorter than she’d expected and, while handsome, he wasn’t nearly as appealing as he appeared on the clips she’d seen. The spontaneous thought caused her lips to tug to one side. He had cropped, curly, blond hair and was dressed fashionably in blue jeans and Ralph Lauren button-down.

Terri bounced on her toes and clapped, bringing Rhia back to the here and now. “This is so exciting.” She grabbed hold of Rhia’s shoulders and gave them a shake. “Go. Go. I’ll take care of everything—your apartment, your plants, the business. I’ll check in on your grandfather. Don’t worry about a thing.” She finished by wrapping her in a big hug.

Rhia squeezed her back, then stepped away, smoothing her hair with nervous fingers. She allowed her gaze to sweep back into the studio space, where Joy and the students were stealing glances toward the hallway. These people and her grandfather were all she had. It wouldn’t bethatbad if she never came back. It wasn’t like she had a husband or children.

She lifted her chin, determined to see this through. She’d wanted to travel to Japan for so long, to not only find out about her great-grandfather’s disappearance but to experience her heritage. Her ancestors on her father’s side had been samurai warriors, and she’d traced her line back to the Nabekura Castle in northeastern Japan. And then . . . nothing.

But if she was honest with herself, those reasons were just part of why she’d signed up for the show six months ago. Now, more than ever, striking out on some outrageous adventure would do her good. She needed something new in her life, some excitement. She needed to prove to herself that she was strong and resourceful and her own person. Her ex-fiancé kept saying she couldn’t make it without him. But he was wrong.