Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 161615 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 808(@200wpm)___ 646(@250wpm)___ 539(@300wpm)
Minutes.
Hours.
Time had lost all meaning somewhere between the prison and this bed.
But slowly, gradually, I felt something shift inside my chest. The jagged edges of what I'd broken tonight began to smooth. The weight I'd been carrying since I walked out of that shower began to lift.
Not completely.
Some weights I might carry forever.
But enough.
Enough to breathe again.
Enough to feel something other than horror.
I lifted my head from her neck and looked at her.
Moonlight caught the angles of her face—the high cheekbones, the full lips, the dark eyes that held no judgment. Only love. Only patience. Only a steadiness that made me want to weep with gratitude.
"How did I survive before you?" The words came out raw. Honest in a way I rarely allowed myself to be.
She smiled—soft, sad, and knowing. "You didn't survive. You just existed. There's a difference."
Yes. . .there's definitely a difference.
Before her, I had been surviving. Moving through days like a shark through water—always forward, never stopping, because stopping meant thinking and thinking meant feeling and feeling meant drowning.
But this?
This warmth spreading through my chest?
This peace settling into my bones?
This wasn't survival.
This was something I'd forgotten existed.
This was life.
This was love.
"Nyomi." I cupped her face in my hands and traced the curve of her cheekbones with my thumbs. "I need you to know something."
She widened her eyes.
"What you did tonight—finding those snakes, unraveling that network—you didn't just save me." I pressed my forehead to hers, breathing the same air she breathed. "You saved everyone I love. Everyone I'm responsible for on this island. Hundreds of people. You gave me a chance to end this war before the Fox destroyed everything."
Her breath hitched.
"There were thirty more snakes, Tora. Thirty more people who would have eventually plotted to kill me, Hiro, Reo, the Fangs, the Claws, but especially you. Thirty snakes who were waiting for the right moment to strike. And you found them. You. My Tiger. My Heart. You. In one night. With nothing but your instincts and your courage."
"T-thirty more?"
"Yes. Sako was managing the entire network. My father had brainwashed him into thinking that his spying was keeping me safe." I pulled back just enough to look at her. "And you burned it all down in a single evening."
Her eyes were wet now and glistening in the moonlight.
"I didn't know," she whispered. "I just. . .I followed the trail. I didn't realize—"
"That's what makes you extraordinary." I kissed her forehead. "You don't even understand how brilliant you are. How invaluable. How utterly irreplaceable."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
I caught it with my thumb and brushed it away. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving to you what you mean to me, starting now."
Her brow furrowed slightly. "Starting now?"
I glanced toward the nightstand where the velvet box sat waiting.
Her gaze followed mine. "What's that?"
"Your gift. Open it."
Chapter forty-seven
The Gift of Love
Kenji
She sat up slowly.
The sheets pooled around her waist, as she reached for the box with trembling fingers.
I watched her face as she opened it.
Confusion first.
Then disbelief.
Then something that looked like shock mixed with wonder.
She looked up at me. "These are. . .keys.”
"Yes."
"Did you get me a car?"
"No."
She stared at me, utterly baffled. "Keys to a new office?"
"No."
"A. . .house?"
"No."
"Then what are these keys for?"
I smiled and sat up too. "They’re for your plane."
She blinked.
Her mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
Nothing came out.
"It's being built right now," I continued, savoring every second of her shocked reaction. "Custom designed. It should be ready in a few months. After the war is over, you can use it to visit your grandmother whenever you want. Weekly, if you'd like. I know how much you miss her. You should also bring her out to Japan. We could show her Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto. She may love it."
"She would lose her mind." She stared at the keys like they might bite her. "Kenji. . .a plane?"
I reached out and tucked a braid behind her ear. “Yes. You deserve it. This is my thank you. You get a plane because you unraveled an entire spy network in a single night. Because you saved my life and didn't even realize you were doing it. Because thirty more people would have eventually put bullets in my head or taken you from me if you hadn't followed your instincts."
I cupped her face in my hands again, making sure she was looking directly into my eyes. "Thank you. I’m going to spoil you for the rest of your life, Tora. This is just the beginning."
The tears came freely now—streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto my thumbs. "Kenji. . ."
"Do you like it?"
“Y-yes.”
“Good.” I kissed her forehead.
She let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob. "A plane. You got me a plane. Zo is going to shriek for days."
“Good. When the plane is done being built, you can take Zo on a trip—”