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)
Kenji nodded. “This is the smartest play, if my Personal Scales are innocent, nothing happens except a movie and too much popcorn. If they’re guilty. . .well. . .the theater has excellent soundproofing."
A chill ran down my spine.
Kenji added blandly, "No one else in the house will hear their screams.”
Terror shot through me.
Holy shit.
Reo checked his watch and sat down. “All right. We have tonight mapped out. The Personal Scales get their fantasy. The Tiger gets her hunt. The Claws and Fangs become wallpaper. That buys us our first round of answers.”
His tone sharpened. “But I don’t want anyone in this room thinking the Personal Scales are the only possibility. They’re not.”
I nodded once. I’d been thinking the same thing. Whoever sent those messages had access, yes. But access came in a lot of shapes—maids, lower-level guards, tech support in the server room. Hell, even a terrified accountant could become a spy if one squeezed the right nerve.
“Whether one of the Personal Scales is part of this or not,” Reo said, “someone else is. Maybe several deadly someones. Which means tonight is just phase one.”
Hiro leaned forward forearms on the table. “And phase two?”
Reo’s eyes went shadow-dark. “Tomorrow, the Tiger hunts again. But this time, we don’t just watch patterns. We set a trap.”
A low sound rumbled on my right, full of threat.
Kenji.
He tilted his chin and scowled at Reo. “Trap? We said nothing about a trap, Roar.”
“Kenji, the hunt won’t just be enough—”
“Every trap needs bait,” Kenji’s voice like velvet dragged over a blade. “Who the fuck do you think the bait is going to be for this trap tomorrow?”
Reo didn't answer.
He didn't have to.
His gaze just slid toward me.
Oh.
One by one, every other pair of eyes around the table followed. The Fangs. The Claws. Hiro. The twins. All of them turned until their focus converged to where I sat.
In the center of the table. Between the Dragon and Hiro. Surrounded by killers who would burn the world for me.
My pulse kicked hard.
I'm the bait.
The thought should have terrified me. Days ago, it would have. But now, sitting here with Kenji's hand on my thigh and Hiro's heat radiating from my left, I felt something else entirely.
Clarity.
If we needed bait to draw out a snake, then fine. I'd be the fucking bait. But I wouldn't be helpless prey waiting to get caught.
“Bait? Okay.” I met Reo's eyes. "Tell me what you need me to do."
Chapter twenty-nine
Bait and Braids
Nyomi
Before Reo could speak, Kenji leaned forward. "Reo, you want to set a trap? Fine. Use decoys. Use misinformation. Use every fucking resource we have. But my Tiger will never be bait in anyone’s trap."
I widened my eyes.
The room went silent.
Reo set his phone down slowly, carefully, like he was handling something explosive. "With respect, we're discussing possibilities—"
"And I'm now telling you certainties. She's not doing it."
I felt the possessiveness radiating off him. This wasn't just protective alpha instinct—this was the Dragon drawing a line in blood.
Still, Reo didn't back down. He met Kenji's gaze head-on, respectful but unwavering. "I understand your concern. But we need to think strategically. The spies are watching her. They've already marked her as a target. If we control the situation, we turn their interest into our advantage."
"You want to dangle her in front of killers." Kenji's jaw clenched. "That's not strategy. That's sacrifice."
I let the cherry-sugar lollipop dissolve slowly, savoring the warmth and letting the subtle sweetness ground me while they argued about my role.
"I don’t believe we’re talking about sacrifice, Kenji. I think it's calculated risk," Reo countered. "With every precaution in place. Full security detail. Controlled environment. We choose the location, the timing, every variable."
"Variables fail." Kenji's hand was still on my thigh, and his grip had gone iron-tight. "People die when variables fail."
From my left, Hiro made a low sound—not quite a laugh, not quite agreement.
I glanced at him and found him leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, dark eyes moving between Kenji and Reo like he was watching a tennis match.
Assessing.
Calculating who would win.
The corner of his mouth twitched, just slightly. He wasn't going to intervene. He wanted to see how this played out.
Reo tried again, and his voice was tense, yet logical. "Kenji, I respect your position. But the Fox won't stop. The spies won't stop. We can either wait for them to strike on their terms, or we force their hand on ours."
"Or we force their hand another way."
"There is no other way." Reo spread his hands. "Not one that works this cleanly. They want her. Tomorrow, we give them the illusion of access while keeping her completely protected."
"No." The Dragon’s word was final.
Absolute.
Fuck.
I watched them—Kenji radiating fury and possessive denial, Reo standing firm with cold logic.
The Fangs and Claws had gone still, like they knew better than to breathe too loud during a clash between these two titans.