Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115388 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
I swallowed hard.
Then my eyes landed on Reo again—and this time, I studied him. Black suit. Sharp lines. But it wasn’t the suit that threw me. It was the sunglasses. At night. In this alley, under no light, with no one to impress.
He’s hiding his fucking eyes from me.
Whether it was worry, guilt, anticipation, or awe, he was shielding it from me.
My pulse jumped.
If Reo was rattled, even behind the mask of professionalism, then I knew I was about to walk into something I couldn’t just dominate, deflect, or deny.
I stopped in front of Reo and steadied my nerves. “Is something wrong with your phone?”
He watched me through those shades. “Your Tiger had my phone, so I was unable to answer it.”
“And how did a delicate little woman take a phone from you—someone who I have seen kill eight men in two minutes with a pen.”
“One minute.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I killed them in one minute with a stubbed-out pencil.”
“How did my Tiger get your phone?”
“I gave it to her.”
I sneered. “Because?”
“She wanted to keep the location secret and if I had the phone and saw your name, I would have answered and told you the location.”
“That’s your job.”
“No. My job is to keep you safe and make sure you make educated guesses while controlling Japan.”
I gave up. I knew my Roar well enough to know that he would beat me to death with logic, before admitting to being in cahoots with my Tiger.
Gripping the gift tighter, I put my view back on the unmarked building. "What sort of place is this?"
"You are about to walk into it."
I turned back to him and narrowed my gaze. "That was not an answer."
He slid his hands into his pocket. "I like her."
I blinked.
That was a massive fucking statement coming from him. Reo didn’t like many people. He didn’t trust anyone quickly. Any approval from Reo came slower than a winter in Tokyo. He worked with ghosts and killed with reason.
I leaned my head to the side. "You like her?"
"Yes. She’s smart, confident, and strategic. And she got you to wait. That alone is a feat."
I looked toward the door.
A dark thrill twisted my gut.
"Enjoy your surprise, Kenji," Reo stepped aside. "From what I see. . .it will be a very interesting date."
I swallowed. "Do you think I will like it?"
“I don’t know.”
I returned my view to him. “You don’t know?”
“I have no idea.” Reo tilted his head, considering me. "But it is clear that she is about to tap into a side of you that I don't know. And that—" he smiled, not kindly, but curiously, "—is the beauty of intimacy with the right woman."
Then, he grabbed the knob, twisted it, and pulled the door open. There, he held it and smiled at me. “Enjoy your date, Kenji.”
I didn’t walk in right away. Instead, I stared at the dark opening, and then back at Reo. “Did she cook for me?”
“You’re already at the date.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
I exhaled through my nose, irritation prickling beneath my skin. “You know I don’t like walking into things blind.”
“I know.”
“And yet here I am.”
“Yet, here you are.” A beat passed. His posture didn’t shift. He was a damn statue—one carved from logic, secrets, and ruthless calm.
I narrowed my eyes. “I make the plans. I give the orders. I am not meant to be. . .handled.”
Reo cocked his head slightly. “You’re not being handled, Kenji. You’re being gifted. There’s a difference.”
“I don’t believe in surprises.”
“That’s because you believe control is the only way to feel safe.”
I said nothing.
He continued. “But some things, especially the ones that matter, only unfold when you don’t get to script them. A kiss. A confession. A woman deciding she wants to show you something romantic, her way.”
I clenched my jaw. “I don’t like being caught off guard.”
“You’re not. You’re just being asked to trust.”
“I don’t do trust.”
“Then you don’t do intimacy?”
Silence.
It landed between us like a final note.
He let it settle, then added, softer this time, “There’s power in surrendering—when it’s done by choice. And with the right person.”
I frowned and hated that he made sense. “I just want to know if she cooked for me.”
Reo smiled. Not smugly. But with something close to affection. “You’ll find out soon.”
My heart boomed in my ears. “What about security? Is everything in place?”
Reo nodded. “Every camera. Every exit. The surrounding streets have been swept. Seven Scales inside, Ten outside. Your weapons are within reach. Mine are already on me.”
“And the staff?”
“Screened, cleared, professional.”
“And the guests?”
“There are none.”
I raised a brow. “So, it’s just her? My Tiger. . .rented this place out? How?”
Reo didn’t answer. He just held the door for me with the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.
Goddamn it. Tora, you’ve compromised my Roar!
I frowned and headed forward, yet this nervous excitement spilled over me.