Not locked away.
Not at the edge of his life.
But very fucking close.
It was a clear statement to me that I was his, and it was so sexy and disturbingly possessive all at the same time.
And I loved it.
The thought made my nipples harden against the lace of my bra. Just enough to remind me that I wasn’t simply loved—I was owned, adored, and permanently marked.
And still, I walked on.
A few steps ahead, the war room came into view.
Two guards stood in front of the door. Same ones from last night. I recognized the tall one with a scar across his eyebrow.
But it was the other one, the shorter man with a subtle mole near his jaw, who gave me pause.
He looked at me again, and I slowed my steps.
Hmmm.
It was that same unsettling glance from the night before—quick, but off in a way that stuck with me. I hadn’t thought much of it then, but now with the war happening. . .my mind was in stealth mode.
Last night, I remembered that this guard’s gaze had lingered not on my body, but on the direction I was walking.
Tracking.
Assessing.
I’d felt it at the time—an instinctual chill—but brushed it off. Too much was happening last night for me to think too deeply about it.
But this afternoon. . .I had the time.
What’s up with this guy?
Instantly, my journalist brain kicked in.
I’d learned to read body language early. It was vital in interviews—when people’s mouths lied, but their shoulders didn’t.
When someone swore they were innocent, but their left eye twitched just before they smiled. When another’s mouth said, "I’m fine," but their knees pointed toward the exit.
This man’s body was closed off. Hands behind his back. Chin up. But his weight shifted subtly when I got close. His pupils widened for a fraction of a second. And his nostrils flared before he masked it all with a blank face.
I think he is hiding something.
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe it was just my nerves.
Maybe he was acting that way because the Dragon’s lover was walking toward a room full of killers, in six-inch heels.
But maybe. . .I’d have to tell Kenji that this guy was tripping my internal alarm.
I just hoped I wasn’t wrong about him. After seeing the bombs erupt across Tokyo on Hiroko’s screen, I knew what Kenji did to his enemies. And I would never forgive myself if I sent an innocent man to burn in the Dragon’s flames.
We’ll see.
