Reo cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I was going to chat with her about the second spy, let her know all of the information, the location of signal, and all the people that lived there.”
I stopped in front of the stairs and scowled at him. “My Tiger is a journalist. It would be like giving a dog a bone. She would want to go out there and start fucking sleuthing. So no. She found two spies. She’s done.”
“I can give her the Claws to go to the eastern side of the island. There’s a nice beach there. Many of the families relax over there during the day. I would just want her to look around a little bit. She could talk with some of the people on the beach and hang out. It would be fun in the sun.”
“Fun in the sun?” I pointed at him. “The only way I would allow that is if I was with her—”
“This won’t work if you go with her. The spy will be on guard.”
“I don’t want the fucking spy anywhere near her while I’m not there.” Somehow even more pressure filled my chest. I kept breathing like nothing was wrong—short, shallow lies dressed as composure.
Reo’s tone remained maddingly calm. “She’s good, Kenji. She could find the other spy. That would give us a big leg up in this war. And Hiro would never let anything happen to her. He knows how much you love her, and. . .after Nura. . .he’s going to be even more protective than you.”
“That’s not the point.” I gripped the banister hard enough to make the wood groan. “You don’t put a crown jewel in themiddle of a minefield just because you’ve got killer guards with her.”
“She’s not just a jewel. She also could be a weapon in this war. . .not in our way of course, but inherway. A big mistake on your part would be, if you kept her locked in a box on this island like she’s breakable.”
“Sheisbreakable,” I snapped. “And unlike you, I’m not interested in seeing how far she can bend before she snaps.”
Reo didn’t blink. “Kenji, she’s your Heart.”
“And I need my Heart to live.”
“You will also need your Heart to win, and that means letting her be helpful.”
“Reo. . .what you’re not understanding is that I’ve changed since she’s entered my life.” I stepped closer and lowered my voice so no passing guards or staff could hear me. “If she dies, the war is over for me.Everythingis over for me. There would be no more Dragon. Do you understand? I would be. . .nothing. . .”
Reo pursed his lips.
I stepped back. “You think winning this war matters more than her life? It doesn’t.”
“I think winning this war is the only way to keepheralive, and if we want to beat the Fox we must use every advantage. One spy could ruin everything.”
“My Tiger is not anadvantage, she’s one of the reasons why I’m fighting this war in the first place.”
“And she’s the reason you could lose it, because you’re playing defense when you should be striking.”
I could feel the muscle ticking in my jaw. I was halfway ready to fucking fight him, but at this point my lungs felt like barbed wire was wrapping around them. I struggled to breathe through it.
Reo watched me. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I cleared my throat. “You want me to dangle her like bait?”
“I want you to stop acting like she’s already dead the moment she leaves your sight. She’s smart. She sees things you and I don’t. You know it.” Reo placed his hands into his pockets. “Once again, let me remind you. She found Watari. She found Oguri. If you or I had ignored her instincts either time, we would still have two snakes in the grass.”
My fingers tightened around the banister. “And if I keep letting her play at this, it’s only a matter of time before she steps on the wrong snake.”
“Or she helps us find the spy, who can possibly help us find the Fox. Then you don’t need to send half your men to die. Can you see it? Victory.”
The image hit me hard—my father’s sliced-up body, my brother’s bloodied head bowed, the war over before it began. No mass graves on our side. No widows. No brothers’ blood on the sand.
But then another image followed.
Nyomi’s body. Her blood all over my hands. Her eyes closing while I was too far to reach her.
Reo sighed. “Fear makes you cage what you love. Respect sets it free to fight beside you.”
I looked away, jaw tight, because I knew he wasn’t entirely wrong. But fear wasn’t just fear—it was the knowledge of what the Fox would do to her if he ever got close enough.
