I kept my voice steady. “In fact, I talked to Hiro this morning. Again, we're planning abigsurprise.”
Kaede's eyes narrowed.
He’s still suspicious.
Toma's grin faded slightly.
He’s still testing.
Daisuke remained expressionless.
He’s waiting for proof.
The twins exchanged glances and then frowned.
They’re unconvinced.
One twin—Aki, I thought, based on the slight scar deviation—met my eyes directly for the first time. "What kind of surprise?"
"You'll have to wait and see," I said.
The other twin—Yuki—almost smiled. Almost. "We're good at waiting."
"And watching," Aki added.
"We see everything," they said together, but this time it sounded like a threat.
Kenji sneered.
The Claws were clearly a group of guys that had been through a lot and needed action not words in order to believe a person.
Tough crew, but. . .a very loyal one to Kenji. I don’t feel like any of them are spies.
And also. . .the more the Claws studied me, the more I felt the truth settle in my chest. I wanted to be worthy of this world. . .I yearned for their welcoming acceptance, and I wasn’t sure what that said about me.
That being said, I leaned Kenji’s way and whispered, “All of the Claws are clear. There are no spies in that group.”
He let out a low breath as if he’d been holding it the whole time. “Thank you, Tora.”
Reo had been watching us.
I gave him a small nod too.
Relief hit his eyes and he actually smiled.
A creak sounded across the room.
The door opened.
Who’s this?
Hiro walked in.
Oh.
I put my gaze on Hiro.
He was rubbing his eyes like he'd just woken up. Hiro’s hair fell across his forehead in a way that made his already handsome face look younger, softer—almost innocent on a man built for brutal violence.
