I gave him a sad smile. “I plan to be as thorough as possible.”
Kenji’s voice carved through the tension. “Right now, we don’t decide guilt in this room, but we do decide how to hunt it.”
His gaze moved from Hiro then to me. “If Hina is innocent, my Tiger will clear her. If she isn’t. . .”
He let it hang.
Everyone knew what happened to traitors.
Reo nodded once. “We’ll match the scale logs along with all guards within the house to the time stamps on the leaked photos. And then we’ll layer that with cameras and keycards.”
Reo looked back to Kenji. “But as long as any of the women might be compromised, they’re still a risk. They hear. They see. They talk. We need our most trusted with them, until Nyomi finishes her assessment.”
Kenji’s eyes went to the twins, then Hiro, then settled on me. “If they’re the spies, one or all of them, then I’ll be the one with them tonight.”
The air tightened.
“I’ll keep them close,” Kenji continued. “No access to systems, phones, or the war room. They’ll think I’m spending time with them. Meanwhile, my Tiger has this house to assess. She can tear up every floorboard if she wants.”
My pulse thudded hard, but I didn’t look away.
Hiro locked gazes with his brother. “While you’re with them, Nyomi will need protection. I’ll be next to her.”
Kenji didn’t hesitate. “You don’t leave her side. Not in this house. Not outside it. Not until this is finished.”
“Understood.”
The Fangs and Claws absorbed the new orders.
War outside.
Hunt inside.
Kenji's hand found my thigh again, and this time he didn't just rest it there. He squeezed—tender but possessive, a touch that said, ‘I've got you. They'll have to kill me before anything happens to you.’
My heart warmed.
"We move fast," Kenji’s gaze swept the room, "before the spies realize their messages never reached the Fox."
Then, quieter, meant only for me, he leaned in until his breath ghosted my ear. "You find them, Tora. I'll handle the rest."
A promise.
A threat.
A vow written in blood.
The room answered in quiet, lethal agreement.
Inside my head, the clock started ticking.
We had less than twenty-four hours to solve a puzzle before the pieces started killing back.
Reo unfolded his arms and then tapped a finger on the table. “Tonight, while Nyomi goes through the Scales’ rooms, we keep all three women someplace controlled. It should make them think it is a reward, not an interrogation.”
He glanced at Kenji. “They’ve been asking for a movie night with you for weeks. Let’s give it to them.”
Excuse me? What? Movie night?
