Hiro hit the call button.
Those unsettling sounds returned to me—slithering, hissing, and rattling.
The Mystery Team needs to find the snakes in a nest.
I shivered.
A pair of maids came from the opposite end of the corridor. They wore crisp uniforms, hair tied back neatly, eyes clear.
Instantly, I left the fun of Scooby-Doo talk and returned to Hunting mode, assessing each one and trying to figure out if they gave off spy energy.
One of the maids carried a basket of neatly folded towels.
The other held a tablet tucked against her chest.
They saw Hiro first and straightened instinctively, bowing with deep respect.
Their gazes slid to me then—curious, but without malice. They bowed again, a fraction lower.
I gave them both warm smiles. “Good evening.”
As they walked past us, I studied their faces, their hands, the way their shoulders sat.
There was no tension.
No furtive glances.
No flicker of fear or guilt.
Just tired feet, quiet competence, and that peculiar calm I’d noticed in the staff who’d been with the Dragon’s family for years.
If there is a snake hiding in this household, it isn’t in these two. They’re clear.
But would the other staff members be just as easy to assess?
I prayed the answer was yes.
Because, if I failed, someone died.
And if I succeeded, someone still died.
Chapter thirty-two
Scars
Nyomi
The elevator chimed and opened with a soft hiss.
We stepped inside, the four of us filling the space. Hiro took the spot near the buttons.
The twins bracketed the door.
I ended up in the back.
The doors closed, cutting us off from the rest of the mansion.
For a moment, only the faint hum of the elevator filled the air.
