My chest felt too tight, too full.
Gratitude, love, disbelief—all of it tangled together.
Alright. Alright. Relax. You’ve got shit to do before the Dragon wakes up.
Chapter ten
Her Weapons
Nyomi
Minutes later, I pushed open the door to my office.
The guards remained outside of my office.
I glanced at my phone.
7:40 AM.
Reo's deadline echoed in my head—one hour. That meant I had until 8:30 to explore this office, check my messages, grab what I needed, and return to Kenji's bed.
Plenty of time.
I pocketed my phone and looked up at the shelves.
Oh my God.
The space took my breath away all over again.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, waves crashing against rocks in the distance.
A massive desk positioned perfectly to catch the morning light. And shelves—beautiful, floor-to-ceiling shelves that had been empty just days ago—now completely lined with books.
I stopped in the doorway.
Oh my God.
The shelves weren't just filled.
They werecurated.
I headed straight over there and ran my fingers along the spines. My heart started racing as I recognized title after title from the list I'd given Sako barely seventy-two hours ago.
The Art of Memoirby Mary Karr—the Bible for memoir writers.
I pulled it off the shelf, flipping it open to find it was a first edition, signed.
Well damn, Sako. I didn’t need the most expensive, collector’s item. I just wanted it as a resource.
My hands trembled.
I would have to show him my appreciation when I saw him.
I scanned the rest of the books.
Next to it:Bird by Birdby Anne Lamott,On Writingby Stephen King, andThe Situation and the Storyby Vivian Gornick.
Every single craft book I'd been meaning to buy but couldn't justify the expense.
