“For sure. . .” I squeezed him once more, then pulled back, and smiled. "Anytime. . .brother."
He stared at me and remained silent as if unable to speak.
Once he let me go, he sat back down in front of his plate, but he didn’t pick up his fork.
“See you later, Hiro.”
“You definitely will. . .sister.”
I laughed and left him there in the kitchen, reggae music still playing softly, a man who'd been drowning in darkness finally coming up for air.
Alright. Now I’m finally heading back to the room.
My guards wheeled the food cart away.
Four beeps sounded on the scarred guarded wrist.
He widened his eyes. “We must hurry. The Dragon’s awake.”
Oh shit. I hope Kenji isn’t tripping about my being gone.
Chapter fifteen
The Dragon’s Law
Nyomi
My nerves were still humming from the moment with Hiro.
His sadness.
His nearness.
The rough edge of his voice.
The way our laughter and singing had clung to me long after I’d left the kitchen—raw, human, and too familiar.
It reminded me that under all the muscles, tattoos, and weapons, these men were just wounded boys who’d been taught survival instead of love.
That was why for me feeding him had been so important. It was a medicine that I’d learned from my grandma.
Love disguised as breakfast.
Healing concealed in hollandaise.
I hope he gets some sleep after he finishes eating.
The guards led me to an elevator I didn't even know existed. It was hidden behind what I'd thought was a decorative panel in the hallway.
I'd passed that panel a few times, and always thought it was stunning—hand-painted with delicate cherry blossoms drifting across a gold-leafed background, their pale pink petals floating in an eternal spring breeze.
I knew from my research that this was traditional ukiyo-e—art meant to make one pause and breathe. In the Edo period, artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige captured fleeting beauty—courtesans, kabuki, cherry blossoms. This panel was clearly inspired by those masters.
One of the guards pressed his palm against a cluster of blossoms in the lower corner.
A click sounded.
Then, the entire panel glided open, revealing steel doors behind it.
