I bet you will.
He walked off without another word.
His men fell into formation behind him, a wall of dark suits and cold eyes. Together they headed in the direction of the helicopter waiting on the other side of the island.
Fucking Lion.
I put my gaze back on the fire, still watching the area in the pyre where the folder had been.
Reo appeared at my shoulder. His jaw was tight. I knew that look—he'd wanted to kill the Lion too. Yet, he didn't speak. Just stood there, watching the pyre with me.
Soon, I heard helicopters starting up. The sound grew louder, then began to fade as Kazimir and his men lifted off.
I stared at the fire.
At the ash.
At everything I'd just let burn.
And then Reo spoke, "You did the right thing."
I wanted to believe him.
I wasn't sure I did.
But it didn’t matter anymore. The folder was now ash. My father was still breathing. And somewhere on this island, my Tiger was in a kitchen, holding together a world she didn't yet understand she'd already started to rule.
I thought of what the Lion had said about soft places having soft places. “Put more men on Nyomi’s grandmother.”
“Yes. I caught that. It’s already done.”
“Good. Nothing can happen to her grandmother.”
“Agreed.” Reo pulled out his phone. “We have other things that need to be done today.”
“Yes. But all of that can wait. I need to check on my Tiger.”
Reo smirked. “Your Heart.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “My Heart.”
“I’ll make sure she’s still in the kitchen.” He began to press on the phone’s screen.
“Hold on.” I thought of how rough this morning had been for my Tiger and me. “I need to do more than check on her.”
“Alright.”
“Call Hiroko first.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to do this right.”
Chapter seven
The Firebird
Nyomi
