“He claimed he knew I couldn’t come and... well, I needed answers.” Kai lets out a pained sigh. “So, he went to retrieve information. And he almost got caught. Which doesn’t make sense because that man is slick as hell.”

“Do you think he wanted you to find out so you wouldn’t try to break into the safe house yourself?”

I put on my favorite Smurfs nightie.

“Brilliant, cutie pie, as always,” Kai praises with a small smile.

I blush at his words. “Just think about it.”

“He did leave something for me,” Kai admits, sliding his jeans on.

My eyes widen in surprise. “What?”

“Documents. I haven’t been able to open them... I thought, maybe we could do it together?” His vulnerability touches my heart.

He wants to share the information with me.Like my presence soothes him.

“Of course,” I reply without hesitation.

“I’ll go get them now.” Kai stands from the bed.

Now? Okay, we’re doing this now.My anticipation grows as Kai retrieves the documents and brings them back.

The documents lie between us, a palpable tension filling the room. Kai’s fingers brush over the manila folder, hesitating before opening it. Papers spill out, marked with red-inked stamps and cryptic notes.

I glance at Kai, catching the flicker of worry in his eyes.

“Are we ready for this?” he asks, voice low.

I squeeze his hand. “Yes.”

He nods and begins sifting through the papers. A photo slides out and catches my eye. It’s a picture of two unfamiliar faces, both stern and shadowed.

Kai’s jaw tightens. “That’s… No way!” He gasps, but he’s not looking at the faces, no. His focus is dead on the date written in small white numbers in the right corner of the photograph. “Fuck! That’s impossible… What? Fuck!”

The date written on the photograph reads July tenth, a mere three days ago. Kai’s anxiety spikes, his muscles tensing beside me. This kind of documentation should’ve been impossible to obtain so quickly—unless Rory had access to someone on the inside. Or is an undercover cop. Shit.

“What does this mean?” I ask.

It means Rory isn’t the one Kai thought.

Kai’s eyes dart over the papers, scanning for any further clues. “It means Yuzu and his team are closer than we thought. This complicates things.” His tone is a mix of frustration and admiration.

“Which one?” It would be practical to know who Yuzu is.

“Him…” His thumb roams over the older man’s face, his right eyelids twitching, and he stops at his throat, pushing until the picture dents.

Okay… Yuzu will die soon.There’s bad blood here.

My heart beats faster. “Do you trust Rory?”

Kai looks up at me, his gaze softening slightly. “He’s not you.”

Another picture catches our attention.

The intensity in Kai’s eyes sends chills down my spine. I lean closer, squinting at the date. “August 24, 2021… What’s wrong with that?”

It was a couple of years ago.