Page 55 of Seeking Shadows

“Charlie,” I said when she picked up, voice calm, level. “He’s biting. Deep.”

A pause. Then her voice, sharp and dry. “You keep your cool?”

“As instructed.”

“He say anything about the lab?”

“He’s granting it,” I said, eyes narrowing as I stared at my own reflection in the rearview mirror. “Hopes I can help push the new drugs. Thinks I’m ambitious. Thinks he’s reeling me in.”

Charlie chuckled. “That arrogant son of a bitch.”

“He’s walking straight into the damn maze I built for him,” I muttered. “Every move he makes? Logged. Watched. Redirected. He’s eating every poisoned breadcrumb I leave behind thinking it’s his feast. And when it caves in, he won’t even realize I was the one holding the match.”

Another beat of silence. Then Charlie’s voice dropped low. “And Mia?”

I swallowed hard. “Still safe. But if he ever—” I stopped myself. My grip on the wheel tightened. “He talks about her like she’s furniture. Like she belongs to him.”

“Focus, Zane,” Charlie warned gently. “You lose yourself, you lose the mission. We’ll get her out clean. But not if you blow it now.”

I nodded slowly, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yeah. I know.”

There was a long pause before I added:

“The Yakuza and that creepy hacker wife of his are the only reason he’s not already drowning. They’re propping up the whole damn empire with wires and blood money. But even that won’t last. He doesn’t know half of what’s coming. And by the time he figures it out…”

I smiled. Cold. Hollow.

“…he’ll be choking on the ashes of his own brilliance.”

Charlie exhaled a laugh, dry and knowing. “You’re doing good, Zane.”

“Yeah,” I said, voice gone dark. “Just gotta keep him distracted. Keep playing Reign.”

But inside, I wasn’t Reign.

Inside, I was the man Nico tried to break. The man he mocked.

The man who loved Mia.

And if I can help it, I will do anything in my power to put him down.

CHAPTER 12

MIA

Today feels different.

I feel oddly good, clear even. No voices. No hallucinations messing with my perception, making me question if I'm in the right reality.

I return from the garden, soaking in the pleasant warmth of the sun on my skin, feeling more grounded than usual. Satisfied that I’ve warmed up enough for my session with Zane later. I need to be at my best for it—preferably to provoke the most intense reactions out of him.

He didn’t touch me again after that day. But that’s alright. I’ll just keep pushing him until he finally snaps.

But before that, something catches my attention in the hallway: an irresistible smell. A familiar, delicious aroma—my favorite dish.

I follow the scent, like a hound on a hunt, to the dining room. There, I find Olga placing a plate in front of one of the chairs: Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup. God, I love that one. She notices me but doesn't seem surprised, just gives me that look she always wears—a mix of exhaustion and already being over me before the conversation has even begun.

"Aha!" I point at the plate, grinning. "You did that on purpose!"

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