Page 55 of Shifting Gears

“Shut up and stop struggling. I need you to know the position you are actually in, Sydney. You stand there, acting so superior, when, in reality, you are nothing but a powerless woman, grasping at straws. You have nothing, unless I give it to you. I will not allow you to speak to me in such a disrespectful tone. I owneverythingyou cherish. Your home, your dojo, one could even say yourlives. I am giving you and your sister the traditional forty-nine days to mourn Raven. Once that is done, we will solve the issue that your sister’s carelessness left us all. Speak to me like that again, and I will make sure you can’t speak at all. Understand?” His tone was low, menacing, and deadly.

I processed what he’d said—forty-nine days. That would be enough time to get my revenge. It would have to be. I had to convince him to leave us alone before then.

As much as it killed me, I nodded under his grasp.

“Good girl.”

His praise made my stomach churn.

But he released me and stepped back, adjusting his clothes so that they lay perfectly on his body once more. He glanced in the mirror and checked his reflection as I sat up on the bed.

“See you in fifty days, Sydney,” he said as he walked over to the door and opened it. He paused in the entryway. “Don’t leave the country with Regan. I’d hate for your sister to become an only child.”

With that, he disappeared, and I stood up.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed onto my ass on the ground. The adrenaline from the day, the grief, the anger—it all had finally taken a toll on my body, and I was shaking uncontrollably. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps running down the hall, and Regan appeared at the doorway to the room.

“Oh, sister!” she cried out as she flung herself down next to me, wrapping her arms around me.

We sat there together and cried. Holding on to each other as our grief consumed us. Hours passed before we exhausted ourselves and could finally stand.

When we reappeared in the living room, Touma was there. The man was a saint. He had heard us and given us time alone. He had also ordered food and had hot tea waiting.

We picked at our food, eating small bites and sipping our tea. We had no appetite, but our bodies needed nourishment.

Regan excused herself to her room, and Touma told me he would clean up and that he was going to crash here tonight. I offered him Raven’s room, but he shook his head, reassuring me that the couch was fine, that he preferred to be near in case something was needed. I didn’t have the energy to argue with him.

I sat with my thoughts, Kaito’s threat hanging heavy in my mind. We didn’t have much time, so every day counted.

I pulled out my phone and sent AJ a text.

Sydney

Hey, it’s Sydney. Can you meet tomorrow? We can’t wait to talk about what we’re going to do about Raven’s murderer.

I waited for a few minutes as I walked around the house, making sure the doors and windows were all locked. Now that it was only the two of us, I planned on installing a security system. Costs be damned.

I walked quietly to Touma, who had fallen asleep on the couch. I draped a throw blanket over him, as the nights still get chilly. The last thing we needed was him to get sick in the middle of everything else going on.

My phone softly chimed in my pocket, and I looked at it as I made my way down toward my and Regan’s rooms.

AJ

Send me the address. I’ll be there at five.

I typed out my reply as I quietly opened Regan’s door and glanced inside. She was asleep—thank goodness. She must have been drained from the day, emotionally and mentally.

Sydney

Here it is. See you then.

I dropped him a pin to our place and then closed her door, walking across the hall to my own room. I swiftly stripped out of my clothes and took a warm shower. I usually took a cold one, but the last thing my body needed was a shock to the system to wake back up. I needed rest if I was going to execute the plan I was starting to form.

Revenge couldn’t happen with a weary mind, and revenge was exactly what I was after.

CHAPTER 20

AJ

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