Page 85 of Shifting Gears

I ran over to AJ’s car and slid in, tossing the gun onto the floor of the passenger seat. I pulled away, not even giving Kaito a second glance in the rearview.

I had one more thing I needed to do tonight. And I had to do it fast.

CHAPTER 28

SYDNEY

Less than fifteenminutes had passed by the time I reached Kaito’s estate. I knew going in the front entrance would be a no go, so I parked AJ’s car on the street behind it, where most deliveries entered.

I glanced up and down the street as I killed the engine and turned off the lights. No one to be seen. I needed to work quickly, before news of his death reached here.

I got out of the car and jogged over to the side entrance, keeping my head down as much as possible so any security cameras wouldn’t be able to get a good look at my face.

I pushed on the gate, and it didn’t budge.

“Of course,” I said as I looked around.

There were trees planted along the wall, and one in particular looked strong enough for me to climb and get over the wall.

I hurried over to it, testing the branches as I put my weight on the first one. It sagged a bit, but overall, it would hold me up. I carefully climbed upward until I was even with the top of the wall, and then I slipped a leg over, straddling it.

I peered around the grounds of the estate. It was calm, not a soul in sight. The rain must be keeping any guards under cover.

I swung my other leg over the wall and dropped, landing with a thud on the damp ground. I dashed over to the side of a large outbuilding. I needed to stay in the shadows as much as possible. I snuck as fast as I could past a few more sheds and what appeared to be a second living quarters on my way to the main house at the center of the property.

They had designed this place similar to a palace. It was no wonder people treated him as if he were royalty. He practically was with this amount of wealth, and with money came power.

He could have used that power to do good for the people, not try to ruin them with fear.

That was all over now. Kaito would never cause terror to people less fortunate than him. No longer would he be crushing the souls of hard working families, doing their best to get by. He wouldn’t be extorting people for their money, their properties, or their lives.

And hopefully, no one would take his place, and we would all be left in peace.

I crept up to the side of the large home. There could be no mistake that this was Kaito’s house. I saw a fully tinted black Mercedes-Benz AMG S65 parked in the driveway. There was also a guard at the front door, but he looked to be asleep. Time to see where else I could sneak in. I wanted to avoid a confrontation if possible.

After a few minutes, I came to the back door. I expected it to be locked, but surprisingly, I twisted the knob, and the door popped open.

Finally. Now I just have to figure out where he kept his documents.

I remembered Raven telling us about the house after one of the first times she had come here, so I knew he had an office somewhere. I was betting that was the place he would likely keep them.

But if I thought it would be easy to find my way around this home, I was sorely mistaken. The minutes ticked by as I went from room to room, finding multiple spaces large enough to hold events to small bedrooms that could only be for a staff member to sleep in.

Which was another thing I found odd. The place was empty. I hadn’t heard a single voice or sound other than my feet gliding across the floor as I did my best to stay quiet and undetected. I thought I would be hiding in rooms from bodyguards or people who worked here, but the place was a ghost town.

Eventually, the hallway I was in led to a four-way intersection. One side opened into a room with large stairs leading to a second floor; another opened up into what appeared to be a large indoor Zen garden.

That was when I heard it. The sound of a sake bottle being opened.

I moved as quietly as I could over to the opening of the Zen garden. There were large pots of bamboo at the entrance, so I took cover behind one as I peered inside the room.

A man was sitting in a chair at the edge. He wore a red-and-white striped suit, white leather shoes, and white gloves covered his hands, completing the look. He was pouring a glass of chilled sake on a small table next to the chair. He set the sake bottle back into an ice bucket, next to a fedora hat on the table.

He piqued my interest because, while he was sitting in an enormous room, his presence made it feel small. It made me uneasy, watching him as he took a sip. His eyes had an eerie red sheen to them.

Maybe I should get out of here and keep looking for Kaito’s office.

But right as I was about to turn around and make my way back, another man entered the room. One I had seen before.

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