Page 45 of Shifting Gears

I held it out to him, and he carefully balanced on one crutch as he slung it over his shoulder.

“Thanks. Fuck, I hate this. I’m sorry I’m not helpful right now. Thanks for taking pity on me and putting up with my insistence to still come,” he said as we walked toward the entrance of the dojo.

“I only said yes because you wouldn’t have listened to me if I’d said no anyway.” I smiled at him, and he laughed.

“You’re right there. But this knee injury is such a pain in the ass. I can’t do anything at a normal speed right now, and I feel like a damn burden. It’s not even been a few days since the accident,” Touma said as he carefully went down the steps to the driveway.

I patted his shoulder. “Hang in there. You’ll be back in shape in no time and kicking all the other students’ butts again soon. Honestly, they likely needed a break from you to help build their confidence back up,” I said with a chuckle.

He let out a belly laugh at that one. But he knew, all jokes aside, he was the best student and easily worked through the other students in practice face-offs. Only I stood a real chance against him, if I was faster than him.

“Do you need help to get down to the bus stop?” I asked as he hopped toward the front entrance.

“Nah, I got it. I’ve got a bum knee, not missing a leg. See you tomorrow, Sensei,” he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. I turned and walked over to the house. When I rounded the corner, my heart leaped at the car parked out front, until I saw the bodyguards standing outside the front door. Raven never had guards with her when she came to visit. Only Kaito did when he came by.

“What the fuck does he want?” I ground out through clenched teeth.

I continued to the front door when one of his guards shoved an arm in front of me, blocking my path.

“If you don’t want your arm broken, I suggest you move it,” I snapped at him.

He glared down at me, but kept his hand there as he fired off a message on his phone. I was about to teach him a lesson about how not to block a professional martial artist when he lowered his hand at the reply chime from his phone.

I shoved my front door open and quickly kicked off my shoes, dropping my phone onto the counter in the kitchen before walking into the living space.

I froze when I saw Kaito and Regan sitting together on the couch. He had a hand on her shoulder and a bandage on the side of his head. I hoped he’d gotten shot. Too bad the guy had missed.

“Ahh, the other sister. Join us, Sydney. I have something to discuss with the both of you,” Kaito said as he gestured to the chair across from him.

“I’m fine standing. What do you want?” I said as I folded my arms over my chest.

“I want to know where your sister is,” he said as he leaned back on the couch.

My eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean? Are you talking about Raven?” I asked, glancing at Regan as she turned to look back at Kaito as well, confused.

He nodded. “Yes. She never came home after the fight. I assume she is here, sulking about the arrangement being changed.”

I shook my head and gestured around the room. “Does it look like she’s here? If she’s not with you, then she’s probably taking some time away from your stuffy house. You’ve basically kept her there against her will for the past two months,” I replied sharply.

He smirked at me and snapped his fingers. His two guards behind him walked closer to him. “Search the house. Leave no stone unturned.”

“What? The fuck you will!” I yelled as I stepped forward toward Kaito and my sister.

Someone suddenly wrenched my arms behind my back and shoved me onto the kitchen countertop I was standing near. My cheek pressed against the icy surface as I peered behind me tosee who my captor was. The damn guard who had been outside must have followed me in at some point.

“Let me go!” I growled out as I struggled to reposition my legs, preparing to kick him if he didn’t listen.

“It’s fine. You can release her. After all, unless she has something or someone to hide, a quick search of her home should be fine,” Kaito said as he leaned into my sister’s ear and whispered to her.

She glanced at me, her eyes wider, but she remained calm.

“Let them look, Sydney. He just wants to make sure Raven isn’t here, and once he knows for sure, he will leave,” she breathed. Her hands gripped the edges of her book in her lap.

I exhaled, long and loud. “Fine. But I swear if your men make a mess …” I said as the guard behind me let my wrists go and eased away from me.

“They will leave everything in pristine condition, I assure you,” Kaito said.

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