Page 54 of Shifting Gears

The punky one knocked on the door. “Boss, the other one is here,” he called.

I heard a muffled voice reply, but I was still too far away to pick up the exact words. The short man turned and addressed me next. “Gonna have to make you wait a minute. Don’t make this a thing like you did out front.”

I wanted to slam him through the wall right now for trying to tell me what I could and couldn’t do in my home. Especially on the day we had found out our sister had died. But I didn’t miss the gesture the tall one made, which revealed a gun that I knew he would use if he had to.

I stood there, my body fuming as I waited for the longest minute of my life.

The door opened, and Regan’s face appeared.

“Sydney … Mr. Yamazaki is here to talk to us.” Her voice was a whisper.

I walked over to her, pushing the door open. I wrapped her in my arms, giving her a tight squeeze. She looked like she’d been crying ever since I’d left earlier, and guilt filled me.

I’d left her to go look for AJ. And I should have known Kaito would come here, even before I knew about Raven from AJ. Maybe I’d hoped Touma would be able to keep her away from him, but that was also such a foolish thought.

I glanced over her shoulder as I heard him take a few steps.

“As touching as this is to watch, we have some things to discuss,” Kaito said as he stepped up next to us, placing his hands on my sister’s arms and tugging her away from me and against him.

I glared up at him. How dare he stand here and try to dictate our grief? There had never been a more calculated, manipulative man I’d ever met than Kaito. If he really was the one behind Raven’s death—and judging by his actions as he caressed my sister’s arms, looking down at her as she peered up at him—that was a guarantee. Her body language was uncomfortable while his eyes were basically fucking her as he looked up and down her body. It made my skin crawl.

Did he kill you, sister, solely to get to Regan? Were we right all along to be concerned about what his intentions really were? Was that the reason he killed you? Did you find out whathe was really after, so he got rid of you, knowing he could never silence you?

“Sydney!” Kaito snapped my name, and it brought my focus back to the fact that he had actually been speaking this whole time.

I locked eyes with him, and he sneered at me.

“I know you are grieving the loss of my fiancée, but do your best to listen and not make this about you. Your sister is also in need of your attention. I arrived to inform you of the devastating news that I’d heard about Raven, and I found you had all but abandoned your blood to go drown in your sorrows alone. I knew you were impulsive, but I never thought you would besoselfish at this time of loss,” he said as he caressed the side of Regan’s face with the back of his hand.

“I didnotabandon her. Touma was here. What I do after learning about my sister’s murder is my business. But I’m here now, and we already know about Raven. You can leave us in peace,” I said as I gestured toward the door.

He chuckled and whispered into Regan’s ear. She gave a subtle nod and left his embrace and walked over to the bed, sitting on it. She looked at me, her eyes filling with tears once more, and another wave of emotion almost overtook me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning myself away from her to face him better.

I have to stay strong. I can’t give him an inch. Remember, he is the man who killed your sister.

I met his condescending look with one of rage-fueled determination.

“As much as I would like to leave you two to your mourning, there is business to discuss. Your sister winding up dead because of the people she was around leaves us all in a peculiar predicament. I’m sure you’re aware of the agreement she and I had. Well, I intend to give you two the appropriate time to getthrough the loss of your sister before we tend to the new terms of the agreement. I’m sure we can come to a”—his eyes swept over to where Regan was sitting—“appropriate substitute for our deal.”

I froze, trying to keep from attacking him where he stood. I wouldn’t need much time, just seconds, really, to wrap my arms around his neck and snap it. But it would put Regan in too much danger, so I restrained myself.

The way he was behaving right now confirmed the exact thoughts I’d had in my head. He was after Regan. And exactly like Raven must have told him, it would be over my dead body before he got her.

“We can talk about that crap later. Leave, Kaito. This is still our home, and as of right now, you aren’t welcome here,” I said as I took a step forward.

He smirked and snapped his fingers. The door swung open, and the guards outside walked in.

“Please show Regan to the living room. I need to have a word in private with her sister.” Kaito smirked as he waited for them to escort her from the room.

She glanced at me as she passed, but she kept her mouth shut as I shook my head slightly. I could handle myself alone with Kaito. He didn’t scare me.

Once he shut the door, he walked over to me. Almost lazily in his actions, he reached up and went to grab a strand of my hair, but I jerked my head back and batted his hand away. That was when I realized my mistake. Within a second and quicker than I could have imagined, he spun us and threw me chest-first onto my sister’s bed. I rolled onto my back, only to have him on top of me, pinning my hands above my head with one of his as he wedged himself between my legs.

“Get off of me!” I shouted at him.

He took his other hand and covered my mouth.

He chuckled. His eyes were dancing, like he was thoroughly enjoying this moment. I struggled against him, but my dangling legs left me with little vantage.

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