Chapter 17 War Strategy #2
And somehow, this man—who had my panties flown to him via same-day delivery while he was in Paris—had also managed to plant spies and hackers throughout France, to set up a trap for his father, and orchestrate a war that spanned the globe.
The duality was staggering.
I thought back to Reo's message earlier, the one delivered through my guard's watch:
“Everything is clear. No word from the Butcher or the Fox yet.”
"So right now," I looked at Kenji, "your father hasn't called the Butcher yet?"
"Not yet." His voice was calm. "As soon as my father calls, I'll hear from Reo and we'll know the location. Then, Hiro, my Claws, Fangs, Reo, and I. . .well. . .we’ll visit him."
My heart tightened.
Pressure built in my chest—fear, anticipation, dread all tangled together.
I was scared.
Scared about what was to come.
Scared that something would go wrong.
That the strategy would fail.
That Kenji and Hiro would get hurt.
I was praying—actually praying—that everything would turn out exactly the way he'd planned.
And I was shocked that I was here.
In this place.
In this position.
With this man.
Doing something so big and violent.
Kenji's gaze shifted to the recorder sitting on the food cart—the one I'd gotten from my office earlier. One of my guards must have grabbed it before we left the kitchen.
He smiled. "You were in your office today?"
"Yeah. Just for a little bit."
"Once the spy is gone, you'll be in there more." His voice softened. "As I said before, my intentions for you were to write and enjoy yourself. Not to be a part of this."
I understood what he meant.
He'd wanted to give me peace, safety, a place to create.
But life had other plans.
"Kenji. . .I've been writing all my life.
That's nothing that's ever going to change.
That's who I am. That's every part of me.
" I moved closer to him, and my hand found his.
"But right now, I want us to be together.
And us being together means this man—the Fox, your father—must be.
. .gone. I don't want any threats hanging over us.
Once the threat is gone, once this war is over, I'll have all the time in the world to write. "
Smiling, I snapped my fingers. "And believe me, I will still be writing about the underground sex industry in Tokyo, and you will be taking me everywhere."
He laughed—a real, warm laugh that made my chest feel too full. "Yes. Yes. I know. I will be your little tour guide slash assistant."
I grinned, thinking about how insane that was.
The Dragon. One of the most powerful and dangerous men in Asia. Serving as my assistant. Showing me around soaplands and hostess clubs. Helping me gather research for a book.
It made me feel warm all over.
Because he cared about what I did. He was dedicated to making sure I continued to have agency in my writing career and in my life.
Men like him—with this much power—probably never even thought about things like that. They probably expected their women to be little pets.
Decorative.
Obedient.
Waiting naked at home.
But Kenji saw me as my own individual. With my own passions. My own thoughts. My own purpose.
And that meant everything.
I kissed him.
Deeply.
Romantically.
His lips parted against mine, and I tasted honeyed tea on his tongue.
He groaned low in his chest, and his arms came around me as he breathed me in.
The kiss deepened. His tongue stroked against mine, slow and thorough, like he had all the time in the world and planned to use every second exploring my mouth.
I melted into him, into the heat, strength, and possession.
When we finally broke apart, both of us breathing hard, I looked up at him. "What do we do now? Should we start talking about finding the spy now?"
He looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered. Like he was so deeply in love it hurt and scared him. "We should, Tora, but. . ."
I raised my eyebrows. “But what?”
"I want my men to continue to rest. I have a feeling Reo has not truly gotten to sleep today."
"No. He's been keeping up with everyone."
"And Hiro. . ."
I bit my lip. "I don't think Hiro has been sleeping much."
Worry flickered in Kenji's eyes. “I don’t think so either.”
"However, I'm hoping, that after breakfast, he'll go to sleep."
"Yeah." Kenji's hand came up to cup my face.
"Let's let them rest for now. While it is dangerous that the spy is here on the island, we're still in a strong position. Tokyo is in chaos. The Fox has not called. He’s rattled and too busy hiding, probably wondering why he can’t get in touch with any of his spies that he placed with me. Meanwhile, in Paris the Butcher has not found my spies. He is thinking and plotting, but he can wait.”
“Okay, so then. . .”
“I just want some more quiet time with you today, Tora. Let’s do something alone, just us two."
"Yeah." I leaned into his touch. "Let's spend some time together."
But even as I said it, even as I settled back into his arms, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered a warning.
I hope we don't regret this quiet time. I hope we don't regret pausing the war for love.