Chapter 29 Bait and Braids
Chapter twenty-nine
Bait and Braids
Nyomi
Before Reo could speak, Kenji leaned forward. "Reo, you want to set a trap? Fine. Use decoys. Use misinformation. Use every fucking resource we have. But my Tiger will never be bait in anyone’s trap."
I widened my eyes.
The room went silent.
Reo set his phone down slowly, carefully, like he was handling something explosive. "With respect, we're discussing possibilities—"
"And I'm now telling you certainties. She's not doing it."
I felt the possessiveness radiating off him. This wasn't just protective alpha instinct—this was the Dragon drawing a line in blood.
Still, Reo didn't back down. He met Kenji's gaze head-on, respectful but unwavering. "I understand your concern. But we need to think strategically. The spies are watching her. They've already marked her as a target. If we control the situation, we turn their interest into our advantage."
"You want to dangle her in front of killers." Kenji's jaw clenched. "That's not strategy. That's sacrifice."
I let the cherry-sugar lollipop dissolve slowly, savoring the warmth and letting the subtle sweetness ground me while they argued about my role.
"I don’t believe we’re talking about sacrifice, Kenji. I think it's calculated risk," Reo countered. "With every precaution in place. Full security detail. Controlled environment. We choose the location, the timing, every variable."
"Variables fail." Kenji's hand was still on my thigh, and his grip had gone iron-tight. "People die when variables fail."
From my left, Hiro made a low sound—not quite a laugh, not quite agreement.
I glanced at him and found him leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, dark eyes moving between Kenji and Reo like he was watching a tennis match.
Assessing.
Calculating who would win.
The corner of his mouth twitched, just slightly. He wasn't going to intervene. He wanted to see how this played out.
Reo tried again, and his voice was tense, yet logical. "Kenji, I respect your position. But the Fox won't stop. The spies won't stop. We can either wait for them to strike on their terms, or we force their hand on ours."
"Or we force their hand another way."
"There is no other way." Reo spread his hands. "Not one that works this cleanly. They want her. Tomorrow, we give them the illusion of access while keeping her completely protected."
"No." The Dragon’s word was final.
Absolute.
Fuck.
I watched them—Kenji radiating fury and possessive denial, Reo standing firm with cold logic.
The Fangs and Claws had gone still, like they knew better than to breathe too loud during a clash between these two titans.
My nerves were on edge so much that. . .I should have stayed quiet.
Should have let them work it out.
But this was my life.
My risk.
My choice.
I took the lollipop out of my mouth and kept my voice respectful but steady. "If I'm the one to be bait, then I should have some say. Right?"
Every eye in the room snapped to me.
Kenji turned slowly, and the movement was predatory. Controlled. His hand slid from my thigh to my hip, fingers curling possessively against the curve there.
Not painful.
Not gentle either.
An alpha claim.
His expression could have melted steel. "That's not how this works, Tora."
His thumb pressed into my hipbone, and heat pooled between my thighs despite the fury radiating off him. "I say no and that's it."
The possessive command his voice held would have made me weak-kneed yesterday.
Today, I held my ground—even as I felt every point of contact where his hand gripped me, even as my pulse kicked hard enough that I was sure he could feel it. "Kenji. . . I'll be safe. No one will harm me."
"And how do you know this?" His voice was soft. Too soft. The kind of soft that preceded violence.
"Hiro will be with me." I glanced at Hiro, who raised one eyebrow but didn't contradict me. "From my quick understanding, no one can battle him and the Claws."
The twins nodded.
Kaoru—the pink-haired playboy—smirked from across the table, leaning back with crossed arms. "Well. . .the Fangs could easily battle the Claws, but we should focus on the topic at hand."
Hiro rolled his eyes.
“The Fangs could easily battle us? I don’t think so.” Toma grinned. “Fangs bite. Claws rip. Guess which kills faster.”
“You want to compare body counts? I don’t think so.” Kaoru winked. “And be respectful when you talk to a Fang.”
"Respectful?” Toma waved him away. “The only reason we're not Fangs is because we don't like to be in anyone's mouth."
All the Claws snickered, while every last Fang sat up and appeared close to leaping over the table.
"Enough!" Kenji's voice cracked like a whip. His attention fixed back on me, and I felt the weight of his fury and fear pressing down. "You think Hiro being there makes it safe? You think the Claws being present means nothing can go wrong?"
"I think the Claws are deadly." I gestured with my lollipop and kept my voice still, even though my heart was racing. "I think you trust them with your life, so I can trust them with mine. Am I wrong?"
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
"I think. . .that you trying to hide me won't stop the Fox or spies. More important. . .I think that I would rather face them on our terms than wait for them to catch me off guard."
Silence.
Kenji stared at me, and I watched the war play out across his features. Then his hand left my hip and came up to cup my jaw. The touch was almost gentle—thumb brushing the corner of my mouth, fingers spanning my throat.
I could feel my pulse hammering against his palm.
He had to feel it too.
Had to know what his touch did to me even when we were surrounded by his men, even when the topic was my potential death.
His eyes dropped to my mouth for half a second—just long enough for heat to flash between us—before lifting back to mine. "Tora—"
"I'm not asking for permission to walk into danger blind," I interrupted gently. "I'm only asking you to trust that I can do this. With Hiro. With the Claws. With every protection you put in place."
From my left, I felt Hiro shift closer. Not touching me. But close enough that I could feel the heat of him, smell the faint scent of toasted sugar and cherry blossoms that clung to his clothes even better.
Hiro’s arm brushed mine on my armrest.
Casual.
Probably accidental.
Kenji's eyes tracked the movement.
“Brother, you’ve lost this fight. It’s your Tiger’s choice and she has the backing of your Roar.” Hiro shifted in his seat, angling toward me slightly. “And she has my backing too.”
Kenji shot him a look that could have drawn blood. A look that said touch her again and we're going to have a problem, brother or not.
Hiro's mouth curved into the faintest smirk.
Not moving away.
But, not moving closer either.
Just. . .staying exactly where he was.
The tension between the brothers crackled.
Hiro just shrugged. "I'm not saying I love the idea of her being bait. I'm just saying Reo and her are right."
The twins nodded in unison.
Reo remained silent.
I swirled the lollipop in my mouth, letting the sweet syrup coat my tongue.
Kenji's hand flexed on my chin. Once. Twice. His breathing was controlled, but I could feel the rage and terror vibrating beneath his skin. Finally, he spoke, and his voice was raw. "If anything happens to you—"
"It won't."
"If anything happens," he continued, ignoring me, "there won't be enough of this world left to bury the bodies. I'll burn this entire island to ash and follow you into hell."
It should have sounded dramatic.
It didn't.
It sounded like a vow.
"I'll stay alive." I reached up and covered his hand with mine.
For a moment, Kenji just held my gaze. Then he tugged me closer—just an inch, just enough that my thigh pressed fully against his under the table, hidden from everyone else but impossibly intimate.
His other hand came to the back of my neck, fingers sliding into my hair.
Around us, the Fangs and Claws had the grace to look away, even Reo and Hiro.
Some studied the table.
A few checked their phones.
While all pretended they weren't witnessing this moment.
Kenji's forehead dropped to touch mine. His breath was warm against my lips. "Tora. . ."
My heart cracked open.
He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the Dragon was back in control.
Barely.
His hand slid from my neck, fingers trailing down my spine before settling back on my thigh. But the heat of where he'd touched remained.
He turned to Reo. "She gets full detail. Hiro and the Claws stay within arm's reach. Fangs on perimeter. Hackers monitoring every communication channel. I want eyes on her every second."
“Well. . .” Reo cleared his throat. “We should figure out the trap first before making any plans of—”
"Careful, Roar. I’m barely on board.”
Reo held up his hands. “I’m only being logical, Kenji, before making you any promises.”
Kenji growled. “Then, let’s figure out the fucking trap!”
I widened my eyes.
Hiro leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "Well. That was entertaining."
My lollipop had melted down to a thin crescent on my tongue, nothing but fragile sweetness and warm cherry syrup pooling along the edges.
I shifted it between my molars.
The sugar softened.
The flavor swelled—dark cherry, warm vanilla, and that little spark of citrus.
That was intense.
I pressed my teeth down on the lollipop. The crunch echoed in my skull—sharp, bright, satisfying. The candy shattered like thin stained glass, splintering into warm, sugary shards that dissolved instantly against my tongue.
A wash of flavor burst inside my mouth.
First the cherry—deep, syrupy, almost wine-rich. Then the vanilla—soft and warm, easing over the sharp edges. Then the citrus—just a blink of brightness tingled across the back of my tongue.
The sweetness hit my blood like heat.
Every Claw’s head turned fractionally my way. Their senses were super attuned to that tiny sound.
Even Hiro glanced at me and winked.
I let the last shards melt.