Chapter 29 Bait and Braids #2
Reo ran his fingers through his hair and faced me. “Since you are the bait, Nyomi, I want to make sure you are on board with the trap.”
“That makes sense. Do you have any ideas?”
Reo lowered his hand and tapped a finger on the table. I was starting to realize that the finger tapping was his thinking hard tell. “I’ve had several ideas, but none that have truly stuck as the right one. I was hoping we all could brainstorm.”
“Well. . .” I cleared my throat. “I have an idea.”
They all watched me.
"I need to get my hair braided."
Confusion hit Kenji's face. “But, your hair is braided now.”
I grinned. “Yeah, but this is just a quick style. I’m talking about a long term style that looks more professional.”
The confusion remained on his face.
“Anyway,” I gestured to my current braids. "These are temporary. I did them myself before we left the main island this morning. But real braids—box braids, knotless braids, the kind that last for weeks—those take time. A lot of time."
I let that sink in.
Reo studied me. “How much time?”
"Eight hours minimum. Sometimes ten, depending on the style and how much hair we're working with."
Kaede's glass eye caught the light. "Ten hours for hair?"
"Yes. And I would be sitting in one place for that entire time. Vulnerable. Distracted. My head tilted back or forward depending on what section she's working on." I met Kenji's eyes. "If this is happening somewhere public then. . .the spies would see it as the perfect opportunity."
His jaw tightened.
“My sitting there getting my hair done—surrounded by people, doing something completely normal—that should give the spies confidence. They won't see it as a trap because it's too mundane. Too real.”
More silence came.
I could see Kenji wanting to shut this down. Could see the refusal building behind his eyes, the protective fury that made him want to lock me away somewhere safe.
But thankfully he stayed quiet.
"Where would this happen?" Hiro's voice rose in the room. "And how would the spies even know you're getting it done?"
"Like I said, it has to be public." I shifted in my seat, feeling Kenji's hand tighten under the table. "My stylist would be braiding my hair where everyone can move around."
“No.” Kenji shook his head. "You're not sitting exposed for ten hours waiting for someone to attack you."
Hiro cut in, "We'll be around."
I turned to him. "But not too close. If the spies see the Claws hovering over me, they'll know immediately it's a trap. You need to be far enough away that they feel confident making a move."
Kaede adjusted his leather gloves. "How far is far enough?"
"Same space, but not with me. Like. . .we're all doing different things in the same area. It has to look natural."
Reo's analytical mind was already working. "We need a location that makes sense. Somewhere braiding hair wouldn't seem strange, but where others could naturally be present too."
Satoshi raised one finger. "The beach?"
I shook my head immediately. "Absolutely not. It can’t be a place outside."
Everyone looked at me.
"My stylist would lose her mind. Hair in the wind?
Humidity? Even a light breeze could ruin the tension on the braids, and if any loose hair blows away.
. ." I paused, knowing how this would sound.
"There's this superstition. If birds get your hair and use it to build nests, it makes you go crazy. She takes that very seriously."
Rin—the royal Fang who was typically bored—actually tilted his head to the side. "Birds make you crazy?"
"It's a belief. Something about your hair being connected to your energy and spirit. If birds take strands and weave them into their nests, your energy gets trapped there, scattered, makes you lose your mind." I shrugged. "I don't make the rules. But she won't work outside. Won't risk it."
Kaede's real eye narrowed. "How would birds even—"
The twins tilted their heads in unison.
"Specific birds?" Yuki asked.
"Why crazy?" Aki finished.
"Any birds," I said. "Sparrows, crows, whatever. And I have no idea why crazy specifically. But trust me, one strand blowing away in the wind and she'll stop everything. Pack up. Refuse to continue."
Kaoru touched the two studs on his ear—diamond and ruby—and looked genuinely baffled. "So. . .indoor only?"
"Indoor only."
An awkward pause settled over the room as everyone processed this information.
Yeah, guys. Black hair has tons of rules and superstitions.
Ever practical, Reo moved things along. "So. . .we need an indoor space. Large enough for multiple people. Public enough to seem natural and casual."
"The main salon upstairs?" Satoshi suggested.
Reo frowned. "Too small. Too isolated. Won't feel public enough."
"One of the sitting rooms?" Rin offered.
"Same problem."
Then I remembered the tour Sako had given me that first day. "There are two theaters in the mansion, right? I saw them during the tour."
Reo nodded. "The small screening room where Kenji and I will have the spies tonight. And, there is also the main cinema that hasn’t been used yet. It seats over a hundred and fifty people."
"That's it." Excitement built in my chest. "We open the big theater up. Make it an event, Movie Day for everyone on the entire island."
Hiro's eyes lit with understanding. "Any spy working here would come. It's a perfect cover."
"Exactly." I was talking faster now as the pieces fell into place. "We do multiple showings. Four or five different movies. People sign up for different time slots throughout the day. That way we know exactly who's going to be at which showing and when."
Reo was already thinking through logistics. "Different groups for each movie. Staggered throughout the afternoon and into the night."
"Yes. We make it casual, low-key. Like we're trying to boost morale during tense times. Give everyone a break. The spies won't suspect it's a trap—they'll think we're dropping our guard."
Yoichi tapped his wolf charm and leaned back in his chair. "Where would you be during all this?"
"Getting my hair done in the back of the theater. My stylist sets up in the rear corner—visible but not front and center. It looks like I'm just multitasking. Catching a movie while getting ready."
Yoichi let go of the wolf charm. "I like this. It’s a controlled environment with limited exits."
"And if there are spies we don't know about—staff working outside the main house that we haven't vetted yet—they'll try to come too." Reo looked around the table. "For better access. To blend in with the crowd."
"What time do the showings start?" Toma asked.
"First movie at 1:00pm," Reo said, already pulling up something on his tablet. "Then staggered every few hours. We can run them well into the night if needed."
Hiro nodded. "That gives the spies multiple opportunities. Multiple showings to choose from. They won't all come to the same one—that would be too obvious. They'll spread out, try to look natural."
I smiled. "Which is exactly what we want.”
Now came the hard part.
I squeezed Kenji's hand under the table, then said it. "Kenji can't be there."
"No." His response held absolute violence within the tone. “That’s not happening.”
"If you're there, the spies won't move. They'll know I’m protected." I kept my voice steady. "You and Reo both have to be gone. Publicly gone. Somewhere visible doing something else."
Reo saw the logic immediately. "She's right. If the Dragon and the Roar are absent, the Tiger looks vulnerable. Unprotected."
"I'm not leaving her—"
"Yes, you are." I turned to face him fully. "That's the only way this works."
A standoff.
I could feel the fury radiating off him in waves. The absolute refusal to leave me exposed. Every protective instinct screaming at him to shut this down.
But I held his gaze.
"The Claws will be there," I said softer. "Scattered throughout the theater. Some watching movies, some standing in back, some near exits. They'll look relaxed, casual. But they'll be watching everything."
Kenji looked at his brother.
Hiro met his eyes without flinching. "You think I can’t protect her?”
Kenji frowned. "If anything—"
"It won't." Hiro’s expression softened. “I would die before letting anything happen to her.”
“Make sure that doesn’t happen either.”
“Of course, brother.”
The silence stretched.
Finally, Kenji sat back. But I could feel his body vibrating with barely contained rage beside me. "If we're doing this, we control every detail."
Everyone looked at him.
"The stylist," Kenji said. "What time does she arrive?"
Reo considered it. "We can schedule her for whenever—"
"Make sure she’s there an hour and a half before the first movie.” Kenji's tone left no room for argument. "The theater opens at one. Movies start, crowd settles. I don’t want us making time for the stylist to set up."
Reo nodded slowly. "Good thinking."
"And no one sits directly behind where Nyomi's getting her hair done." Kenji's hand tightened on my thigh. "I don't care how natural it needs to look. The row behind her stays empty. Clear line of sight for the Claws. No one at her back."
"We can block those seats," Reo typed something on the tablet. "They’ll be marked reserved."
Kenji wasn't finished. His strategic mind was working now, the Dragon calculating angles and vulnerabilities. "I want a panic word or statement. Something she can say that sounds casual but means abort immediately."
He looked at me. "What's something you'd naturally say around your stylist that wouldn't raise suspicion?"
I thought for a moment. "‘Girl, I’m getting hungry. Can we take a break?’"
Reo typed more into the tablet. “Got it. Also, the main theater has basic cameras—but we'll install more tonight. Hidden angles. Infrared in the corners. Every single inch will be covered."
Kenji jumped in. "We control the sign-up list. Inner circle, vetted staff, and all our suspects mixed throughout different showings. Natural distribution."
Kaoru ran his fingers through his pink hair. “Where will the Fangs be?”
Kenji spoke, "Hidden within the household. However, everyone will be told that the Fangs are with Reo and me.”
Kaoru looked at the screen. “And where will you two be, Reo?”
“We will be at the north dock. There's a weapons shipment coming in tomorrow. We'll inspect it publicly. Far enough away to seem absent, close enough to respond in under three minutes if needed."
Okay. This is getting super real.
While three minutes travel time sounded good. Three minutes was still an eternity when someone was trying to kill me.
I can do this.
Kaoru bobbed his head. “If the Fangs remain hidden, let it be the war room. It’ll be cleared out anyway. No one would know who was in there. Not even the security crew has cameras in there.”
"I like that idea.” Reo swiped to a new screen showing the theater. “The Claws will need to position themselves throughout the theater."
Reo looked at Hiro. "Different rows, different sections. Some standing. Make it look casual."
The twins exchanged one of their silent conversations—a language of glances and micro-expressions I was beginning to recognize.
Aki tilted his head a fraction.
Yuki's jaw tightened in response.
A full argument, negotiated in silence.
Finally, Yuki spoke. "We're not splitting up."
Reo's eyes narrowed. "For this to work, you need to be in different sections—"
"No." Aki's voice was quieter than his brother's, but just as firm. "We work better together.”
Yuki nodded. “Always have."
Reo pointed at them and was about to speak, Hiro held up his hand. “Forget about it. The twins will never budge when it comes to splitting them up. Save yourself a headache.”
Reo let out a long breath. “Fine. The twins will stay together.”
They grinned.
"My friends will be there too," I added. "Zo and Hiroko. They'll sit with me during the styling. It’ll look natural—just my friends and I hanging out, watching a movie while I get my hair done."
“Everyone in this room gets an earpiece. Com system. We'll all be connected on the same channel." Reo swallowed. "Everyone here knows what's actually happening. We coordinate in real-time, silent communication. But. . ."
His gaze landed directly on me. "Your stylist cannot know what we're doing. I believe she brought a cousin with her too. Correct?”
“She did.”
“They can’t know anything.”
“I understand.”
“Zo and Hiroko cannot know about this either."
My stomach dropped slightly. “Of course.”
Reo's voice was firm. "Everything discussed in this room stays in this room. Right now, in this moment, we can't trust anybody outside these walls. Not the Dragon's guards. Not your guards. Not the household staff. Not friends or family."
Reo looked at each person individually and then glanced at Kaoru. “Not even two very loyal girlfriends.”
Kaoru frowned. “Understood, Roar.”
"The only people we trust are sitting at this table. That's it. No one else."
The weight of that settled over my shoulders.
Kenji turned to me. "Can you do that? Keep this from them for an entire day?"
“Yeah.”
“How do you feel about this plan?”
“I feel safe. Claws will be in the room. The Fangs will be hidden and near. Reo and you will be barely three minutes away. This will work.”
Kenji still didn’t appear pleased at all, but he knew the stakes were high. If he wanted the war won, he had to get rid of the snakes.
Hiro interrupted my thoughts. "The stylist won't suspect anything?"
"She'll be completely focused on my head. When she's in the zone, she doesn't notice anything else. There could be a bomb going off and she'd just ask people to be quiet so she can concentrate."
A few people smiled at that.
Reo looked satisfied. "Good. We announce the movie event tonight. Make it seem spontaneous—'Island Morale Day' or something similar. Sign-ups open immediately. "
"What movies are we showing?" Toma asked.
Kenji's voice was sharp. "Does it matter?"
"Just curious, boss."
"We'll pick popular films," Reo turned off his tablet. "Action, thriller, maybe one comedy. Things that would naturally draw different crowds."
Everything was falling into place.
The trap was being set.
Now we just had to wait for the spies to walk into it.
But. . .just as the tension began to settle into focused determination, Hiro spoke, "And after we catch the spies. . .we celebrate. With the dinner and cocktail party Nyomi promised the Claws."
Everyone blinked.
Wow. . .
Hiro's timing was either impeccable or terrible.
I couldn't decide which but judging at the look of rage on Kenji’s face. . .we would all know his opinion on this soon.