Page 4

Dominic

S econds crept by in the dark container, but I kept my attention on the cracked open door. There was no way to know if it was Keiko or if the guards were about to get the surprise of their lives.

I stiffened as a small hand wrapped around my mouth.

"Don’t scream," the devil whispered in my ear, amusement in her tone.

Keiko was the only person alive who could sneak up on me like that, and it had more to do with her unique hybrid abilities than her training as an assassin. Although that lethal training certainly helped.

I nodded once to let her know I had heard, and her hand slipped away. We both knew I was more likely to kill than scream when snuck up on.

"They’re changing shifts now," she said quietly as the leopard jumped down to join us. His big padded paws didn’t make a sound. "We’ll meet with the guy as soon as the coast is clear."

As luck would have it, Keiko had run into the man we were meeting tonight at a bar not too far from the warehouse. She’d followed some workers there after their warehouse shifts, and Scott had expressed his job frustrations loudly and to any who would listen.

It had only taken a few more drinks and the promise of a hefty deposit to his bank account to get him to agree to meet inside the warehouse. The whole situation had seemed too easy, an obvious setup.

Yet a deep dive into the man’s background suggested otherwise.

He had gambling debts he was struggling to pay back, and money always worked wonders in these scenarios.

Although I doubted he’d use any of what we gave him to pay back what he already owed.

He’d likely owe more before the night was over.

My grandfather’s reach was growing too thin, and now he was being betrayed by a disgruntled, underpaid employee.

It seemed fitting.

"Have you confirmed there have been no changes to the guards on duty?" I asked.

Even in the limited light, I could make out Keiko’s eye roll. "Of course I have. I’m not a rookie."

"No, but we can’t risk uncertainties."

"I’ve confirmed it. Let’s go." Silent as a ghost, she headed for the door.

Aaron padded after her with a quiet chuff of feline laughter.

I trusted Keiko with my life, just as I did with Rin and Aaron, but the risks involved were too great not to double and triple-check everything.

It had nothing to do with doubting anyone’s skills—least of all hers—and everything to do with keeping my chosen family as safe as possible. Not just safe, but alive and well.

If we were discovered, Ichiro would skin us all and hang our hides in his trophy room. That would be after weeks of torture.

I followed the other two out of the container, pausing at the door to ensure the way was clear before slipping out.

While I didn’t have the big cat’s ability to slink around corners or Keiko’s ability to hop from shadow to shadow, I was far from inept.

My dragon prowled restlessly in my mind, alert and ready for trouble should it appear.

The container spat us out into a row of similar containers stacked on top of each other like building blocks. A vaulted roof soared three stories above our heads, and stairwells on either end led up and out.

This warehouse was at least twice the size of the one back in D.C.

, the one we had burned down. But the size difference wasn’t unusual considering Baltimore had an actual shipping harbor.

That Ichiro’s operation had grown so quickly was a cause of concern and the reason behind my inability to sleep at night.

One reason, at any rate. The other major reason haunted my dreams like a wraith, her sea-foam gaze meeting mine before fading into the mists.

The crackle of a walkie-talkie stopped me in my tracks. A shadow appeared at my side and a small hand pressed me back against the nearest container. Keiko held a finger to her lips and pointed back the way I’d come.

Quickly, I slipped around the side of the container just as an armed and armored guard walked by. Had I not moved, I would have run right into him.

I released my breath slowly. This was another reason I preferred fighting to sneaking. It was far easier to bash a few skulls in rather than slink around in the dark, hoping no one saw.

Alas, I couldn’t let Ichiro or anyone else know we were here, which meant sneakery was our only option. At least I was moving now and no longer stuck inside a shipping container with an oversized cat.

Keiko waved me forward and I followed her, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. At the far end of the warehouse, a dark figure waited, his back to us.

Before the man turned around, Keiko gave me a quick nod, then slipped away into the darkness. Her role here was to be the look-out.

Silently, Aaron crept along the top of the containers, where he would monitor our informant from above, ready to pounce should this be a trap.

As I approached the informant, Scott, he turned at the slight noise I allowed my shoes to make against the floor. His eyes widened when he recognized me, and his muscles tensed, ready to flee.

The human man might not have known about the Gifted world, but Ichiro would have made sure his people knew my face.

I held up my hands in a show of peace. "I’m only here for information."

As if expecting an attack, Scott remained alert, his gaze darting all around.

"I need your help to put an end to this operation," I said quietly, taking a step closer. "It’s more dangerous than you realize."

He eyed me again, his eyebrows drawn together in a look of uncertainty. "How do I know you’re not here to bust me? Or kill me?"

I chuckled darkly. "If that were the case, I wouldn’t have bothered with the pleasantries."

After a tense pause, Scott nodded. "We don’t have much time, so I’ll get to the point.

The smaller crystals get distributed to the basic population, while the larger ones are reserved for special clients.

" He pointed to a few containers in the center of the warehouse. "They keep the biggest ones in those."

My gaze slid over the containers he pointed to, which were marked differently than the others. "Who are these special clients?"

"As far as I can tell, they’ve been some of the Sato family’s closest connections."

So Ichiro was ensuring the biggest and most powerful crystals were going to people who could help him directly. It didn’t surprise me that my grandfather would do such a thing; it was a reasonable business tactic.

But Ichiro had also scaled up his production significantly in such a short period, and I still didn’t know the old man’s end game. It couldn’t just be about money. He’d hoarded more than enough to last several lifetimes of limitless luxury.

"Can you get a list of names for these special clients?" I asked.

The guard licked his lips and looked around nervously. "Maybe. That’s not all, though. I saw?—"

A call through his walkie-talkie interrupted him. He unhooked the receiver from his belt and answered it. The person on the other end announced trucks had arrived.

"Copy," he said into his radio before clipping it back to his belt. "I have to get back to my post before they grow suspicious."

"Wait, you had something else to tell me?"

Scott shook his head as he started up the stairs. "I’ll be in touch. No time right now."

As if to prove his point, his radio crackled again and someone asked his location. He disappeared up the steps, muttering something about their impatience under his breath.

My jaw cracked as I clenched it tight. A loud metal clanking sounded from the opposite end of the warehouse as a tall garage door began rolling up.

Keiko appeared at my side. "Time to go."

Whatever the man had been about to say, it was important. He was far too jumpy for anything else. It might even be the key to unraveling this mystery once and for all.

With a low growl of frustration, I followed Keiko and Aaron from the warehouse.