"Kajahara-sensei from Tokyo General? Really?" Risa's voice drifted into the bedroom through the open bathroom door. "But he's a complete skeptic!"
Kyoya's hands slowed and stilled in the act of buttoning his shirt. The view he had from his vantage point in front of the bedroom mirror was just too distracting. If he angled his head just-so, he could see his wife's black-satin-and-lace-clad bottom wriggling and shimmying as she tried to lean as far over the sink as she could to apply her eyeliner. Was she at all aware of the invitation she was offering? Two months ago, he would have said no, but that was before he'd realized her mischievous streak extended into the bedroom.
Intentional offer or not, the real question was - was there enough time before they had to leave to take her up on it? With a resigned frown, he shook his head and reluctantly looked away. The guest of honor couldn't be late to his own birthday party.
"His skepticism is why he's the perfect choice to conduct the clinical trials." Kyoya replied, forcing himself back to the topic at hand. "If he reports the treatment as successful then it'll be a useful foil to the anti-GMO contingent. The political battle to prevent having your research regulated into oblivion needs to begin now."
"It's not that I don't understand your reasoning-" Risa continued to voice her objections as she padded on stocking-covered feet into the bedroom and headed towards him. Regrettably, she'd managed to wriggle into her dress while his head was turned. Tonight, she was channeling her inner Audrey Hepburn with a red, above-the-knee length version of the off-the-shoulder wedding dress from Roman Holiday.
Every part of him simultaneously agreed that she looked phenomenal in red.
"-It's just that the man's an overbearing ass," Risa concluded, turning around to present her back to him in an unspoken command to zip her up.
He deliberately took his time pulling up the zipper, letting his knuckles brush against her spine and watching shivers race across her skin at his touch. When done, he rested his hands on her bare shoulders and leaned forward to murmur against her ear, "Please tell me you haven't already alienated him with some petty academic squabble."
"Of course not. I said he was an ass, not an idiot." Her chuckle rocked the shoulder muscles underneath his hands. "I'm perfectly capable of maintaining amiable relations with my colleagues. And, for the record, if I did squabble with him it wouldn't have been over something petty."
"Glad to hear." He placed a kiss on the side of her neck and felt the shudder pass through her body. She was so damn responsive; it was still hard to believe she'd managed to make it twenty-two years without taking a lover. And he was clearly a Neanderthal for being happy about it.
Risa turned in his arms and, grasping the edges of his dress shirt, began buttoning it the rest of the way up. "So, tonight you want me to convince Kajahara-sensei to oversee the clinical trials and charm the 'incompetent son-in-law' Watari Pharmaceuticals has put in charge of R&D to see if I can find out what's in their pipeline." She finished fastening the top button and smiled up at him playfully. "Just how much leg did you want me to show him to get the information?"
"I leave that entirely up to your discretion." Kyoya lifted his left hand, tracing his fingertips along her jawline. "But be advised that if you make the wrong choice I may have to punish you for it later."
Her eyes sparkled with laughter, as if she didn't believe his threat. Or, more likely, because she was thinking of taking him up on it. "You're acting very possessive, you know."
His fingertips reached her chin and he tilted her face up, leaning his own in close. Risa's eyes fluttered shut and her whole body swayed towards him. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he whispered against her lips and felt her tremble under his touch.
With a smirk, he dropped his hand and walked away.
Crossing towards the walk-in closet next to the bathroom, Kyoya didn't have to look behind him to know that she would still be standing there with desire staining her skin pink from the swell of her breasts all the way up her neck to her cheeks and her eyes rapidly blinking to try and dispel the fog he'd thrown her senses into. If he'd realized how much fun marital foreplay could be he might have given in to his father's demands sooner.
Or perhaps not – none of the vapid potential spouses his father had put forth would have entertained him half so much.
The closet, larger than the bedrooms of some commoner apartments, was lined on three sides with racks, shelves, and built in drawers. In the center of the room were two long back-to-back dressers for accessories. Opening the top drawer of the 'his' dresser, Kyoya surveyed the array of cufflinks nestled in the silk-lined boxes. Out of habit, his hands reached for the gold, circular links bearing the Ootori family crest, but at the last minute switched direction and plucked out a pair in silver inset with a single small, blue stone. They better matched the ring glittering on his finger.
"I hate to admit it, but you were right," Risa called out. "These things are easier to put up with when you have a goal or two."
"I'm usually right," he replied. Closing the drawer, he opened another to select a bow-tie in the exact shade of black to match his tuxedo and then crossed over to the rack holding his jacket. Through the open doorway, he could see that Risa standing in front of the floor mirror, giving her appearance an unnecessary once-over. He just managed to catch her exaggerated eye-roll over his boast and couldn't resist tweaking her more. "Besides, I consider it a service to keep you distracted enough not to commit mass homicide at my birthday party.
She snorted. "Well, that might be one way to get your father to stop holding these things. Seriously, who celebrates a birthday past the age they can drink?"
Kyoya shrugged on his tuxedo jacket and looped the ends of his bow tie around his collar. "The Ootoris do. You know father's motto - Private events…"
"…Public celebrations." She completed. Leaning forward, she smoothed a small smudge away from underneath her right eyebrow. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Any other targets for me, General Kyoya?"
"If you have a chance, spend some time with Komatsuzawa Naoki. Her husband's family is in the newspaper business and it's never too early to start generating good press." After grabbing a thin, black box from where he'd hidden it, he emerged from the closet. Walking towards her, he made sure to angle his body so as to conceal from her what he held in his hand. "Her husband and I have a somewhat complicated history so the approach will work better if it's from you. I understand she has a cousin with cystic fibrosis so I suspect she'll be very interested in your work."
Their eyes met in the mirror and she gave him a jaunty salute and a wink. Her glow of delight at being able to help him made the extra effort required to come up with plausible objectives for her worth every minute. He liked the way she looked when she was happy – the pink hue of her skin, the glint of excitement in her eyes, the way her body almost quivered like an elated puppy. But even more, he liked being the one who put that look on her face. Knowing that he was the one responsible for her smile.
Coming up alongside her, he thrust the box in his hand in front of her. "Here. Your jewelry collection is appallingly deficient. I thought you could use something a little flashier to go with that dress. You can't wear the same necklace with everything – people will start thinking I'm stingy."
Risa tilted her chin to the side and peered up at him, hesitating slightly as she took the box from his hand. "But I like the DNA necklace you got me. And you are a tight-fisted, skinflint – why do you think everyone calls you Oni-kaicho?"
She held the box in front of her like the contents might bite her. Mirth at her skepticism bubbled up in him and he fought the smile twitching his lips. Risa could proclaim a preference for shiny tech over shiny baubles all she wanted, he only took it as a challenge. "That's different, I'm supposed to be parsimonious with your lab budget. That's what you married me for."
Moving behind her, he covered her hands with his. "Now stop stalling and open your gift." He flipped the lid open with his thumbs. The gasp of surprise she made caused the smile playing on his lips to escape and turn into a self-satisfied beam.
Lifting the necklace from its satin-lined box, Risa held it up in the air before her and twisted it back and forth. Light gleamed off the pairs of diamond encrusted mice scampering around in a circle, each pair clutching ruby hearts as big as their heads between their conjoined paws. "Lab rats! They're adorable!" she laughed with delight, "But you do know that you're supposed to receive presents for your birthday, not give them," she teased, her smile brighter than the tiny rodents.
"Who says this isn't my present?" he answered, taking the necklace from her hands. "You." His fingertips brushed against her skin as he brought the ends of the necklace over her collar bone and around the back of her neck and she shivered. "The necklace." His breath stirred the hair at the nape of her neck and he heard hers hitch in response. "And nothing else." Fastening the chain, he placed a kiss on the back of her neck and chuckled softly when she released her breath with a shudder.
"I never knew you had a jewelry fetish," she replied shakily, lolling her head back against his chest and letting her eyes droop closed.
Kyoya barked out a surprised laugh. "You've been talking to Pooja again." Leaning down, he gently sucked her right ear lobe in between his teeth, running his tongue along the edge. "And you shouldn't throw around accusations you don't fully understand," he admonished with a flick of his tongue.
"If you keep doing that, we're going to be late." Her half-hearted protest came out on a sigh.
"An Ootori is never late." He nipped at her right shoulder. "You'll just have to wait until after the party." Smiling smugly at her flushed cheeks and eyelids heavy with desire, he deliberately took a full step back away from her.
If he kept that up, they wouldn't just be late, they'd never show up at all.
Resolutely turning away from temptation, Kyoya focused on knotting his bow-tie. "Speaking of presents, what would you like for Christmas?" Risa opened her mouth and his eyes narrowed sharply. "And don't say lab equipment," he ordered before she could get out a word.
Her face fell and she stuck out her bottom lip slightly. Stepping in front of him, she made a show of adjusting his already impeccably knotted tie. "But, what if that's what I really, really want?"
"No." He clasped his hands lightly behind her back. "But, if you're good, I could be convinced to hire that intern you keep going on about."
Her face lit up more than it had when she'd seen the 2.5-million-yen necklace. "A minion? You'll get me my very own minion? Oh, you are the best Oni-kaicho ever!" Her hands encircled the back of his neck and her eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. "Now, just how good do I need to be? Because I? Can be very, very good."
"Is that so?" he murmured, "Then after the party I'll give you a chance to prove your hypothesis." Unable to resist, he pulled her against him and captured her mouth in a kiss.
Punctuality was an overrated virtue.
~oOoOo~
"It was a pleasure talking to you, Kajahara-sensei." Risa bowed as deeply to her companion as the neckline of her dress allowed. It wasn't that far. "I look forward to our meeting on Tuesday." The middle-aged doctor replied with a cursory grunt and dove back towards the buffet.
Overbearing ass.
But, an overbearing ass who had agreed to head up the clinical trials thanks to her efforts. Smiling to herself, she gave a pleased little shimmy. One target down, two to go. Not bad for the first thirty minutes. The Komatsuzawas hadn't arrived yet, but she'd spotted her other target over by the open bar. That would make her task easier - nothing could get a man to spill his secrets faster than alcohol and the vain hope of impressing a woman into falling into his bed.
Just how much leg would she have to show to ensure Kyoya lived up to his promise?
She could feel warmth stinging her cheeks and knew her smile had gone from 'polite' to 'giddy.' The last two months had turned her positively wanton. Not that she was complaining. And her groom certainly wasn't either.
Her eyes began scanning the room of their own volition, seeking out the man occupying her thoughts. Predictably, he was standing in a cluster of businessmen, all of whom were looking at him like he was made of money. To be fair, he might as well be. Lately, both the ballrooms and boardrooms of Tokyo were buzzing with rumors that Sakura Pharmaceuticals was on to something big. And everyone wanted a piece of it. Of them.
At a pause in his conversation, Kyoya lifted his head and looked straight at her - as if he knew she'd been staring. Lifting his eyebrow in inquiry she responded with a nod of affirmation. The look of pride on his face at her mission's success sent a thrill of happiness racing through her and she smiled. But, before their silent conversation could continue, the man on Kyoya's left said something and he broke contact, turning back to address his admirers.
Her disappointment stung more than it should. This was just what a society marriage was like, you arrived together and left together - the rest of the time was spent with everyone else. Taking a breath, she shrugged it off and squared her shoulders. Kyoya had his job and she had hers. It was time for some flirting with a hopefully-not-too-inebriated idiot.
A loud round of laughter from the men hanging around the bar had her looking in that direction and grimacing. The Watari son-in-law had the bright red face of someone well past the point of tipsy. And he looked the type to justify whatever he did tonight with the excuse of 'being drunk.' Risa sent up a silent plea that, whatever else he did, he wouldn't vomit down her cleavage.
Maybe she should take a break to check her make up first. Make sure it was flirt-worthy. That doing so would take her away from a room already growing stuffy with the weight of people and their egos was just a side benefit.
Her feet were already heading out of the room before she'd completed the thought.
Immediately outside the open doors to the ballroom was a large foyer almost as magnificent as the room behind her. People seeking a bit of air perched on the lushly upholstered furniture, bowing their heads together for quiet conversation. She nodded to a few of them, but didn't intrude, as she headed towards a hallway almost hidden behind one of the two smaller ballrooms on the floor.
If she were forced to find something positive about having to attend so many society functions it would be that she now knew the layout of every five star hotel in Tokyo by heart. Every hidden patio. Every overlooked alcove. Every single nook and cranny where she could stop being the socialite, or the dutiful daughter, or the chairman's wife for a minute. Or ten. Every place where she could find a little bit of peace and quiet.
This hotel, the flagship of Suoh Enterprises, was the one she knew the best. In warm weather, her favorite spot was the patio tucked behind the smaller west-side ballroom. In November, the options were more limited but she had managed to find a restroom that typically went unnoticed in favor of the more luxurious ones located outside the grand ballroom.
Yeah, she was planning on hiding in the bathroom. So what?
The hallway opened into an atrium next to a bank of elevators. This far from the party, the only occupants were a security guard posted to keep out the great unwashed and a young couple taking advantage of how the box sofa hid their activities from casual view. Risa gave a polite greeting to the guard which he returned with barest flicker of acknowledgement, his attention never wavering from his task.
Past the atrium, she turned left down a side hallway, which ended in an emergency exit, and pushed open the door to her destination. The first section of the ladies' lounge was a powder room with a chaise lounge, some chairs, and a counter-and-mirror combination that ran along the entire length of one wall. Risa had already taken a few steps into the area before realizing that she wasn't alone. An elderly lady, wearing one of those beaded, cap-sleeved, below-the-knee dresses favored by women of a certain age, was using the mirror to reapply her lipstick.
Risa hurried past the unwelcome intruder, giving only the minimum amount of greeting that would be polite considering she was technically this party's hostess. Thankfully, the woman wasn't the chatty type and didn't even try to engage her in conversation. Using the excuse of biology, she passed through the arch to the more utilitarian section and ducked into a stall. Taking longer than was strictly necessary, she waited until she thought she heard the outer door close before exiting.
Moving back into the now empty powder room, Risa sank down gratefully onto an overstuffed ottoman. Slipping off her shoes, she pressed her aching feet against the cool tile and moaned with relief. The person who invented high heels should be shot. But, on the other hand, Kyoya did seem to appreciate what they did to her calves.
With a sigh, Risa reached up to touch her fingertips to his gift. Lab rats. It was just so… sweet. And thoughtful. And a tiny bit ostentatious. And just so him – right down to that mocking little smirk he'd given her that said he knew what she liked better than she did.
Arrogant, patronizing, utterly magnificent bastard!
Sweet lords of Kobol, she was in trouble. It was getting harder and harder not to blurt out the words that would destroy the delicate harmony of their relationship. The words that would force their feelings out into the open and ruin the companionable partnership they'd forged.
'I love you.'
She clamped down hard on the tiny voice that urged her to tell the truth. There was no need to drop that bomb; it wouldn't change anything. It was enough that she knew he cared for her in his own way. Maybe not quite to the level of the Suohs, but at least she ranked higher than the twins in his affections. Probably.
Her fingers trailed over the bejeweled rodents circling her neck. And this way, if she never forced him to reply, then sometimes she could pretend for just awhile that he loved her back.
Shaking her head to dispel her maudlin thoughts, Risa pushed her feet into her shoes, groaning when the backs brushed against already sore heels. Standing up, she checked her makeup in the mirror. It was fine, but she took the time to touch up her lipstick and pat down some of the shine on her cheeks anyway. After a final review, she pasted her socialite smile firmly in place, threw open the door and headed back to reality.
Half-way down the corridor, Risa stopped in her tracks as an eerie keen filled the hallway. It was a low rattling sound, a cross between a moan and a gasp, that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge. It was a sound that could have been ripped straight from a George Romero film.
And it came from behind her.
Turning around slowly, heart lurching in her chest, she almost heaved a sigh of relief when she saw it was just the old lady from the restroom. Then she noticed how the woman was hunched against the wall next to the emergency exit, her hand clutching at her left chest.
"Obaa-chan!" Risa cried, scurrying up to the woman's side to help, "Are you all right, should I call for help." Her hands were already digging in her purse to find her cell phone before she remembered that she had left it at home.
"Need… medicine…" The woman panted, her hand clawing uselessly at her heart, "In… purse…"
Risa scooped up the bag which had fallen at the woman's feet and rooted around in it frantically. Tissues. Wallet. Keys. There! Snatching the pill bottle, she held it up triumphantly. "Is this it, Oba... Owww!"
The sharp pain in her right bicep wrenched the yelp from her lips. Turning her head, Risa could only watch as the contents of a syringe were plunged into her arm by a smooth and unwrinkled hand. Following the hand back up along the arm it was attached to, she ended up staring straight into the old woman's face.
Risa had just enough time to note that the eyes looking back at her were much younger and harder than she would have expected before the darkness spiraled up to claim her.
~oOoOo~
Kyoya bowed to the departing middle aged gentleman and hid his smile at another negotiation satisfactorily concluded. It wasn't polite, or politic, to reveal openly that he'd just bested his opponent. Especially when the person in question didn't realize it yet.
Summoning a waiter, he exchanged his empty wine glass for a full one and sipped it idly while scanning the room for his next victim. The night was going well. Every mission he'd assigned himself had been accomplished with ease. Risa, too, was meeting with success and had managed to land Kajahara faster than anticipated. Of course, she looked enchanting tonight. It was no surprise the old goat had folded so quickly.
Lifting his glass, Kyoya used it to obscure the smile of pride he felt on his lips and sought out the flash of red which marked his wife's progress around the room. The smile turned downward when he'd completed his circuit without success. It wasn't unusual for her to take a break, but he couldn't recall finding her the last time he'd sought her out either. Tracing back the evening in his mind, he counted to himself. The last time he'd had a glimpse of her was two, three, four? Four. It had to have been at least four conversations ago. Allowing for the time it took to conduct his business that would be…
Twenty minutes. It had been at least twenty minutes since that shade of red had crossed his vision.
His hand tightened around the stem of his glass and he forced himself to relax. The room was crowded; he had probably just missed her. Or she was hiding away in the bathroom again and had lost track of time.
But every instinct he had said otherwise.
"Is something wrong, Kyoya-sama?" Tachibana, ever alert to his employer's moods, materialized at his elbow before he could think to summon him.
"I'm… not sure." Logic kept trying to assert dominance but his unease only grew. "It's probably nothing, but please confirm that someone has eyes on my wife. No need for alarm, just yet. I'm sure she just went to get some air."
"Yes, Kyoya-sama. Right away." Tachibana faded back into the scenery, lifting his wrist to his mouth and giving a muted order to the security detail posted discretely all over the building.
Clamping down tightly on his disquiet, Kyoya forced himself to continue socializing. Ootoris didn't panic. It wasn't in their nature. Especially over something so trivial.
Fifteen minutes later, the ceaseless prattle of the society matron who'd cornered him was grating on every last one of his unsettled nerves. Where the hell was Tachibana? And why wouldn't the old bat shut up about her insipid grandchildren? Sternly, he reminded himself that her husband owned the second largest chain of pharmacies in the country. He had to at least pretend to find this drivel utterly fascinating and not a complete waste of his time. Time that should be spent making sure his wife…
He cut off the thought and smiled just a little too sharply at the oblivious grandmother.
Finally, Tachibana returned. Laying his hand on his employer's shoulder, the older man murmured quietly into his ear, "Kyoya-sama, please come with me. We have a situation."
The relief he'd felt at Tachibana's reappearance turned to icy tendrils of fear that wrapped around Kyoya's chest and squeezed. Only years of training prevented him from revealing anything on face. Excusing himself, he turned and strolled unhurriedly out of the ballroom. By tacit agreement, both men refrained from conversation. In this place, there were ears everywhere.
Every step without a word, without any clarification intensified the fear gnawing at his stomach like a swarm of Risa's beloved lab rats. When Tachibana ushered him down the hallway leading to the business conference rooms, the pounding in his ears grew so loud he could barely hear the strains of the string quartet wafting out from the grand ballroom.
The Security Chief stopped at a door and checked the hallway for observers before pushing it open and gesturing his employer to enter. Inside, the room bustled with frenzied activity. At least fifteen men and women, all part of Tachibana's staff, scuttled around setting up computers and phone lines while speaking in hushed, urgent tones. Immediately recognizing the setup, Kyoya's mouth filled with ash.
They were putting together a command center.
"Tachibana, report," he barked as the ice hardened, pushing the air from his lungs.
"Kyoya-sama, I…" The older man took a deep breath and snapped to rigid attention. "We've done a complete sweep of this floor and been unable to locate Risa-sama. The guard on the south elevators puts her last known location as heading towards the south-east corridor approximately forty-five minutes ago. Furthermore…" Tachibana's stoic expression turned grim. "Furthermore, the guard on the south-east emergency staircase missed his last check-in time and has not yet been found."
He couldn't breathe. The ice around his chest wouldn't let him suck any air in. As Tachibana continued to talk, the cold moved outward, encasing everything in an imprenatrable glacier. His limbs. His mind. His every sense. Fog shrouded his vision and Tachibana's voice faded until it was a mere echo reaching him across a giant chasm.
"Hotel security… camera feed hacked… suspect kidnapping… no trace…. no leads… no…."
The fog engulfed him, every patch of skin turning numb until he felt nothing. Heard nothing. Saw nothing. How had he let this happen? He'd been warned, but still he'd acted so confident. So convinced that everything was under control. Tachibana's words pounded over and over in his skull, mocking his presumption.
'No leads…. no leads… no….'
What sign had he ignored? What clue had he overlooked? Which enemy had lulled him into complacency or managed to hide from his view? And why hadn't he done more to prevent it? More than just increase her security? He could have put a full detail on her. Moved her to a safe house. Out of the country. Something. Anything. Risa had trusted him, put herself and everything she had in his hands.
And he. Had. Failed.
The cracking sound of a hard slap cut through the buzzing in his ears and accompanied a sharp pain which instantly snapped him back to awareness. Reflexively, he lifted his left hand to rub away the sting in his cheek and blinked at heavily pregnant woman in front of him.
She was rubbing her hand as if the blow she'd just administered had hurt her as much as it had him. "Sempai, snap out of it!" Haruhi commanded evenly, her chocolate brown eyes filled with sympathy. "Kyoya, I know you're thinking that you could have prevented this. That you believe you should have been able to control for every possible variable. But you don't have time for that right now. Not if you want to get Risa-chan back."
Her words reached down through the fog and ice trying to crush him. Through all the layers of fear, and guilt, and rage that wanted to consume him. All the way down to the part of him he kept tightly leashed, only to be let out when needed. To the Kyoya who was nothing but the man his father had raised him to be – cold, calculating, devoid of feeling, and completely, utterly merciless.
Taking a deep breath, he ruthlessly shoved every bit of emotion, every bit of self-doubt and recrimination, into a dark corner of his soul. It was all useless. None of it would help him. None of it would help Risa. He would just have to keep it there until later. Until he had time for it.
Haruhi peered up at him and gave a solemn nod of approval. "Good, you're back." When she took a step backwards, he noticed for the first time the rest of their friends grouped behind her. Each bore differing expressions of the same mix of emotions – sympathy, concern, and determination.
Tamaki stepped up alongside his wife. "We're all here for you, mon ami. All our resources are at your disposal."
"Sempai, you are the only person here who can do this," Haruhi said, "Now, tell us what you need."
Their combined offer of support threatened to undermine the tight grip he was keeping on himself. Glancing away, he pushed up his glasses to hide the emotion in his eyes and reassert his self-control. Later, when this was over, when Risa was back - that's when he would allow himself the luxury of gratitude.
Right now, he had a job to do.
"Tamaki, find my father and apprise him of the situation. Quietly!" he ordered, "Tell him to spread the story that Risa fell ill and I took her home."
"Right away, mon ami." Tamaki agreed and bounded towards the door. Turning around before he opened it, his brow wrinkled in confusion. "But going home early from your own party? Won't people find that suspicious."
"Not at all." Kyoya waved away the question. "Given how long we've been married most will simply assume she's pregnant."
Crossing off that item on the mental checklist he was forming, Kyoya moved on to his next item. "Haruhi, call Hikaru. Also, call my assistant and get the contact information for a woman named Amy Wagner. Have one of Tachibana's men patch both of them in via video chat. I want the name of the best hacker they know – white, black, or gray hat. As long as they'll be loyal to whoever is paying them."
Haruhi had started dialing the second he'd said Hikaru's name. When a sleepy and irritated voice picked up, she moved to the edge of the room and quietly began filling in the tech mogul on what had happened in hushed whispers.
Turning to his Security Chief, Kyoya briefed him on his next steps. "If we can trace back the hack of the hotel cameras we'll have our first lead. There are also a few people I need you to get on the line for me…" Tachibana's head nodded as he wrote down a list of names in his notebook. Ripping off the sheet, he handed it to one of his subordinates then went to check on his team's progress.
Kyoya moved closer to the two remaining Host Club members in the room. "Honey, Mori," he said in a low voice only they could hear, "I don't have anything for you to do right now, but…"
"Don't worry, Kyo-chan," Honey interrupted, his sugar-sweet tone laced with menace, "Once you've found the bad guys, Takashi and I will take care of them for you."
"Hn." Mori concurred with a solemn nod, his face taking on the unforgiving mien of his samurai ancestors.
Kyoya could only manage an imperceptible bow of his head in response, afraid any words he said would cause him to shatter. It was a discourtesy ill-befitting an Ootori, but both his seniors looked at him as if they understood better than most his need to shield himself from any hint of emotion.
Stepping to the middle of the room, Kyoya surveyed the frenetic activity around him. His initial instructions done, all he could do now was wait for them to be executed and help his team keep their focus by projecting the illusion of control. Ryan's words from that balcony meeting now sounded like a prophecy.
'There's always gonna be a sum'bitch out there who things he's bigger, meaner, and stronger than you that needs to be smacked down.'
An operation like this had to have some resources behind it. And that meant they would have left footprints. Somewhere would be a hint, a trace of who they were and what they wanted. And once he found that, he would follow it back to their lair and get his wife back. Safe and unharmed.
And then?
Kyoya's lips turned up in a predatory smile, lighting his eyes with an unholy glow. And then he would show the people who did this that he was more than just a player in the game – He was the God. Damn. King.
And he was going to burn their world to the ground.
A/N: Happy New Year's Eve (my time). Whether 2016 was good or bad for you, I hope that 2017 treats you better.
Forewarning that I already know the next chapter might take a couple weeks to get right. It requires some tighter plotting than I'm used to and I have some research to do that I can't do on a work computer. Or maybe on any computer connected to me. Hey – anyone know if I'll end up on a watch list if I google 'How to build a bomb with common household chemicals?'
Oops. Spoilers.
Anyway – thanks to everyone who has favorited or followed me this past year. Special thanks to all the people who've left a review from chapter 1 until now. I can't express how much I appreciate it.
A few review responses from last chapter:
AusllyBeliever – I almost did have Risa stick her tongue out but I scrapped it at the last minute.
Jayla Fire Girl – yep, not a coincidence as this chapter shows.
xxxSerinaxxx and Storz – glad you liked my idea for Risa's gift. Thinking about it, Kyoya must be really hard to shop for. But, he's also the kind who'll display a garish calendar for six months just to keep from hurting a friend's feelings.
And thanks to Jenny, HeatherLynn96, acir tools, and lillyannp for the feedback and encouragement. Hope this meets your expectations.