Chapter 7: The Price of Loyalty

Ren smelled blood before anyone spoke.

Not his. Someone else’s. Fresh.

Kaito didn’t react. He never did. He stood in the safe room, hands folded, watching Ren like this was part of the lesson.

“She sold you,” Ren said.

“Yes,” Kaito replied. “Early. Clean.”

Akio’s jaw tightened. “She leaked the route and the timing. Payment already transferred.”

Ren turned. “You knew?”

“I suspected,” Kaito said calmly. “Suspicion isn’t proof.”

Ren laughed—sharp, broken. “She almost got us killed.”

Kaito stepped closer. “And now you understand the cost of trust.”

A screen flickered on behind him.

Footage. Grainy. Saya on a burner phone, whispering coordinates. Smiling.

Ren’s chest tightened. “Why show me this now?”

“Because she’s running,” Kaito said. “And she knows you survived.”

Akio met Ren’s eyes. “She won’t disappear quietly.”

Kaito’s voice lowered. “If she reaches her buyer, you become disposable.”

Silence.

Ren clenched his fists. “So what do you want?”

Kaito didn’t hesitate.

“You chase her.”

Ren exhaled slowly, something inside him hardening.

The city had taken its first cut.

And it wouldn’t be the last.