Kaito didn't wait for Aiko to process the fear. He took the cat carrier from her trembling hands with one smooth motion.
"We move," he commanded, his voice a low whisper. "Don't make a sound. Follow me."
He was a different person now. The cold, arrogant man from the apartment was gone, replaced by a silent predator. He moved to the front door of her apartment and listened for a full ten seconds before giving a sharp nod. He opened the door a crack, peered out, and then gestured for her to follow.
Every creak of the floorboards in her own hallway sounded like a gunshot. Aiko's heart hammered against her ribs as she followed Kaito's dark form down the stairs. He moved with an unnerving silence, his feet making no sound. He was a ghost in his own element.
The short walk to the car felt like a mile. Aiko kept looking over her shoulder, expecting the thugs from before to jump out of every shadow. She didn't let out the breath she was holding until the heavy doors of the sedan were closed and the locks clicked shut, sealing them inside.
She collapsed into the leather seat, clutching the bag of cat food to her chest. Kaito placed the carrier with a surprisingly gentle motion on the back seat, where Mochi let out a small, questioning meow.
Kaito pulled the car out onto the street, his movements sharp and efficient. The silence in the car was thick and heavy.
"They were in my home," Aiko whispered, the words tasting like ash.
"I know," Kaito said, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. His jaw was tight. He looked angry. Not at her, but at the situation. At the enemy who had dared to cross the line.
When they arrived back at the luxurious high-rise, Aiko felt a wave of relief so strong her legs almost buckled. The sterile, empty apartment was no longer a prison. It was a fortress. The moment the door locked behind them, the adrenaline that had been keeping her upright vanished.
The bag of cat food slipped from her fingers and hit the polished floor with a soft thud. Her strength gave out. She slid down the wall to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees, and began to shake.
It was too much. The shadow monster, the thugs, the invasion of her home, the fact that her entire life had been upended in less than a day. A silent tear traced a path down her cheek, then another. She wasn't sobbing, but a quiet, hopeless grief washed over her.
Mochi meowed from his carrier. Kaito set it on the floor and opened the little gate. The fat orange cat immediately ran to Aiko, rubbing against her and purring loudly as if he knew she needed comfort. Aiko buried her face in his fur, her shoulders shaking.
She didn't hear Kaito move, but suddenly he was there. He crouched down in front of her, so his eyes were level with hers. It was a startling change from his usual towering presence. He didn't say "don't cry" or "it's okay." He just waited a moment, his gaze steady.
Then, he spoke, his voice quiet but filled with a conviction that cut through her fear.
"They will not touch you again," he said. It wasn't a comfort. It was a vow. "I will not allow it."
Aiko looked up at him, at this dangerous, impossible man who commanded shadows and kept her prisoner for her own safety. And for the first time, she believed him.
He stood up, his professional mask sliding back into place. "I need to make some calls," he said, his tone once again distant. "There is food in the refrigerator. Feed your cat. And stay away from the windows."
He walked into another room, pulling out his phone. Aiko was left alone on the floor, the purring cat in her lap, in a silent apartment forty stories above the city. She could hear the faint, dangerous murmur of Kaito's voice from the other room, speaking in rapid, low Japanese.
She was safe, for now. She was a prisoner in a golden cage. And her warden was currently planning a war.