Page 43 of Cold Ignition

Rangi nodded once. “Yeah.”

He pushed off the counter, pacing once, restless energy contained but visible.

“I think they’re building something bigger,” he said. “Controlled assets. Drivers who don’t say no.”

Kael’s expression darkened. “Blackmail?”

“Part of it,” Rangi said. “But not all. We need to find the head of the snake and shut it down permanently.”

Silence stretched.

“We’ll dig into it,” Kael said. “See what we can find.”

Rangi shook his head. “There is nothing there to find. That’s the problem. They need to step into the light.” Then his gaze flicked to Keanu. “I’ve thought of a way to make them.”

Keanu stilled.

Rangi nodded once. “Ahi.”

The name settled into the space like a challenge.

“You want to use me as bait,” Keanu said.

“I want leadership exposed,” Rangi corrected. “You’re the hook.”

Kael looked over at him and spoke in their native language. “You are not bait, brother.”

“No,” Keanu responded similarly, “I am not. Nor am I the type of man who walks away from shit like this. These assholes need to be taken down.”

Kael looked at him for a long time, and Keanu felt the eyes of his brothers and their partners all looking between him and Kael, but he held his leader’s gaze.

Kael took a deep breath, then nodded before standing up from the couch. “Let’s start the planning portion of this tomorrow.” He said in English. “We’ll need to plan the hell out of it and make sure Torch comes back in one piece.”

Rangi inclined his head. “Tomorrow.”

The meeting dissolved, and one by one, Black Tide filtered out.

Until it was just—

Keanu. Rangi. And the steady, quiet sound of Alexios breathing in the back room.

Rangi looked across the bus to where Keanu stood leaning against the counter opposite him. “You left. Six years ago, you just up and left.”

Keanu nodded. “I did, but not by choice.”

Rangi tilted his head to the side. “Yeah, I figured that much, but you never came back.”

Keanu exhaled. “You had each other.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Rangi stilled. Turned.

Keanu met his gaze.

“He’s solid,” Keanu said, quieter now. “You work well together.”

“He is, and we do, but I am not sure what you are trying to say.”