Half-Sight

14 | trust

14. TRUST

-

"WE NEED TO get the police on this."

"Hina, slow down."

I'm rushing down the steps so fast I'm on the verge of stumbling, wound throbbing. "I don't care what Okazaki thinks. There's no going back if Daizo's able to do what he—"

"Hina—"

"—did on a large scale, so we have to find out how he plans on distributing it and what Bohai is..." I pause.

Wait.

Ren slows to a stop in front of me, then tips his head back as he catches his breath. "Just slow down for a sec, yeah?"

But my mind's already spinning. Why would Daizo take Bohai if he's not using him as bait? Because he needs him. And what is Bohai good at?

I think of the way Bohai mapped the inner workings of train stations. The auction. Triggering the alarm at Osaka Castle. Bohai's talent is finding loopholes in tech and security—slipping in where people can't see. If Bohai can get anywhere, Daizo can get anywhere.

"I know what Bohai is doing." I lift my head, and Ren's eyes search mine, lost. "Daizo's using Bohai to get access to a place that can facilitate mass distribution."

Ren's tongue digs into his teeth. He lowers his head with a sharp exhale before raising his eyes again. "Mass distribution of what, Hina?"

"Hallucinogen. You said Daizo wanted to show us something. What if he wants to set the hallucinogen loose on the whole city? Mass murder? Or even just to toy with them?" My voice grows quiet as what happened earlier comes rushing back. "He does a pretty damn good job."

He glances away. "Maybe we should think this through."

My brows furrow. "Think what through?"

"I don't know." A note of frustration enters his voice. "Just...maybe we should stop and plan things out before we involve the police. You want to invite Okazaki to stick his nose into our business again? Run from Kotomi? They complicated things. We don't need that."

"They helped us evacuate the auction."

He narrows his eyes. "You're defending them."

I open my mouth, suddenly irritated by his tone. "No, I—"

"Bohai helped us evacuate the auction. Bohai did everything."

"Which is why we need to find him as soon as possible." Isn't this our simplest goal? Why are we not agreeing? I try to search his face, but I can only make out the blur of his scar and the low pull of his brows. Frustration rushes through me. "I don't understand what the problem is."

"There is no problem." Ren points, a plea in his eyes. "But what happened in there? That was a lot. For you and for me. I'm just saying we should process it for a second before we figure out how to fix this."

Process. Terror grips my chest at the thought of waiting.

"No," my mouth says.

"And why the hell not?"

"Aren't you scared?"

Ren stares at me. Then he shakes his head with a dry laugh, voice lowering. "Scared of what? There's a lot to be scared of."