Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
A small army of my men moved between the buildings, setting up screens, laying out maps on side tables, and doing the quiet work that came before a briefing.
They saw us coming and made room.
I cleared my throat as we continued. "Reo."
"Yes."
"I want a paternity test done on Kiko."
Hiro blinked. "What called for that?"
"My Tiger feels uneasy."
He studied my face. "Due to the babies possibly being yours?"
"Yes."
He held my gaze for a long second and then nodded. "Then get the testing."
"That's why I'm telling Reo.” I looked at my Roar. "I want it done before she gives birth. Can we get the results in our hands by tomorrow?"
Reo nodded. "It's already in motion."
I stopped walking. "What?"
Reo paused and looked at me. "I spoke with the doctor this morning."
Of course he did. Always several steps ahead.
Still, I had to ask. "You spoke to him before I agreed?"
"I spoke to him because I anticipated this. Kiko has been making trouble with your Tiger so—"
“What trouble?” Hiro and I asked in unison.
Reo placed his hands in his pockets. “Kiko apparently was trying to bulldoze her way into the party last night, but your Tiger handled it.”
I sneered.
Hiro crossed his arms over his chest. “How disrespectful. I want permission to kill her cousin Tet.”
I held my hand up. “How did my Tiger handle it?”
“She had her guards blocking the entrances in anticipation of Kiko attempting this.”
I wasn’t a fan of that. Nyomi’s guards were supposed to be with her. And I hadn’t even known they weren’t around at the party. Granted, she was with me and my men by then. We would have never let anything happen to her.
Reo continued, “I talked to her security team and they let me know that Tet approached her earlier that day about their coming to the party and Nyomi told them no.”
I smiled.
Good job, Tora.
Hiro looked at me. “Can I kill him?”
“Yes.”
Hiro grinned.
“Just don’t let my Tiger find out.”
“You mean our Tiger.”
“No. I don’t.” I looked at Reo. “Did they give my Tiger’s guards a problem last night?”
“They didn’t. Apparently, Nyomi delivered a message explaining that she would have Hiro come outside and handle them if they remained.”
“Damn right.” Hiro nodded.
I frowned.
Why didn’t she threaten them with me? I’m much scarier.
Reo pulled his hands out of his pockets. "The doctor told me that there is a procedure called the non-invasive prenatal paternity test."
“What happens?”
"During pregnancy, fragments of the babies' DNA circulate in the mother's bloodstream. The doctor draws blood from the pregnant woman. Next, he takes a cheek swab or blood sample from the possible fathers. After that, the lab separates the DNA profiles—mother, child, and alleged fathers. Once done, the doctor is able to statistically determine paternity."
Hiro narrowed his eyes. "Statistically?"
"Statistically with a confidence level above ninety-nine percent."
I nodded. "That’s good enough for me."
Reo continued. "This test is possible from seven to ten weeks of pregnancy onward. Kiko is well past that mark. Standard turnaround is three to ten business days. But we have a private clinic with advanced equipment, so the turnaround will be twenty-four to seventy-two hours."
Hiro tilted his head to the side. "Risk to the twins?"
"None.” Reo shook his head. “No needle near the fetus. It’s just a blood draw from her. Cheek swabs from you two. That is all."
Hiro let out a low whistle. "Sounds good to me. However, she better hope those babies aren’t mine. Once she has them, I’m taking them. She would be a shitty mother."
I considered Reo’s information. “After the meeting, get Hiro and my swabs and put this in motion. The sooner this is done, the better.”
Hiro chuckled. “Kiko is going to be pissed about this.”
She better feel nothing but lucky because there could have been the grim reaper on her doorstep this morning.
I thought back to Nyomi having to use her guards for Kiko’s bullshit. “My Tiger should have greater Scale power. If she needs more for a particular reason, she should have the ability to grab them.”
Reo nodded. “Already in place. Her team has delivered my message.”
I blinked. “You already decided to give my Tiger more power with moving around the Scales?”
“I anticipated you would want that.”
Sure you did. You probably decided this after swallowing that first Roar Bite.
I rolled my eyes and headed off.
Hiro snickered again.
We continued forward and then turned the corner.
Far ahead of us, the Claws and Fangs surrounded a building taller than my men by a foot. The Fangs leaned against other structures. The Claws sat in chairs they had dragged over. Kaoru and Yoichi were holding coffee. Toma had his head pressed against a bag of ice like he had the worst headache of his life.
While they looked clearly exhausted, they had smiles on their faces and a few wildly chatted with their hands in the air. They were the happiest exhausted men I had ever seen in my life.