Page 60 of Rival for Rent

“First, we check the security footage. See if it caught anything. Then, we bait them.”

“Wait—what?”

“We’ll put out a press release about some fake construction snag. Say the center’s opening is delayed. Whoever’s behind this is watching. They’ll think you’re reacting to the threat.”

“Okay,” Kai said slowly. “But I still don’t—”

“Then we leave a note on your front steps. Tell them to delete the video.”

“You think they’ll listen?”

“No. But that’s not the point. I’ll be staked out in a car nearby. The moment someone shows up to leave or collect anything, I’ll follow—or stop—them.”

“How do you know they’ll come?”

“Because Myers is right about one thing. Whoever this is, they want to get under your skin, and they want to get up close to see it. They won’t be able to stop themselves from pushing further. It might take a few nights, but they’ll show.”

To my surprise, Kai didn’t argue. He just nodded. “Okay. Yeah. I can do that.” He gave me a small, genuine smile. “Thanks.”

“It’s nothing,” I said. Compared to what I owed him, it was less than nothing.

“It’s something,” he said quietly. “Really, Mason. Thank you. I think I would’ve lost my mind by now if you weren’t here.”

Later, we checked the security footage. It didn’t give us much—just a blurry figure in oversized clothes walking past and dropping something on the doorstep without even looking towards the house.

Smart. Whoever they were, they were being careful.

But it was something. Proof Kai wasn’t making it all up, or doing this to himself for attention. The person was way too tall to be him.

It took Kai the rest of the day to get the press release out. Apparently, it had to go through his internal team, then the Butterfly Center’s team, then back to his team, and he had to somehow get everyone on board with announcing a delay in the opening when there wasn’t an actual problem. He spent most of the day glued to his phone and laptop, and by five p.m., it was done.

That night, I returned the rock to the front steps, along with our own note:Construction halted. Send proof video is deleted.I doubted we’d get any response, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

I camped out in the backseat of Kai’s rental BMW—his car was still in the shop—armed with snacks, water, and a piss can. I waited, watched, and waited some more. Nothing happened all night. I came back inside frustrated, even though I’d known it was a long shot.

Kai looked at me as I stepped through the door, his eyes grainy, concern etched across his face.

“Upstairs,” he said, pointing towards the second floor.

“Hm?” I mumbled, heading automatically for the kitchen to make coffee.

“You’re going upstairs,” he said firmly. “And you’re taking a nap. In the guest room. Since the couch needs to be, um…cleaned.”

We both glanced at it. I tried to shove down the memory of thrusting between his thighs, his ass pressed against me. Stroking his cock, his skin slick in my hand. This was theclosest we’d come to acknowledging that night. Kai was clearly pretending it didn’t happen. Which was probably for the best. Even if that knowledge only made me want him more.

“I’ll be fine,” I said, stifling a yawn. “I’ve stayed up all night on plenty of missions. All I need is some coffee and I’ll be good as new.”

“That’s bullshit. Sleep deprivation is a torture tactic for a reason. You need rest.”

“Kai, I’ll be fine,” I said again. “I did this all the time when I was on tour.”

“Well, you’re not on tour now. You’re supposed to be keeping me safe. How are you going to do that if your reflexes are dulled and your thinking’s all foggy from exhaustion?”

“How am I going to keep you safe if I’m asleep?”

“Because I solemnly swear I’ll work from home today,” he said. “I’ll stay upstairs, so if anything happens, you’ll be right there.”

I studied him. This assertive version of Kai was new. And kind of hot. Or maybe I was simply too tired to find it annoying.

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