The car door slammed shut.
The engine came alive at once. Xiaowei pulled into the road without hesitation, the city lights sliding across the glass as Viva Palm Hotel drew closer with every passing second.
Aidan leaned back, eyes closing, but rest did not follow. His mind moved too fast.
Mazin.
Every step he took and every word he didn't say made a pattern that wouldn't finish. Aidan chased it anyway, putting the pieces together and testing each one. None of them held.
His jaw tightened.
"You pulled me into this," he muttered. "You will answer for it."
Xiaowei's voice cut in, careful but direct. "Master, should we keep track of him?"
Aidan did not open his eyes. His fingers pressed briefly against his temple, as though steadying something beneath the surface.
"No. Not yet."
A pause.
"I will trust him a little longer."
Xiaowei watched the road, then said, "Trust is often where men fail. Even those who claim control avoid what tempts them."
