Kai stood alone longer than he meant to.
The room was quiet, but not empty. Silence had weight now—it pressed against his ears, against his thoughts, against the object resting on the table in front of him.
The device.
He hadn't moved it since Chapter 29. Hadn't powered it. Hadn't even turned it over. Just knowing it was there was enough to keep his pulse uneven.
This was the moment things stopped being theoretical.
Footsteps approached from the hallway. Familiar. Measured.
Jax didn't speak when he entered. He didn't need to. His eyes went straight to the table.
"So that's it," Jax said finally.
Kai nodded once. "That's it."
Jax circled slowly, like the thing might react to sudden movement. "You sure this is what caused the switch?"
"It's when everything changed," Kai replied. "Before this, they chased me. After this—" He stopped. "After this, they started cleaning."
Jax's expression darkened. "Cleaning how?"
"Loose ends. Watchers disappearing. Routes getting quiet overnight." Kai exhaled. "That only happens when something bigger is exposed."
Jax leaned closer, careful not to touch it. "You know what scares me?"
Kai didn't answer.
"This isn't a weapon," Jax continued. "It's not money. It's not even leverage in the normal sense." He straightened. "It's information."
Kai finally reached forward and picked it up.
The weight confirmed what he already knew.
"Whatever's inside," Kai said, "someone built a whole system to protect it."
"And now you're holding it."
"Yes."
Jax met his eyes. "So what's the plan?"
Kai didn't respond immediately. He crossed the room and locked the door. Then the window. Then he turned his phone face down on the table.
"The plan," Kai said, "is not to run."
Jax blinked. "That's new."
"They expect movement," Kai continued. "They expect panic. They expect me to sell this, hide it, or destroy it."
"And you won't?"
Kai shook his head. "No. I'm going to let them feel the uncertainty."
He set the device down again, this time closer to the edge.
"They don't know what I've seen," Kai said. "They don't know what I understand. And they don't know who I'll give it to."
Jax was quiet for a long moment. Then, "You're turning yourself into a variable."
"That's the point."
Outside, a distant engine passed—too slow, too deliberate.
Jax noticed it too. "You think they're already watching?"
Kai didn't look away from the device. "I think they never stopped."
The room felt smaller.
Jax let out a breath. "Once this moves to the next stage, there's no stepping back."
Kai's voice was steady. "I didn't take this for leverage."
Jax frowned. "Then why take it?"
Kai lifted his eyes.
"Because someone built this thinking they'd never be touched."
A pause.
"And I want them to know they were wrong."