It was hard to think about puppy-kicking when you suddenly knew rescue was on the way, carried by a low, vastly annoyed rumble through the steel of a door.

It was much easier to think of puppy-kicking when the ninja stepped close--close enough to strike but not close enough for Kaito to do anything--and threatened back.

"Drop any weapons and step away from my boss," she called. "Or I start cutting bits off the boy."

"I'm not a boy," Kaito muttered unhappily. "Or a kid."