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"Then at least let me sit up, okay?" I pressed my lips to her ear, lowering my voice to a whisper, "I need to face the man who intends to kill me."
She hesitated, her tongue coming out to lick at her upper freckle, and her gaze moved between me and Rook. "You have to promise, Rook."
"I'll do no such thing. He needs to pay for what he's done."
"I swear, I will pay," I called back to him, showing my hands in a gesture of surrender. "Let's just talk about it, first."
"Please, Rook," Tatiana's voice was a soft pleading.
"Give me one good reason why I should listen to him."
"For me," she said, her voice subdued. "Do it for me."
There was a long pause, the air filled with a crackling tension, then, resignation and a grumble. "Fine. We'll talk about it.For now."
"Promise me," she said.
He took a few steps back and pointed his gun at the floor. "This will have to be good enough."
"It is." She, hesitated, nodded, then released me. I sighed in relief and pulled myself up, facing Rook. She scrambled upwards, like she didn't trust either Rook or me, and promptly sat in my lap, nestling herself there.
"Tatiana, please––" I warned her, but she cut me off.
"You two have used me to hurt each other. Now you want to toss me to the side like a child. I'm not leaving."
She was right.Of course she was right.
I wrapped my arms around her, nuzzling my face into her neck, my teeth grazing over her ear, whispering, "You know it's because we care about you, right?"
"I don't care," she stared up at Rook, and I gave in to the fact that she wasn't moving, loving the feel of her in my lap, so close to me. So caring.For me.
She's protecting me.
What a thought.
"Give her a goddamn shirt," I growled to Rook, not wanting him to see her dressed like this, so sensual and fuckable.
Rook shook his head, sighing loudly. "Fine." He walked towards the dresser and pulled out a shirt, throwing it to Tatiana. "You can stay."
As she pulled it on, I watched Rook carefully, but his gaze wasn't on her, it was on me, burning with hatred.
This next part would be difficult, but if everything went as planned, Tatiana and I would walk out of here together. And Rook, a part of our past.
I just didn't expect to have to do this with a gun to my head.
"You know talking won't work, right?" He was standing by an old rickety chair, so strange how it looked exactly like the one in her old room. "I will kill you."
I closed off all emotion in order to fix this. "I was hoping you would come tonight."
"Were you?"
"Of course."
"Hoping your death would come in the form of vengeance?" he scoffed.
"If that's what it takes." Now that I knew that someone from Veracruz, my old enemy, was in Vegas, I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep them from hurting Tatiana again. Including betray my family. "I have what you want."
There was a pause as he rummaged through the fridge, still keeping an eye out for me. He pulled out a ready-made banana split with a candle in the middle. I could only stare at it in surprise. "And what is it that I want, Knight?"