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"Apparently, a banana split."
A shoulder came up as he pulled out a familiar looking lighter –– my abuelo's! "How the hell did you get my lighter?"
"Tatiana swiped it from your house."
She gave me a smug look but her gaze remained focused on Rook. "Is it your birthday?"
"Yes," I answered for him.
"How come you didn't tell me?"
"Because," he looked at me as he grabbed the chair, flipping it backwards, then straddled it. "I was going to do this after."
"What? Why?" She sounded confused.
"Because," his eyes were on me. "I never celebrate my birthday. Not since the day my Nana died." His voice was like acid. "The same day as my fourteenth birthday. The same day Knight ruined my life, tying my birth date to the worst day of my life."
Shame burned through me as I watched him light the candle. "Want to sing me happy birthday, Knight?" When I didn't answer, he continued, his voice rising in anger. "No? How about some extra cherries instead?" He suddenly stood, grabbing a glass jar of cherries from the fridge and smashed them on the floor. "You know those are my favorite."
"Rook," Tatiana's voice was filled with sympathy.
"He fucking ruined my life, Tatiana," he was shaking with rage. "And the only thing I wanted for my birthday was to stare into his dead eyes while I ate my fucking banana split." His rage-filled stare landed on me. "And you think you have something I want?"
"Yes." I kept his gaze. "What you asked for, in exchange for Tatiana's contract."
"Excuse me?" she exclaimed, "You've got to be kidding me."
"You still want control over her contract?" Rook ignored her. "Even though you're going to die tonight?"
"I can't believe this is happening," Tatiana growled.
"Yes," I answered simply. "I want to free her."
"She's not suffering under my contract." He straddled the chair again and began to eat his banana split. "Especially compared to when I first met her."
"How the fuck was she suffering when you met her?"
"That's enough about that," Tatiana interjected, her voice firm. "This isn't about me."
"It is," Rook and I said at the same time.
"Right now, this is about your past."
"The answer is, yes." I answered Rook. "No matter what happens here tonight, yes, I'll do what it takes to free her."
"You would betray yourfamily?" Dark amusement danced in Rook's eyes, disbelief in his tone. "You said you would never betray them."
"I changed my mind."
"Ah, I see." Rook grinned. "You haven't changed. Always doing what's best foryou, aren't you? Despite how it affects others."
"This is definitelynotbest for me." I had no doubt there would be severe consequences for this. Not only that, but it would break my relationship with them. Coulter had always been good to me, and Bourbon was the boss we all hoped for.
But, Tatiana was worth it.
"You're lying." Rook shook his head. "Show it to me."
"I'm going to reach into my back pocket."