isn’t the only one after your dad, you know?”
I meet his gaze and wait for the pain to pour out of my soul before I start talking. “I watched him slice my sister’s throat with a knife.” I watched her blood trickle out until her body was empty. I watched her eyes beg for help while I sat there crying over her. I watched her chest move for the last time. I felt as the warmth in her skin turned to ice. “He was also my boyfriend. I loved him. I trusted him. And I shouldn’t have. Look where it landed me—my sister. I need to have this opportunity, Tango.”
“You were with him?” He looks sickened by his own question. “You’ve known he was the murderer all this time?” He straightens his posture and takes a step away from me. “You were a witness?” His voice continues to rise in volume, angry with me for a situation that didn’t even involve him. He sucks in a deep breath and tries to calm down. “Why didn’t you turn him in when it happened?”
“They still wouldn’t have found him.” I look at him with intensity. “And like I said, I want to be the one who kills him.”
“Okay. Well, then—thank you for your honesty. Now can we leave here, please?” He thinks I’m joking. Or he thinks I’m not thinking this through. Maybe he doesn’t realize this is the only thing I’m always thinking about. I want to see the look on Reaper’s face when I put a knife through his throat. I want to hear him say sorry for murdering my sister. For making her suffer. For making her pay a consequence for Dad’s actions. And for lying to me, using me and making me fall in love with him just so he could find Dad.
“No, Tango. I want to stay here and let him think he can find me. Let him think I had a moment of weakness and stopped tracking him. Let him think he can kill me.”
Sympathy grows within Tango’s eyes. At least that’s what I think the look is. Maybe he’s thinking I’m nuts. And now comes the part where he disagrees with me, tells me I’m insane, and forcefully pulls me out of the apartment. He reaches down for my hand and pulls me toward him. His arms loop around my back and he pulls me in against him, holding me. With my head up against his chest, I can hear a struggle in his lungs—a whine with every breath he takes. It’s a strange noise, but the feeling of warmth sways my attention to the feeling of security within his arms. It shoots a long forgotten feeling into my gut, and I have the urge to look up at him, but I can’t.
“We’ll stay,” he says gently.
“Really?” Is he going to sit here and watch me kill this guy? Because, those are my intentions. I think I was clear about that.
“If I had a chance to retaliate against someone who killed one of my brothers, I would. And no one could stop me.” His eyes change—they soften. “Do what you have to do for her. I’ll back you up.”
I feel wild inside, powered up and ready to attack. I’ve been waiting for this.
“I have something for you. Wait here.” He stands up and jets out of the room. He returns with a bag I haven’t seen him with, which I’m now seeing contains two 45 mm handguns. He shoves one of them into his holster and looks back up at me. He reaches for my hand and pulls me toward him. “Turn around.” I do as he says without question. Is this trust? He’s holding a pistol and told me to turn around. I’m breaking Mom’s rule. “Another reason I had my truck delivered to us. Couldn’t sneak these babies through TSA.”
He loops his finger through my back belt loop and I feel a tug. His knuckles sweep against my bare skin and I feel an electric zap charge through my body. My breath hitches and my eyes close in response to his warmth. My need for him is growing by the minute, but he’s here to protect me. Nothing more. I swallow my unsure feelings as he spins me back around to secure a small holster around my waist. Once secure, he slips the pistol in and stretches my shirt down over the
I meet his gaze and wait for the pain to pour out of my soul before I start talking. “I watched him slice my sister’s throat with a knife.” I watched her blood trickle out until her body was empty. I watched her eyes beg for help while I sat there crying over her. I watched her chest move for the last time. I felt as the warmth in her skin turned to ice. “He was also my boyfriend. I loved him. I trusted him. And I shouldn’t have. Look where it landed me—my sister. I need to have this opportunity, Tango.”
“You were with him?” He looks sickened by his own question. “You’ve known he was the murderer all this time?” He straightens his posture and takes a step away from me. “You were a witness?” His voice continues to rise in volume, angry with me for a situation that didn’t even involve him. He sucks in a deep breath and tries to calm down. “Why didn’t you turn him in when it happened?”
“They still wouldn’t have found him.” I look at him with intensity. “And like I said, I want to be the one who kills him.”
“Okay. Well, then—thank you for your honesty. Now can we leave here, please?” He thinks I’m joking. Or he thinks I’m not thinking this through. Maybe he doesn’t realize this is the only thing I’m always thinking about. I want to see the look on Reaper’s face when I put a knife through his throat. I want to hear him say sorry for murdering my sister. For making her suffer. For making her pay a consequence for Dad’s actions. And for lying to me, using me and making me fall in love with him just so he could find Dad.
“No, Tango. I want to stay here and let him think he can find me. Let him think I had a moment of weakness and stopped tracking him. Let him think he can kill me.”
Sympathy grows within Tango’s eyes. At least that’s what I think the look is. Maybe he’s thinking I’m nuts. And now comes the part where he disagrees with me, tells me I’m insane, and forcefully pulls me out of the apartment. He reaches down for my hand and pulls me toward him. His arms loop around my back and he pulls me in against him, holding me. With my head up against his chest, I can hear a struggle in his lungs—a whine with every breath he takes. It’s a strange noise, but the feeling of warmth sways my attention to the feeling of security within his arms. It shoots a long forgotten feeling into my gut, and I have the urge to look up at him, but I can’t.
“We’ll stay,” he says gently.
“Really?” Is he going to sit here and watch me kill this guy? Because, those are my intentions. I think I was clear about that.
“If I had a chance to retaliate against someone who killed one of my brothers, I would. And no one could stop me.” His eyes change—they soften. “Do what you have to do for her. I’ll back you up.”
I feel wild inside, powered up and ready to attack. I’ve been waiting for this.
“I have something for you. Wait here.” He stands up and jets out of the room. He returns with a bag I haven’t seen him with, which I’m now seeing contains two 45 mm handguns. He shoves one of them into his holster and looks back up at me. He reaches for my hand and pulls me toward him. “Turn around.” I do as he says without question. Is this trust? He’s holding a pistol and told me to turn around. I’m breaking Mom’s rule. “Another reason I had my truck delivered to us. Couldn’t sneak these babies through TSA.”
He loops his finger through my back belt loop and I feel a tug. His knuckles sweep against my bare skin and I feel an electric zap charge through my body. My breath hitches and my eyes close in response to his warmth. My need for him is growing by the minute, but he’s here to protect me. Nothing more. I swallow my unsure feelings as he spins me back around to secure a small holster around my waist. Once secure, he slips the pistol in and stretches my shirt down over the
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