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“I think you know the answer to that, Tater-tot.” I tried to brush a few strands of hair off her cheek, but she lifted her hand, catching my wrist to stop me.
“Don’t touch me. You lied to me—you’ve been lying to me for months.” She released my wrist, knowing I wouldn’t touch her without her permission.
“I’ve never lied to you. You didn’t ask questions you didn’t want answers to, and I didn’t give answers to questions you didn’t ask.” I forced myself not to react to the fear growing in my abdomen.
If her friend died, she wouldn’t forgive me.
She would do whatever it took to make sure we lived our lives as separately as possible, knowing it was the opposite of what I wanted.
It would kill me to stay away from her after so much time at her side.
“Don’t try to pin this on me,” she hissed. “I didn’t keep secrets. You did.”
“You made it clear how you felt about my job; I wasn’t going to spout facts about how many vampires wanted me dead.”
“I deserved to know that my friends and I were in danger, no matter how uncomfortable it made you to tell me. We would’ve been careful. We would’ve been suspicious. Instead, we were excited that Miley finally found a guy who could make her feel good. She never feels good—she’s always stressed about everything. I could’ve protected her just by talking to her, but now I’m the reason she’s gone.” Her voice cracked with the last bit, and she wiped violently at a tear that escaped.
Guilt had my jaw clenching.
She was right.
And she deserved an apology.
“I’m sorry, Tatum. If I could go back, I would warn you. We had cameras and men trained on your friends; you weren’t sitting ducks. We didn’t predict this, and weren’t prepared for it, and I’m sorry. I should’ve told you”
“What? They had security guards?”
“My brothers tracked your phone to your apartment the day I met you. We’ve been in the business long enough to know that if we can, our enemies can too. Bash and Zander had security lined up for Miley and Brynn before they ever met you. You might not like our job, but we’re damn good at it.”
“Then how did this happen?” Her voice trembled a little, and she wiped away a few more tears.
It took effort not to drag her into my arms and hold her to my chest.
I explained the situation with Eric, and Charlie’s son. She leaned further into her chair as my explanation went on.
Tatum groaned when I finally finished. “This is a damn mess, Raf.”
She was using my nickname.
That was a good sign.
“Immortality is messy,” I said simply.
“Your reasoning is shitty.”
“I know it is.”
We were both quiet for a few minutes. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper. “Do you think Miles is still alive?”
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate, and it wasn’t a lie. “The vampires want me and my brothers. They’ll probably turn her, and send a ransom video in the next twelve to twenty-four hours. They’ll want a trade; me, for Miley. If we can’t figure out a way to get her back without it, we’ll go through with the trade.”
Tatum lifted her hands to her forehead. “How do you live your life like this? I feel like I’m going to have a mental breakdown.”
“We break down when we need to—and then we keep going, because it’s the only choice we have.”
“It’s not the only choice. You could walk away. You could live a normal life, or whatever the equivalent is for a demon.”
“Saving humans’ lives is worth a hell of a lot more to me than fucking my way around the world, Tater-tot. I’m sorry it doesn’t make sense to you, but that is the damn truth.”
