“Why am I not surprised? This sounds familiar.”
“She got herself in trouble by stealing. She stole, knowing she was screwing over a powerful criminal. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Raymond’s mother is a snake in the grass who won’t hesitate to shoot her mouth off. Him goin’ missing? Me bein’ with you? She couldn’t be left to her own devices. She could’ve made her money and gone and had a nice life somewhere else where she’d be out of our hair. That didn’t happen.”
“Ray’s mom is a casualty of your war with Ray. This shouldn’t have anything to do with her. Because you set her up to fail,” she whispers. “Because you’re a powerful criminal too and Ray screwed you over? Déjà vu.”
“Because neither of them can resist taking something that isn’t theirs, consequences be damned. And I’ve never called myself a criminal, baby. Don’t steal; never have. I pay taxes. Did I get my start outside the law? Yeah. The business I started as a teenager wasn’t exactly legal, but it put food in my and my brother’s bellies and gave me the means to look after us despite neglect. Not to mention after our mother was murdered, if not for my business, we’d have wound up in foster care, probably separated. And Willie would’ve wound up fucked up. Have I broken the law in the past? Uh huh, there have been occasions, but while I’ve done what I’ve had to do, I’m not a thief and other than in returning favors owed, have done my best to not fuck anyone over unless they’ve fucked me first. Case in point: when someone fucks with me or the woman I love. In cases like that, I will not hesitate to go rogue. And in cases where I’m pretty sure someone’s gonna fuck me over, I’ll do whatever damage control I feel needs to be done.”
I watch a swallow move down her throat.
I lean in close and whisper into her ear. “I’d kill for you.”
“I don’t want you to kill for me,” she whispers back.
“But I would.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“No. You should be the opposite of scared. Three people on this earth I’d kill for. You. My brother. And the third isn’t born yet. That should not scare you. You should feel safer because of it.”
She says nothing, so I take another bite of my sandwich and wash it down with some beer while she fiddles with her wedding rings.
“Penny for your thoughts,” I say after a long moment.
She shakes her head and shrugs simultaneously. “Penny? Regular or double-sided?”
“No double-sided coins from me. I’m gonna give you honesty. Learned my lesson. If you ask something, you’ll get the answer. Just know you might not always like it.”
She bites her bottom lip, saying nothing for a minute.
“Talk to me, Mrs. Coulter. Please.”
“Who did you kill?” she asks, voice a whisper. “You said you did it once. What happened?”
My stomach turns at her question, and also at the lack of dimples at me calling her by her new last name. I wish I could take back calling her that, take shit back that has meant she could hear me say that and not smile in response like she did back before everything got fucked.
Is it about to get more fucked? She seems determined to know everything. Can she handle it? She’s gonna have to. Because no way am I letting her go.
30
Violet
He sighs.
I wait as his eyes work over my face, as I’m sure he’s trying to decide whether or not he wants to tell me.
“Are you saying you can handle this?”
“It looks like I have to,” I say.
“Yeah, you do. Because till death, Violet.”
I frown. “Even if you have to kill me?”
I feel myself shrink at the fire in his eyes. He sets his plate and beer bottle down and then grabs the back of my head to bring my face closer to his.
He grinds his teeth. “Never. Fucking. Ever say that again.”
I manage to swallow, but my heart might hammer its way straight out of my chest.
“Never again. Okay?” he asks. “Because that’s not fuckin’ funny. You can joke about me lockin’ people in a basement. About locking me down there too, I give no fucks. But do not fuckin’ joke about me harming you because that’s not funny.”
His eyes work over my face and then they go gentle before he touches his lips to my forehead.
“I won’t ever harm a single hair on your head. I fuckin’ swear it. Okay?” he demands, voice rough but his touch gentle.
I nod, closing my eyes tight and forcing down a swallow.
“I was kidding. Sort of,” I say.
He holds me like that for a minute and I’m thinking our conversation is over. I’m also thinking I want to pull away, but I also don’t. The way he’s holding me has me on the edge of emotion again. My throat feels clogged.