“What the fuck do you think you’re doing out of the bed!”
I shrug, mimicking his don’t care expression. Though I think I only fool myself to think that I can ever be as heartless as him. When he sees me unmoving, his gaze cuts through in a warning.
“Barbie, step back-”
“I asked you a question earlier. You promised.” I spit out. “What happened Ace?”
And why an officer is warning you. I want to add but before I can, his eyes widen. For once, my voice is clear. There’s no fear nor anything holding me back. It’s demanding enough for him to open his mouth.
“Why do you want to know?”
Some confidence dies on my tongue.
“I-I just want to know.” I didn’t think he’d ask that question. Why do I want to know? Why does anyone want to know the secrets of a beast? To tame him. Or to free him? I don’t think he needs either, as he cocks his head and a hollow chuckle leaves from his lips.
“You don’t want to trust me. You don’t want me near you. And you want to know what happened to me?” His humor dies quickly to be replaced by the familiar Ace. His eyes narrow. “Or is that another game we are playing, Barbie?”
A game, of course. Everything starts and ends with a game where he’s concerned. I’m a fool if believed otherwise.
“Am I wrong?” He takes another step until he’s almost touching my lips. My throat goes dry, remembering last night. “Tell me, Raine, am I fucking wrong?”
“Because I don’t want to be used anymore! And with you every time it feels like there’s something I’m missing.” Funny how painful truth can be as they pour from my lips. “Even now, you won’t say a thing. Even now...you look at me as if I can never understand what you went through.”
Like I can’t understand his world or him. As if he can throw me away once the war is over and I’m so tired of being used like that. So angry, that I don’t notice his knuckles rubbing my cheeks softly.
“Let’s not play anymore.” I can’t believe the words coming from my mouth. And for some reason, he doesn’t stop me either. “I...we need to work together and we can’t do that if we doubt each other at every point."
His eyebrows rise in amusement. He thinks I’m not serious. “And how can we do that?”
“Truth.” There’s no hesitation in my tone. No place for playing games. “Tell me the truth and I will tell you everything I know about Bratva.”
I’m offering him a deal. But it feels so much more when his touch gets rough. Almost obsessive.
“You are not a pawn, Raine. You are a Queen, my queen. And you should be terrified of it. You should hate me. Do you know what got me through prison? What made me finally realize that I was going to lose everything if I didn't get my shit together?” His laughter should be a curse, not a tingle running through my flesh. “Not the La Eme. Not the fucking world I own. You realize what that means, don’t you, Barbie?”
I know.
Just like how I know it won’t ever end well for anyone of us...
CHAPTER 13
ACE
“YOU WANT THE TRUTH?” The words sound strange on my tongue, funny even. I never had to play with the truth, lie? I can shape it any way I want but the truth? I don’t have any power over it. I can’t shape it, can’t use it to my whim.
She nods. “Yes, only the truth. No secrets, no game.”
“Fine.” Tired of seeing that fucking hopeless look in her eyes, I agree with her. “You want the truth, you will get it. What do you want to know?”
From any questions she could have asked, any insults she could have thrown at me, she chooses the worst one yet. “What happened to your back?”
A lie is already forming on my lips but that damned look stops me from blurting out. Truth, how hard will it be?
“Every time I stayed silent, they gave me an idea of how the electric chair will feel like. They thought sending me in the hole will improve my attitude, it actually got worse. Then there’s the regular routine, they tried to play hockey, only using my back as a ball and a baton as a stick.” There, done. She knows. But I don’t expect her to look at me shocked or her hands to creep on my jaw. Nonetheless with so much care.
“They did what!"
I shrug. “They did what they do to a criminal, Raine. They starve them, beat them until they are praying for God or death.” Or for a thorned flower to wait for them...
“Oh God, why-” She croaks out, the pain lurking in her voice that shouldn’t be there. “I-I thought you were...I never would have imagined that. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Sorry?
I can’t stop the chuckle from escaping. She should never apologize for what happened. Despite so many chances, she didn’t rat me out back then. It was the Bratva, and fucking Dante who took everything like it was theirs to take.
“Tell me more.” She begs. “You were talking about following someone. Was it me? Was any officer involved in that?"
“Yes, it was you. And, some of them were involved, just for caution. They needed to trust me.” Betrayal. That’s how she looks at me, but does she think that I don’t know about that blue-eyed man she stays with most of the time? The man she looks up to as if he’s the answer to her every question?
Her resolve breaks but I keep her tightly wrapped against me. She wanted the ugly and bitter truth, I’m giving it to her now. I think she understands too as her eyes pool in tears. “Of course, you did that. What else? What else should I know?”
“They don't know who you are if that helps.” It’s like putting a Band-Aid on her wound after hurting her. Mierda. I may not told them who Raine is but I can’t say the same thing about her father. “I'm on parole, Barbie. One mistake can send me back to that place, I did what was needed to be done. According to my conession, you are someone Stefan Orlov took in without your consent.”
“It...makes sense. As far as the cops know, Stefan Orlov's children died in Mexico when your family attacked that night.” She trails off shaking her head. “Still, Papa is too reckless now. It will only take one photo with the three of us and no one can deny that we are family."
I have to hide the smile fighting to breakthrough. She is taking over even without realizing it herself. This war, the game, it’s pawn...she’s starting to see everyone’s roles. Isn’t that what I always wanted for her?
“I’m serious.” She repeats when I don’t answer. “I don’t trust these officers of yours.”
“Just like you don’t trust me.” I don’t mean to say that as an insult but she flinches anyway. I hate how cold, vicious that sounds when I only meant to say it as a joke. Will we ever be able to talk without hurting each other?
“Uh-” She stammers, clearly clueless of what to say.
“It was kind of a joke, Barbie. But to assure you, your father is not that reckless. You are kind of hard to find these days. Any party you attend and the pictures that show up the next day in the newspapers, your face has been blurred in all of them.”
"And, yet, there you were, sneaking into my garden." Her eyes widen suddenly as if she remembered something important. “A man came to our home right after they took you. He had things on La Eme that I don't think even you know. How do you think Papa took no time to take over?”