Bow Down(196)

“True, but I’m also against a losing war. The other thing, we can figure that out internally. We can’t do both at the same time.”

He nodded, and I could tell that he was seeing reason. I didn’t know what was going on beyond that inscrutable face of his, but he at least was hearing me. Maybe he was making plans to kill me, or maybe he was making plans to meet with the Spiders. Either way, I did what I had said I would do. I made my stand, and that was all I could do.

“Very well,” Arturo said. “I have a lot to think about.”

I stood up. “We’ve made peace with enemies before, and we’ll do it again.”

“That we will.”

I turned and left the room, shutting the door softly behind me.

Something still felt wrong about this. I agreed with my own thinking, that making peace made sense in this situation. But still, it seemed too convenient. I couldn’t understand what the Spiders had to gain from peace. That was bothering me the most. I couldn’t see their motivations, because they seemed so unpredictable and random.

There was no face to the Spiders. Right now, it was just an organization. Entering into peace talks, even if they failed, would humanize them.

They had everything to lose in this and nothing to gain. But something had to be happening to pressure them to the table.

I walked back toward the room. Up ahead, Cassidy was leaning up against a wall, her one leg cocked back. She smiled as I approached.

“How did it go?”

“He said he’d think about it.”

“So better than you expected.”

“True.” I stopped in front of her and crossed my arms. “You’re not telling me something,” I said.

“What?”

“Listen, Cassidy. I don’t know what you’re holding back or why, but this whole thing seems like a trap. Even you have to see that.”

She nodded slowly. “I see it.”

“So why are we trying to make this happen?”

“You’re right that I’m not telling you something.”

I sighed. At least she had admitted it.

“I need to know everything if you want me to help you.”

I could see that she was torn. She looked away, down the hall, and then back toward me.

“I can’t say it,” she answered finally. “I’m sorry, Rafa. I trust you more than anyone else, but what I’m holding back is too important to say. I promised I’d keep it a secret, even from you, and I’m going to.”

I clenched my jaw. “Must be a pretty important person to promise that to.”

“It is important. And if you knew, or anyone else knew, all of this would fall apart. I think this peace is real, Rafa.”

“I want it to be, but I don’t trust these people like you do. After everything that happened, I don’t fucking get it.”

She stepped toward me, frowning. “I know. I don’t blame you.”

“They nearly fucking killed me.”

She reached up and touched my face, staring into my eyes. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need you to be sorry.” I reached up and grabbed her hair, pulling her slightly closer to me. “I just need you.”

She took a sharp breath. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You want me to trust you? I already do. But you’re my priority. That child is my priority. Do you understand?”

“I understand.”

I kissed her, pressing her up against me, tipping her head back. She kissed me back, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. We pressed ourselves together, and it suddenly hit me that this may be one of the last times we could do this before shit went down.

I pulled back and took her by the hand, dragging her behind me. I went up to the first door I found that wasn’t an apartment and tried to open it, but the door remained locked. Cassidy swiped her card and the door instantly opened.

I glanced at her but didn’t give a fuck. We stepped into the empty room, and I shut the door behind us, locking it with the manual slide lock.

I barely took the time to register where we were. It was clearly a storage room, but it took me half a second to realize what it was storing: boxes and boxes of ammunition.

I didn’t care, though. I grabbed her and pulled her against me, kissing her hard. She didn’t seem to mind either as she kissed me back. I pressed her up against a storage rack, the bullets rattling in their boxes, and began to unbutton her pants. She groaned as I slipped my hand down beneath her panties and found her soaking pussy.

“Fuck I love how fast you get wet,” I whispered as I kissed her neck.

“I can’t help it.”

“Good. I love that you know what I want as soon as you see me.”