To Tempt A Tiger(84)
“Fine. We’ll go. But Vlad is coming with us. And I’m not going in there unarmed.”
That got Alexis’ attention. “They aren’t going to let you bring a gun into the meeting hall, Rose. Not with just you and the elders in there.”
“Will Lei be there?”
Alexis nodded.
“Then I’m not going into that room without a weapon. That’s the deal. They don’t think I’m fast enough to shoot them anyway. If they’re so damned confident, this shouldn’t bother them.”
Alexis opened her mouth, then closed it. She pressed her lips together for a moment before saying, “Wait here. Give me a minute to see what I can work out.”
When she stepped back into the corridor with the assistant, she closed the door behind her. As soon as they were alone again, Rose went to the room she and Zoe had been given. She pulled the handgun out of her backpack, where she’d stored it before coming back into the compound, loaded and checked it, ensuring the safety was on.
She wanted her daughter to feel safe again, and if it meant Rose had to walk around armed to the teeth to ensure the tigers stayed away from them, she’d do it.
When she returned to the living room, she said to Zoe, “Remember what Mommy and Grandpa and Granny taught you, Zoe? What do you do around guns?”
“Don’t touch. Only for grownups.”
“Good girl. I’m taking this with us to help keep us safe, but it’s not a toy, so I don’t want you grabbing at it, or messing with it in any way. Okay?”
She nodded, her expression solemn and wide-eyed again. The look of fear made Rose want to break her no-cursing rule.
Vlad said, “I’m not sure that’ll help much in close confines.”
“Better than nothing. Is Alexis still in the hall?”
Zoe answered. “They both there.”
“You can sense them, baby?”
She nodded.
“She’s on the phone,” Vlad said. “A little ways up the corridor.”
“Can you hear the conversation?”
“Only her side of it. She’s talking to someone about your ‘request’ to come in armed.” He paused, then smiled. “She’s saying you’re worried about being waylaid, and you want to protect the valuable child.”
Rose scowled.
“She’s saying what she needs to say to get you your way. Give her a break.”
Rose let her annoyance drop. “There’s no way Lei can possibly think I’d go into that room with my daughter alone, unarmed, and with no backup. Does he think I’m an idiot?”
“Likely he just thinks he’s that smart and cunning, convinced he’s gotten away with his crime.”
“Maybe they shouldn’t let me bring the weapon into the room,” she said. “I might just walk in and put a bullet through his head and be done with it.”
“Zoe will be there,” Vlad said quietly.
Rose glanced down at her daughter, still clutching her blanket, looking scared and pale. “I’m sorry, baby, am I scaring you?”
Zoe nodded. “Don’t wanna go there.”
“I don’t want to take you there, but I don’t want to leave you alone either. You’ll be safe with me and Vlad, though. I promise.”
“We won’t let anyone near you, Zoe,” Vlad assured.
She nodded and hugged his leg. Seeing her so comfortable with him, knowing he made her feel safe, melted Rose inside. He really was an amazing father.
Would he be an equally amazing husband?
“Alexis is coming back,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.
After a brief knock, the door opened. “Okay, you’ve got permission to come armed. They’re breaking protocol, but I played up your ‘vulnerability’ as a human, and the fact that your daughter had just been kidnapped, so they acquiesced.”
Rose pulled in a deep, fortifying breath. “Baby, you want to bring your blanket or leave it here?”
Zoe considered the yellow square in her hand for a moment, then she took it to the couch and threw it down. “Don’t wanna get it hurted.”
“Fair enough.” Rose reached out for Zoe’s hand with her free one.
Vlad took Zoe’s other hand, keeping her safely bracketed between her parents. He gave Zoe’s hand a reassuring squeeze and nodded at Rose over Zoe’s head. Then they followed Alexis and the frowning assistant out of the suite.
Chapter Nineteen
The corridors leading to the meeting hall were barren, as if the way had been cleared. When Rose asked, Alexis said, “It’s actually meal time, so most people in the compound are at dinner. I suspect that’s why the elders called you immediately. Most everyone else is busy.” She gave Rose a small smile. “We tigers take our food very seriously.”