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The promise of some balm for the emptiness inside feels too much like Briar has peeled me apart, seen the brokenness, and located the best way to manipulate me.
And I’m all too familiar with manipulation.
I wouldn’t give refusing her schemes a second thought if it weren’t for the silent tear tracing down her cheek. It hits her sandwich before she turns to dab a napkin without writing on it at the corners of her eyes.
Cursing, I rip a large bite out of my sandwich. “Is a fake relationship really necessary?”
“Why?” She sniffles, composing herself. “It’s an excellent front to mask our true motivations. Are you scared of commitment or something?”
“Commitment is the only thing people like us know.”
“A real match made in heaven, isn’t it?”
“Either heaven or—”
She tuts. “Your worldview is terrible.”
I mutter, “What do you expect? You just said I’ve shed blood in the darkest parts of the world.”
Her smile wholly disarms me. It’s…gentle. Lit by sun. Warm. “True, but you’re also eating an amazing sandwich surrounded by flowers on a beautiful afternoon.” Lifting her chin, she directs my attention toward the playing children. “Corruption is in everything, and sometimes you can’t fight it on the ‘right’ side because the good and proper system is overrun with selfishness. This messed up world needs people like us, people willing to break the bad eggs, so we can protect the innocents.” When one of the children notices her, she waves, and the little girl grins back. “We can’t fix everything, Rowan, but we can make things better for the ones within reach. Likewise…for the ones within reach who don’t deserve better…we can make things so much worse.”
“You’re disturbing, princess.”
“One of us has to be, pet.”
I mumble around another bite, “If I choose to put any faith in you, what’s the next step?”
“Well, well, well, look who’s suddenly open to discussing sensitive plans in public.”
“Given your apparent control issues, I’m just following your lead.”
She frowns at me. “My penchant for control is not an issue; it’s a preference.”
A humorless laugh exits my nose. “Is that what helps you sleep at night?”
She beams; it is blinding. “Yep! Makes me happy to see all my little ducks in a row while my enemies’ waddles flounder about in absolute disarray.”
Before taking my next bite, I pause. “Waddles?”
“One of the many collective nouns for a group of ducks. My favorite one.” She packs up the other half of her sandwich and stands. “Honestly, isn’t the world just beautiful sometimes?”
Sunlight halos her form, raining around her dark hair, highlighting her white skin. A breeze teases the skirt of her dress, making it caress her thighs.
I don’t know about the world as a whole.
But this picture isn’t half bad.
So, shrugging, I stuff the last of my sandwich in my mouth and mutter, “Sure.”
Chapter 8
~~~~~~~~~~~~
What a mutually-beneficial arrangement…
Briar
“Absolutely not,” Rowan says, and I bite back my sigh. Things were going so well. And now they’re up in flames again. For a mafia boss, he’s such a sensitive boy.
