Page 41 of Double the Redemption

She narrowed her eyes on Ink, so he held up his hands. “He woke up and asked me for a drink. I didn’t want to wake you because you were zonked out, so I put on a show for him and let him fall asleep. I’ve been with him the entire time, making sure he’s okay.”

She stared at him. Then she moved past him to check on Asher for herself. Satisfied, she turned to him, glaring. “Thank you for watching him, but you can leave.” Her tone was tight, stiff, and final.

“Naomi, we need to talk.” He tried to keep his tone calm and reasonable.

“We have nothing to say to each other.”

“Look, I know you’re tired, hungry, and scared, but I really do want to talk to you. How about I make breakfast?”

Her eyes narrowed. “No.”

“No, you’re not hungry? Because I know I am.”

“No, I want you to leave. Don’t play those bullshit mind games on me, Ink. I’m fucking smart for a reason, and you’ll lose.”

“Is that your way of saying I’m dumb?” he joked. “Most will agree with you.”

“That’s my way of saying we have nothing more to say to each other. Go deal with Savage and the others who have probably been blowing up your phone asking what I’ve said and whether you’ve convinced me to forget all of this and just move on.”

He tried not to shift at her accurate statement. Even now, his phone was vibrating repeatedly in his pocket.

“Just go, Ink. You and I have nothing to say to each other. The Devil’s Predators will be here soon. Then you can find someone else to handle your paperwork.”

“This has nothing to do with the paperwork, Naomi.”

Was that really what she thought? That he was using her because he didn’t want to deal with it?

Her expression never changed as she turned and went into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee mug, refusing to look at him.

He followed, careful not to crowd, determination burning in his gut. This was his only shot, and he couldn’t waste it. “Naomi, I know you’re pissed and don’t trust me, or any of us. We deserve that. Scream, yell, call me an asshole, whatever, but we can work this out. I know we can.”

Silence.

“Alright, fine, if you don’t want to talk, you can listen. I’m so fucking sorry for everything that happened over the last week. I … I messed up in more ways than one, but I never did it on purpose to cause you any problems. I was just so excited that baby Jett was safe and we got to celebrate. It’s been a busy few weeks, and I wanted to blow off steam. All of us did. But that meant we forgot what was important. You. You and Asher. Your safety. Your comfort. That’s not an excuse. It’s … it’s an explanation. It’s inexcusable, and I’m so fucking sorry.”

She turned slightly, glancing at him, but her eyes were frigid, unyielding.

“I also know none of that changes the fact that you feel we can’t be trusted to keep you safe. And maybe, on some small level, you’re right, but not completely. You’re exactly where you need to be—both of you. We’ve been up against the cartel before and won. We’ve faced off against other organizations too, and we’ve come out on top with them all. We have a reputation, and we’ve earned every last drop of it.

“You’re not isolated here. You have people who like you, want to spend time with you, and get to know you. You have the women and all of us to help with Asher if you let us. We’ve fucked up, Naomi, but we can rebuild that trust with you again. We just need the chance.”

“There are no second chances in the cartel. Or with me.”

He bit back a sigh. “You don’t strike me as the cold type, Naomi. I get it. You’re scared, and you’ve wrapped yourself in it like a shield right now, but⁠—”

She whirled, scowling, her face red. The abrupt shift made his eyes widen, and he took a step back on reflex before he caught himself. He stared down at the tiny woman who looked like she was ready to find another gun and unload it once more. And she’d make sure he wasn’t walking around breathing this time.

So why did it make his blood boil and his gut tighten with excitement? Yeah, something was seriously wrong with him, or was he relieved to see any emotion from her?

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Ink.” She practically snarled, glaring up at him. “And don’t presume to know anything about me or what I’ve been through. You don’t know shit.”

“Then tell me. You want me to understand, but how can I do that when I know nothing about what you’ve been through, except that you were used to keep their books? Or that your father was the one who sold you to them in the first place. Is it about Asher? Is Diego telling you he wants his son back, and that’s what’s scaring you? We can protect him. Protect you.”

“You can’t do fucking shit if Diego finds out where I am. You want to know what I’ve been through, Ink? Fine, I’ll tell you. I was beaten, abused, and tortured into compliance. I was Diego’s personal pet, kept on a very short leash because he never wanted me to think I had any chance of getting away from him. He owned me. He owned everything about me, including my brain and DNA.”

Ink stiffened, dread settling in his gut.

“Oh, it’s finally starting to click for you, isn’t it?” There was a slight sneer in her voice. “Do you know what someone like me is worth? Billions. Because I’m a vault. I can recall whatever they tell me, including whatever they don’t want anyone to know. I pick up on everything quickly.