As Tate had watched her interrogate Rupert, he’d gotten the feeling that it wasn’t her first rodeo. She’d been too steady and confident, too sure of her technique. And she hadn’t had a single measly issue with letting the bastard die hard, as if it wasn’t the first time that she’d had to make such a decision.
“Where’s the cougar now?” asked Vinnie.
“Still in the basement, dying a slow and painful death after Bailey’s mamba bit him three more times. Havana’s orders,” said Tate.
Humor lit Vinnie’s eyes. “Devils are seriously unforgiving, aren’t they?” He studied Tate closely. “I take it you’ll be working with her on this.”
“Of course. She’s my tenant and under my direct protection. Plus, I have an entire building of loners who could be future targets if I don’t get this operation shut down. But I would have involved myself in any case, because this shit’s just plain wrong.”
“Oh, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the none too small fact that you like her a lot more than you’re comfortable with,” Luke mocked.
Tate only narrowed his eyes.
“I suspected your fling with her was over,” Luke added. “But I was hoping I was wrong.”
“Were you now?”
“I like her. I like her for you. If you want my opinion—”
“I don’t; never do.”
“—you should have given a relationship with Havana a chance. Or would your cat have objected? Because if so, you were right to let her go. But if he’d have been interested in exploring something with her, you were dumb not to at least be open to the idea. And if you want to know what I think—”
“I don’t; never do.”
“—she’d have been willing to try a relationship with you. It really is a shame that we’ll never know if it would have worked out between the two of you. You’re thinking this is none of my business, and you’re right. I’ll say no more on the subject. But I’m always gonna think you were a fool to let her go.”
“And I’m always gonna wonder where you got the insane idea that I give a rat’s ass what you think about anything.”
Luke snickered. “Be an asshole all you want—I know you love me. You might have tried to kill me several times when we were kids, but you didn’t actually do it. Remember the night when I was twelve and you shoved a sock in my mouth and then tried to suffocate me with your pillow? It nearly worked, but then you stopped. You let me live. That’s love.”
Tate frowned. “I stopped because you let out a moist-sounding fart that stunk like rotten eggs and almost knocked me sick.”
Luke’s brow furrowed as his gaze turned inward. “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
“And I wouldn’t have tried to kill you that night if you hadn’t tossed my birthday cake out the window like it was a goddamn frisbee.”
“That was an accident.”
Vinnie exhaled heavily and raised his hands. “Let’s cut our trip down memory lane short, shall we, boys?”
Tate grunted and rolled back his shoulders. “Yeah, lets,” he said, pulling out his phone. He had a lot of calls to make and, to his frustration, very little optimism that those calls would gain him the answers he needed.
CHAPTER FIVE
A few hours later, Tate jabbed the “up” button on the elevator. He threw his brother a sideways scowl. “Stop smirking.”
“It’s hard not to when I can see how much you’re struggling to keep your distance from Havana,” said Luke.
“I’m not struggling.”
“Then why are we at her building?”
“I need to give her an update.”
“And it had to be done in person?”
Well no, but … “It’s a good excuse to subtly check on her. I’m not just worried about her physical safety. It has to be a mind fuck to know that someone intended to sell you at a goddamn auction like you’re an antique dresser.”
“True. She seemed okay earlier, though.”
“That could have been a simple case of shock. Now that she’s had time for everything to sink in, she might be freaking the hell out.” Havana generally wasn’t the type to freak out, but Tate wanted to be utterly sure she was fine.
A ping proceeded the opening of the elevator doors. After he and his brother stepped inside, Tate pressed the button for her floor. And, that quickly, his body began to hum with anticipation—it was an automatic physiological reflex after months of coming here to see her. As if his system had come to associate the short upward journey to her floor with a dark carnal pleasure that he just couldn’t imagine ever experiencing with someone else.
It was like she’d made some sort of mark on him. One he couldn’t see but could feel. One that kept pulling him back to her again and again.
The elevator soon came to a smooth stop. As he and Luke walked along the corridor, Tate noticed Havana stood in the doorway of her apartment up ahead, chatting with one of the other tenants.