“Who’s threatening anyone?” he asks, shrugging, but I don’t see him stepping back and I’m starting to lose my patience. I step forward, putting myself between him and Scamp. “I’ve been sent here to bring them back to their father, that’s all. No need to harm a hair on anyone’s head.”
“My father can go fuck himself,” Scamp says from behind me.
“You heard the lady.” I shrug. “I want you all out of here. I’m going to count to five.”
“How about six?” Camilo pulls out a revolver faster than I can react, and his two friends reach into their inside pockets.
The other guy with them cowers like this isn’t the first time he’s seen their guns today.
I step forward and Camilo steps back. “You going to shoot me, Camilo?”
“Not unless you make me, Valiant. Like you said, we’re old friends, right?”
I hear a scramble from behind me and before I know it Scamp’s stepping forward, holding out a gun of her own. My heart shoots into my throat. In my experience, guns only ever complicate things. Sure, I used to carry one and it made me feel safer, but now I wouldn’t ever use one except as a last resort. They have a tendency to make situations escalate, and I don’t like the fact that Scamp feels she has to keep one for her protection. I’m here now and I’m not going to let anything happen to her.
Still, now that she has it drawn, there’s no putting that genie back in the bottle.
“Any of you guys start shooting,” I say, “all you’ll hit is me. I mean it. I’ll stand right here and take every bullet. Scamp will return fire and you’ll be the ones that never walk back out of here.”
“And what am I supposed to tell her father?”
I shrug. “Not really my problem is it, Camilo? Tell him whatever you like, but you’re either leaving here empty handed or you’re leaving here in a body bag. Your choice.”
He huffs and turns his attention to Scamp and her gun, then lowers his own weapon and his two friends visibly relax. “You Volos girls are going to get me killed, you know that? First Amara, now Scamp, your dad is going to think I’m going soft.” As he backs out of the door, he meets my eyes. “Don’t take this as a threat, V, but I doubt this is the end of it.”
With that he’s gone, and I turn to Scamp, pulling her and Pip into my arms. He’s probably right, but right now I can’t worry about that. I just want the two of them in the safety of my hotel.
Chapter 9 – Scamp
Val has forbidden me to go back to work.
Forbidden.
Why does that make me feel safe? Protected?
I’ve always been independent, rebellious even. I never wanted someone to tell me I couldn’t do something. Or did I? I never had anyone to tell me that. But now that I do, I like it. I feel almost weightless, like the world is a little brighter, a little easier. Val has taken the responsibility away from me and I like it.
Stepping out of his shower into the warmth of his rooms, I look around me. Is this really my life now? Even the towel I’ve wrapped around myself feels softer, more luxurious than anything I’ve ever felt before.
Pip is safe. Valiant hired two bodyguards to take her to school and stay with her all day and they certainly seemed capable enough. Sending her off with them this morning was almost comical, watching two massive brick walls standing either side of a thirteen-year-old girl. I smile at the memory. She looked like a doll.
Pulling open the fridge, I grab a jug of filtered water and pour myself a glass, then take a sip of the chilled liquid. Can I really hope for this to last? I think almost I can. Val has proven himself, time and again. He’s shown not only that he wants to take care of us, but that he’s capable too. It’s what I’ve wanted for so long, I keep expecting to wake up and find it was just the best possible dream.
Wandering through to the bedroom, I pull open my duffel bag and rummage through the clothes inside. Val has promised to take me shopping later in one of the boutique stores the Renaissance Center has to offer, but for now I just have my own things. I can’t get him out of my mind. The way he makes me feel safe, the way he looks, the way he feels pressed against me, like he was yesterday in this very room.
An idea starts to form in my mind, and as it does a grin plays on my lips. He told me where his office was, just in case I needed him during the day. I’m not to go out of the RenCen, but that doesn’t mean I can’t go see him.