“Was?”
No reaction whatsoever.
Not one.
“Are you involved with the street wars? Are you part of the gang?”
“You know what they say…” He cunningly grinned. “Curiosity killed the cat, Belle.”
“Is that a yes?”
“My, my, kitten. You sure want to know a lot about me.”
“What do you expect? I’m on your dick, remember?”
He chuckled, smirking.
Wanting to bruise his ego, I stirred the pot. “If you wouldn’t have scared Travis away, I’d be with him right now.”
“Fuck him.”
“Maybe I would have.”
His expression turned lethal.
“Oh, that got your attention, tough guy? For someone who thinks they know a lot about me, you sure make it hard to learn anything about you. Are you always this closed off? Or is it just me you’re hiding from?”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Prove it. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”
I never expected him to reply, “He died.”
I winced. “Your dad?”
He nodded.
“And your mom?”
“She died too.”
My heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry, Tristian. I … I had no idea.”
“Can’t imagine you would, but I don’t need or want your pity.”
“It’s not pity, Tristian. It’s compassion.”
“It’s bullshit, and I don’t need it.”
Unable to stop myself, I asked, “What happened to them?”
“You wanted me to tell you something I’ve never told anyone, and I did. Two things, actually, so no more questions.”
“For how long?”
“Until the next time you piss me off.”
“Well, that could be in like five seconds.”