Page 86 of Jagger's Remorse
"What?" I ask.
"Whatever happens today, I want you to know?—"
"Don't," I interrupt. "Save the goodbye speeches for after. When we know if we need them."
He nods, understanding.
We head back to his room to get ready for this meeting.
A knock at the door interrupts my preparation.
"Yeah?" Jagger calls.
"It's Tina," comes the response. "Got something for your girl."
Jagger opens the door, and Tina enters carrying a garment bag.
She doesn't look at me with warmth, but there's less hostility than before.
"Raven sent me," Tina says, hanging the bag on the closet door. "Said you'd need something appropriate for your meeting with your uncle."
I unzip the bag, find a black dress inside.
Modest but looks expensive.
Exactly the kind of thing Eduardo would approve of.
"How did she—" I start.
"Raven knows things," Tina says simply. "The shoes are at the bottom. Try not to get blood on them. They're borrowed."
She turns to leave, pausing at the door.
"For what it's worth," she adds, "Mel told me what you did. How you saved her. Raven will hold a grudge for a long time, but she’ll get over it eventually. Maybe just… prove her wrong."
Then she's gone before I can respond.
I hold up the dress, surprised to find it's exactly my size.
"Raven really does know everything," I mutter.
"Told you," Jagger says. "She's been watching you as close as you've been watching us."
I strap knives to my thighs, knowing I'll have to surrender them.
It's about the ritual, not the weapons.
Showing I came prepared to fight but willing to disarm.
Jagger watches me dress, tension in every line of his body.
"Tell me about him," he says. "Eduardo."
"He's old school," I explain. "Values respect, tradition, family above all. He took me in after my father died."
"Does he care about you?" Jagger asks.
"In his way. I was his project. The girl who could have been anything." I smile bitterly. "Lawyer, doctor, politician. Instead, I chose revenge."
