Page 62 of Tempt Me
Her blunt statement makes sense. "That's quite broad, though. We need to try to narrow that down a bit."
"Dad would've killed them all by now, and I doubt he stuck around long enough for them to start talking."
"No, probably not."
As we approach the safe house, it's dark and quiet. We walk down the garden path and, lifting the old pot plant next to the door, reveals a key to open the front door. Unlocking it, I shove the door open, and we hurry inside, remaining in the dark so no one knows we're here. Rue walks around a small but comfortable living space as I head for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I study the contents. Not too much in the way of food or drink, seeing as no one knew we were coming.
"Want a beer?" I ask, dragging two bottles out and holding one out for her.
"Yeah." She takes it absently and places her hand over the cap. "Actually, no. Any water?"
Nodding, I take the beer back and hand her water instead.
"We'll be safe here," I reassure her as she takes in our surroundings. She seems worried, and that concerns me.
She nods, a small smile on her face. "Yeah. I want to get back to the villa."
"Soon. Let's wait for Vik or Fran to call."
Rue takes a sip of water before returning to the living room to place the bottle on the coffee table. She looks at me with determination in her eyes. "I don't want to wait. I want to go back now."
I understand her urgency, but we can't risk going back just yet. "It's not safe, Rue."
"I don't care. My parents are there."
"And we'll get back to them. But we need to plan and strategize, or we'll risk everything," I say, trying to reason with her.
"I'm not going to sit here and do nothing." Rue stands up, her voice raised. "They could be hurt or worse."
"I know, I understand that," I say, standing up as well. "But we can't rush into this blindly. We need a plan."
"What plan? It's fucking simple. They want me. I'm going back."
"Oh, fuck that!" I roar, getting pissed off now. I've been treating her kindly after being a colossal dick to her earlier, but enough is enough; she is acting like a spoiled child. "Sit the fuck down and shut up."
"Excuse me?" she thunders back. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"
"A child who won't listen, apparently."
"You are such a cock," she hisses, turning from me. She raises a shaky hand to her forehead for a minute before she drops it heavily.
Wanting to ask if she is okay, it will only confuse the issue. I can't keep going from loving to a dick and back again in the space of a few minutes. This is complicated enough as it is.
"We'll figure it out," I say calmly after a few tense seconds. "But in the meantime, we need to stay here and wait for Vik or Fran to contact us."
Rue opens her mouth to argue but then closes it, realizing that I'm right, or more likely, she is now plotting a way to ditch me and head straight into danger. She sits back down on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"I hate feeling helpless," she admits quietly.
"I know," I say softly, sitting beside her. "But we're not helpless. We're here, alive, and we have each other's backs."
She nods slowly. "I had those three before, you know. You didn't have to show off by leaping over the fucking balcony like some sort of action hero."
"Iaman action hero. Didn't you know?"
"Dick," she mutters under her breath.
"My job, myonlyjob, is to protect you, Rue. Even if you had killed them all and were ready for more, I would still have come for you and gotten you out of that situation."
