Page 54 of Cruel Debts
"Did you come in here for an actual reason, or just to torment me?"
He shook his head like a dog, clearing his vision as he stared me down. I could see the gears turning, the unwillingness to let himself be phased by my body, but it was a losing battle.
"The others wanted you in the living room. We all need to have a little chat, you included." He forced his lips down in a frown. "Put some clothes on, though. Don't you dare come out there with nothing on."
"Why not? Do I disgust you, Hawke?" I cocked a hip out, knowing damn well it only accentuated my figure. "Are you repulsed by the idea of me?"
"Your body might've filled out, but you're still the same troublemaking little brat I've always known." He stepped forward, his hand reaching out to grab me by the chin. "You'd better be careful who you mess with, Trinity. You're in a pit of snakes, and some of us are venomous. Some of us bite."
"You can try," I growled back, my hackles rising as I held his gaze and went toe to toe with my first childhood bully. "You're not the only thing around here that can be dangerous when provoked."
He swore and left the room, leaving me standing there alone, naked and victorious, though the feeling didn't make me happy like it should.
Ten minutes later,I sat perched on the edge of the couch next to Asher, who was the smartest choice. At least he didn't look at me like I might punch him or start crying. He didn't look at me like a guilty dog who'd pissed on the floor.
He admitted his wrongs. He owned them.
Liam might've never said a word if I didn't let on that I knew.
And Hawke?
Well, he was still stuck on the naked interlude in my room. Not that he was complaining, just that there was a lot of confusing emotion in his gaze, and I didn't want to deal with it.
In the end, we sat there in a stalemate of silence until Asher cleared his throat and broke it.
"Pretty Bird, we need to talk about what just happened." He looked at the others, waiting for them to say something, but when they refused, or turned away, his sigh was heavy. Asher, it seemed, was the only one who actually wanted to have this talk.
The others were just unwillingly roped into it.
"I don't think we do." I stared anywhere but at him—I pinned a stare to Liam, and another to Hawke, both of whom refused to wilt under my glares. "Clearly, there's no desire to actually talk here, aside from the one person who alreadyhastalked to me."
Hawke's eyes rolled so far back in his head that it had me hoping they'd stay there, permanently. "So you think it's cool just to steal Liam's gun off his waist, hold someone who works forusat gunpoint, and then just march off like you own this place?"
I crossed my arms and leaned back, using their tactics against them. The cool indifference was driving at least one of them crazy. I could see it from a mile away. "I think the biggerproblem is, how did Liam, a trained assassin and weapons specialist who's been to war, not notice me lifting it off his hip?"
"Not now, Trin," Liam growled, his nose scrunched in frustration. "We don't have time for your jokes?—"
"I don't think it's a joke," Asher growled, his eyes cutting to his friend. "She has a point. How did you let something like that happen? You're better than that."
"I wasdistracted,asshole, ever happen to you?"
Hawke laughed. "Only every time Trinity walks into a room."
Asher pulledhisgun out and pointed it at him, and boy, I've never hoped a gun was unloaded more in my life than at that moment. "Open your mouth and say something stupid again, I dare you."
"Maybe if you wanna threaten me, you should put bullets in it, first," Hawke sassed, cocking a brow in challenge.
Asher cocked the damn thing, then pulled the trigger. Hawke jumped three feet in the air when an actual bullet grazed his shoulder, landing in the meat of the chair behind him. "Fuck! Are youinsane?!?"
"Relax," Asher muttered, putting the safety back on as he stuck the still-smoking gun in his jacket again. "Even if Ididshoot you, I'm a medic. A surgeon. I could remove it before you bled to death." His eyes sparked with dangerous intent. "If I wanted to."
For the first time in all the time I'd known Asher, I had reason to fear him and what he was capable of. The thought was sobering.
But he'd never hurt me. Not physically.
"See, this is the shit I'm talking about," Liam growled, pointing at the two of them. "You two are dicking around like this, and we have serious shit to deal with, like a fucking human trafficking ring."
"And tracking down Keehn," I pointed out, but Liam steamrolled right over me like he wasn't even listening.
