Page 23 of Regal Queen

"Because, I need to hear from you how you betrayed my sister. How you had her gunned down in the middle of that restaurant. How you took her body and burned it, instead of giving her the burial she deserved."

His grit his teeth. "How the fuck do you know all that?”

"I told you," I crossed my hands over my chest. "Dimitri. He told me all about it while he was trying to convince me that you were the real enemy."

Bourbon leaned forward. “Did he also tell you that Coulter was also there that night? That he could’ve died just as easily as Lily?" His hands pressed into the couch cushions as he crawled towards me like the fucking predator that he was. “Do you think I would've tried to kill my own brother, Rose? Do you really think I'm so cold-hearted?”

"I don't know.” I hated myself for being so cruel but I needed to get under his skin, to force him to show me something, anything. “You tell me."

This wall of indifference ever since Russia was killing me, and I was going to break through it with a wrecking ball. Going to smash through every barrier he put up until he was open and bleeding before me.

It was his mother's house, for fucks sake.

I needed him to grieve, to feel something inside, and if provoking him was the only way to open him up, then that's what I was going to have to do.

“How dare you?” His anger and rage finally began to show. I could see it in flaring of his nostrils, the sharpness of his gaze. “I’ve done nothing but take care of Coulter from the day we met. You have no idea the things I’ve done for him. The ways I’ve protected him."

“Right.” I spat, rolling my eyes. "I doubt it."

“Why the fuck would you think that?"

"By the way you guys behaved back in Vegas. You two fought over me like vultures. Caring people don’t do things like that.”

He straightened, sitting next to me, and his hand snapped forward to grasp my chin tight. “Tell me you didn’t like it? Didn’t encourage it? Tell me you didn't like having a private viewing at the museum? You didn’t want to see where I lived? I gave you the code to my safe. Procured passports in case we needed to run.”

"Sure, seeing what I'm sure a million other women have seen was a real treat.”

His gaze darkened. “The only other woman whom I’ve ever shown that room to was Lily.”

His words surprised me but I couldn’t give up now. I was getting too close. “Don't expect me to show you any gratitude for taking me anywhere when afterwards, you had every intention of locking me back up in that room. You kept me prisoner, Bourbon, even if you weren't the one to kidnap me in the first place."

He was suddenly quiet and the silence was deafening. After a moment of staring each other down, he spoke, his a voice low, controlled sound that reminded me of a snake before it struck. “Take off your coat, Rose.”

I clasped it tighter to me. “Why?”

“For once in your life, just trust me.”

I shook my head, my voice trembling. “I can’t.”

I swear I won’t harm it, Rose. That’s the point.” His face was as dark as a thundercloud. “Take it off so I don’t damage it.” There was a pause. “Please.”

I shook my head but the ‘please’ had me giving in and pulling it over my shoulders. He leaned over, impatiently tugging it off me and tossing it on the sofa. Then he grabbed my arm and, clasping it tight, he jerked to his feet, taking me along with him.

"Where are we going?” I squealed out as he pulled me across the living room floor to the wall of windows.

He didn't answer, but paused to enter numbers on a screen. After a moment, it beeped, then he turned, hauling me with him as he opened up the sliding glass door.

We stepped out into the rain, and it fell on my face and hair, sliding down over me like a smooth caress.

It was glorious and, smiling, I turned my face up towards the sky, opening my mouth to catch the rain drops.

I took a moment to just feel. To let the water wash over me, to breathe and feel and take in everything and nothing all at once. This was what I needed. The water was cleaning, purifying, purging me of the evil of my past.

"This is what Kings do, Rose," Bourbon growled.

"What are you talking about?" I swear, Bourbon was loosing it.

"You wanted to feel the rain, didn't you?"

---