Page 446 of Savage Bosses

“I know.” Tati sighed. Oh, how her life had changed in five years. Maybe to Bryce, she would be the monster now.

"Are you suddenly feeling ashamed?" Taro asked.

Tati shook her head as she lifted her fork. "The guy you killed deserved it. He was a rapist. And the police kept letting him off from supposed lack of evidence. But it was clear that they were letting him off because they were in his father's pocket. You saved lives by killing him."

"Yes. And your ex saved your life by killing your attacker."

"I know. I'm not mad at him. I never was. I just wish he hadn't had to do it. It’s my fault he was pushed that far. But I don't think he's a monster for doing it. I'm sure he's killed more people since then. Yet, I still see him as the same guy I was in love with. If he's a monster, then so am I. I mean, how many times have I gone out with you while you handled your vigilante shit, Mr. Green Arrow? How many times has my mom gotten rid of someone because they were a threat to her family? Actually, I don't want to know. I don't like thinking of her that way. And let's not talk about my dad. He's heartless. If it'll get him votes, he'd kill whoever, whenever. I always wanted to get away from this kind of life because I didn't want to become like those around me. I wanted to be better than them. And I wanted to take Bryce with me because he was the one who always inspired me to be better. But the truth is, there's no outrunning this life. As soon as I was away from it, I realized that I, too, had violent tendencies. When someone angered me, I thought of over a dozen ways I could kill them. And then your crazy ass showed me over a dozen ways to kill. And though I've never done it, I know if someone were to hurt my mom, Mrs. Cattaneo, Bryce, or you, I'd be willing to kill them to avenge you all."

Tati sighed and pushed her food around on her plate. "So, the very stuff I was trying to outrun has already been ingrained in me. My first thought is always to hurt or maim my enemies. Even back then. But back then, Bryce and I were young and didn't voice our thoughts enough. If he'd just told me what he'd done, I would've apologized for putting him in that position. And then he would've told me it's not my fault. Then, together, we would've blamed the attacker, as we should have. Then we could've gone on with our lives without any problems. But because we both tried to hide from what happened, we lost five years."

"You would’ve still had problems. Melinda would’ve still interfered in your lives. Plus, you two hiding from the truth isn’t the reason you two lost five years together, Little Bird."

"Why did we lose five years then, oh wise one?"

"You lost five years because you were both living on cracked pedestals that the other had created. It was only a matter of time before those cracks in your pedestals forced your foundation to crumble. And you saw the cracks, but instead of stepping off the pedestals, you tried to paint over the cracks. But paint can only hide cracks temporarily. It can't get rid of them."

Tati cocked her head to the side. "Say that again, in English."

Taro laughed. "Bryce was living on a pedestal of what your dream man should be. But dreams are perfect. Humans aren't. He was struggling to be who you wanted him to be. The Bryce you knew was never the real him. The Bryce you knew was a rendition of what he thought you wanted him to be. Likewise, you were living on the pedestal of his perfect woman, someone who helped him not become like his father. But you're not perfect. And to be honest, how could you be his moral compass when you're Tina Dupree's daughter? That name puts fear in some people's hearts."

"I don't want to hear about it."

"You never want to hear stories about your mom. My dad and grandad told me a lot of stories about Tina the Demon before she became a politician's wife."

Tati groaned. "I can't believe they called my mom Tina the Demon."

Taro chuckled. "Believe it. But, as Tina the Demon's daughter, there was no way you could escape being a little demon yourself. But, no matter who you are, you can’t be someone's sole reason for doing good. That's too much pressure. Which is why I said you were both standing on cracked pedestals. That was why when something bad happened, he fled to Italy, and you fled to Paris. You ran as soon as those pedestals crumbled because your foundation was weak."

Tati stared down at her plate of food. "And if we'd only talked about it, about our real thoughts and feelings, then we wouldn't have run like that."

"After you clear up this Melinda thing, you should have a long talk with him. Get rid of all misunderstandings. And if he's willing to let go of the past, that's good. If he's not, then move on. Don't keep feeling guilty and hating yourself because of this. Deal?"

Tati nodded. "Deal. In fact, that's my intention. But first, I need to prove that Melinda was behind all this."

"And then what? Your mom said you don't want to get Bryce in trouble. If you prove Melinda set you up, and she loses Bryce, she's going to snitch and tell who the real murderer is."

"How do we get around that? Oh,andkeep her dad from having me murdered."

"You kill them first."

Tati sighed. "I..."

"You don't want to kill them. However, they want you dead and won’t stop until they make that happen. Why show them mercy when they don't plan to show you any?"

"I know, right? Something just feels wrong about asking for their lives. And something feels wrong about them wanting me dead. How can they want me dead all because of a man? That’s not reason enough to kill. I hate them. But I only want them in prison. First, I want to beat the fuck out of Melinda. But not kill her. I want them to live and suffer the shame of their family name being dragged through the mud. Death is so easy. They’ll suffer for a little while, and then they're gone. I want their pain and shame to last for a long time."

"The problem is, they won't go down alone. They'll take Bryce with them. And what you wish on them will fall on him too. So, what do you want more? Bring them shame, have them arrested, and risk Bryce going down with them? Or kill them – the whole family. Father, wife, kids?"

"Damn, Taro."

"Tatianna, they hired a hitman to kill you. Step off that cracked pedestal before it crumbles and buries you under the rubble."

Tatianna took a deep breath. “I…”

“Are you hesitating because you’re afraid of what Bryce will think of you if he finds out?”

Was she? He was already an integral part of the Cattaneo organization. He shouldn’t look down on her for this. But would he think she was a hypocrite for running after he killed Marco, yet she was planning a murder of her own?

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