Page 87 of Brutal Knight

He thought I was young and naive.

But, I really didn't give a shit what Raul thought.

“Señor," Raul started, but I held up my hand, cutting him off.

"Silence." I glanced at the papers shoved in between Raul and the side of the sofa. "Let me see them."

Raul's throat bobbed. "I can explain."

“No need." I waved my hand in a beckoning motion, staring at the paper meaningfully. “Give them to me.”

His hands shook as he reached down, pulling them out. I let him come to me, my eyes flicking to the top of the desk, indicating him to place them there.

I sat back in the chair, pulling my Beretta from the holster and placed it on the table, facing Raul. His throat bobbed again as he stared at it, but he didn't speak.

"I'm surprised you didn't come to me about this first, Raul."

"Again, I must explain," he rushed, "you left the business in my hands. I didn't realize that I had to ask for your permission on who I married."

"And what made you think,” I crooked an eyebrow upward, casually reaching into the inner pocket of my suit jacket to pull out a pack of cigarettes, “that I left the business to you?”

“Señor, you didn’t return.” Raul’s face was red. “You understand the position I was in.”

I opened Abuelo’s desk drawer, pushing aside paperclips and some pesos until I found what I was looking for. Tatiana’s mother was staring towards the window, pretending she hadn’t been involved in this negotiation. Her father was shifting uncomfortably, glancing at Raul.

“Is the sofa not comfortable enough for you?” I asked her father.

He immediately stilled, his face growing splotchy. “No, no, Señor. It’s the most comfortable sofa I’ve ever sat on.”

“Really?” I leaned forward to stare into his eyes.

“Yes.” His throat bobbed.

“Huh,” I grunted, leaning back to light a cigarette with Abuelo’s lighter—the only thing I wanted from this house. “It’s at least thirty years old.”

He didn’t answer, only rolled his shoulders self-consciously.

“What I understood was that I was putting down those dogs from Veracruz.” I spoke to Raul now, inhaling on my cigarette. “Where were you? You were supposed to meet me there.”

“I was busy taking care of business here.”

“And this?” I nodded at the contract, pretending to read it.

"I didn't realize you cared about who I fucked," Raul sounded angry now.

"You were wrong," I interrupted him, blowing smoke in his direction. "I care very much. Especially since you're contracting for the very woman I intended to marry."

Tatiana's mother inhaled a sharp breath, and her father blurted out, “We had no idea. Of course, if we had, we wouldn't have agreed to this.”

"I know," I held out the packet of cigarettes towards her mother, "Want one?"

Her eyes fell to the white sticks, eyes glazed with want. American cigarettes were a commodity that no one turned down. "Thank you, Señor,” she reached forward, taking one.

I handed her the lighter, offering Tatiana’s father one.

He immediately accepted.

“Knight,” Raul tried to reason with me. “I know you said you wanted the girl, but I only thought it was a childish crush, nothing more. You have a business to run, and she's just a girl."

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