Page 72 of The Devil's Thorn
But Rafael just tilts his head.
“Or…”
He pauses.
“You work for me.”
The air freezes.
“What?” Ash spits.
“You want in?” Rafael says. “You’re in. On my terms.”
He looks at me again.
“You’ll answer to me. You’ll work when I say, where I say. And if you lie again—Iwillknow.”
He steps closer.
“And as for you,Natasha—you’re done serving drinks.”
I blink.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not a waitress. Not a server. You’re a weapon.”
“So I’ll use you like one.”
He walks behind the bar again, grabbing another glass.
“We need someone on the floor who can read people. Know when they’re bluffing. Know when they’re hiding something.”
“And if they don’t talk?”
He smirks.
“That’s when you become something else entirely.”
My pulse kicks. He looks at me one last time.
“You’ll work under my command.”
“All three of you.”
“From this moment forward.”
A long pause. Then Ash steps forward slightly.
“What happens if we say no?”
Rafael lifts his drink again, takes a sip.
“You won’t.”
And somehow… he’s right. Because wecan’tsay no. Not without dying. Not without failing. Not without blowing everything wide open. And I’m not ready for that. Not yet.
So I nod once.
