Page 29 of The Twins

“You did what?” Grey gasps.

“For two years, I was on his tail, sugar puff. I was close. Don’t be disappointed in me. Or… Be. I love you no matter what. I’ll spend my life trying to make it up to you—”

Grey shakes her head, her eyes losing contact with mine.

I can never read the people closest to me as well as I read others. They blind me. I get a sense, a hint. But I’m incapable of a deep dive. I wish I could see what Grey’s feeling right now.

“You made sure I landed in San Ricardo,” my sugar puff states, so sure of herself, her words poignant. “I-I never understood what happened that night. I’ve created a vision of it, but it doesn’t feel real. You helped me escape? You orchestrated…”

I nod.

“Say it, Vegas. Say the words!”

Oh, fuck. My woman’s mad at me. The others will chastise me for inspiring this outburst. Grey isn’t an angry person. She has her meltdowns, but she’s never raising her voice at us. We keep the peace because fights with Grey are triggering.

For all of us.

“I killed your husband. You weren’t exactly lucid that day. I left you breadcrumbs, ushering you out of Martí’s house and toward the people that the operation would eventually rob once they passed the border,” I confess. It’s the first time I say those words out loud, and it’s like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders.

“But I-I ratted him out? Didn’t I?” she asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t want to speak about what happened when Martí took you to his enemies.”

“He took me? I didn’t go on my own?” The confusion is as clear as ever in her troubled eyes, and I want it to stop. All of that doesn’t matter. Grey is with us now. How Martí had her raped by his enemies the week before I finally had enough and called in my new best friends for help… It doesn’t matter.

We were there. I killed Martí, and now, sugar puff is here. “I was watching you from afar. I don’t know what happened in your bedroom, but when he took you out, shared you with his friends and foes… That’s something I saw through my feeds. He hurt you, and I understand that you don’t remember much. It’s better that way.”

“Fylox would love this guy,” Kamila cheekily whispers to her man, who chuckles back at her, but I ignore her remark.

I’m anticipating my woman’s reaction to my revelation.

Grey arches her back, sucking in another breath. She’s dropped her arms from my body, and although she sits on my lap, there’s a distance between us.

“Y-You did t-that?” Grey stammers.

I nod. “I would do it all over again. Better. More efficient. I’d… I’d take you from him that night. I wouldn’t wait two years. Fuck. You suffered more because I wasn’t—”

Grey shuts me up, guiding two of her fingers against my lips. “It’s not your fault, like you always say. Máximo relaxed in the final two years of our marriage. I can’t wrap my head around what you just said. The others… Are they in on it? And why were you sent there to kill this Aris man?”

“Nobody knows but us,” I tell her, and she squirms… Or twitches. Depending on how cynical you are.

“He’s employed by the government. My family poses a threat to worldwide security because we aren’t recognized by international law, and anything goes in Katantia. If we want to, we can enable mayhem. People like him are put into place to remove people like my father,” Kamila reveals before I can go on, and I cringe. “You’re a mercenary.”

“I don’t like that word. I prefer hot bad guy killer,” I say, and Grey cracks the tiniest of a smile.

“Are you still active?” my woman asks.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t be home as much. The drunken charades and the lacking job skills in San Ricardo were all part of my job.” I’m not supposed to disclose this information in a public setting, but I’m already on administrative leave, and Big Daddy can kiss my sweet ass. “I was watching Charles all these years. In the meantime, I secretly performed my main job all over the world, like in the spy movies but with even more pussy and bad alcohol. No need to worry, though, my sugar puff. I’m devoted to your sweetness now.”

“Why did you keep all of this from me?” Grey asks, and I bite my tongue. I don’t want to open up any further in front of strangers.

I give her a sad smile. “You’re not mad at me?”

She shakes her head. “You’re deflecting my question.”

“I don’t feel comfortable speaking about it,” I confess, and my woman understands.

The man by Kamila’s side clears his throat. “I’m Alex, by the way. Would you like to join us for dinner to take your mind off things?”

I sigh. Grey’s eyes sparkle at the opportunity to spend more time with her new bestie. And that’s how intimate dinners get canceled.

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