Page 81 of These Rough Waters

“Maya,” I soothe, stepping toward her.

She stands, looking around frantically, this news hitting her harder than her telling her story. “I’ll stay with Ruthie. And then I can leave, and I’ll move it all out of the cabin. Ruthie never said, she just said it was her friend’s daughter. I didn’t know.”

“Maya,” I circle her wrist with my hand gently, stopping her. The touch seems to help whatever riot is going on inside her head as she stills, and looks down at my hand before her glassy eyes latch onto mine.

“You’ve been through enough,” She whispers, “I can’t do this to you.”

I huff out an unamused laugh, “You’re doing nothing, Maya, and I am fully capable of doing what is necessary to keep you safe.”

“Maya, he’s right,” Rett sighs, looking at her softly, “You’re in danger now, if your ex gets hold of you, I don’t think they’ll be any coming back.”

“I know that!” She snaps, “But these are my problems.”

“No, Maya, I told you I would keep you safe, I mean it. I can and will. There’re some other things you don’t know about me. Things that might change your mind about me, but the protection still stands, whether you want anything to do with me or not. I won’t let you go back there, Maya. Not to him. If after the threat is gone and we know you’re safe, then I’ll let you go.”

A tear slips down her cheek. “You’ll let me go?”

“If that’s what you want.” I swallow, the taste of the words sitting like acid on my tongue.

“He lies.” Everett says with a smirk, “when my brother loves, he loves hard.” Rett kicks his feet up on the table, crossing his arms, “You got any popcorn, Tor? Shows about to get real interesting.”

He’s such a fucking asshole.

“What else is there?” Maya swallows, “I know you killed those men last night.”

“We did.”

“And where are they now?” She asks, another tear falling.

“Buried in the woods.”

“Fuck,” she hisses.

“They are not the first.” I admit.

“Or the last!” Rett chimes in.

“Oh my god,” Maya snatches her arm away, “Are you a serial killer?”

Fear now leaks into her face, chasing away the tears as she backs away slowly.

I show her the palms of my hands, hoping to convey how much I would never hurt her or ever dream of doing so.

“In a sense, yes, but it isn’t like what you know.” I admit.

“Holy shit,” She gasps.

“Me and my brothers,” I follow her slowly as she moves towards the door, backing away as if I’m the predator and she the prey. I may have thought her that way before but now, she was everything I didn’t know I needed. “We were raised and trained to be part of an organization that hires us out as hitmen. Before I settled here and retired, it’s what I did for a living.”

Her ashen skin pales even further, “You killed people for money!?”

“Kill,” Rett chimes in, “The money is good, got me a nice yacht too.”

“Shut up, Rett.” I growl.

“Look, sweetheart,” Rett stands abruptly, making my girl flinch, “Torin here was the best in the business, people would pay triple just to get him on the job. Why? Because the man never missed.”

Where the hell was he going with this point? Maya looked about ready to throw up.

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