Rico pursed his lips, but a small smile still played across his features, and irritation flicked at Callum’s raw nerve endings. So the vamp found him amusing, did he?
Rico’s smile broadened. “You know, you shouldn’t take yourself so seriously.”
“Just get on with it.”
“Okay. Ricardo Sanchez, vampire and relationship guidance counselor, at your service.”
For a second, Callum was sure he hadn’t heard right. “What?”
“I’ve decided it’s not in our best interests for you to leave the ship at this time. I’m willing to give you one more chance to overcome your asshole tendencies.”
“You are?” Callum had always thought himself quite bright, but he was finding this conversation hard to follow. “So you’re not going to kill me, eat me, or throw me off the ship?”
“Not just yet. On the other hand, I’m not in charge.”
“Why?” Callum asked. “Why aren’t you in charge? I’ve read the reports—El Cazador belongs to you—why aren’t you captain?”
“I like living on the ship, but I don’t like responsibility. Tannis, on the other hand, loves telling people what to do—you might remember that—so this setup works well for both of us.”
Callum wanted to ask where they’d met, since they seemed an unlikely coupling, but he decided it was a conversation for a later date. Right now, he wanted to know what was going on.
“And Tannis wants you off the ship,” Rico continued. “You have about five minutes to change her mind.”
“And how do I do that?”
“You’re going to have to apologize. Can you remember how to apologize, flyboy?”
Callum tried to recall the last time he’d apologized to somebody. He couldn’t bring it to mind. Maybe he’d never apologized in his life. Surely, that couldn’t be true. He couldn’t really be that much of an asshole. Could he? Maybe he’d never done anything he had to apologize for—he liked that idea better—but he didn’t believe it.
Rico let out a short laugh. “If you’re thinking that hard, I’m guessing the answer is no. Well a simple, ‘Tannis, I’m sorry for being a dickhead and not following your excellent orders,’ will suffice.”
Callum turned the words over in his mind. They sounded painless enough. “I think I can do that.”
“You don’t sound too sure.”
“No, I’m good.”
“Excellent.”
“But will it be enough? She seemed pretty pissed off.”
“Probably not. So you’re going to have to offer her something she wants.”
“What does she want?”
Rico seemed to think for a moment, and Callum got the notion he was considering what to say. What did Tannis want? And why wouldn’t the vampire come right out and say it? “More money might do it,” Rico said at last. “Tannis likes money.”
Hmm, Tannis hadn’t struck him as the mercenary type.
Rico must have seen his doubts. “She’s saving for the Meridian treatment.”
Shock hit him in the gut, though he didn’t know why. Most of the world’s population were saving for the Meridian treatment, so why not Tannis? Another less pleasant thought occurred. Was that why she was fascinated by him? Because she was; he’d sensed her watching him. Was that because she wanted something from him—like everyone else in the goddamn universe? But as quickly as it had come, the idea vanished. If that had been the case, she would have been a little nicer to him. He stroked a finger down his nose where she had punched him only fifteen minutes ago. No, he reckoned Tannis was the type who would say and do what she meant no matter what the consequences.
“So are we good?” Rico asked.
“Yeah. Money is one thing I have plenty of.” He studied Rico. “Why are you doing this? I got the distinct impression that you would have preferred it if I’d never come on board.”
“That may be true, but it’s too late now—you’re here.” For a moment, Rico was silent and Callum presumed he wasn’t going to get an answer, and then the vampire shrugged. “For as long as I’ve known her, Tannis has had a dream. Now she’s giving up on it, and I don’t believe she’s ready to let go.” He took a step closer and poked a finger at Callum’s chest. “But you fuck up her dreams, and I will kill you.” He smiled with a flash of fang. “That sound like a good deal to you?”
“You could try.”
“And I’m betting I’d succeed. You’ve grown soft, forgotten what it’s like to live on the edge.”
He was probably right. But from now on, that was changing. Callum was going to toughen up.
“So what are we waiting for?” Rico said. “Go to it, flyboy. And when you apologize, try and look as though you’re sorry.”
Callum twisted his features into what he hoped was an expression of contrition.
“Christos,” Rico muttered. “But I suppose that’s going to have to do.”
…
Tannis stared into the viewer. Callum stood in the corridor, hands in his pockets, and for the first time, the ingrained arrogance was missing from his features. She couldn’t quite work out what had replaced it, and she frowned.