I had no choice.
“He told you dick, didn’t he?” he asked.
I nodded and wished he’d take a step back but still, I answered, “I’m sensing I didn’t get a full briefing.”
“What’d that piece of shit tell you?”
“That I was to pick you up and take you where you wanted to go.”
“That’s it?”
I thought about it. Then I amended, “Well, actually, his words were that I was to pick you up at noon, call him when you were out and then take further directions from you.”
And I had assumed by directions he meant directions to wherever Ty Walker called home or wanted to make his home. But I was thinking I assumed wrong.
“That’s it?” he repeated.
Yep, I was wrong.
“That’s it,” I replied.
He pulled in breath through his nose. Then he crossed his arms on his chest and his eyes locked with mine.
Then he told me what I’d already figured out. “He didn’t give you a full briefing.”
“Great,” I muttered.
“He owes me,” Walker stated, held my eyes but tipped his head to the desk to indicate what was on it. “Big,” he finished.
I nodded.
He continued to hold my eyes and then he jerked his chin out at me and said low and quiet, “Big.”
Oh shit.
“What?” I whispered as I took a step back.
“Don’t move,” he ordered and I stopped because his order was firm and serious and I didn’t want to test how firm and serious he was. “He didn’t make it worth your while, I’ll deal with him. So I’ll make it worth your while.”
“What…” my voice sounded choked so I swallowed then started again, “Make what worth my while?”
“You and me are getting married.”
My head jerked again even as the rest of my body froze.
Then I said shrilly, “What?”
“I need a wife, you’re her.”
Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Fucking shit!
“Um…” I started, my heart hammering, the one room and marital status of check in explained, my need to flee overpowering, my sense of self-preservation keeping me rooted to the spot but I got no further, he started talking.
“He didn’t take care of you, I will. You need out from under him, I’ll make that happen. You marry me; I pay you fifty thousand dollars. At the end, I deal with the divorce. Once it’s done, you’re clear. I’ll see to it we’re untied, all you’ll have to do is sign the papers, you’ll never see me again and I’ll also see to it that wherever you decide to go, Shift doesn’t follow.”
“The end of what?” I asked.
“My business.”
“What business?”
“That’s need to know and when you need to know I’ll tell you what you need to know.”
In other words, I’d likely never know all of it just what I needed to know.
“The gun… the money?” I asked.
“I just got let outta prison. I wasn’t in there while the Pope considered my sainthood. I got enemies.”
“Oh God,” I whispered.
“You’re covered,” he told me.
I’d heard that before and now the person who promised me that was dead and the person he promised to cover me from was the reason I was standing right where I was.
I shook my head. “I don’t think –”
“I got no time and I got shit to do. You’re gonna bail, you can walk out that door. I got nothin’ to offer you but cash and my word. I can see you pickin’ me up from prison, my word don’t mean dick to you but I’m tellin’ you right now, and it’s up to you to believe it or not, my word is solid. No harm will come to you and nothin’ from my business will blow back on you. You’ll be my wife, you’ll act like my wife and you’ll do it until this is done. That’s it. Then we go our separate ways.”
“I’ll act like your wife?” I asked quietly.
He shook his head once. “You wanna let me into that *, I’ll take it. No increase in money, I don’t pay for *. That you give if you got a mind to give it. You don’t, I’ll find what I need elsewhere and that won’t blow back on you either.”
This was not exactly the romantic, tender marriage proposal every girl dreamed of.
“Ty,” I started, lifting up a hand, palm out then dropping it. “I’ve been…” I hesitated. “I’ve managed to…” I stopped again.
“Jesus, spit out,” he rumbled.
I nodded and spit it out. “That world has been at the edge of mine a long time, pushing in and I’ve managed to steer clear. I don’t know what this business of yours is and I don’t know you and I already have the leftover bullshit that comes from broken promises. I don’t need more.”
“I told you none of my shit would blow back on you,” he reminded me.
“And I told you I’ve heard that before and here I stand,” I reminded him.
He stared at me, still unreadable but something about him made me think that he wasn’t blank, he was alert and assessing and he gave no indication of it but it felt like he was reading me down to my bones.