Switchblade

Chapter 37: Secrets

Tati's eyes blinked awake and she noticed what was beside her.
She had her head laying on his chest. Her arm over him and her body pressed right into his. Even her leg was on top of him which she hadn't remembered doing. And there he slept. Arms behind his head and his head turned to the side. She could hear him breathing softly.
She thought about getting up since she didn't feel that bad anymore, but instead she just laid back down.

Her head was on his chest again and she could hear his slow heartbeat.
She felt him begin to move and looked up. He stretched his body and just turned his head to the side facing her.
His eyes were still softly closed. His chest rising up and down slowly. She noticed again how handsome he was. No longer seeing him in rage made her realize he's beautiful. But she'd keep that a secret.
The scariest people can look so gentle at times.

She saw his eyes start to open and she quickly closed hers.

Killian took a hand to wipe over his face in wake then looked down. He saw her partially on top of him and sleeping on his chest. He put his hand back behind his head and just stared.
The first time a woman has ever slept on his chest. He noticed how good she smelled.
He didn't remember falling asleep. He just remembered laying there while she comforted herself next to him because apparently he had the body heat of a warm towel. Ironically he thought she felt cold. She cooled off his warmth. So the feeling of her being against him was nice but he'd keep that to himself.

Tati opened her eyes, struggling to fake it any longer.

Killian didn't say anything.
She looked up and saw him already looking softly at her.
"Do you want me to get up?" she asked.
He didn't know.
She lifted off of him slightly. "I can go get my pillow instead."
"It's cold by now. Just lay down." he instructed.
She laid back down without a fight.

The two laid there quietly. Awkwardly but still didn't want to move.

"Did me keeping you here mess up your plans for the day or anything?" Tati asked to end the silence.
"No. I didn't plan anything."
"Oh..."

They were quiet again.

"Why am I here?" she asked.
He looked at her.
"Like I know why I'm in this room but why did you bring me to your house?"
"Because the office is getting raided sometime this week."
"You thought I was gonna snitch?"
"Wouldn't you?"
"That would just put my mom in jeopardy so no. Maybe if I was the only one at stake. But I'm not doing anything that could hurt her."
He didn't respond.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Tati asked.
"Why?"
"Your body is really warm." Her hand rubbed over his abdomen and mistakenly felt the eight pack she saw under his shirt before. She stopped.
"I'm not sick. I just always feel like this."
"Hot?" she asked.
He snickered quietly. "You think I'm hot?"
"Shut up." she stated.
"Are you anemic?"
"Why?"
"You feel cold."
"Oh. No, I don't think so. I just get cold easily."
"Mm."

She sat up quickly. "Oh my god, you haven't eaten!" she realized and got out of the bed.
He sat up on his elbows and watched her run out of the room.

~•~

"They have a warehouse east. You're gonna go and you're gonna make that asshole sorry for three of my men." Segal stated. "I know he was brought in yesterday. He won't be able to do shit about it. Go handle it."
"Yes, sir." said Drake.

Drake got up and took out his phone as he left the office.

"Hello?"
"Count eighteen of you. Get in the cars. We're going on a trip." Drake stated.
"We need anything?"
"Just your hands. Weapon of choice. Nothing that'll make it too quick. You need to be brutal."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm sending the location. You got twenty minutes to get there."
They hung up and Drake entered the parking garage.

He got into his vehicle. He was sent an address from Segal and forwarded it to the guy working under him.

He backed out of the driveway then drove off.

"LET'S GO!" Derrick yelled.
"Where are we headed?"
"It's a surprise." Derrick grinned. "Bring what you want! Bat, crowbar, pipe, brass knuckles! Get in the cars! You got two minutes." He left the room to grab the keys and get into one of the suvs. The rest of the men started to grab what they wanted.

It didn't take long for them to all come out in their masks and baseball caps. They hopped into one of the four suvs that were waiting.

Each vehicle drove off after putting the location into their gps. One by one they left the driveway.

•

"How is it?" Tati asked.

She'd made cheeseburgers and French fries.

Killian was already halfway through his burger and he ate another French fry.
"Mhm." he answered.
Tati snickered and ate one of the French fries out of the batch she'd made.

Killian looked at her and drank his water.
"You have...friends or something that I took you away from?" he asked and took another bite of his burger.
"Just one. I mean she has a brother but we weren't necessarily close. I kind of treated him like he was my brother too which meant I was sick of him most of the time. My mom probably told her some lie about my whereabouts so she wouldn't worry."
He nodded and ate another fry.

She looked at him.

"You can...call me Tati." she stated and stared at the floor.
He looked at her.
"I mean...we're not really friends. You're still a criminal but...I've been closer to you than I've been to anyone else who calls me it. Besides my own mother. But she gave birth to me so that's kind of hard to exceed."
Killian snickered. "Good to know." He sipped his water.

She began cleaning up the mess she made while cooking.

"Sit down." he instructed.
"What?" she asked.
"Sit down. You didn't eat either. You were too busy dying. Eat."
"I'm not that hungry."
"Worrick told me to make you eat so eat."
"But I'm not-..."
He stood up and started walking towards her.
She watched him.
He stopped in front of her and grabbed a fry. He held it in front of her face. "Eat it."
She laughed. "What if I'm not hungry?"
"I don't care." He touched it to her lips.
She laughed and moved her face away then looked back at him. He looked at how pretty her smile was. Such perfect teeth and this was the first time he ever really saw her show them in that way. But he tried to stay focused on his task because he was very serious. She ate the fry. "Are you happy now?"
He took another one and held it at her.
She ate that one too.
He took another one. She laughed with a hand covering her mouth. "Are you just gonna keep feeding me fries?"
"Unless you're gonna fix a plate, yes."
She ate the fry he held out. "I'll fix a plate. Go sit down." she snickered.
He took another fry and held it at her. She rolled her eyes and was about to eat it until he ate it himself. He began to walk off. Tati gasped and shoved him.

She grabbed a plate to put her burger and fries on.

"How did you make the sauce you put on this?" he asked.
"It's a secret."
"Why?"
"Because I like having secrets."
"You have a lot of secrets." he argued.
"No, YOU have a lot of secrets. My only secret is this sauce." she argued as she fixed her burger.
"You exhaust me."
She laughed to herself.