Rhapsody (The Teplo Trilogy #2) (7 page)

"It went down exactly like that," Rachel finished with a laugh. "He ran all the way back here, screaming at the top of his lungs. We thought he'd shot Tristan."

Lillian clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at the image of a little deer chasing Jordan through the woods while he screeched that the poor thing was going to eat him. Even though she'd just met him, she could absolutely see that happening. He was so different from Jason, so much more open and approachable.

"And he had a loaded gun," Tristan added with a smirk.

"I forgot!" Jordan huffed, though a smile twitched at his lips, too. He didn't mind the teasing. "Besides, deer weren't in season."

"They aren't in season now, either."

"Aww, come on, man. I'm having a kid in three months. I gotta learn to protect my baby, and Jase refuses to shoot with me," he cajoled, ignoring Tristan's teasing and the accompanying laughter from the rest of the group.

"I wouldn't mind going out for a bit," John said.

Tristan heaved a sigh and glanced at Lillian, looking torn.

"Go." She smiled at him. "I'll be fine."

"Are you su-?"

She covered his mouth with her hand. "Yes, I'm sure. Your aunt, and Rachel and Zoë will keep me company until you get back."

"Yeah," Zoë inserted, making a shooing gesture, "go! Jase won't be here for another forty-five minutes or so. You have plenty of time."

Katherine nodded her agreement.

He tugged her hand away from his mouth, looking reluctant. But he knew when he was outnumbered, and gave in with displeased grumble. "Fine. We won't be far."

"Tristan," she warned, rolling her eyes. They were safe here, miles from
Teplo
. He needed to relax. Besides, she got the impression that Jordan really admired him. Who knows how long it had been since they'd last had male bonding time?

"Just call me if you need anything, baby. I mean it." He stood before leaning down to brush his mouth across her cheek. "We'll be back before dinner. Can I borrow your gun?"

She leaned forward and slid the weapon out of the small clutch at her feet.

"Damn," Jordan whistled as she held her gun out to Tristan. "She carries a gun? That is
hot
."

"Jordan?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." Tristan tucked her gun into his waistband and kissing her hard on the mouth. "We'll be back soon."

"Have fun." Her insides twisted at the affectionate, desire-filled look in his eyes, like she was the center of his world, the only thing he saw.

Jordan dropped a kiss atop Rachel's head before he and John headed toward the kitchen door. Tristan pulled his eyes away from Lillian and followed reluctantly along. He glanced back at her once before Jordan dragged him outside and closed the door behind them, going on about retrieving bullets. Lots of bullets.

Her stomach did a flip at the look in his eye. So torn, so protective. So
Tristan
. He drove her insane with his overprotectiveness, but a little part of her loved that he cared so much about her. Aside from her dad, no one had ever cared for her like that. The Company had taken good care of her, sure, but that had been different. She'd been an asset to them, nothing more. With Tristan, she felt like
she
mattered. He genuinely cared about whether she was safe and comfortable. Too much, sometimes.

"Sorry," she mumbled, her cheeks heating when she realized that Katherine, Zoë, and Rachel were all watching her. "He's–"

"A pain in the ass?" Rachel supplied helpfully.

"Worried. I guess you know someone else was murdered?"

Everyone nodded.

"She was still a kid. We talked to her last week. He thinks it's his fault they killed the girl." She frowned, twisting the glass stem around in her hands, unsure if she still felt the same or not. Part of her did. Part of her probably always would, but Anton and Paulo Vetrov and Pedro Francisco were responsible for Emma's death. They were the ones who had beaten and stabbed her to death, not her and Tristan.

"He's always been like that," Katherine said with a sad shake of her head. "He blames himself for a lot that isn't his fault."

"Yeah, he does."

"Seems like you have him under control though," Rachel said, sliding into the chair he had vacated, her brow arched. "I've never seen him like this with anyone. Ever."

Lillian met her gaze but said nothing, not really sure how to respond to that. She wasn't ready to share what she and Tristan had with everyone. Not yet. They were still new. Still fragile.

"Jason's like that, too," Zoë said. "He won't even let me anywhere near the office right now because he's so worried about what's going on, but Rachel's right. Tristan never listens to anyone like he does to you."

"I wouldn't say he listens to me either," she snorted dryly.

"He left, didn't he?" Rachel said.

Lillian shrugged.

"Then you're obviously doing something right."

"I think what she means, dear," Katherine said, reaching out to squeeze her hand, "is that Tristan does what he thinks is best regardless of what anyone else wants. He listens to what you have to say, and cares enough to dial down the innate caveman to make you happy." She lifted her glass to her lips and sipped. "You're good for him. He requires someone that will tell him what's what once in a while. Lord knows, none of us have ever been successful at that."

Zoë and Rachel nodded their agreement.

"I'm not sure how much good I'm doing in that department," Lillian confessed. "He tends to overrule me more often than not." He listened to what she had to say; he just had a habit of doing exactly what Katherine had said: what he thought was best regardless of what anyone else wanted.

"Well, it's obvious he's crazy about you," Rachel said, her green eyes narrowing. "If you don't feel the same, do us all a favor and break it off now."

"Rachel!" Katherine chided when Lillian blanched.

"Sorry," Rachel said with a grimace. "I didn't mean it like that. I think it's safe to say that everyone here likes you, but I've known Tristan for a long time, and he's a good guy. He deserves to be happy. He needs someone who will stand up to him and tell him to go to hell when he needs to hear it. And he
will
need to hear it because he's the biggest pain in the ass I know. He's arrogant as hell and can be a bossy son of a bitch, too. I think you know what I mean." She waited for Lillian's reluctant nod before continuing. "He's in love with you, so if this is only fucking to you–"

"Rachel," Katherine hissed. "Enough!"

"I'm not trying to be a bitch, Mrs. Angelo. I'm just telling her the truth. If she doesn't care about him, she shouldn't be with him because he's a big enough dick without having his heart broken, too. If that's where this is headed, he's better off alone."

Lillian's heart raced and moisture built in her eyes. She was not a violent person, but she had the sudden urge to wrap her hands around Rachel's beautiful neck and strangle her for even thinking that Tristan would be better off alone. No way in hell.

"With all due respect, what happens between me and Tristan is our business. But since you obviously care enough to look out for him, I will say this: I would do anything for him. And if you really think he'd be better off alone, it's obvious that
you
don't know him nearly as well as you seem to think. He's been alone far too long already."

Her eyes swept around the table, taking in Zoë and Katherine before turning back to Rachel. "He may be a pain in the ass like you said, but he does it because he's scared to lose anyone else. His parents were murdered by the kind of people he deals with every day, and he doesn't want the same thing to happen to any of you. Judging him for that isn't fair." She narrowed her eyes at Rachel. "He's an amazing person and I will fight for him if that's what it takes. I will fight
him
if necessary, but I won't let you tear him down because you don't agree with the way he does things. At the very least, he deserves your respect, because I guarantee you, no one else will ever watch out for you or sacrifice for this family the way he does."

Rachel stared at her, not saying anything. Lillian met her gaze head-on, refusing to back down. She didn't care what Rachel thought about her, not really, but she'd be damned if she let the brunette tear Tristan down just because she didn't understand him. Lillian had seen the kinds of things he tried to protect his family from. The scar on her leg was testament to how messed up people could be. She hated how he intentionally isolated himself from everyone, but he wasn't a dick for doing it. The least Rachel could do was cut him a little slack and acknowledge that he wasn't being a pain in the ass to be a pain in the ass. He suffered more than they knew, missed them more than they could imagine. But he carried that burden so they didn't have to see what he saw or live with the ghosts he lived with every day.

Rachel smiled suddenly, her entire face lighting up. "You're in love with him."

"Told you so," Zoë said.

"I wanted to make sure," Rachel said with a shrug, settling back in her chair with a smug grin. "Women are always sniffing around him, but he doesn't pay them much attention. When he does, it's well, it's physical. A release. It's nice to see someone finally break through to him. It's been a long time coming. And for what it's worth, I think you're exactly the kind of woman he deserves."

Lillian didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing. She didn't want to talk about Tristan with other women. The mere thought made her want to claw someone's eyes out. He was hers, just as much as she was his.

"I'm sorry, Lillian," Katherine said, shooting a quelling look at Rachel and Zoë, who merely shrugged. "Apparently Tristan isn't the only one with a tendency to go overboard with the protective instincts."

"It's fine." Lillian wasn't sure if she was angry that Rachel had intentionally riled her up to get a response or if she was relieved that she wasn't going to have to go toe to toe with the pregnant brunette over Tristan. She'd meant what she said. She
would
fight for him if that's what it took, even if that meant fighting Rachel, who was like family to him, but she didn't want to cause discord between them.

"I really do like you," Rachel said, an apology flickering in her eyes. "But he's practically my family, you know? I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. I don't want to see him hurt if you can't handle all the bullshit that comes along with him. He deserves someone who can equal him. Someone who can help him get past the guilt. He deserves peace and happiness."

"I want him to be happy as much as you do," she promised Rachel. "He deserves it more than anyone else I know."

"We all worry about him," Katherine said.

Zoë nodded.

"So do I," Lillian answered. She worried about him more than they could possibly know, especially with the Vetrov family out there, willing to kill to keep their secret.

"So, a ballerina, huh?" Jordan waggled his brows, smirking.

"Jordan, shoot the damn gun," Tristan said, rolling his eyes and tossing the Beretta to him. At twenty-five, Jordan was more child than grown man, always causing some sort of trouble. Tristan didn't fault him for it. He'd never had to live with the shit Jason and Tristan lived with every day. Tristan would have killed to be half as unburdened as Jordan. But that didn't mean he wanted to answer questions about Lillian.

And he really didn't want to be out here now. They were a good quarter of a mile from the house, in a little clearing used for target practice on the rare occasion when he took a break. It didn't happen often. He'd always kind of figured John and Katherine were safer if he stayed away. That was still true, but maybe the time for change had come. His mother's brother was all he had left of her now, and he missed that connection. Hell, he missed his family. So much it hurt.

"Come on, man. How did you two meet? Jason wouldn't tell me shit."

"Neither will I."

Jordan huffed as if put out, but Tristan saw the amused gleam in his eyes.

"Regardless of how you two met, she's lovely," John said, smiling as he checked the magazine in Tristan's Sig with practiced efficiency. "Jordan merely wishes he was as pretty as she is."