A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Fifty: rita

**

I stand between the both of them as if I'm not on the brink of life and death myself.

Their guns are still raised towards each other even though I stand between them. They look past me into each other's eyes, speaking volumes. I don't know what to do, so I just stand between and hope that, soon, it's all over.

Eventually, I have the courage to speak. "Put the fucking guns down." My hands are shaking. "Now."

"Leslie, come here," Claude says cautiously, like Alejandro is a bear or a wolf planning on attacking me. "Get away from him."

"Don't listen to him, Leslie." I hear Alejandro's hand tightened around the grip of the gun. "He's the last one that can protect you."

"You're fucking delusional." Claude's thick east coast accent comes alive when he's angry or distressed. "After all the shit you've done, you have the balls to call me unfit?"

"Shut up!" I shout at them, and they silence themselves. The guns are still raised, and I have moved back enough so that they are aimed at each other; I don't want to be the victim of an accidental pull of a trigger.

"Leslie, remember what I told you about the Harrisons," Alejandro says, ignoring Claude's comments. "I meant every word, especially about him."

"Yeah, well it's hard to trust anything you say, Alejandro."

"Luís—"

"Be quiet, Claude!" I snap at him. Alejandro's nostrils flare before he speaks again.

"I know you don't trust me. Esta bien—I get it. But if there's just one thing you believe out of my mouth, believe me when I tell you that this fucker is not who you should be putting your trust in. He's no better than I am—"

"Bullshit—you shot Darcy!" Claude shouts. The hurt in his voice cracks through his tough exterior. And at this, Alejandro doesn't know what to respond with. He knows that he's the reason Darcy is in the hospital; I remember his words—the words that detailed how he meant to aim for Sebastian. He said this without shame, like some sociopath. But hearing again how he shot Darcy brings back some feeling in him.

"I've made mistakes," Alejandro begins. "Shit, I'm a demon, and I understand that. But your hands aren't cleaner than mine, Claude."

I stare at Claude, waiting for him to speak, but his brows remain furrowed and his eyes dead on Alejandro as if he's strangling him with merely his gaze. Suddenly, Alejandro lowers his gun, whereas Claude's is still pointed at him.

Eventually, I take gradual steps towards Claude, whose hands are outstretched towards me. As soon as I'm close enough, Claude ushers my body behind his, shielding me. He doesn't move yet, but just stares at Alejandro, unsure of what he's going to do next. He has the opportunity to shoot and kill him, ending it once and for all. This was the whole point, I assume—Alejandro was supposed to die today, and Claude most likely had intentions on killing him himself, especially for shooting Darcy. But he doesn't do it. He just aims his gun at him, the gun shaking slightly, but never firing a shot. I want to scream, tell him not to shoot, run away, hide, do something. But I can't.

Alejandro and Claude have a full conversation solely with their eyes, purposefully so I won't know what they're talking about. There's commotion before a few men run into the living room. Alejandro tells them to stand down even before they pull out their weapons. I feel myself disassociating, my mind buzzing and racing at everything going on at once. Claude still has his hold on me behind him, gun pointed straight but nothing else.

Suddenly, Alejandro says something—one word: rita. Just that word, with no context or explanation. I don't know if it's an acronym or a place; a person or a thing, English, Spanish, or another language. But Claude knows what it means, because as soon as the word leaves Alejandro's mouth, Claude's face starts to soften, like all of the muscles have begun to melt away. It's an odd sight; I've never seen Claude so detached. Almost vulnerable.