The callousness of his tone was like a slash to Tristan's heart, and though anger sparked, he kept his tone measured. "So, you wouldn't want to keep seeing me when this is over?"
Nostrils flaring, Cade angled his eyes downward, and the seconds ticked by in silence while Tristan stifled a scream of frustration. Finally, Cade faced him, his face hard, unyielding.
"It just wouldn't work."
Tristan notched his chin up, refusing to give up that easily. "Why do you say that?"
"Jesus, you know why," Cade snapped, standing abruptly and walking to the window, turning his back to Tristan.
Shutting him out.
Confused and irritated, Tristan sucked in a steady breath, trying to calm himself, then stood as well.
"I don't. Tell me," he said evenly.
Turning to face him, Cade snarled, "Christ, Tristan. Because I murder people!"
"But you only kill bad guys."
"It's still murder, and I'm still a criminal. There's no way to sugarcoat it."
Taking a step closer, Tristan countered, "You may technically be a criminal, but you only kill predators who hurt others. That means you're, like, a superhero."
"It doesn't make me a good person, Tristan, believe me."
"It does in my book," Tristan replied, recognizing the truth of the statement as he voiced it.
"It shouldn't," Cade declared, his expression icy. "I could be arrested at any point, sent away for life in prison. For fuck's sake, I could end up dead on any given job, any time I leave my house."
"Are you trying to scare me away? 'Cause it's not working."
"I'm just being honest. You need to accept reality."
"I am, and the truth is, you and your friends make the world a better place. You keep people from being hurt."
"We may rid the world of scum, and I have no regrets about what I've done, but you don't belong in this world, and I sure as fuck don't belong in yours, around you, around your sister. How will you explain my job to her? How can you justify that? You can't."
"Look, Cade. I don't have all the answers. I don't know what I'd tell Natalie, or how I'd deal with you constantly being in danger. But I do know thatdespite what you do, you are a good person, and I'm not ashamed of you, if that's what you're thinking. I want to be with you, Cade, to at least try to figure it out. To see if it could work."
Cade slumped against the wall, frowning and shaking his head in disbelief. When he spoke again, his voice lacked its earlier edge.
"What about the other stuff? That day in the woods, you said you wanted a simple, boring life."
Considering the question for a few beats, Tristan answered, "I know I said that, and I felt that way at the time. But I've been thinking lately that I need to live life to the fullest, to grab hold of good things when they come, you know? And right now, I feel like I want to do this, to try at least."
Dropping his gaze to the floor, Cade shook his head sharply, as if fighting off those words.
Swallowing his doubts and insecurity, Tristan asked, "Is that the only reason you wouldn't want to be with me? Because of your job? I mean, would you want to if not for that?"
Cade didn't look up. "We can't just ignore it, Tris. It's what's real."
"But if we could? Then what? Would you want... me?"
An unsteady breath, but no response.
But it wasn't a no, either.
Tristan took a step closer, till they were toe-to-toe. His fear had subsided, replaced with a need to see this conversation through, to lay his soul bare and accept whatever came after.
