Page 51 of Twisted Temptation

"Whatever smug thing you're about to say. Don't waste your breath."

"Yeah, not going to happen. I want to know what you were doing in my casino when I explicitly told you to stay in the penthouse."

"Exploring."

"Exploring?"

"Yes, I was bored. The penthouse is very big and very quiet. There are only so many glasses of wine I can drink and episodes of TV I can watch."

"You could have asked Charles to arrange something."

"I didn't want Charles to arrange something. I wanted to walk around."

"You can't leave the penthouse without talking to me first," I say.

Her head turns. "That was a serious request?"

"It's not a request. I need to organize a security detail if you want to go out."

"You leave the penthouse without security."

"Yes."

"So why can't I?"

"Because I carry a gun."

"Then give me a gun."

"A big gun," I clarify. "I carry a very big gun."

"Fine, give me a very big gun."

"So you can use it against me? I don’t think so."

"Why would I do that?" She turns to face me fully. "Do I need to remind you that you're worth more to me alive than dead? If you die, the deal dies with you and my father's debt will be inherited by whoever takes your place. You may be a complete nightmare, but you are better than the unknown."

What she says is true. If I go down, there’ll be a fight for power, and the next man will not care about honoring a debt arrangement with a gambling addict and his daughter.

"So you see," she says, "keeping you alive is actually in my best interest. So give me a gun."

I almost smile, but force it from my lips as the elevator continues to climb.

"Do you even know how to shoot?" I ask.

"I could learn," she says.

"You've never held a firearm."

"Never. But I'm a fast learner."

"This isn't making espresso, Sunny."

"No. It's pointing a thing and pulling a trigger."

"That thing kills people."

“That’s why I need to learn how to use one properly.”