Once Miles and the others have left the room, I take Tyler with me to the other corner, push him up against the wall, and lean over him.
"He was going to kill you," he says, before I can speak. "He was going to bash your fucking brains out, and he wanted me to see it. So don't you tell me I did anything wrong, Sasha."
"You didn't." That surprises him. I tip his chin up and kiss him, a soft press of my lips. "Don't get me wrong," I say afterward. "I wanted you to have that gun with you tonight to protect yourself, first and foremost. But it also gave me options with Clemenza, if it came down to it. And, well…" I glance over at Clemenza's body. "It gave you options, too. Thank you, angel, for defending me. But I couldn't have anyone knowing—"
"Yeah, yeah," he says. "I know the score. If Clemenza refused to step down, you and you alone were supposed to kill him. All that tradizione shit that I don't understand, right? Guess Clemenza was right about that."
