Chapter 19: Respect

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me this earlier, huh?"

"It was none of your business." She argued and she argued a good point, Vaas hated losing though and he wasn't going to have it. He slapped his hand against the concrete wall near her head.

"None of my business?!" A short cough drew the two from their argument looking to the corner they had just turned from they saw Hoyt leaning against the edge and staring with a look of strictness on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

"No." They both said in unison, Vaas snarled and pushed Lunetta back into the wall with one hand while hiding the knife with the other. She grunted and rubbed her arm in annoyance when she went to stand fully beside him yet again. It was still hard to look Hoyt in the eyes so she reasoned with the ground.

"I hope my arrival hasn't interrupted anything."

"Not at all, Boss. You are welcome here anytime." Vaas feigned a smile, the knife still grasped tightly behind his back.

"So Lunetta is her first name. What's her full name?" Vaas sheathed his knife without Hoyt noticing, a fake smile still plastered on his lips.

"My full name is Lunetta Oshima Rodrigo."

"Soon to be Montenegro of course." Vaas finished sternly, Lunetta bit her bottom lip and looked away, the idea of ever marrying him was horrifying. It might have been a scam to keep Hoyt off of her, but she would never want to marry the stingy pirate lord, much less anyone for that matter.

"Really? I never thought you would consider settling down."

"Well you know me-"

"I do." Hoyt interrupted. "And knowing you, you would never ever settle down." Vaas frowned and shrugged, wrapping an arm around Lunetta.

"Even monsters find love." He rasped out, his intimidation and ego shrinking under Hoyt's authority.

"Hmm... I suppose." Hoyt's eyes distantly stared off into the ground for a moment, before he shook it off. "Well I am happy for you both, when is the wedding?"

"A month, maybe two, we haven't decided yet."

"Hopefully this relationship of yours doesn't interfere with the business, I know how that can be." Lunetta turned away and as if she hadn't known Vaas was there the entire time. She turned into Vaas's chest in which he took that as a sign to tighten his arm around her.

"W..." Vaas cleared his throat. "Why don't you go get the kid and we'll have lunch out here with Hoyt?"

"Kid? Vaas did you-"

"No, no, no, no. Not me! Never me. The rat we found in Badtown." Lunetta, who had for some reason been comfortable for those few seconds pushed him away, he stumbled back slightly, his jaw tightened and he shot her a vengeful look.

"She isn't a rat!" Lunetta retorted before stomping off towards the other warehouse to recover the child and Benny, when she entered the warehouse, she could hear the faint noises of giggling. She walked up the stairs slowly, careful not to make any noise. When she came upon the once empty room, she could see Benny and Raiza sitting next to each other on the floor laughing and having conversation with one another. She didn't know how to react, she stood at the door and leaned against the frame.

"So, like I said. Vaas isn't that bad of a guy, if you want to get on his good side you have to listen to orders and not get in his way."

"What if I get in his way?"

"I'm sure he can be reasoned with-"

"You both are wanted." Lunetta interrupted, she didn't want Raiza ever getting the idea that Vaas was reasonable. Vaas was the most irrational person ever known to man, she didn't want her anywhere near him. They both looked up from their seats on the empty floor.

"Hoyt wants to talk to us?"

"No, I just want Raiza, you can take care of yourself." Raiza stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress to walk over to Lunetta and take her hand, without saying anything she guided the little girl from the room and down the stairs.

"Whatever you see or hear... Don't pay attention to it because it's most likely going to be wrong."She nodded her head quietly.

"But Benny is a good person."

"I know he is, he just isn't a good influence is all." Lunetta replied, suddenly feeling guilty for mentally abusing Benny the way she had recently. He had helped her, he had always been a good friend, but he had also led her down the wrong path, a deadly path.

"Luna!" Benny shouted as he exited the room and ran down the stairs to meet her at the bottom. She turned to face him and he smiled lightly. He held up a pair of keys in his hand and offered them to her. "Your car is still in mint condition." She felt a warmth inside her at his smile, she couldn't be angry at him forever. She shook her head and pushed the keys back to him.

"Thanks Benny, just take care of it a little longer for me." He shrugged and waved a hand at her.

"It's alright, you are capable of taking care of yourself." He said smugly before pushing past Lunetta and Raiza to jog down the stairs and leave the warehouse.

"He's a nice man."

"Yeah... I know."

It was odd how lunch had began. It was that Vaas, Benny, Hoyt, Raiza, and Lunetta all sat at the red couches, Hoyt didn't eat and neither did Benny, but Vaas and Raiza had a bowl of rice, and Lunetta a peach. It was mostly silent while everyone ate. Benny sat beside Vaas and Hoyt stood pacing back and forth. Raiza sitting on Lunetta's lap on the couch across from them.

"So..." Vaas began, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth and obnoxiously chopping on it with an open mouth. "Luna, why don't you tell Hoyt about the information you have chosen to withhold from me?"

"What information?" Lunetta innocently chimed, taking another bite of the peach, Hoyt awkwardly angled his head to face her and cocked it to the side.

"Information?"

"Yes, Lunetta has some valuable information. Don't you?" Vaas grinned in an ugly fashion and continues to chew with his mouth open.

"I'm interested to hear exactly what information you have for me."

"It's nothing." Lunetta shoved it to the side, if she told him, it could ruin any chances she had at getting more info on Citra.

"Nothing?" Vaas sat up so his elbows leaned onto his knees. He dropped the bowl down into the dirt, not caring when it's contents spattered all over, he strictly glared at Lunetta. "It better not be nothing, you are lucky I forgot about your little man in white before I let you go, otherwise I would have made you bring me to him."

"A man in white? How interesting." Hoyt sarcastically implied, Lunetta took another bite from her peach. "I have gotten reports from my men that there was an American in Bad Town. What would you know about him?"

"Nothing. He was just a friend before..." Lunetta was never good at lying and Vaas could read right through her.

"Before what?"

"Before he killed my father." She blurted out, taking another nervous bite of her peach, Vaas burst out into laughter and she could do nothing, but glare at him.

"And who exactly is your father?"

"Luna I thought your father left you when you were young?" Benny questioned with a confused expression, Vaas kicked him in the calf, shutting Benny up quickly.

"Are you trying to lie to me Luna?" Hoyt asked in a soft tone, but everyone knew that tone meant aggravation and hatred.

"N-No... I just..." She gently picked Raiza up off her lap and instead put her on the empty seat beside her. "Whatever I have to say, isn't important." She gulped avoiding Hoyt's eyes. "Vaas? Can I talk to you for a second." Vaas stood up without hesitation and followed Lunetta away from the group until they were far enough away for her standards.

"I don't want him to know." She whispered to him, close enough to barely touch his chest, she was about to step away before his hand placed itself at her lower back and she was held in place. Her eyes glazed back over to the group in the distance and all except Raiza were staring, she looked back up at Vaas.

"I know you don't, but he will eventually find out and when he does, he won't be happy."

"If I'm his daughter, you think he'd be a little more respectful."

"How can he be respectful-" She shushed him and he cleared his throat. "When..." He spoke in a gentler whisper. "You haven't even fucking told him."

"I don't want to."

"Then it's your problem, he needs to know and if you don't tell him before he leaves tomorrow. I will."

"NO." She nearly yelled out, but he held a hand over her mouth. "No." She whispered out again.

"He doesn't like us when we keep strolling off and ignoring him like this, he likes to know things and when he doesn't know it gets brutal."

"Well I don't know what you expect me to do." Vaas reached up with his other hand and grabbed the string around her neck, pulling it until the totem came up from beneath her shirt and rested over it. She for that one moment in life felt respect for this man. Not because of what he did, but because of what he could do... He could be so nice, but only when he wanted to.

"Tell him." Lunetta held the necklace tightly in her palm, to afraid to let it go, they both walked back over to the couches and sat back down. Raiza snuggling into Lunetta's warmth as a show of safety and the feeling of protection.

"So, what was our little talk about?" Hoyt teased in a mocking manner, shoving his hands into his pockets and approaching Lunetta. She panicked and grabbed the totem of the necklace shoving it back into her shirt, Vaas shook his head, Hoyt stopping directly in front of Lunetta's seat.

"I don't know anything about the man in white, I am sorry." For a second, Hoyt's visage and coolness evaporated and you could see his anger, but he quickly pushed it aside with a crooked smile.

"Alright then. I'll take your word for it. Tonight Vaas is having a party... You'll be there?"

"Of course, we are engaged Hoyt."

"Enga-" Vaas slapped a hand over Benny's mouth and muffled his surprise.

"Good. I would hate for you to miss out on the fun Lunetta." There was so much mystery in his voice that Lunetta suddenly felt unsafe. Her father didn't know who she was and he wanted her dead.