AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Good for you. Someday, when we are alone and I have more time, you must tell me all about him.”
“I will. Now, tell me how things are with you.”
“I need advice.”
“Oh. Is it a man?”
“Yes, but I need you to tell me if I’m making a mistake.”
“Is he handsome?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then there is no but. Sleeping with a handsome man is never a mistake. Even if he is terrible in bed, he looks gorgeous while doing it.”
“What if this man has been hired to assassinate me?”
Theo hissed through his teeth. He knew vaguely what Paolo and I had done in our former lives, that my father was someone important. And after the car bomb incident, he’d probably put the pieces together. “Assassinate you?” he whispered. “Is he . . . you know, from Bruges?”
“The car bomb was someone else. This one is a sniper.”
There was a long pause. “Bello, just how many people are trying to kill you?”
I closed my eyes and laughed at the incredulity in his voice, because what else could I do? My life was a bad James Bond movie at the moment. “Several, it turns out. But can we get back to the assassin I am trapped with on this island?”
“Oh, tropical paradise. I like the sound of this already.”
“Hardly. This place is the opposite of a tropical paradise. It’s very small and cold. And I can’t avoid him.”
“Wait, this assassin isn’t trying to kill you?”
“That’s just it. He isn’t trying very hard. He’s procrastinating. Following me around. Watching me.”
“Ah, I begin to understand. Tell me everything.”
I gave Theo the details of what had happened since Málaga up until today. “So please, tell me. Because I no longer trust my own judgment.”
Theo paused. “Bello, stop picking up strange men in nightclubs. Dio mio. Use an app, like everyone else.”
“Theo, focus. The assassin. I’m not misreading this, am I?”
“No. This man, he wants to fuck you. He’s desperate for it, but conflicted. So he will do nothing and wait for you to do something.”
“I gave him an opening this morning. He didn’t take it.”
“He will. But is that really the best plan?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why not kill him first?”
“I’m not sure I can.” I dragged a hand down my face and exhaled. “I’ve tried already and failed. He’s former military. Very, very good.”
“Better than you?” Theo’s voice rose with incredulity. “We have never discussed your background, but Paolo spoke very highly of you. He said you were a badass.”
A pang of sorrow echoed in my chest. Paolo was a good man. “I appreciate his faith in my skills, but this assassin is like a machine. There’s no sneaking up on him.”
“So you are hoping to get him to fall in love with you and keep you alive.”
