Evan—bumbling, scatterbrained Evan—had killed someone, and he wasn’t the least bit bothered about it. And furthermore, he’d snapped the viscount’s neck with an ease that suggested he’d done it before. He’d escaped Thomas’s grasp, which was no easy feat, and now Thomas was the one being held at knifepoint. It didn’t make any sense.
Except suddenly the pieces fell into place, and itdid.
All the air rattled out of Thomas’s lungs in one long breath at the enormity of what he’d discovered.
Evan Devere was ajoke.Everybody said so. He was a man who moved between kingdoms at will, swanning over borders with no rhyme or reason, and nobody ever questioned him, because why would they? He was known to be a fool. And certainly, if you looked closely, he was always where he shouldn’t be, at the periphery of a scandal or an unfortunate accident, but nobody everdidlook closely because again, why would they? Evan was harmless.
Right until he wasn’t.
“You’re… you’re him, aren’t you?” Thomas said finally. “You’re the Rogue.”
Evan leaned his chin on Thomas’s shoulder and let out a long sigh. “You know, it’s almost embarrassing that after all theseyears, when I finally get caught out, it’s by one of the bloodyguards.”
“You.You’rethe Rogue,” Thomas said, because he felt it bore repeating, if only to help him come to terms with the way his entire world view had just been tipped on its side. “And you just killed the viscount.”
“Guilty as charged,” Evan said, “but he was a threat, and he would have killed me if given half a chance. I just beat him to it.”
Some of the tension left Thomas at the confirmation that at least Evan was on the side of Lilleforth and not just a murderous lunatic who went about snapping necks for entertainment.
Thomas dared to turn his head slowly to the side, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Evan regarding him with a raised eyebrow. “So, what’s it to be, Captain? Are you keeping my secret and helping me, or are you and the viscount going to be found dead in each other’s arms in the morning by the Duke of Ravenport when he wanders into the wrong guest room?”
Thomas considered his options.
True, the dukehadjust killed a man, but it wasn’t like he’d killed him on a whim. It was to keep the king safe, and that made it acceptable. Thomas himself was prepared to take lives in his service to the crown. It was part of the job, and Thomas understood the weight of an oath to protect the king. Really, there was only one possible answer. “I’m helping you.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “If only so people don’t think I slept with that overbearing oaf.”
Evan’s laugh was warm and rich and nothing at all like his usual mindless tittering. “I knew I could trust you to make the right choice.” He released Thomas’s arm from where it was held up his back and the point of the knife disappeared from his ribs.
When Thomas spun around, Evan was crouched over the corpse, uncurling the viscount’s tightly clenched fist. He prised the man’s fingers open and plucked a small vial from his palm,holding it up. “Hemlock. Meant for one of the royal family, but he wouldn’t say who and refused to tell me who sent him. I’d like to think I could have got him to talk, but he was being remarkably stubborn about it. Said he’d die before revealing his secrets.”
“Well, he wasn’t wrong,” Thomas said before he could stop himself.
Evan let out a startled laugh, but then his expression turned serious as he stood. “It’s funny because it’s true, but it also leaves us at a dead end.”
Thomas blinked, unsure if he’d heard what he thought he’d heard. “Us?”
“You just said you’d help me, so yes. Us.”
“I thought you meant disposing of the body!” Thomas’s heart thumped against his ribs as just for a moment, something close to panic washed over him. But he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths and reminded himself that as the Captain of the Royal Guard, he’d been hired for exactly this.
Whateverthiswas.
Evan shoved the very dead viscount with his boot. “We do need to shift him, but I also thought we could work together and figure out who’s behind this before another bloody assassin turns up. You’re observant, and you’re smarter than people give you credit for. Besides, nobody gives the staff a second look. So really, you’re perfectly placed to poke around a bit and find things out. Or you can be my cover story while I look around. Think about it. The duke’s where he isn’t meant to be again, but it’s all right. The captain is keeping an eye on him.”
He flashed Thomas a brilliant smile and his eyes sparkled. It made desire surge inside of Thomas, hot and molten and startling. He told himself that now wasnotthe time to think about how much more attractive Evan was when he was clever and confident instead of acting like a tipsy fool.
Sadly, telling himself now wasn’t the time didn’t make Evan any less attractive. And it didn’t help that Evan’s logic was flawless. Peoplewouldassume Thomas was there to keep an eye on the errant royal, and because he was always around, they’d also promptly forget they’d seen him. There were times when he got tired of standing in the corner of the room like part of the furniture, but he could see how in this instance, his constant presence in the background could work to his advantage.
Theiradvantage, since apparently he and the duke were now partners.
“Fine, but you’ll have to teach me the basics of spying.”
Evan’s face split into an easy grin, and the heat in Thomas’s belly flared again. “Oh, that’s easy. Just act like you’re meant to be there.”
“Where?”
“Wherever it is that you’re not meant to be. Now, what about the back stairs to the guest wing?”
“What about them?”
