"What are you waitingfor? Just remember to push away from the windowsill when you jump so you won'thit the wall."
She took a deep breath, closedher eyes, and pushed away from the sill.
For an endless moment she wasfalling through space.
Ruel plucked her from the air."Got you."
Then he staggered, cursed, andfell in a heap to the ground.
"Ouch," he grunted."Damn, that hurt."
It took a moment for her toget her breath back. Then she rolled off him and struggled to her knees."I thought you said you were an acrobat."
He scowled. "I didn't sayI was agoodacrobat. That was when I was fifteen and I never couldcatch worth a tuppence." He rose painfully to his knees. "That waswhy I quit after six months and became a running patterer."
She glared at him. "Youbloody fool. I could have broken my neck!"
"But you didn't." Hegrimaced. "I'm the one who fell on my nether parts into a pile of Lordknows what."
"How could you take sucha—" She broke off and started to laugh helplessly at the foolish sightthey must have presented, kneeling there facing each other among the garbageand dung. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her and she realized forthe first time how intimidated she had been by the man. She had never beforemet anyone quite so splendid or enigmatic as Ruel MacClaren and it was a reliefto see the human side of him.
He tilted his head, and a slowsmile lit his face. "I've never heard you laugh before."
"That shouldn't surpriseyou since we've known each other less than thirty minutes."
He got up and helped her toher feet. "I don't think you laugh over-frequently." He turned awayand moved down the alley toward the corner of the building. "Let's getaway from here before your lover appears. I have no desire to incur any morebruises on your behalf."
She was immediately jarredback to reality by his words. Sweet Mary, how could she have forgotten thedanger Pachtal posed? Yet, for an instant she had forgotten it. She had feltyoung and happy... and strangely safe.
"I told you I wasn'thiding from a lover." She quickly followed Ruel down the alley, roundingthe corner just behind him. "You didn't listen to— Look out!"
A knife descended out of theshadows, arching toward Ruel's unprotected back.
No time to think.Instinctively she threw herself between Ruel and the dagger, trying to push himaside.
Agony took her breath away asthe dagger sliced through her upper arm. As she staggered to the side shecaught a blurred glimpse of the assassin. Tall, thin... the white folds of aturban. Pachtal, she thought dazedly, it had to be Pachtal.
She dimly heard Ruel mutter acurse as he whirled on the man, one hand darting out to grasp the wrist holdingthe knife, the other closing on the man's throat.
Darkness. She could no longersee Ruel's face.
She was slipping down thewall. No, she must stay on her feet and help Ruel. The knife... Pachtal would…
She was being lifted.
Her lids flew open to seeRuel's grim face above her. "Are you... hurt?" she asked faintly.
"Why should I behurt?" he said roughly. "I didn't take the knife."
"I thought Pachtal...where—" She broke off as she saw their attacker on the ground a few feetaway. His mouth was stretched wide in a silent scream; his eyes were open andbulging from their sockets, staring straight ahead. She had never seen himbefore. "It's not Pachtal," she whispered. "Is he dead?"
"Very." He startedto move quickly across the street. "But not in time to help you. Now, bequiet until I get you away from here."
Something warm and wet wasflowing down her arm. "Bleeding."
"I know you're bleeding,dammit. I'll fix it as soon as I can, but I—"
"Good God, what did youdo to her?" Another voice with the same Scottish brogue. The owner of thevoice stepped out of an alcove and looked down at her.
