Shocked, Marcus gaped at her. He was positive she knew the word. He closed his mouth. “You know what that word is.”
“No,” she insisted.
But he saw the mischief in her eyes. “Sage,” he pleaded. “I’m doing this for your safety.”
“And I want to come for yours,” she insisted. “Your cousin doesn’t know about me. I can watch your back!”
“But the assassin does,” Marcus said firmly. “It will be all I can do to keep myself safe. I don’t want to be distracted by you.”
Sage looked torn.
Marcus stepped up to her and cupped her face in his hands. “Wait here for me. I’ll be back, and we can discuss finding your family.”
Sage glanced down. “I didn’t decode the book,” she said softly.
“It doesn’t matter,” Marcus admitted. “My treasure is right here.” He slowly lowered his lips to hers, relishing the feel of her kiss, her tongue, her skin.
When he pulled back, she said, “I could have done it. I know it. If I had one more day, I’m certain I could have decoded the book.”
“I have no doubt you could do it if you had the time. It’s a complicated process.”
“I can pick locks. I can open doors. But this...this was the biggest challenge of my life. I wish I could finish it.”
“I do, too,” he confessed and meant it. He stepped away from her, bending to pick up the book. He looked at it for a moment. “You did your best. Perchance it was not meant for us to know what is inside.”
Sage scoffed. “Every secret is meant to be discovered.”
“Either way…” He moved to place the book in one of the bags hanging from his horse.
“Wait!” Sage cried. She took the book from his hands and opened it to the last page, where the parchment pages were tucked away. She removed those and handed the book back to him. “I’m not letting your cousin get anything we’ve worked on.”
Marcus nodded and continued to put the book into the saddlebag.
Sage folded the parchment and slipped it into her boot. Then, she watched him for a moment and lifted her chin. She walked to her horse, putting the saddle on.
“What are you doing?” Marcus asked.
“I’m not waiting here,” she insisted.
“Sage,” Marcus growled.
“I’ll accompany you to the edge of town, but I won’t go in. I’ll wait outside.” She paused, tightening the buckles of the saddle before looking around at the forest. “I’m not staying here alone.”
Marcus glanced at the trees and the bushes. Perhaps that was a wise choice. He wasn’t certain that the last assassin wasn’t lurking somewhere nearby. Or that there weren’t others looking for them. And he didn’t want to put Sage at any risk. He sighed softly and nodded.
As they approached Les Labadous, Marcus heard the shouts of the merchants down the road. He had visited long ago with Guillume. It was a peaceful town nestled amongst trees. Many traders stopped there on their way to the village of Rennes le Chateau and the citadel. It was here Guillume had promised to meet him when he got the book. Marcus couldn’t help feeling disappointed in himself. He had meant to decode the book, and they were close, he could feel it. But he hadn’t done it.
There were people all around, traveling in and out of the town. An assassin would not attempt anything out in the open.
Marcus looked over his shoulder at Sage. She glanced around at the surrounding grassy field. He watched her for a moment. The sun shone down on her shoulders. The ends of her short brown locks were beginning to curl. His heart ached. He drew his horse to a halt.
Sage’s horse stopped, and she shifted to him.
“We’re here,” Marcus announced.
She scanned the road toward the town. “Can I wait at the inn to get some ale?”
Marcus patted one of the saddlebags. “If you’re thirsty, we have ale.”
