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“Formerassassin,” she corrected. “And you wouldn’t hurt a child.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Yep,” she grinned. “You didn’t cover it to protect or conceal yourself - you did it to reinvent yourself. So you’re not an assassin anymore, just my dad’s girlfriend.”
“I’mnotyour dad’s girlfriend. Or an assassin either.”
“Sure. Those things don’t define you, you’re Tempest. Your own woman. Those are just threads that make up your fabric.”
“Get out of here,” I demanded, pointing out the door. “And I’m definitely telling whichever of your parents I see first about those guys following you.”
“I figured that,” she shrugged, pushing the door open. “Yoursecret is safe with me though.”
* * *
I wokeup before the glass broke.
There was just… This feeling of unease that ripped me from my sleep, guiding my fingers to the slick black gun tucked between the headboard and the mattress.
I had it in my hands, had turned the safety off, had swung my feet out of bed, onto the cool surface of the hardwood.
And then there it was.
The unmistakable crash of someone breaking in.
I was light on my feet, quick to do a cursory sweep around the apartment to make sure I was alone before tossing on some pants to go with the oversized shirt I’d slept in, and shoes.
Then I opened the door.
Quietly, of course.
No lack-of-oil whine from any of my hinges, no alerting creek from the stairs. Once upon a time, I was heralded for my stealth, so it was almost fun getting down those stairs, using the second entrance to make sure there was no one in the workroom.
Almost.
Therewasstill an intruder to contend with.
At first, I thought whoever it was had already moved on, but then I realized there was a dark figure lurking half-crouched near the door.
If they were from theGarden, they would know better.
This had to be someone else.
But at least it wasn’t worst-case scenario.
The figure suddenly moved, grabbing one of the removable shelves from the wall. From my concealed position in the stock room, I watched as that shelf got used like a battering ram through the glass front door, making even more noise as it shattered and rained down.
Trying to draw my attention.
A skilled hunter wouldn’t have needed to break a thing, and wouldn’t have wanted the attention on them. This person probably thought they couldn’t get past my apartment door on their own, so they had to draw me out instead.
Well…
Here I was.
“You looking for me?” I asked, my voice commanding as I took a wide stance in the workroom doorway, gun aimed. The only illumination spilled in from the streetlights through the broken door and window, but it was enough for that dark figure to see me - and my loaded weapon - and decide it was better to run.
“HEY!” I shouted, taking off after them, making it to the sidewalk in front of the shop before I lifted my gun, aimed, and…didn’t take the shot.
