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“What? No! I’m the Silent Blade!”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out, and I knew my time was over. Placing a peppermint on the nightstand, I put my needle away and headed back to the closet.
“Stupid people and their stupid nicknames. I should be able to veto the moniker since I’m the deadly killer. But no, they spread that name around without my consent and take all the joy out of a kill,” I groused, opening the secret door and putting the shoe boxes back.
Closing it a few seconds later, I turned on my flashlight again, pouting as I headed toward my exit. I hadn’t wanted to come in through this way, too worried someone would spot me since it was on the first floor. Plus, the secret passage only opened from the inside, the rest of the doors blending with the wallpaper, so I had to enter it from the attic. Taking a right, I counted until I was in front of the door I needed and pressed my ear to listen. Feeling confident it was clear, I pushed it open and stepped into the room.
Movement in the corner caught my attention, and I spun, not noticing the shelf that protruded from the wall. The side of my head caught the corner, sending a jolt of pain through me. My hood fell down, and I cursed, then froze, remembering something had caught my attention.
A tall, dark figure stood still, a bag on their shoulder and an instrument pressed to a safe in the wall. I relaxed when I realized it wasn’t anyone who lived in the house. I held up my hands, stepping back.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. Just finishing up my job; not here to encroach on your territory. Just avoid the master unless you want to contaminate it with your DNA. Your choice. Carry on your thieving, and I’ll get out of your hair,” I said, taking another step back toward the crawl space I wanted.
The figure chuckled, stepping closer as I put the pieces together.
“Wait… Oh my God, you-you’re—” I gestured with my hands, unable to get the words out. It was the Loxley Crew! I’d finally done it. I ran into one of them. The person stepped into the light, pulling his balaclava off, shocking me even more.
“Well, if it isn’t the cutie-pie. I knew we were destined to meet again.” He smiled at me, his hair all skewed from the balaclava. My mouth dropped open as I searched every inch of him, not believing what I saw.
“You!” I spat, planting my hands on my hips.
“Yes, me. Who knew we had even more in common, Robyn Banks? That’s even funnier now that I found you here.”
I rolled my eyes, trying to stave off the adorableness of him and his flirting. Do. Not. Be. Swayed.
“Funny. You ignored me completely earlier, but now that no one else is around, you’re all friendly again. I’ve dealt with guys like you before, only wanting to date the chubby girl in private. Well, newsflash, I can kill you six ways to Sunday, so do me a favor and leave me alone. I’ve had enough self-doubt today to last me a lifetime.”
His eyes dropped, a frown deepening as I spoke, confusion etched over his face. But I wouldn’t fall for his cute little puppy dog act. Not this time.
“Wait, what are you talking about? I haven’t seen you since I dropped you off,” he said, stepping closer. His eyes shifted to my face, concern now shining in them.
“Yeah, okay, whatever, dude. I gotta go. Thanks for ruining my favorite thieves’ organization, jerk.” I stepped back, not liking how close he was. I needed to get out of here. My head throbbed where I’d hit it, and I was too scared to touch it.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, of course, you’re playing that card. I’d have to be ‘mental’ to deny you, right? Fuckety-bye.” I rarely used the f-word, but this time felt appropriate.
“No.” He shook his head. “I think you’re bleeding.”
Everything in me seized up at his words, my heart picking up a quicker pace as it galloped off, blood pumping in my ears. Shit. Shit. Shit. I needed to leave here before I passed out in my mark’s home. That would not go over well with Man if I were found at the crime scene.
Yes. Must. Leave. Now.
Spinning, I took one step toward my exit, only to run smack into a hard surface. Strong arms reached out to grab me, lifting me up. My legs were too weak to fight, the blood trailing down my face and into my eyes and over my nose. The copper and rust smell filled my nostrils, my vision going red.
It was too much, and I couldn’t stop the flashback, my brain catching up and spiraling back to the past as my body gave into the panic and went offline.
7
PORTER
In a matter of minutes,my heart had soared at discovering my blue-haired beauty was the assassin we’d been tracking for years, then confused as she ripped me a new one, and finally, it plummeted as blood trailed down her face as she swayed.
Rueben stepped out of the shadows, and she turned, smacking into him. I sighed in relief as he caught her, hoisting her into his arms. He stared down at the blue-haired pixie, something passing over his face.
“You done?” he asked, reminding me what I’d been doing before she’d walked into the room out of thin air.
“Just about.” I rushed back to the safe, finishing the combination and opening it. My usual adrenaline when I cracked a safe was nowhere to be found. My eyes kept jerking to the right to check on Robyn. Pulling the rest of the items into my bag, I shut the safe and turned the dial, putting the painting it had been behind back.
