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Covered in tactical gear, the assassin was faceless. He stalked through the dim garage as I fumbled for the inside of the safe, fingers clutching for a weapon. The assassin sprang forward, knife raised, and I knew I couldn’t rack a shell into the chamber fast enough. A scream swelled in my lungs, but it stopped as a figure appeared behind the assassin.
Tire iron in hand, Constantine clubbed my attacker. He dropped to the ground.
“I was the bait,” I panted, glaring at my husband.
Constantine sank to the ground and placed his hands on either side of the assassin’s face. Without hesitating, he wrenched the man’s head to the side. There was a sickening crunch. I gaped.
“Constantine, how are you so good at this?” I demanded, marveling at the ease with which my husband handled the situation. A raw laugh bubbled up my throat. “The street rat turned pirate king.”
Still bent over his kill, Constantine gave his head a small shake. “There’s more to the story, but it will have to wait as the other one’s in the house.”
And just like that, a spasm clenched my chest. “Yes, you said this was a pair.” But how did he know that?
Constantine lifted his head. “Yes, and I owe them for the holes they put in me recently.”
Wait...what?Why would assassins interfere with a smuggler and his problems? But I obeyed my husband and kept the questions for later.
Constantine finally looked up. “I need you to cut the power, Talia. The spare key is hiding—”
“Behind the oil funnel, I know.” I grinned at him.
“I forget how talented you are sometimes.” But there was a sadness in his face as he said the words. “Cut the power, then stay here. I won’t be long.”
Rising, Constantine reached past me to grab a weapon. Fisting his shirt, I smashed my lips into his and kissed him hard. He groaned into my mouth, but only lingered for a moment.
“Wait here,” he said, leaning down and dropping a chaste kiss on my forehead. Before I could react, he was gone.
Screw that.
But first, I needed to cut the power. By the time I reached the open door, Constantine had crossed the yard. He was taking purposeful steps, not disguising his movements at all as he went into the house. A dead weight plummeted in my stomach as he opened the back patio door. When no shots were fired, I let out a shaky breath...and then took off running for the kitchen door.
I burst inside and the click of movement was my only warning. I dove behind an industrial island. How Constantine had known to use the back door and not this service entrance, I never knew.
I cringed as shots fired over my head. Breathing hard, I couldn’t hear which way the masked attacker was coming from. I whipped my head in both directions, aware that if I chose wrong, they could end me before I fired.
A shadow moved to the left, and I trained my gun up. Bullets filled the air, right before blood and body parts sprayed everywhere. In the cacophony of noise, my gun stopped shooting after the clip was empty. The other gun didn’t.
“Talia!” a desperate voice roared.
“Here!” I shouted.
The assassin hadn’t pulled his trigger once. Instead, we’d shot him from opposite angles. Still, I was shaking, not quite sure I was alive. Constantine pushed the dead assassin away and pulled me to my feet. Clutching me close, he held me tight. I could hear his heart hammering in his chest.
“You stupid, stupid woman,” he kept murmuring.
“I’m safe, stupid man,” I rasped, tears glistening in my eyes.
“You’re safe, you batshit crazy woman!”
I let out a strangled laugh that was more of a sob. “Want to talk about stupid? Who just walks right into a house without knowing where the enemy is? Huh? Want to answer that, stupid man?”
“You want to know who? An assassin—someone who knows what he’s doing!” Constantine shouted back, shaking me for emphasis.
“Yes, they did know what they were doing, and you could have gotten yourself killed!” The spark of ire was the only thing keeping me from bursting into tears. “I almost lost you, Constantine!”
“No. No, you didn’t.” He pulled my face away from his shoulder and tipped my head back to look in my eyes. “I'm the monster, Talia. I am one of the world’s deadliest assassins. This is my most well-kept secret. You weren’t going to lose me, but I nearly lost you. I couldn’t bear that.”
With that, his mouth came down hard on mine.
