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I’ve completely lost it.

It works to spur me into motion though. I rise, stretching out the kinks. Time to end this, one way or another.

Creeping out into the fading blue of dusk, I don’t bother sliding the grate back into place. Too much noise. Especially because it’s way too damn quiet.

Every building around me is dark. Empty.

I take the alleyway on my right, senses on high alert. Focusing hard on any movement, I almost trip over the first body. Triad. Laying across from one of the Ukrainian guys.

Further along, I find another standoff, all of them dead.

Almost like they went after each other trying to decide who was going to be the last one standing to get to me. But a tingling little itch tells me I’m missing something.

Too bad it doesn’t matter.

“Do. Not. Move.”

Fucking hell. Her voice makes me want to put my fist through a wall. Just as much as it makes me wanna bend her over and…

I feel the tip of a blade prick the back of my neck.

“Thought I smelled your delicate perfume, Cirs.”

“How could you smell anything past your own stink?” she snarls in a whisper. “Stop twitching.”

“What do you want?” I mutter.

“Why are we whispering?” Ciro hisses, peeking his head around in the corner of my vision.

She sighs almost imperceptibly. “I want to stop chasing you. I want you tocome with me.”

Ciro opens his mouth to comment, but I talk over him.

“And I want to be left alone.” Even if I can feel the heat of her body behind me, making my pulse race.

“And I wanna go sing karaoke!” Ciro chirps, licking his finger and poking it toward Circe’s ear. Not that she notices.

“Clearly someone doesn’t care about yourwants, Ero. Enough to hire a mob of hit men to find you,” Circe explains, nudging me forward slowly. “I checked on the dark web. It’s a full blackout, free-for-all contract on you. Locations updating hourly.”

“Why? How?” I shrug, turning to face her and snapping her dagger out of the way. Circe cocks her hip, her posture tense, on edge. How does she do that with her hair? It’s like it’s got a life of its own. Wild, yet always?—

Focus.

“I don’t know. But they won’t stop coming. Whoever it is seems to know who you really are.” Her eyes harden, like she knows a little more about that than she’s let on so far.

“So, what? You came to rescue me? Or are you here to collect on the reward?”

“Ugh. Don’t tempt me. I have orders, okay? You were right, back at my hotel room. And I think it’s time you met my employer.”

“Maybe they can give me a legit reason why you’re such a pain in my ass.”

“Sure. Along with who’s trying to have you killed.”

“Fine. I’ll play along, for now.”

“Finally. I hope you’re also willing to fight along too. Cause we’ve got company.”

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