Page 20 of Alien Assassin's Heir

“That big guy. The one who was sniffin’ around the front kiosk, all smooth and smirking. Saw him watchin’ you like a wolf at a butcher’s window.”

I force a laugh that doesn’t sound anything like me.

“He’s no one,” I say.

“Shame,” Grinna mutters. “That ain’t how he looked at you.”

I slam the pad down harder than I need to. “He’sno one,” I repeat, sharp now.

Grinna holds up her hands, backing off. “Alright, alright. Sheesh.”

I’m unraveling.

Piece by piece.

Because the truth is—he’s not no one.

He’s the father of my child.

He’s the man who shattered my life with one lie.

And gods help me, he’s the only person I’ve ever loved so deep it still echoes.

The worst part is… when he looked at me through that window, something inside me cracked. Not just from rage or fear—but from longing.

That damned smile. That soft voice that used to murmur promises against my neck at night. That heat I never felt with anyone else.

He stood there like a wound that never healed.

And for one second—just one stupid, traitorous second—I wanted to open that window back up and climb through it.

By the end of my shift, I’m done pretending.

I leave early, muttering something about Solie being sick. Grinna gives me a knowing look, but doesn’t say anything. The tram ride home feels too short, the windows too narrow, like I’m being carried straight toward a verdict I’m not ready to hear.

Solie greets me at the door with crayon drawings and a kiss on the cheek.

My hands shake as I unlock the storage box under the floorboard, the metal scraping like guilt against my nerves.

Inside is the compad.

The one I swore I’d never touch.

The one he left me—back when I thought I still mattered to him.

I sit on the floor with it in my lap, the screen cold and blank until I activate the retinal scanner. The file is still there.

Still encrypted.

But the Coalition’s coding hasn’t aged well. I can readsomeof it now.

Enough to know he wasn’t who he said he was.

To know I wasn’t his lover—I was hismark.

Words leap out like knives:

INFILTRATION DIRECTIVE...