Page 56 of Blood in the Water

“Yes, after I killed that man, I was able to free my sister and the other girls that were locked up with us. We ran. We were homeless for a while. Then, the Irish picked us up somewhere in Dublin after my sister got caught trying to steal food. They took us in rather than kill us, and that’s when I started to get training while my sister helped their medics.”

“Shit. How old were you?”

“About thirteen. My sister is older; she was about seventeen.”

“Wait, how old are you?” she asked as she looked me up and down.

“I just turned twenty-two.”

Her eyes widened. “You’re barely older than me!”

I grinned. “That’s right.”

“You’re an assassin! And you’re only a year older than me!”

With a laugh, I leaned forward. “Is that going to be a problem, Leona? I can assure you my skills speak for themselves.”

She blinked rapidly as her cheeks turned pink. So cute. “No, of course not. Just… how the hell did you get involved in this so young?”

I interwove our fingers, enjoying the natural feeling of her skin on mine. She didn’t pull away. Her touch ignited all those feelings inside my body that I had buried and rejected.

“I am excellent at my job.” I shrugged. “The Irish trained me out of necessity. I caught Obi’s attention, and he brought me into the Shadows. But for a long while, I was so burdened with the fact that the thing I was good at doing was killing people. Obi gave me a chance to redeem myself. I get to use my skills to help people in need. So when I don’t have contracts, that’s what I do. I want to make a difference for those in the trade because no one made a difference for us.”

After we got out and the Irish took us in, my sister insisted we both go through extensive therapy. But even after those years, I’d never really feltgood. I shut things down. I buried. Nothing made me want to come alive except my work as a Shadow.

On some level, I always believed myself to be broken and that maybe one day I’d heal myself if I helped other victims. Except touching Leona made me feel alive in ways I never had before. Perhaps I wasn’t so broken after all.

A strange look came over Leona’s face. “How often do you do that?”

“Every few weeks, at the least. Whenever I can spare the time and resources.”

“I hope this doesn’t come across the wrong way…” She paused before she looked me directly in the eye. “But I would love to help you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Help? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know exactly how Icouldhelp you,” she started, earnestness in the curve of her eyebrows. “I know I’m not good with weapons, and I’ve recently lost my fortune, so I don’t have any money or resources. Shit, I’m not making a very good case for myself, am I?” Those clear eyes locked directly with mine. “But what you’re doing, saving those victims, is fucking important. And if there’s ever a way I could help, I want to. If there’s ever something I can do to help, please let me know.”

I blinked, trying to understand whether she was being serious. But she held my gaze, and Iknew.Thisis what I meant when I told Obi that Leona deserved our help. That helping her would be good for us. She was a good person, and the Shadows needed a light in our lives. We needed her just as much as she needed us.

She had no idea what those words meant to me. No clue that she was digging her way even further into my heart with just a simple conversation. I reached up to cup her cheek, brushing the pad of my thumb against her skin. She leaned into my touch, and I found myself drawing her closer to me. The urge to kiss her was so strong.

“I will. Thank you,” I murmured, completely mesmerized by the pleased look on her face. She wasexcited. Happy. Had anyone ever allowed her to help before? Or had they kept her locked away, like a princess in a tower, only good for the alliances her marriage might someday make?

She deserved better than that. She deserved her chance to make a difference in the world.

“You said you’re not good with weapons?” I questioned as an idea formed.

She nodded, still not pulling away from my touch. I relished every second. “My father would never let me learn.”

I understood the previous Don’s desire to protect her, shield her, but he’d done her a significant disservice. If she knew how to defend herself, how to kill anyone who threatened her, she might be in an entirely different position than she was in now.

“I can teach you.”

Her eyes went huge. “You would do that?”

I nodded.

“But what if the Shadows don’t take on my contract? What if you can’t work with me?”