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I was bleeding and exposed, but my chest bindings may have saved my life because they took the brunt of it when I couldn’t avoid the slice of the knife. And then my stupid tits saved my life because they shocked the Ghoul long enough for me to knock him out.

This was not how I planned all this to go down and now Neco Argent knew my secret. I thought he was staring at my tits, but he ran the tip of his knife across my scars gently.

“Who did this? Who scarred you?” he growled.

Yeah, Neco completely bypassed my bloody tits and was focusing on my scars.

“No one you can kill. That’s what you’re focused on right now?” I practically yelled.

Neco ripped his shirt off and manhandled it over my head. I was super grateful because I felt emotional, raw, and exposed.

“Some of that blood isn’t yours,” Basselt said. “I scented him in the area, but I swear, if I’d known you two were this close, I would have come here instead of getting Neco.”

I couldn’t think. I’d been in brawls with drunks or people who just wanted to teach me a lesson, but I’d never had to fight anyone who really wanted to kill me before. I never wanted to do that again, and I fucked my whole plan up by going into the alley.

I fought off the Ghoul, but I was basically dead, anyway. His clothes were filthy and ill fitting, but they were expensive. Only Barons were clothes like that. It wouldn’t matter I was fighting for my life. All that would matter was the story that got told after.

Which I already knew would be that I was the Ghoul, and I attacked this man when he tried to stop me. He’d be cured, painted as a hero, and sent to Guttertown to work out his urges.

I wasn’t a crier. Even at home when it was just Mom and me and I didn’t have to be Lance. I certainly didn’t do it around my friends and definitely not my mortal enemies who just found out my secret.

Except I burst into tears and I was ugly crying. I was so close. I could have gotten the cure for Mom, been free of my father, caught a killer, and made a Baron pay for once. It was all over now.

“I don’t know who you are as a woman, but Lance Argent doesn’t cry and give up,” Neco said. “You adjust. Did you fuck him up?”

“He would have killed me, but my bindings took the brunt of his knife. He was shocked long enough for me to knock him out.”

Neco Argent was less shocked about this than the Ghoul was and Neco had known me as Lance for my entire life.

“Good. Then what are you crying for, stupid? I can still work with this.”

“I hate you,” I sniffed.

“A Theran woman would have his balls for his delivery, but Neco isn’t wrong. This is still fixable. And I have other news that should cheer you up. This infernal rain means I can harvest the herb much sooner if your father decides not to uphold his end of the bargain.”

Well, that did make me feel better, but there was just one thing.

“How do you plan on fixing this?”

Neco grinned at me like a psychopath.

“Knocking the shit unconscious actually made it easier.”

I hoped so, but I really didn’t want to hang for this. Also, things might never go back to how they used to be with Neco, but I never wanted to be that man’s target.