Stepping inside, I’m immediately met by the dim light of a lantern and the barrel of a gun. Instinctively, I raise my hands, my eyes fixing on the weary, dirt-streaked face of Benjamin. His eyes narrow in suspicion, but as recognition dawns, his grip on the firearm loosens, and he lowers it, exhaling deeply.
“Fuck man,” he says. “You scared the shit out of me.”
I tuck my gun back into the waistband of my pants. “You didn’t think I’d leave you down here forever, did you?”
Benjamin shakes his head with a smile. “I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind.”
“Mine too.”
“You’re an asshole.”
I nod, my amusement fading at the thought of Delilah. “I need to tell you something.”
Benjamin places the pistol on a table nearby to fold his arms. “Give it to me straight. No bullshit.”
I tell him everything. Delilah’s undiagnosed congenital heart defect, the heart attack, and need for a transplant. Along with my part in securing a donor for her and the surgery that’s currently in progress. Benjamin’s expression shifts from shock to worry, and then settles into a grimace, his mouth a thin line.
“I had no idea,” he says when I’m finished. “The foster care system really fucked us. We never had routine medical care, andI can’t remember a time when Lilah complained about chest pains or anything like that. Maybe she hid it from me all these years.”
I wave a hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter now. I’ve taken precautions to ensure this never happens again.”
“Good. So, what’s your plan going forward? She won’t be able to travel, not after a surgery like that.”
“We have to hide until I can go on the offensive,” I say. “You, me, and Delilah. We stay under the radar until I can figure out a way to deal with my father. I’ve got some places in mind, safe houses that not even Declan knows about.”
Benjamin runs a hand through his unkempt hair, looking around the cramped room that’s been his refuge for the last two days. “And if your father finds us?”
“I’ll kill him earlier than I’d planned.”
He gives me a curt nod. “All right. Just make sure Lilah isn’t caught in the crossfire. She’s all that matters.” He pauses for a moment and then laughs, the sound self-deprecating. “I guess I don’t have to tell you that. You murdered someone, stole their heart, and then gave it to her like a fucking Christmas present. You’re one fucked up Santa Claus.”
I shrug. “Slay bells ring…”
His words aren’t an insult because they’re true: I killed a man for Delilah. And I’d do it again without remorse or guilt. Or hesitation.
Benjamin laughs and slaps me on the back. “Let’s get out of here. I need a shower.”
The driveto the secluded cabin is quiet, each mile taking us away from the city lights and noise and into the quiet desolationof the woods. Benjamin sits beside me, his body taut, with him scanning the passing trees as if expecting a threat to leap out at any moment. I focus on the road while my mind churns with worry for Delilah.
As we turn down an almost hidden driveway, the cabin comes into view, shrouded by towering pines and cloaked in fog. It’s rustic, with a touch of weathered charm, an ideal place to disappear for a while.
“This is it,” I say. I inhale, and the scent of pine and earth fills my senses. It’s preferable to the antiseptic of the hospital.
“This will work,” Benjamin murmurs.
“I’ll come back with Delilah as soon as she’s stable enough to travel. You’ll be safe here. There’s food, a security system, and an armory. Settle in. It’ll be a while.”
Benjamin nods, gripping my shoulder tightly for a moment. “Thank you, X. For everything.”
The emotion in his voice indicates this is more than some casual remark. He’s acknowledging the fact that I didn’t kill him, even though I could’ve to assist my father in his mission for dominance over the other families. And because of what I did for Delilah.
We both know Benjamin wouldn’t have gotten a heart for her.
I give him a nod to show I understand. In a guild of assassins, a trustworthy person is hard to come by.
He opens the car door, and the motion-sensor light comes to life. When his feet hit the gravel, he pauses to look back at me, his hand still gripping the door handle. “You’re the better man for her. I don’t know if I could’ve...”
His voice trails off, and he clears his throat, his gaze shifting away. “Take care of her.”
