She released a flutter of nervous laughter. “Yeah, probably. But I knew I’d never get another chance to say my piece if I did that. It’s worth the risk.”
“Well, then, that was a foolish decision.”
She paused for a few beats, her exhale loud and drawn out. “Maybe,” she said with a slight chuckle that sounded more vulnerable than she probably intended. “I just need answers, Si.”
“You’ve been hell-bent on having me killed all this time, and now you want to talk?”
I let my clasped hands rest fully on the top of my head and drew in a lungful of air as I strategized how to move fast enough to disarm her without getting shot. Melina wasn’t skilled worth a damn, but she was reckless and impulsive.
“You used me. I told you I loved you, and you laughed in my face. Told me I knew better than to fall for you.”
Her voice was shaky now, cracking her bravado.
“You knew what we were, what we would only ever be, the moment it started. I never lied to you.”
“Shut up. You could have loved me if you tried.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think it works that way. It was just sex. It’s what we agreed to. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Now, put the gun down so we can have a proper conversation.”
She moved toward me, heels clicking on the cobblestone.
“Is that what Leni is? Just a good fuck? Some kind of kinky thrill—sleeping with the person assigned to kill you?”
I rolled her words around in my thoughts and realized I couldn’t exactly answer them. Helena and Melina couldn’t have been more different to me if they tried. The latter of the two having been a big fucking mistake.
“Can’t even answer, can you? You fucking prick.”
Her tone went from sadness to ire and desperation. She was nearing her breaking point. I could sense it. My time was winding down, and I needed to act fast.
“You better not,” she threatened, as I had started to unclasp my hands. “The only reason you’re still alive is because I wanted you to know that I’m not sorry. I’m not sorry for lying to Collin and my father about you. You got what you deserved: exiled and on the run like a dog.”
“Tell me, then, what did Collin get?” The words slipped out before I could stop them.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “You bastard.”
That was it—the push she needed to pull the trigger. I braced for the impact, wanting to kick myself for getting caught off guard. Of all the people who’d tried and failed to kill me, this haggard cunt would be the one to take me out. Life was fucking ironic that way.
Helena’s face appeared in my thoughts as regret roiled in my chest.
The whirring swoosh of a bullet and the subsequent piercing of flesh hit almost simultaneously. Instinctively, I grabbed at my wounded shoulder and clenched my teeth, bracing for the subsequent impact I was sure would be more grievous. But it never came.
Seconds ticked by, and I felt nothing. Heard nothing. Turning around slowly, I was met with an unexpected sight.
Helena had a knife plunged inside Melina’s throat to the hilt. Blood bubbled and gurgled out of her mouth and nose whilst her eyes set wide with shock. My gaze drifted from Melina to Helena.
“Always knew her mouth would get her killed.”
I moved in quickly to relieve her of the dead weight as Melina sagged into a heap.
“Thank you,” I said as I scanned our surroundings for witnesses. The vendor who’d been across the waterway was no longer there. We were alone for the time being, but had to move quickly before we got caught, and things spiraled out of control. The slow current caught my attention as it rippled and glittered under the moon’s light.
“The water.”
“We have nothing to weigh her down with.”
I flashed her a curious side-eye. “Spoken like someone who’s done this sort of thing before.”
“You’d be terrified of half the things I’ve done, Silas,” she said matter-of-factly.
