What was I doing? Confessing that I had a brutal nature?
“Your what?”
“My rural side.” And if she stayed with me, she would see it all. Then I’d have to?—
Her smile got wider. “You don’t have a rural side.”
On the contrary, I preferred the quiet life of the farmland over the city. “Let’s test that, shall we? Have you ever milked a goat?”
“Yes. Have you ever delivered lambs in the spring?”
“At least once.”
“Really? Where?”
That triggered a fond memory. “On Grandfather’s farm. The family has a villa in the mountains of Sardinia. His sons, his nephews, the grandchildren including me, all learned how to move the flock from the summer pastures to the homestead and back. It was a rite of passage—a good one.”
“You were a shepherd?”
“Amongst other things. “Is that hard to believe?”
She traced my brow with her fingertips. “Did you have any pets there?”
“A few. Mostly working dogs, but there are barn cats. Although, they are not pets. I believe they think they own the farm and we were merely their minions.”
Allie laughed. “I’ve known a few like that.”
Ah yes, her profession. “Tell me about your job.”
Her face froze.
Now who was hiding secrets?
“What part of being a vet do you like?”
“When the animals get better.”
As opposed to the times they obviously did not stay that way. I brushed one of the locks of hair that had fallen into her face aside. “What part don’t you like?”
Her face tightened. “Not being good enough to fix everything.”
I brought her fingers to my lips and kissed the tips. We were alike in certain ways. The reason Ringo was as good of an assassin as he was could be attributed to planning and preparation. Which was my strongest contribution to our system. His betrayal hurt. Worse? I wondered if he resented me. I’d done my best to make him the most feared and ruthless killer he could be.
But in doing so, had I created a monster capable of hating me?
“Allie?” I wanted to kiss her.
“I was fired.”
What? “From your job?”
She nodded slowly. “It wasn’t because anything I did. It was my grandfather. His money…the clients.” Her mouth turned down. “The firm couldn’t have a mobster’s granddaughter tending to the children’s puppies, right?”
“They were idiots.”
“I think I understand what you just said.”
I grinned. “It wouldn’t take much to figure out.” I broke down the words for her.
