Logan.”
“You need to see me safely home. All the way home. Doctor’s orders.”
“I don’t think Daisy meant I had to tuck you into your bed for the night.”
He pulled out his phone. “Shall we ask her?”
“No.” Daisy would probably say she had, in fact, meant just that. Pixies got a kick out of playing silly tricks like that.
Alex headed for the elevator and pressed the button. The sooner this was over with, the better.
“Which floor?” she asked as they walked inside the elevator.
“Top.”
Penthouse suite. Of course. She hit the top button. The smooth hum of the climbing elevator filled the empty silence. Alex tried to stand still—and not to fidget. Across the very tiny cabin, the assassin was watching her like she was his next target.
“So,” she said quickly. “How do you know Daisy?”
The gleam in his eyes didn’t die down, even as he responded, “Daisy and I go way back. I met her years ago, back when I first arrived in Zurich. I came here to take on my first job as an assassin.”
“How did it go?”
“Not well. I really didn’t know anything back then. I got pretty badly torn up.”
“More than today?”
“Yes, a lot more than today. Daisy fixed me up. She told me how stupid I’d been. She said I was physically strong, but I acted dumb. I didn’t like her very much for that, but it was what I needed to hear. In my line of work, an overinflated ego is essentially a death sentence.”
She snorted. “You realize your ego is bigger than anyone’s, right?”
“That’s not ego. It’s fact. I know precisely what I can and cannot do. I just happen to be able to do a lot more than basically anyone.”
“Right. Just give me a chance to fight you after I haven’t been tied up in chains all night, and we’ll see who comes up on top.”
“I’d love to have you come up on top, darling.”
The look in his eyes almost made her turn away, but she was too stubborn to lose a staring contest with an assassin. Especially that assassin.
“I’ll bring my sword,” she said, tapping her fingers across her arms.
“I’ll bring my knives.” A smile slid across his lips. “Or would you prefer to grapple without our weapons.”
And without our clothes. She could almost hear the unsaid suggestion lingering on his lips. She wished he would just say it outright, so she could punch him in the face. But an assassin never attacked directly. He slid past your defenses, his movements unseen until it was too late.
The elevator doors opened, and she hopped out. She took only two steps before the hallway ended in a door. Logan’s hand brushed past her hip, and she jumped.
“Relax, hun. I’m just opening the door.” He slid his key into the lock.
“What happened next with Daisy?” she asked, forcing her spiraling thoughts back on track.
He swung the door open, then waved her inside. “After she fixed me up, she told me where I needed to go to learn how to not get myself killed.”
“Where?”
“Have you heard of the Veiled?”
“It’s an order of assassins.”
“It’s the order of assassins.” He trailed her into the apartment and flipped on the lights. “The best assassins in the world. I trained under them for several years, then returned to Europe to work as an independent assassin.”
“Where are they?”
“Far away,” he said vaguely. “I’m sworn to secrecy. I cannot reveal the location of their base.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
Alex stared out of his living room window. They were high above the city. Below, white and yellow lights stretched out like a twinkling carpet, hugging the shores of the lake. As dark as black ice, the water looked almost peaceful—if only she hadn’t known about the monsters lurking beneath the surface.
Logan’s living room was no less spectacular than the view. A border of leafy gold and red details surrounded the edges of the glossy marble floors. The furniture was a classy mix
“You need to see me safely home. All the way home. Doctor’s orders.”
“I don’t think Daisy meant I had to tuck you into your bed for the night.”
He pulled out his phone. “Shall we ask her?”
“No.” Daisy would probably say she had, in fact, meant just that. Pixies got a kick out of playing silly tricks like that.
Alex headed for the elevator and pressed the button. The sooner this was over with, the better.
“Which floor?” she asked as they walked inside the elevator.
“Top.”
Penthouse suite. Of course. She hit the top button. The smooth hum of the climbing elevator filled the empty silence. Alex tried to stand still—and not to fidget. Across the very tiny cabin, the assassin was watching her like she was his next target.
“So,” she said quickly. “How do you know Daisy?”
The gleam in his eyes didn’t die down, even as he responded, “Daisy and I go way back. I met her years ago, back when I first arrived in Zurich. I came here to take on my first job as an assassin.”
“How did it go?”
“Not well. I really didn’t know anything back then. I got pretty badly torn up.”
“More than today?”
“Yes, a lot more than today. Daisy fixed me up. She told me how stupid I’d been. She said I was physically strong, but I acted dumb. I didn’t like her very much for that, but it was what I needed to hear. In my line of work, an overinflated ego is essentially a death sentence.”
She snorted. “You realize your ego is bigger than anyone’s, right?”
“That’s not ego. It’s fact. I know precisely what I can and cannot do. I just happen to be able to do a lot more than basically anyone.”
“Right. Just give me a chance to fight you after I haven’t been tied up in chains all night, and we’ll see who comes up on top.”
“I’d love to have you come up on top, darling.”
The look in his eyes almost made her turn away, but she was too stubborn to lose a staring contest with an assassin. Especially that assassin.
“I’ll bring my sword,” she said, tapping her fingers across her arms.
“I’ll bring my knives.” A smile slid across his lips. “Or would you prefer to grapple without our weapons.”
And without our clothes. She could almost hear the unsaid suggestion lingering on his lips. She wished he would just say it outright, so she could punch him in the face. But an assassin never attacked directly. He slid past your defenses, his movements unseen until it was too late.
The elevator doors opened, and she hopped out. She took only two steps before the hallway ended in a door. Logan’s hand brushed past her hip, and she jumped.
“Relax, hun. I’m just opening the door.” He slid his key into the lock.
“What happened next with Daisy?” she asked, forcing her spiraling thoughts back on track.
He swung the door open, then waved her inside. “After she fixed me up, she told me where I needed to go to learn how to not get myself killed.”
“Where?”
“Have you heard of the Veiled?”
“It’s an order of assassins.”
“It’s the order of assassins.” He trailed her into the apartment and flipped on the lights. “The best assassins in the world. I trained under them for several years, then returned to Europe to work as an independent assassin.”
“Where are they?”
“Far away,” he said vaguely. “I’m sworn to secrecy. I cannot reveal the location of their base.” He walked toward the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
Alex stared out of his living room window. They were high above the city. Below, white and yellow lights stretched out like a twinkling carpet, hugging the shores of the lake. As dark as black ice, the water looked almost peaceful—if only she hadn’t known about the monsters lurking beneath the surface.
Logan’s living room was no less spectacular than the view. A border of leafy gold and red details surrounded the edges of the glossy marble floors. The furniture was a classy mix
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