Assassin's Heart (Assassin's Heart, #1)(62)

The man whistled. My blood turned to ash. Lefevre.

He knew he was looking for me. Knew I was responsible for the dead men. His dead men.

He paused and hummed to himself, as if he’d found something interesting. He had to be examining the collapsed wall, and if he looked too closely, he would see the cupboard hidden in the dark corner.

I clutched the key around my neck.

The floorboards creaked. Then more footsteps arrived, less frantic this time.

“Couchier found a blanket in the canal,” the new speaker announced. “Looks as if they fled that way.”

“Show me,” Lefevre said. They left the building.

I nearly collapsed with relief. We weren’t safe yet, but they’d bought my ruse.

Alessio groaned again. “Don’t leave me, Lea.” His words were quiet and slow.

I whispered in his ear, pulling him tighter against me, trying to keep him still. If we could hide here until the lawmen left, we could escape to somewhere safer.

I closed my eyes.

At this point, anywhere would be safer.





twenty-six


WE HID IN THE CUPBOARD LONG PAST THE TIME WHEN the alley emptied. I didn’t trust that the building wasn’t being watched. I didn’t trust that Lefevre would let this go.

Finally, we had to take our chances. We couldn’t stay hidden in this cramped cupboard. Les kept falling in and out of consciousness. He needed help.

I pushed the door open and tumbled into the dusty room.

My limbs and joints screamed at the sudden freedom. I struggled to my feet, groaning and stretching before I pulled Les out.

He grunted and stirred. “Where are we?” He barely opened his eyes.

“We were hiding.” I crouched and helped him to stand. He hunched over, hands on his knees.

“We have to go now. It’s not safe, Alessio.” I ducked my head beneath his so he had to focus on me. “I need you to help me now. I need you to stay awake.”

He moaned and we trudged through the home, his feet tangling in debris.

We were close to my safe house, only a few blocks away. But I couldn’t convince Les to climb to the roofs, and there was no way I could get him there alone. That left only one place.

We reached the other side of the building. I released Les and left him to lean against a wall while I scouted our path.

A cart vendor selling fish blocked the front of the empty alley. Finally, a bit of luck.

I scurried to the canal and leaned over its waters. A canal boat bobbed calmly, secured to a building on the other side. I gripped the wall and climbed across its crumbling surface to the boat. The boat rocked. I took a moment to capture my balance before untying it from its mooring. I used the long pole to push it to the alley entrance and Les.

He leaned against the wall and sighed, his eyes closed tight. He’d vomited while I’d been away.

“Come.” I guided him out of the house and to the boat.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, and my heart sank. He shouldn’t have to apologize. This was all my fault. Like everything else.

“It’s all right,” I murmured. I helped him step across the gap. He almost toppled, but I kept my grip on him until he settled in the middle.

“Lie down,” I encouraged him. I covered him with both our cloaks so he looked like a pile of goods or laundry instead of an injured person.

I removed my mask and tucked it carefully beside him. There was nothing I could do to disguise my leathers, but I’d simply have to hope I wouldn’t encounter any lawmen patrolling the canals.

I pushed the boat away from the alley and used the pole to steer it north, the slight current of the canal helping to ease us along as I silently thanked Les for showing me how to use the boat and which canal led to their home.

How had I gotten myself into this mess?

The same way I’d gotten myself into all these messes since the attack. I didn’t stop and think things through. No matter how many times I remembered I wasn’t in Lovero, I kept making mistakes over and over. I trusted people, and it led to more trouble.

I’d trusted that Lefevre was the kind of lawman I’d find in Lovero, but instead he’d proven to be crooked. I’d trusted Les, but he’d gotten me so angry that I’d left my sword behind when I chased after him. And why had I even bothered to chase him in the first place? Because I needed him.

My stomach jumped, and I swallowed.

But it was true. I did need him. He was my only link, now, to Marcello, and Marcello was my only link to the Da Vias. It was nothing more than that.

Everything in my body froze as my thoughts twisted and turned. Les had been understanding, though. He’d seen his mother murdered, had been orphaned like me. He knew how it felt. And he hadn’t cared, when I’d told him about my shame. He hadn’t turned away in disgust and in fact had offered help.

Being around him eased the loneliness that had been threatening to drown me since the night of the fire. I missed Rafeo. I missed everyone. I missed Val and I hated Val and everything just hurt all the time. But Les somehow made that pain fade, at least for a little while.

I gave the boat another push. Maybe I’d lost sight of things. My goal had to be killing the Da Vias. I looked down at Les, hidden in the boat.

He stirred. “Where are we going?”

“I’m bringing you home.”