Page 24 of Abandoned Oaths

“The bathroom is through that door, and the closet is this one.” I tapped on the closed door next to me.

She took it in slowly. “Thanks.”

“Are you hungry? We haven’t eaten, and we can order something.”

“Not pizza,” she immediately snapped.

“No pizza,” I agreed and took a step backward. “Chinese? Mexican? Indian? Thai?”

“Italian sounds good.” Her tense shoulders dropped an inch. “Chicken parmigiana.”

“Got it. Do you want to shower or anything while we wait?”

She glanced around the room again. “How long does it take to get things here usually?”

“Not as long as I first expected. Maybe an hour tops.”

“I want to get a workout in.”

“Sounds good. I can show you the training room after you change.” Her tight skirt didn’t seem like the best option.

“I’m fine. You can show me now.” She walked out, leaving me to follow her into the living room.

“Wouldn’t you prefer to be in tennis shoes at least?” It wasn’t like she could run in heeled boots.

She spun to face me. “I rarely get to wear leggings and comfy shoes on assignment, so I don’t train in them. It would only make me weak.”

Hell. She was an assassin, like us, but Rod let us know her missions were different from ours.

“Like what?” Marco asked.

She cocked her brow.

“What clothes are you normally in?”

She blew out a breath. “Lots of evening wear, floor-length gowns and stilettos. I’m lucky if I can wear a shorter dress to have easier access to my weapons. I’ve only been able to wear a pantsuit a handful of times, but never anything less than business casual.”

He mirrored my surprise. “So you kill close up.”

She glanced between us. “Yes. You don’t?”

“Not typically.”

“We’re all trained in long-range shooting. We also plant bombs or poisons.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, I thought that’s what I would do when I started training, but the Alpha decided to use my unique abilities to his advantage. Very few powerful men or women suspect someone like me capable of doing any harm.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s incredibly frustrating to be underestimated constantly, but it works to my advantage. I guess it is what it is.”

Marco and I shared a look, and I knew what he was thinking. We underestimated her.

“So? The training room?”

“Right.” I led her down the opposite hall to what would have been the primary bedroom, but we filled it with equipment since it was the biggest.

She slowly perused the options from the center of the room covered by a mat. “Do you want to spar?”

She wanted me to fight her? Without either of us knowing what the other was capable of? I guess that was how real life went, but what if she thought herself to be an expert but really had a low-level skillset? I didn’t want to hurt her. Even if we could heal quickly, I didn’t want to be the one to take her out.

“I need to order dinner.” Yes, that was a terrible excuse.

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