Page 287 of Assassin

A lot had changed since she had become one of the good guys, and that took time to adjust.

Before, she had no loyalties, except to herself.

Now, she had so many that she needed to find a way to balance it all.

She had a family and that was overwhelming.

By some miracle, Aly was going to be a Croft.

Greyson and Emma were making it official, adopting her into the Croft circle, and while she appreciated it, and it was a dream come true, what she needed was a break.

A big one.

So, here she was, in her last hidey-hole outside of Boston. In fact, it was definitely as far as she could get from the goings-ons there.

She was in Salem.

Alyona had an apartment there, tucked away in the witchiest part of town, just off of the square.

Truth be told, she came here when she needed a little mental refresh. It had nothing to do with the witches, the magic, or anything like that. What it had to do with was the peace she felt.

There was a little shop across the street that sold ‘enchanted’ jewels, and a bakery that made the best cookies. This was her place to hide when she needed to regroup.

And that was what tonight, and this weekend was all about.

A break.

It had been difficult to leave Ajax behind, and maybe she shouldn’t have just left a note, but instead told him to his face why she was leaving.

Only, she didn’t want to make him upset or make him believe she was trying to put space between them. That was anything but the case.

She just needed to get away to think.

Again, it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with her.

She.

Was.

Confused.

The war had come, gone, and would likely come all over again, and she was struggling with one question.

Was she really a good guy?

Alyona didn’t know, and that was the hardest part for her. Her role in life had always been clearly defined. She was a bad guy, doing dirty deeds for the most money. Her whole existence hinged on making coin, so that she could survive, and now, that wasn’t the case.

She was still making money, but now, she WANTED to live.

There was this new feeling.

It was hope.

On top of that, she was a hero—of sorts—and that didn’t feel like something she’d ever be.

It was a role she’d never played before, and it scared her.

What if she fucked it up?

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