Page 26 of Reckless
Could this be her? Could she be repeating history without even realizing it?
There’s no way in hell that even she’d be ballsy enough to steal from me knowing that it’sme. My heart pounds, both my head and pulse racing.
Turn around.
I swallow, savoring the seconds in which I still stand within the unknown.
Turn around and look at her. Look at the face that took your father’s life. The face that didn’t just steal your money, but also your h—
I hook a foot behind me, catching an ankle of the thief silently stealing my silvers. With a tug, I send them tumbling to the ground.
Sloppy. Not her style.
Sure enough, the body sprawled before me doesn’t belong to a woman, but a girl. My eyes widen, both in surprise and in an attempt to see through the thickening darkness. In a matter of moments, the girl’s palms are pushing her backward as she tries to put some space between us, her worn boots kicking up dust as they scrape against the ground.
I take a light step toward her, crouching slightly to get a better look at—
The tip of a blade is suddenly pointed at my face.
I blink. That was… unexpected, to say the least.
Raising my hands slightly in surrender, I start to take a step away, my eyes pinned on the weapon clutched within a delicate hand. My gaze narrows on the engravings peeking between the small fingers wrapped around the hilt.
I know this knife.
My eyes shoot up to the tousled hair crowding around a pale face.
Red.
“Abigail,” I breathe.
She’s alive.
It’s a miracle she made it across the Scorches after I banished her and the family who harbored her.
The knife is shaking in her hand now, but her voice has a steady sort of softness. “How—how do you know my name?”
I pull the bandanna from my face before slowly inching closer to her, my hands held where she can see them. As way of answering, I say, “It seems you’ve been putting my knife to use.”
Her eyes widen with something akin to childlike wonder, though her awe is anything but pleasant. “You,” she says, her tone borderingaccusation. “What are you doing here?” I open my mouth to respond, but her small voice fills the silence before I have a chance. “Are you here to kill me? For real this time?”
The twinge of hurt I feel at her words sends a shock through me. I shouldn’t be surprised by her assumption. My reputation leaves no room for speculation. I am the very thing I was created to be—a killer.
“No,” I say quietly. “It’s not you I’ve come for.”
She considers me for a moment, only slightly lowering her weapon.
Smart girl.
“You remembered my name,” she states.
“Of course I did.”
I tried to forget, trust me.
I clear my throat, crouching to look her in the eyes while ignoring the blade still pointed at me. “Maybe you can help me find who I’m looking for?” She pins me with a skeptical stare. “The… Silver Savior. The woman on the posters all over the city. Have you seen her? Heard anything about her?”
Abigail slowly lowers the knife, having decided it’s best not to use my own weapon against me. “I dunno.” She shrugs. “Haven’t heard a peep.”
