Page 82 of Taming Seraphine

Leroi lifts my chin, forcing our eyes to meet. “Don’t apologize. I can give you any other reward within my limits?—”

“It’s alright.” I pull away from his hold. “Let’s go.”

As we step out into the hallway and head toward the elevator, the apartment next door opens. Miko pokes his head out and grins.

“Hey, where are you guys off to?” he asks, his eyes flickering over my outfit.

Leroi steps forward, blocking me from Miko’s view. “A walk around town.”

“Really? Seraphine’s going out already?”

I peek out from behind Leroi’s shoulder. “What’s wrong with that?”

He holds out his palms. “Nothing, nothing at all. It’s just... I thought you’d be working on something, that’s all. And you’re looking good, by the way.”

Miko disappears behind his door, and Leroi places an arm around my shoulders.

“What was that about?” I whisper.

Leroi shakes his head and walks us to the elevator. Neither of us speaks until we step out of the building and into the sunny street.

Traffic rumbles around us, and the streets are bustling with pedestrians. I shrink into Leroi’s side, feeling exposed without the cover of night. The last time we went out hadn’t been so nerve-wracking, although I suppose that was before Leroi made me realize that my actions have consequences.

It’s crazy that I didn’t appreciate how much work went into a mission until after spending time with a professional hitman. Even crazier to think someone could be searching for a girl who fits my description. It’s a wonder that I’ve survived this long.

Leroi brings his head down to my ear and murmurs, “Miko wants to be like us.”

“He wants to kill people?” I whisper back.

He nods.

“Are you going to help him?” I ask.

“I’ll make sure he learns to use a gun, but I won’t teach him how to kill unless it’s in self-defense.”

“How long has he worked for you?”

My gaze darts to a chocolatier’s window display, where a mini fountain surrounded by truffles spurts a cascade of sticky, sweet, deliciousness. My mouth waters and I swipe my tongue over dry lips.

“Miko isn’t an employee,” Leroi replies. “I picked him up on a job nearly six years ago, the same way I did with you.”

We stroll down a sidewalk lined with offices and apartment buildings, the air filled with the sounds of horns and chatter. Some of the tension in my posture relaxes, knowing that Leroi won’t teach Miko to be like us. I want Leroi’s attention all for myself.

As we cross the road and enter the park through tall, iron gates, I turn to Leroi and ask, “Are you teaching me to be an assassin?”

“No,” he replies, his voice tightening as we continue down a tree-lined sidewalk.

“Why not?”

He glances down at me and grimaces. “Because you’re not cut out for the job.”

I bristle, my hackles rising, every instinct rushing to defend my abilities. “How can you say that when I’ve been doing it since I was sixteen?”

“You’re too emotional, too impulsive,” he counts off. “You act on instinct instead of logic. You don’t detach yourself from your targets.”

I scowl, my lips tightening. “Are you calling me sloppy?”

He stops abruptly and grabs my shoulders. “You should never have been dragged into this line of work.” His words are so soft I have to lean closer to hear them. “You were a child, already traumatized by what happened to your mother. Then the only father you knew handed you over to a pair of psychopaths.”

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