“Lea Saldana!” Lefevre called from the smoke. He must have been searching for me. “I’ll find you!”
I slipped down a narrow side street, the smoke abating the farther I got from the square. The little street was almost as dark as full night against the setting sun. The ghosts would be out soon, and injured and bound as I was would make me easy prey. I tripped, crashed against a wall with my shoulder. I cried out at the pain from my ribs. At least one had to be broken.
Before me stretched a canal, its waters dark and still. I stifled a sob. I couldn’t go back. The canal could keep me safe from ghosts, but I couldn’t swim with my arms bound behind me. I leaned over the water, looking for a way across. To the left a bridge spanned the canal. The building beside me had a small ledge that traveled above the canal along the building’s length, leading beneath the bridge.
I slipped onto the stone ledge, pressed close to the wall of the building. My tied hands unbalanced me, and I wavered on each step. If I fell into the canal, I’d drown.
Finally, I reached the bridge and slipped underneath to a shadowed, hidden area. I sat on the cobblestones and calmed my breath.
I’d never come so close to death before. I didn’t care to repeat the experience. Ever.
I inched my arms beneath my legs until they were bound in front of me. Metal shackles encircled my wrists. I couldn’t remove them without help, but at least now I could slip into the water and hang on to the ledge if I needed to.
I tugged the noose off my neck and tossed it into the canal. It sank slowly into the dark water. I leaned against the curved base of the bridge and closed my eyes. I needed to rest a moment, then figure out what to do.
Footsteps on the bridge. I stiffened. It was too late for a commoner. It could have been a prostitute, but more likely it was a lawman, searching for the prisoner who’d killed his brothers and escaped.
The footsteps reached the bottom of the bridge and paused. I could picture Lefevre searching the dark streets for me. The footsteps headed around the side of the bridge. I scrambled to my knees, watching, waiting.
A boot appeared. I jumped to my feet, hunched over in the tight space.
A face peeked under the bridge.
“Lea?” A whispered voice.
Les had found me.
thirty-two
“LES.” HIS NAME BROKE FREE OF ME IN A BREATH OF relief. I leaned against the bridge and slid to the ground.
He ducked under, his long legs bending as he hunched over.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. “I thought you might like these”—he passed me my weapons and cloak—“and this.” He pulled my mask from under his cloak and handed it to me.
“How did you get this?”
He smiled. “Let’s just say I’m overly familiar with the law office. And most of the lawmen went with you.”
Les had known to bring my mask for me, had known it would make me stronger. A moment ago I’d been on the edge of panic. Then Les appeared and everything looked better.
He sat across from me. “I didn’t realize the law moved so fast.”
“I think they were worried I’d escape.”
“You talked to your visitor for a while.”
I pictured Les listening to Val and me. My stomach sank. It wasn’t as if we’d said anything secretive, but Val had pulled a lot of emotion out of me, things I thought I was through feeling. “You could hear us?”
He shook his head. “I just waited for him to leave. He was in a hurry. Took off running as soon as he got outside. Afraid of the ghosts?”
I furrowed my brows. “That’s unlikely.”
“Anyway”—Les dug through his cloak pockets and pulled out a satchel—“look what I have!”
Lock picks. Relief spread through me, and I scooted closer to him. “Do you know how to use them?”
Les pulled my hands into his lap. He inserted the pick into the lock of the shackles. “It was the first skill I learned. Your uncle figured I couldn’t accidentally kill myself with the picks.”
He smiled, and some of my worry over Val vanished. Les had a way about him that made it easy to overlook the darker sides of life, even though his hands were as red as any clipper’s. He began to hum as he worked on my shackles.
They were so different, Val and Les. Val was arrogant and believed everyone was below him. Les was kind to people, even those who tried to push him away. Val tried so hard to be the person he was, with his appearance and his manner. Les didn’t try at all, and his nature came through in a way that made my heart stutter, my breath catch in my throat.
I’d thought I loved Val. But maybe that love had been built on the prestige of his bloodline, his talents, and his wealth. Les had none of those things, and yet his very presence made me feel safe.
He glanced at me. “What are you smiling about?”
My eyes widened. “Nothing.”
“Hmm.” He twisted his wrist and the shackles popped open, tumbling to the ground. “And you’re free.”