He grabbed my wrists with his calloused hands and rubbed the feeling back into them. He leaned closer to whisper in my ear.
“This was my first jailbreak. I think you’re a bad influence on me, Miss Oleander Saldana.” We were so close I could almost hear his heart beating. His hands slipped down to mine, and he stroked my wrists with his thumb. I looked up at him.
He watched me, all traces of humor gone. Then his lips pressed against mine. He clasped my hands. I strengthened my grip around his, and for that moment everything else ceased to matter. All that mattered was Les—the way his beard scraped my skin and how his lips tightened in a smile against mine until he laughed and pulled away.
“This has been an excellent jailbreak.”
He held out his hand. I took it, and he pulled us both to our feet. My ribs pulsed in pain, and I hissed.
“You’re hurt.” Worry flashed through his eyes.
“My ribs. And my ankle. Landed wrong on both. I’ll be fine as long as we take it easy.”
Of course, I couldn’t take anything easy with my enemies searching for me. “Come on,” I said. “We’ve got a lot to do before we face the Da Vias.”
I ducked out from beneath the bridge. Les followed and we fled the area, heading deeper into the city.
When we’d gotten far enough away from Lefevre and the gallows, we climbed to the roofs. Les had to help me up, and by the time we scaled the top I was winded and in even more pain. When we finally reached my roof, I slid my mask to the top of my head and pulled him toward me for another kiss. I didn’t want to stop kissing him, didn’t want to let him go.
We broke apart for breath. He tucked an errant strand of my hair behind my ear. “We should’ve been doing this all along.”
“Probably. I just had some things to work out.”
“And did you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Not really.”
He laughed, and we got to work organizing our weapons. Les handed me another stiletto for my boot. “Who was your visitor?”
I watched him dig through my packs. I sighed. “Val.”
“Val. That Val?”
I nodded.
He snorted. “That must have been . . . interesting. What did he want?”
“Truly? I think he thought we could still be together.”
Les glanced at me, then went back to sorting the weapons. “Did he actually believe you’re so in love with him you could overlook the murder of your Family?”
“I think he meant what he said. That he was caught between his Family and me and had to make a quick decision. I was so angry at him, but is that fair? If our positions had been reversed, would I have picked him over my Family?”
“But what were his plans? That you’d go back with him and live among their nest of vipers and simply forget what they did?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think he had much time to think it through. Until yesterday he thought I was dead.”
“Yesterday?”
“I ran into a pair of Da Vias.”
Les stopped what he was doing and stared at me. “So there are other Loveran clippers skulking around the city? That’s it. You’re coming home with me tonight until it’s safer to leave tomorrow morning.”
I shook my head. “No. Marcello won’t allow it. We have an arrangement. . . .”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t I know about this?”
I could lie, but Les would probably drag the truth out of Marcello. “You didn’t know because it was when you were injured.”
“And?” He gestured for me to continue.
“And I promised him I’d stop training you, leave you alone.”
“What?” He lurched to his feet.
“Les . . .” I rubbed my cheek. “He was worried about you. And I was worried about you, too. He just . . . we didn’t want to see you getting hurt. More hurt.”
After a moment Les’s anger faded. “I know you were trying to look out for me, but I don’t need you to.”
“It seemed the only way at the time.”
“The only way to what?” He sat down again.
I pulled out the key Marcello had given me before I’d stashed it with my weapons. “To get the Da Vias’ Family home location. He only told me when I said I’d leave you alone.”
Les watched me until I started to shift under his scrutiny. Finally he exhaled. “We can still follow your plan. Just because the Da Vias are here, it doesn’t mean we can’t destroy their home. It might make it easier, actually, with some of them here.”
I paused. Val was here. And Nik and Grape Leaves. I knew how Nik and Val fought, and they were formidable. Presumably, Grape Leaves was, too. Three competent clippers not guarding their home. But both Grape Leaves and Val had left in a hurry. I figured Grape Leaves had gone to tell someone I wasn’t Rafeo. But what had set Val off?
“Lea?” Les asked, but I waved him away. I’d missed something, something important. Val had left too quickly when he’d come to bail me out. Something had become more important to him than me.
His Family, obviously. He’d made it clear he’d choose his Family over me. But what exactly had changed? I sifted through our conversation.
He’d been angry about the murder charge, angry that I’d left Lovero . . .
I gasped and squeezed Les’s arm.