Chapters (46)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
The man stepped back from the wall and swung his rope to cast it over. Tristam started toward him. He didn’t make any noticeable sound, but the dark figure froze and looked straight at him. So much for surprise. Tristam yelled for guards, hollering like a madman as he launched himself at his quarry. The intruder hesitated a split second before backing up again, lobbing his grappling hook over the wall with a practiced motion. Tristam quickened his pace.
The assassin tugged on the rope and started climbing, and Tristam felt a moment of panic. If the intruder reached the top and took the rope, he’d escape again, and letting him go unpunished was not an option. Tristam sucked air into his burning lungs, gathering himself for one last burst of speed. He didn’t slow as he neared the wall, but jumped instead, grabbing for the man’s leg. The unforgiving stone knocked the breath out of him, but his hands closed around an ankle, and they both fell to the ground. The intruder landed on top of him with a yell.
There was something about that voice, but in the ensuing struggle Tristam didn’t give it much thought. A knife flickered above him and he jerked his head to the side, bridging his hips up and throwing his opponent over. It was surprisingly easy. The stranger was smaller than he had expected, and in a wrestling match, Tristam had the clear advantage. The force of the throw slammed the intruder’s knife hand against the ground, and Tristam took the opportunity to strike his wrist. The knife fell out of the man’s limp fingers and Tristam pushed it out of his reach. Tristam pinned his opponent to the ground and held him by sheer weight, ruthlessly crushing his movements as reinforcements arrived. He finally had him. The man who had eluded him all this time. And he would give Tristam answers.
His captive’s eyes rolled to the side, taking in the gathering guards. Finally, either from fatigue or acceptance of the odds, he stopped struggling. Once Tristam was no longer fighting for his life, details from the chase and the fight started to fit themselves together. The realization came gradually, settling in as the excitement faded away. It was a crazy notion, but now, with no knife to distract him and being in such close contact with his adversary, there was no denying the evidence. Gingerly lifting one hand, he grabbed the stranger’s mask and peeled it off.
A cascade of tangled brown hair fell out as a familiar and unmistakably feminine face stared up at him.
Twenty
T W E N T Y