Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain, #3)(75)

But no matter the distance, most cases of falling all happened rather similarly. Her body would take a few milliseconds to realize that her feet were not immediately meeting solid ground, and then her heart would catch up and fall faster than she was, slamming against her toes, knocking the breath from her lungs.

It was only ever a few seconds before she was back on solid ground. She’d yet to fall to her death, but she supposed statistics were going to catch up to her eventually with the rate with which she’d experimented.

Her fingers reached for the railing of the balcony as she fell, the tips stretching, stretching, stretching.

And she just. Missed. It.





Chapter 48


Gideon


The fire from the makeshift camp of Malevolent Guards was roaring to life with every toss of firewood. Keeley pushed another twig in with the tip of her boot and then tilted her head toward the knot of trees just on the outskirts of the small clearing, away from the rest of the guards who’d joined Keeley on this mission—the best of the best, it appeared, only leaving newer recruits and a few stragglers behind after the raven from The Villain had arrived letting them know their mission was finally a go.

Gideon flexed his hand on the hilt of the blade he had strapped to his side, a grim feeling following him with every step, pressing into the dirt. He’d been enjoying her company so much he’d nearly forgotten that his intention had been to disarm her and pry the truth from her lips. But that was proving to be far more difficult as the night passed by.

The air was fresh and cooling, the dew already coating over the grass a pleasant reprieve from the heat of the daytime. He smelled lemons again and was beginning to believe that Keeley had shoved the rinds in her pockets just to drive him mad.

When she spun toward him, his hand stayed on the hilt, pulling the sword out of its sheath inch by inch, but before he could pull it any farther, Keeley decided that she was going to strike him at the knees.

By slowly, deliberately, and agonizingly taking down her hair as she spoke to him. The act itself was casual and comfortable, gobsmacking him so thoroughly he nearly abandoned the mission he’d set out to accomplish. Prove Keeley guilty or innocent. Find what she was hiding.

He couldn’t reasonably do that with a rapidly closing windpipe.

“There’s a Valiant Guard shift change at first light,” Keeley said, unwinding the last strand of her braid and letting a cascade of honey-blond locks fall well past her back. Gods, it must take a fortnight to wash all of that. Gideon had half a mind to offer to assist the next time she had to attempt such a feat, but then he recalled that she was likely a traitor to every person he was meant to be loyal to. It really put a damper on the fantasy.

“I’m aware. I used to be one, remember?” Gideon said, releasing the hilt of the weapon and folding his arms over his chest. “So what?”

Keeley huffed, pulling a thick comb from the bag at her waist, then dropped to the ground and began tugging roughly through the strands. Gideon’s scalp ached just from watching. “So that means we’ll have an opening to take out the next group and replace them with one of ours for guarding the female guvre.”

Gideon raised a skeptical brow. “You don’t think they’ll be anticipating something like that?” Or maybe she knew that they would be. Maybe she was leading this group of The Villain’s guards right into a trap. It was the only explanation for why she’d been so willing to include him.

He was at best a prisoner in The Villain’s office and at worst a traitor to the women in his family. Both made him the scum of the earth, and the captain, from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, had seen it. He could see the echo of disgust in her eyes.

“Maybe.” She sighed, shoulders dropping as she laid her arms across her knees. “But I don’t know what else to do.” She looked up at him with such sincerity, he didn’t feel right standing above her. Lowering slowly until he was seated next to her, mimicking her position, he let out a whistle.

“Are you trying to ask me for help?” Gideon nudged his shoulder against hers and watched with twisted glee as she rolled her eyes, even as the dimples on her cheeks peeked through.

“No.” She paused and then sighed, pulling the comb harder through her tangled strands. “Fine. Yes. I don’t want to fail at this. The boss has never entrusted us with a task this important. In all the years I’ve worked for him, he’s always left the most dangerous missions to him and him alone. Ensuring that he’s in harm’s way before we are.” There was such an honest vulnerability to the confession, he was enraptured. “I don’t want to let him down the one time he allows us to truly help him.”

Keeley wasn’t just loyal. She was full of such honor and devotion to The Villain that Gideon began to feel a stab of guilt that he’d doubted her so quickly without investigating further. “You rescued him when he was taken by the king. You and the rest of the women. You didn’t let him down then.”

She blinked like something was just coming into focus for her. “That’s a good point.”

“As a rule, I have them only once in a blue moon. You’re welcome.” He grinned, folding both arms behind his head as he laid against the ground to look up at the stars.

“I was hoping you’d go in with me.”

His neck muscles strained at the speed in which he twisted toward her. “What do you mean? You mean into the palace tunnels?”