Page 120 of Peasants and Kings
I leaned my head against his shoulder.
“The intruder is dead,” he stated.
I lifted my head and turned to look at him. “Dead?”
He nodded.
“Did you—”
“No. I didn’t kill him.” His tone was hard. “He cursed at me in Sicilian and then killed himself.”
“Hewhat? How?”
“He had a biologically implanted kill switch. High-level assassins use them to prevent themselves from being tortured for information. His was a very small glass cyanide capsule implanted at the base of his tongue. I was in the middle of…and he bit down hard on his tongue, breaking the capsule and releasing the poison, and that was it. Whoever sent him really didn’t want anyone finding out who he was.” His expression was grim. “If he hadn’t killed himself, I would’ve broken his neck anyway.”
I fell quiet once again as my mind whirled. What were the chances of a Sicilian hitman appearing on his island after my arrival? I had to tell him everything.
Hadrian brushed a battle-scarred hand against my cheek. “No one comes into my home to try and kill me and lives.”
His intensity should’ve scared me, but it didn’t.
“You have no idea who he is or who sent him, do you?” I asked.
“No, I don’t. I can find out though. But it’ll take some time.”
I nodded and then looked away from him to stare out across the ocean.
He sighed. “You didn’t change your mind about leaving, did you?”
“No.” I dragged my fingers through the damp sand. “You might change your mind about me staying though…when I tell you the truth about who I am.”
“Try me,” he said, his tone surprisingly soft and tender, when moments ago he sounded like he wanted to go to war.
Nodding, I gathered my courage and began to tell him everything.
I started with my mother’s funeral, my voice ringing out across the empty beach, fighting to be heard over the sound of the waves. The story leaked out of me as I purged the secrets of my soul—secrets I had been willing to take to my grave until I realized what he meant to me. I kept my eyes on the water, not wishing to see Hadrian turn away from me when he realized I was nothing but a burden.
When I was finished, I fell silent. I pulled my legs to my chest and rested my chin on my knees, almost perfectly mirroring his pose.
“Sterling,” he said. “Look at me.”
I reluctantly turned my face toward him but kept my cheek against my knee.
“You did the right thing by telling me. Now I can protect you.”
“How?” I asked, my throat tight. “My family is dangerous.”
He reached out to caress my jaw. “So am I.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
I stared into his eyes. “You’re not going to send me away?”
He frowned. “Why would I send you away?”
“Haven’t I just become more trouble than I’m worth?”
He gently grasped my jaw, keeping my eyes on his. “What do you think last night was about?”
