Free Assassin's Honor by Monica Burns Page B

Emma Zale?"
                The accuracy of Phae's observation made him shift uncomfortably in the seat. Avoiding the penetrating gaze of his sister's violet eyes, he continued to watch for any unusual activity on the street. For some unexplained reason he didn't want to reveal Emma's skill. He trusted Phae implicitly, but something held him back. He wanted Emma to trust him, and that meant keeping her secret until she said otherwise. Remembering what was in his coat pocket, he pulled it out and offered it to his sister.
                "Tell me what you make of this."
                "What is it?" Phae pulled out a small flashlight from her coat pocket to examine the artifact in the light. A soft gasp echoed out of her as she studied the object. "Dulis Mater Dei, another Sicari Lord coin. Where did you get this?"
                "It was in Russwin's possessions. Emma doesn't know where he got it. I'll have Sandro review the man's diary to see if he notated finding it."
                "And she just gave it to you?" The amazement in her voice made him flex his jaw.
                "No." He remembered Emma's display of anger when she realized the coin was missing. Regret nipped at him, and he didn't like it. He'd return the damn thing after the guild had time to study it. Phae sent him an inquisitive look, but didn't question him when he turned his head away from her.
                He stared out at the neat row of houses lining the street of Emma's neighborhood. Until Russwin's death last month there had only been one known medallion bearing the Sicari Lord's icon on the back of the coin with the Roman Emperor Constantine on the front. The first one was in a vault in the Order's main headquarters in Genova, Italy. Now there were three.
                "Do you think the Zale woman knows anything about the coins?" Phae studied the small antiquity more intently in the beam of her flashlight.
                "If she does, she wasn't exactly in the mood to share anything with me."
                "If I were her, I suppose I wouldn't have been too happy with you either." His sister released a quiet sound of disgust. "Maybe taking her to our place isn't such a bad idea after all."
                This last bit she mumbled beneath her breath, but he heard it just the same. Turning his head, he eyed her chagrined expression. In the glow of her penlight, Phae's face flushed with color. When he didn't say anything, she shrugged.
                "Okay, I was wrong. Taking her with us is the right thing to do."
                Phae turned off her flashlight and handed the coin back to him. Apologies weren't his sister's forte, and he knew how difficult they were for her to make. For him it was enough she'd admitted being wrong. Now, he just needed to convince Emma to come with him to the safe house. He threw his head back against the headrest in a gesture of frustration. If his gut was anything to go by, he'd find it easier to do battle with a Praetorian than persuading Emma Zale to do something she didn't want to do. Phae had been right. He was going to have Sandro and Octavia's heads.

Chapter 5
     
     
     
     
                FURIOUS, Emma uttered a vicious cry of anger and slammed her fist into the desk one more time. The bastard. How could she have been so stupid? If she ever saw him again, she'd read him the riot act. She closed her eyes and bowed her head as she gripped the edge of the desk. God, she was beginning to think she belonged on a psych ward.
                What if she'd dreamed up the coin, the stranger, all of it? It wasn't as if her life had been all that calm and serene of late. Charlie's death could have easily traumatized her to the point she'd gone over the edge. Christ, of course she wasn't crazy. At least not yet. But if that blond Lucifer showed up again, she'd--
                "Is