He Lay Still, Pretending to Be Unconscious—Then the Maid Whispered Something That Changed Everything

The assassin’s eyes went wide with sheer terror as he looked up.

Vincent Costa was sitting upright in the bed.

The drug had not fully cleared his system, but absolute, lethal fury compensated for the weakness. Vincent twisted the assassin’s wrist until the bone snapped, taking the suppressed pistol for himself.

Before the killer could scream, Vincent rammed the butt of the heavy gun into his temple. The assassin crumpled to the floor, instantly unconscious.

Silence returned to the room, punctuated only by the crackle of the ruined monitor and the sound of heavy rain outside.

Vincent swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His feet touched the cold floorboards, and he swayed briefly before steadying himself.

He looked across the room. Tessa was sitting against the wall, holding her bruised jaw, staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"You... you were awake?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "The whole time?"

Vincent looked down at the gun in his hand, then at the unconscious killer, and finally at the kitchen maid who had taken a bullet for a man she claimed to hate.

"I was," Vincent rasped, his voice rough from days of disuse.

Tessa swallowed hard, shrinking back slightly. "Are you going to kill me?"

Vincent walked slowly toward her, his stride uneven but commanding. He dropped to one knee beside her, setting the pistol aside. He reached out with surprising gentleness, wiping a drop of blood from her chin with his thumb.

"You threw an IV stand at an assassin to save my life," Vincent said softly. "Why?"

Tessa looked into his dark eyes. "Because nobody deserves to be murdered in their sleep. Not even you."

Vincent stared at her, feeling a profound shift inside his chest.

"Dr. Matteo!" Vincent called out, his voice cutting through the hall.

Within seconds, the door burst open. Matteo stood there, flanked by three armed guards, their weapons raised. They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of Vincent standing over the downed killer.