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"Ithat happened today, Ja all the other assassins My brother leaving cryptic uessed that the first one was for ht’ve couy I killed So maybe it was for you?" She tips her head back so she can look me in the eyes "Do you know my brother?"

"I’ve met him, of course I’ve seen him every year on your birthday So yeah, I know hie was clearly not him Why would he kidnap Sasha?"

"Why seeht now Who do you work for?"

"I told you, I work for uess And Sasha seems to work for whoever she’s with So hoe knohose side we’re on?"

I swipe a few stray strands of hair off her forehead "Trust me I knohat’s best If you just trust me, Harper, it will be OK" I lean down and kiss her on the nose "You and ether I’m the only one you should always trust NoI’ is for you and me Not just you, not just me But both of us"

"But I don’t even know you, Ja you earn And I’m not sure you’ve earned that kind of trust I think you’re hot And sex with you is soet used to But back under the pier, that first day you came to me, you said you didn’t just want to fk me, you wanted to knowto knowabout me outside of those one-day birthday trips And I know even less about you So which one is it?" She sits up and turns around, tucking her feet underneath her so she can be eye level withconvenient and fast filled with sex and that’s it Or you want soful and you earn the trust that co her words over in et up But my brain kicks in before her feet find the floor and I pull her back onto my chest "What do you want to know aboutyou want"

She thinks for a ine every horrible question she can possibly dream up

What did it feel like to kill the first ti to rescue you when you were captured?

Do you think your parents love you?

Why didn’t they fight harder to keep you safe from the Company?

Do you miss your brother?

What happened to your sister?

I draw in a breath, running all the ways in which I’ll have to lie to her when these questions are asked But all of that’s unnecessary Because her question finally coame

Chapter Nineteen - Harper

"What was the best present you ever received?" I ask him "As a kid, like a little kid Because the best present you ever received as an adult was me" I bat my eyelashes at hi to push his More job things More killing things Getting to know someone is a process And I don’t want to skip it I don’t know if I love hi he’s been with me since I was a kid, even in just that s It s about me About my fa ood way to figure that out as well

I have trust issues I know this But either way, getting closer--more personal--this willh Probably ainternally as well

"Well…" He clears his throat And then he pauses so long I decide to pick it up

"I’ll go first OK?" I tiphis options, I can tell He’s trying to decide to be honest or lie If I want soive it first This is how they work, right? The assassins thrive on favors You owe me, I owe you, and we’re even

So I lie back down in his lap and start

"My best gift was not that stupid Hello Kitty notebook you gave me" His chest expands as he takes a deep breath and I bite my lip to stop the sers through ood, I want to close ave s An extra piece of fruit at breakfast Rocks and seashells One ti when I think about this and I almost let the sadness seep in and ruin the moment But I push that down and rereat present too And he scraped all the coconut husk off the shell, except where the big bushy eyebroent And I had a mom and dad and a brother and a sister The perfect fah comes out before I can shut it down and Jaood present But the very best present was a lionfish" I look up at Jarin