The Accidental Assassin (15 page)

“Could’ve fooled me.” She slurped a mouthful of noodles and motioned for me to go on.

“They were going to abduct you.”

“Are you serious?” She finished chewing her food and took a drink from the bottle of water I’d brought. Her skin took on a green sheen and she took another sip of water. “Why? I mean, why abduct me? I’m not worth a ransom.”

“I’m not sure.” I stabbed a shrimp with my fork. “Not enough information yet. The contract for you didn’t give reasons.”

“Who wants to kidnap me?” Sitting her box down, she scrubbed at her eyes. Strain pulled her face into a grim mask. “I’ve barely been in England for over a week. Why now? Why me? Who did I piss off?”

I didn’t have an answer so didn’t offer a response. At the house she had said being abducted would be worse than death. Had she meant it? The thought of someone using her as a sex slave froze my blood. She stood up and walked over to the bags and I forced my fingers to unclench before I broke the chopsticks I was holding. Turning toward me she held up a large shirt and gave me a weak laugh.

“Prince Harry stole my heart?”

“It was on sale.” I shrugged. “Besides, I thought all Americans came over here to win a prince.”

“With all of that family drama? No thank you.” She shook her head trying to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. “I’m going to shower and then sleep. I can’t think any more.”

She closed the bathroom door quietly and I leaned back in my chair. For all of my travel, I actually spent a good amount of time by myself. However, I knew enough about women to know Ava was most likely in the shower crying while trying to be quiet. That bothered me.

A lot.

Fuck.

I ran my hands through my hair and blew out my breath. There was a naked, gorgeous woman crying in the shower and I didn’t have a fucking clue how to fix it. Crying women gave me hives. You’d think that over the years I’d be used to it, okay with it even, but it still made me want to kill people.

Standing up, I took off the jumper and threw it on a chair before cleaning up the food mess. I stuffed the leftovers in the tiny fridge next to the tele and looked around the room. There wasn’t much I could do in the tiny space. Tomorrow we would do some recon before approaching Marcus. Though I knew he’d be waiting for me. Since the squad in Oxford hadn’t worked, he’d know I was coming for him. If he wanted me dead, why hadn’t he sent more men? If anyone knew what I could handle, it would be him.

The bathroom door cracked open and I realized I had been staring off into space. Ava leaned against the doorframe in nothing but the oversized shirt and I felt the blood drain from my head and head south. I hadn’t thought to buy her shorts or sleeping pants and I’d never been so glad I had overlooked something. Her long legs went on forever and the image of them being wrapped around me burst into my brain.

“Who gets the bed?” She brushed her wet hair over her shoulder and I had to force myself to ignore the way the damp material clung to her breasts.

“There’s enough space for two.” I smiled at her dubious expression. “I’ll behave if you do.”

“Shouldn’t someone stand guard?” Her eyes darted to the door and I realized she was genuinely nervous about being caught while sleeping. I moved to the door and slid the old dresser across the floor. I looked back at her to see if that helped but she had moved across the room. I watched as she picked up one of the chairs and carried it across the room. The t-shirt slid up a little higher as she made her way to me and I had to remind myself that she was vulnerable right now. I moved so she could place the chair where she wanted.

Knowing that someone might bust in on you while you were sleeping was part of the job. After a while you learn how to accept it. You take precautions, like picking a secure location, keeping your gun close, and learning to sleep lightly. Ava wasn’t used to that and she’d been put through the ringer in the last few days. So, instead of mocking her, or explaining that I’d chosen this inn because of where it was located and how we’d be able to defend ourselves, I moved the other chair to the growing pile of furniture. I unplugged the tele and set it atop the bureau.

Ava grabbed one of the lamps we were using and placed it so it was leaning against the door. The dingy crystals swayed for a moment and I realized she was using it as an alarm. Not a bad idea. The jingle would serve as an early detection sound if someone was messing with the door.

“You think I’m silly.” Her mouth pulled to the side and she looked at me with large eyes. “But I know that if someone really wants in, this isn’t going to stop them.”

“It will slow them down.” I pulled my shirt off and made my way to the bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the door and undid the clasp on my watch.

Ava hadn’t come to the bed. She was standing next to the leaning tower of furniture and watching me. Her cheek ticked nervously and I fought my smile. That’s right. I wasn’t the only one feeling the sexual tension. I swung my legs onto the bed and tucked my hands behind my head.

“Scared you won’t be able to control yourself?” I patted the other side of the bed. A blush crawled out of the neck line of her shirt and up to her cheeks. She sputtered and her back stiffened, which is exactly what I had been going for.

“Listen here, buddy. You’re no Brad Pitt.” Stomping across the room, she ripped the blanket back from the bed and crawled into her spot. “Don’t try anything funny.”

“I’ll try to contain my baser urges.” I hit the switch for the light and settled down into my pillow.

Ava fought with her pillow until she had molded it into a shape that suited her. She was on her side facing me. I could just make out her features in the dark and smell the shampoo she had used in the shower. It had been years since I had slept in the same bed as someone else, but with Ava I didn’t worry she would get up and kill me in my sleep.

It was a nice feeling.

“Owen?” Her whisper drew me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for not leaving me.” I could barely make out her words as weariness claimed her.

“You’re welcome.”

COLD AIR CURLED over the skin of my thigh and I snuggled closer to the heat next to me. A soft snore invaded my dreams and I grunted in annoyance. The warm pillow under my head moved, turning me over so I was on my back and immediately yanking me out of my dreams. As my eyes adjusted to the early morning light that poured in around the curtains, Owen rolled into me.

“What the—?” I started to push him away, but his hands closed on my wrists and lifted them above my head.

“It’s been a long time since I woke up next to someone.” His voice sent goosebumps over my skin and I froze. One of his legs rested between mine and every movement made it deliciously clear how much he enjoyed having a bedmate. “I’m not used to it.”

“Wh-why is that?” His lips were so close to mine I couldn’t focus on anything else. Flashes of our kiss from the night before ran through my mind.

“Trust.” He leaned a little closer, his lips almost touching mine. “Can’t sleep next to someone who might kill you.”

“That would be difficult.” I licked my lips and tried to calm my racing heart.

“But not with you, love.” He let go of one of my wrists to run a finger along my jaw. “You’re not going to kill me in my sleep.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“It’s in your eyes.” His eyes dipped down to my lips. “The eyes never lie.”

I waited for his kiss, waited for the heat that his fingertips promised.

But it never came. Sighing he rolled off of me and stood up.

“Want to grab breakfast?” He stretched without turning to look at me.

Sitting up, I stared after him, wondering what had happened. I hadn’t been far from begging him to ravage me and he was worried about pancakes and eggs.

“Sure.” I ran a hand through my hair.

“I’m going to hit the shower and then we can head out. I saw a place to get some food on the next block.” He grabbed a shirt from the bag and went straight to the bathroom.

“Well.” I threw the blanket off and stood up. Muttering to myself I went through the bag and found a pair of jeans that looked like they would fit. He had guessed my size better than I’d expected. “Talk about a let-down. All hot and bothered with nothing to show for it. Big bad assassin. Ha.” I slid the pants up and traded my Prince Harry shirt for a black one. It was loose on me, and the v-neck dipped low enough that I worried about the cleavage it exposed. I wondered if he’d chosen it that way on purpose. “Apparently my eyes didn’t say it all, huh?”

I picked up my pistol and stuck it in my pants before pulling the sweater from yesterday over my clothes. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too hot today. I needed something to conceal the bulky gun. The thought of getting caught with it made me shudder. An American with no passport, wanted for vehicular homicide, and carrying an illegal firearm—yeah, that would go well for me. So well I’d end up in a cell trading homemade tats for protection.

By the time I heard the shower shut off, I’d gone through all the bags of stuff Owen had bought. He had odd shopping habits. Then again I wasn’t an assassin, so maybe he had a perfectly good reason for purchasing duct tape. Maybe it was for something simple, like repairing a ripped bag, not for holding someone hostage. When the door opened I threw the silver stuff back in the bag and sat down in a chair. He was shirtless and his pants were slung low on his hips, revealing those indentions that made my mouth water.

“You can never have enough of that.” He nodded. “You’d be amazed what you can do with it.”

“Mmm,” I mumbled. I couldn’t have agreed more.

And then I realized he was talking about the duct tape. Right. I hoped he couldn’t see how flushed my cheeks were. Time to move the conversation along.

“I saw a guy on TV make a cup out of it once. A survival show where he could only take one thing with him, and that’s what he chose.” I rested my arms on the table, trying to snap myself out of the inconvenient attraction I felt. “Never really thought I’d need to know how to do that, but who knows now?”

“If you need a cup made from tape, then we’ll have bigger worries than drinking.” Owen pulled a shirt over his head, and I immediately felt the haze clearing from my brain. Disappointment and relief rushed through me as he knelt to open the black bag he had brought back with him last night. “I’ve brought you another pistol. I thought you’d prefer something a little smaller than the forty-five you’re carrying now.”

“Will it be easier to conceal?” I stood up and pulled the gun from my pants.

“Yes. I’ve also got you a real holster.” He held up a leather object. “Come here.”

I stood up and moved closer to him. I’d never worn a holster so had no idea where it went. I’d seen movies and might be able to guess, but what if I got it backward and couldn’t get the gun out when I needed it?

“Lift your shirt.”

“Excuse me?”

“Lift your shirt and unzip your pants.”

“Where exactly does this holster go?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“It goes against the small of your back and I’d like a little space to slide it in.” I felt myself blushing again, and he smiled. He moved behind me to lift the sweater with one hand. “Now, undo your pants for me.”

“Since you asked so nicely.” Shaking my head I worked the button loose and pushed the pants open. His fingers grazed along the small of my back and I bit my lip. When he slid the cool leather against my skin I squeaked. “That’s cold!”

“Sorry.” After a little tugging, he stepped back and I buttoned the jeans.

“Not exactly comfortable.” I turned to look in the full length mirror to see if the holster was visible.

“You’ll get used to it.” Owen revealed a smaller, chrome and black pistol. “This is a nine millimeter. I think it will fit your hand a little better.”

I took the pistol and checked the chamber before leveling it in front of me. It did feel a little more comfortable in my hands, but I wouldn’t really know unless I fired it.

“Widen your stance.” Owen moved behind me and adjusted my shoulders. “This will give you the best accuracy.”

“I look like an idiot.” I was standing with my feet shoulder width apart and both arms out in front of me.