The Accidental Assassin (17 page)

“I can’t believe I’m here.” Ava set her menu down and peered out the window. “I’ve always wanted to visit Notting Hill.”

“And why is that?” I folded my hands in front of me.

“Julia Roberts.” She shook her head at my blank expression. “The movie? Notting Hill? Julia Roberts, superstar actress and Hugh Grant, the average bookshop owner?”

“Afraid I missed that one.” I shrugged.

“You haven’t seen it? Are you serious?” Her eyebrows drew together. The little wrinkle along her nose made me smile. “How could you have missed it? You don’t even remember the previews?”

“Is it a recent movie? I’ve been out of the country.”

“No. Gosh, it came out when I was young. I grew up with this idealized vision of Notting Hill and the people that would live here. Blue doors and people with orange hair.”

I had no answer for that. Blue doors and orange hair? What kind of movie was it?

An older waitress came over to take our order, but the glimpse of a familiar face distracted me. I tried to peer around the tiny restaurant without being conspicuous, but there wasn’t much hope. It was too crowded for me to see anyone without actively standing up and that would give away that I had indeed seen someone.

It wasn’t until Ava cleared her throat loudly that my attention returned back to the table.

“Excuse me?” I realized that Ava and the woman were looking at me.

“What’ll you have?”

“The same, please.” I nodded at Ava and smiled. I didn’t want either of them to see the worry that was gnawing at my stomach. When the waitress walked off, I shifted in my seat to get a better look around the room, but it was hopeless. I debated getting up and pulling Ava along with me, but the crowd eating breakfast provided a little security.

“Who did you see?” Ava lowered her voice, but thankfully didn’t look around the room as if trying to spot something.

“An old coworker.” I ran my finger over the butter knife next to my drink.

“Coworker.” Ava leaned forward a little more and her eyes tightened. “You mean another assassin.”

“Yes.” I saw the swish of blonde hair in my peripheral vision and silently palmed the knife and slid my hand under the table.

“And is this coworker a friend?” Ava’s eyes darted out the window.

“Depends on her mood.” I shifted in my seat so that I’d be able to get my legs out from under the table quickly. “She’s a short-tempered one.”

“Now, that’s not fair.” A warm voice replied from behind me.

“Hm. The last time I saw you, you shot out my tire.” I narrowed my eyes, but didn’t turn around. The muscles in my body coiled tightly as I prepared to fight.

“You forgot to call.” A small hand slid over my shoulder and under my jumper. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and pulled her closer. Her small knife dug into my back, but it was safer than letting Mavis have a chance at Ava.

“You burned my clothes.” I turned just enough so I could angle my blunt knife at her stomach. “I thought you didn’t want to hear from me.”

“Meh.” Her lips moved close to my ear. “I got over it.”

“What do you want, Mavis?” I lowered my voice.

“Well, since it looks like you’ve moved past our fun in Rome, I guess I could collect the money on your head.” The knife in my back moved away and she stood up a little straighter. “Or I could settle for breakfast with an old friend.” Mavis pulled the chair out next to me. “Would you rather me sit here or across from you? All the better to keep an eye on me?”

“Sit down.” I growled the words. I didn’t want Mavis any closer to Ava until I knew exactly what she was after. Mavis was an assassin, a very accomplished assassin, but she usually picked cases where her appearance would make it an easy kill. It was much easier to get next to a powerful man if he wanted to fuck you. And Mavis was very fuckable. I knew from experience.

“Would you like a menu, miss?” The waitress sat the plates down on the table and smiled at Mavis.

“Tea, please, and a muffin.” Mavis set her black purse on the floor. We’d argued about purses in the past. I thought they would be a distraction, but Mavis insisted that they let you get away with a lot more than trying to conceal a knife in a thigh holster.

“Yes, ma’am.” The waitress moved away and I looked at Ava. I tried to reassure her with my eyes, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“You said your name was Jilly.” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis. “I knew there was something wrong with you.”

“Jilly?” I looked from Mavis to Ava.

“She was at the shop in Oxford.” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis. “I had a feeling she was full of shit.”

I paused and looked at Ava. Was she jealous? Hm.

Mavis tsked. “I just wanted to see you for myself. How was the book?”

“Just perfect.” Ava’s fingers clenched her fork.

“So, this is nice.” Mavis folded her hands on the table and smiled.

“What do you want?” She had talked to Ava in Oxford and I hadn’t even known about it. If she was going to collect her, that would have been the time to do it. Not here with all of these people.

“God, Owen. You always were bad at small talk.” Mavis glared at me. Her perfect lips pursed in disgust. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friend?”

“I thought you’d already done that.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly honest.”

“Ava, this is Mavis. Mavis, this is Ava.” I glared at the little woman next to me. “Mavis, don’t kill Ava.”

“How have you put up with him these past few days? He’s such a grump.” Mavis smiled at Ava, but Ava wasn’t impressed. “I could only stand a few hours at a time.”

“We were doing okay until a few minutes ago.” Ava’s chin jutted out.

“Ah, I see. Well, he does have his good points.” Mavis ran her hand over my thigh and I shoved it away.

“Quit it, Mavis. That was over a long time ago.”

She laughed loudly, but it wasn’t cruel or mocking. Genuine humor shone in her eyes as she regarded me and Ava. I was struck by their differences. Mavis, poised and polished, radiated self-confidence and sex appeal. Ava, with her large eyes and baggy clothes, looked innocent and trusting. But just as sexy. The t-shirt under her sweater barely clung to her cleavage, threatening to slip too low at any minute. Her heavy bangs shrouded her eyes in a way that enhanced them, making them feel deeper. A natural beauty, one that didn’t have to try to be alluring. It was a breath of fresh air next to the perfectly coifed woman sitting next to me.

“You know, when I saw the video of you I wasn’t sure. I had to check it out for myself.” Mavis turned her smile on the waitress as she took her tea. “And now I know.”

“Know what exactly?” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis.

“What video?” I asked.

“That he really is protecting you.” Mavis poured milk into her cup and I passed her the sugar. “Videos of you and Ava in the parking garage were circulated. There were lots of theories, of course. That you were going to collect the bounty, you were going to offer a trade. Oh, lots of things. But it’s much simpler than all that.” She winked at Ava. “He’s just chasing cute ass. Men are all the same.”

Ava went pale and I ground my teeth. I wasn’t sure if she even registered the dig about sex, because her eyes had taken on a look of horror at the mention of me stringing her along just so I could collect the bounty.

God damnit. What did I have to do to get her to trust me?

“Mavis.” I felt my lips pull back in a sneer. “That’s rubbish.”

“Relax. I knew you wouldn’t do that, but I wanted to see what was really going on.” Mavis took a sip of her tea. “And now I know! It’s sweet, really. The big bad assassin saving the adorable, clueless American.”

“I’m helping Ava. That’s it.” I said the words flatly. I could guess what Mavis thought she understood, but that was far from the truth. Despite her background and cold exterior, the woman curled up every night and watched romantic comedies. “She’s been wrongly targeted and wouldn’t last on her own.”

“Hey.” Ava sat up straighter in her seat. “I can help myself.”

“Relax, sweetheart. You should be grateful. He’s the best there is. In more ways than one.” Mavis smiled over her cup at Ava. “And we all have our skills. Maybe yours are just more…romantic?”

Red washed over Ava’s face and before I could tell her to not let Mavis push her buttons she exploded.

“I don’t know what the hell you want or why you’re here, but you can take your snazzy British accent and backhanded compliments and shove them up your ass.” Ava clenched the table with her hands and I hoped that my mouth wasn’t hanging open. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, tired of being shot at, tired of
assholes
. And I sure as hell don’t want your bitchy attitude ruining my breakfast. It could be my last one.”

A heavy silence descended on our table as I stared at the woman across from me. Pride welled up in my chest as I watched sweet Ava stare down the killer next to me.

“She called me bitchy.” Mavis raised an eyebrow. “I think I like her after all.”

“Figures.” I shook my head and leaned back in my chair. A test. Mavis had been testing Ava and apparently she had gotten what she’d been looking for.

“Right. Thanks.” Ava rolled her eyes. “I’m going to eat now while you tell us why you’re here.”

“I’m not out here for you, but I couldn’t help the tease.” Mavis leaned forward and I could see her playful mood melt away to something more serious. “I’m actually helping a friend and my leads are bringing me back to your brother. I think there might be some connections.”

“What the hell is Marcus mixed up in?” It wasn’t good whatever it was, that was for damn sure.

“Missing girls.” Mavis’s lips clamped together for a minute as if she was fighting to not say something.

“No.” The word left my mouth, but it was only an automatic response. Despite my denial, there was no flutter of hope that she was wrong. No need to make sure she was right. I knew there was something off with Marcus, with the way he had become greedier over the years. My brother was mixed up in the slave trade; something I despised. Something he should hate just as much as I did. There was no denying that something was really wrong at this point. And all of this time… “How long?”

“Years.” Mavis sipped her tea calmly, as if the floor hadn’t just been ripped out from under my feet. How long had my brother been dealing with the devil? And how many of the hits I had accepted had been what I thought? My eyes slid to Ava, wondering what she must be thinking, wondering if she had made the right decision in sticking with me. Her bright eyes watched me with sadness—not for herself, I guessed, but for me.

“Right.” I cleared my throat and looked out the window.

“I thought that maybe we could help each other.” Mavis set her cup down.

“And how’s that?” Ava asked. But despite her bravado, she still hadn’t touched any of her food.

“Well, I’ve been tracking down Marcus’s workers, but I need to talk to him. There is something that doesn’t add up. Marcus is smart and has contacts, but I don’t think he fell into this on his own. There is someone else involved and I need to know who it is. I had hoped you might be able to get me in there.” Mavis frowned. “Of course, that was before he put out a contract on you.”

“Puts a damper on that plan, huh?” Ava sighed.

“Not really.” I looked back at them. “Does he know you’re on his scent, Mavis?”

“No.” She smiled. “I’m good at what I do, Owen.”

“Then you’re our key inside.” I looked at Ava. “Eat up, sweetheart. We’re about to get some answers.”

OWEN WAS DISCUSSING plans quietly with Mavis as I stuffed my mouth with food and tried to keep up. There was talk about guards, talk about guns, and talk about scaling a wall. I looked down at my now clean plate and frowned. Maybe I shouldn’t have had that last piece of bacon.

“Explosives?” Mavis asked calmly.

“Too messy.” Owen shook his head. “We need to enter without conflict. We don’t want the police involved.”

“Too right, that. Blundering bunch of fools.” Mavis sniffed.

“What am I supposed to do?” I wiped my hands on my napkin and looked at them calmly. “Sit on my thumbs and count cars?”

“I could take her with me.” Mavis wasn’t answering me, she was looking at Owen.