The Accidental Assassin (38 page)

No. Tessa and I had been friends for too long. She never would have willingly put me in danger.

And Danny is a cat-burglar. My best friend, the art history buff, had married a thief. Go figure.

“I haven’t seen her. I’ve been a little busy,” I explained. “Running for my life and all.”

“You’re free to go now. No one will bother you.” Maria cocked her head to the side as if waiting for something.

What was she thinking? I was free to go. Oh. Just me.

“Owen and Mavis?” I looked at her in fear.

“Owen is a favor for a business partner.” She smiled sadly and looked at Owen. “It’s a pity. You’re truly an artist when it comes to your craft. Unfortunately, business comes first. I have spent many years cultivating that particular branch of my company and find it in my best interest to keep them happy for now.”

From the corner of my eye I saw Owen stiffen at the mention of his brother. My heart broke even more for the man I loved. If I got out of this alive I was going to kill Marcus. He’d asked his boss to murder his brother. That’s low even for a criminal.

“And me?” Mavis stepped forward.

“You are a problem.” Maria turned to look at my friend with cold eyes. “And I believe it’s better to trim those types of things early on.”

“I’m not going to just walk out of here while you kill all of my friends!” I stepped forward.

“I thought I was being generous.” She shrugged and stood up.

“You’re not being generous. You’re a criminal that does what’s best for yourself. I’m sure that if I left now you’d find some use for me later and blackmail me in to being a drug mule or something.” I put my hands on the desk and leaned forward. “So you can take your money and shove it up your—”

A knock on the door made everyone in the room jump. Well, I jumped. Maria, Owen, and Mavis merely looked at the door.

“Enter.” Maria’s cool voice echoed in the tiny room.

Vitz walked in with a package, followed by a man. No, not just a man. Danny.

“You instructed that Mr. Myers be brought to you if he showed up on the premises.” His boredom with the task was clear. “He had this with him.”

“Well, apparently all of the interesting people are in Paris.” Maria smiled. “How nice to see you, Mr. Myers. I’m assuming that’s my painting?”

For the first time emotion shined in her eyes. Anticipation.

“Hello, Maria.” He glanced at me quickly. “Ava, sorry about all this.”

“Sorry?” My anger had hit all new levels. I marched up to him and smacked him as hard as I could. “Sorry? You bloody Englishman! You didn’t spill wine on my dress. I’ve been shot at! This woman is planning on killing my friends. I killed a man with your car! And you’re sorry?”

“Er, yes.” He rubbed his cheek.” I thought the matter had been settled or I would have never let Tessa invite you to London.”

“Did she know what you were when you got married? Have you hurt her?”

“Yes and no. She caught me trying to steal something. That’s how we met and she’s safe, though likely going to try and kill me when I see her next. I locked her up.”

Owen grunted and I realized he was thinking Danny had the right idea.

“Enough. Let me see the painting.” Maria held her hands out and Vitz passed the package to her.

She tore through the paper like a child at Christmas. With a look of awe she held up a small canvas. “You really did it.”

“Of course.” Danny cleared his throat. “I thought we were even when I returned your money.”

“It was never about the money. It was about this,” Maria explained. She cradled the canvas with gentle hands. “It’s a Van Gogh. The only artist I hadn’t managed to collect.”

“Well, then, we’re even. You have your money, and the painting, and we’ll get out of your hair. Shall we?” Danny reached for the door but Vitz stepped to block the way.

“Why did you back out of the deal?” Maria set the painting down carefully. “What made you squirrel?”

“I saw one of your employees with a drugged woman when I came to deliver. He was talking about stables and orders.” He put his hands in his pockets. “I’m a thief, but I don’t deal with people in the sex slave trade. I spooked and sent your money back. I thought that would be the end of it.”

“No. It was certainly not the end of it.” Maria shrugged. “But everything is fine now. I’ll call off my people looking for your wife.”

“And the rest of us?” Danny rocked back on his heels.

“Loose ends.” Maria handed the painting to one of the guards. “Take care of that.”

He nodded his head before leaving the room.

“I see.” Danny frowned.

“Ava hasn’t done anything wrong. Let her go.” Owen raised his voice. “You don’t need to kill her.”

“As I said, she’s free to go.”

Owen nodded thoughtfully before he spoke. “I would ask a favor, if you don’t mind. A courtesy before I’m executed.” Maria motioned for him to go on and my stomach dropped. How could he talk about his death so easily? “Have someone remove Ava. Put her outside and let her go.”

“You’d have me go against her wishes?” Maria looked over at me, her cold eyes calculating. “What if she fights?”

“Owen.” I took a deep breath.

“Restrain her. Just get her out of here unharmed.” He didn’t look at me and my entire body began to shake. “None of this is her fault.”

“Vitz.” Maria looked at the scarred guard behind me. “I’ll honor his request. Take the bag as well. She earned it.”

“No! You said we’d all leave together.” I fought as Vitz wrapped a giant arm around my waist. “Owen! Don’t do this.”

He didn’t look in my direction as Vitz pulled me through the door.

“You promised, Owen. You promised and you lied!” I grabbed at the door frame, but it was like fighting a bull. Vitz was headed away and there was nothing I could do to stop him. “Please, Owen.”

I saw him look in my direction with sad eyes just before I couldn’t see them anymore.

“Put me down, you damn ogre!” I kicked and pulled, trying to get away.

Maria walked out of the makeshift office, her heels clicking on the cement. Her assistant seemed to appear from the shadows, falling into step with the taller woman.

“Stop fighting, girl.” Vitz looked down at me, his bored expression fueling my fury. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Try to keep her quiet.” Maria shook her head as she passed us. “I don’t want to upset our clients upstairs.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Vitz tightened his hold on me and I bit down on the thick corded muscle. He cursed in a language I didn’t know and switched arms, moving the bag of money to his bleeding arm and me to the uninjured. He gave me a little shake. “Behave. I’m trying to get you out of this alive, got it?”

Why the hell would he care if I got out of this alive? One of my shoes fell off when we reached a grated walkway. He reached down to pick it up and threw it in a trash can.

I didn’t care. He could throw away my shoes. He could throw me away.

He might as well. With Owen dead I had nothing else in life. I was alone. Like when my parents had died. Just me and a giant hole in my chest. I wouldn’t even have Tessa to help me through it this time. I had no idea where she was.

I looked where we were headed. Maria and her assistant were talking quietly, the assistant carrying the painting in a special case.

All of this for a painting.

Everyone I loved gone, because a horrible woman wanted a special painting.

No. I fought against Vitz, trying my hardest to get free. I stepped on his foot with my remaining high heel, but he didn’t even flinch. Tears of frustration ran down my face. I balled up my fist and swung it backward at his groin, but he merely shifted my weight. Making me look at the women in front of us.

They dealt in the sex slave trade.

They killed to keep money.

They blackmailed influential people every day.

They were going to kill my best friend’s husband.

Murder my new friend.

Murder the man that I love.

Shatter my entire world.

When the first shot echoed down the corridor, every muscle in my body went still. Someone I cared for was dead. More shots followed and Maria never stopped moving. She didn’t care who she fucked over, as long as it benefited her.

My sudden lack of movement seemed to startle Vitz. His hold on me loosened and he turned to look behind us and muttered something that sounded like a prayer.

Maria’s high heels met cement with a sharp click, her bun bouncing jauntily as she walked.

I wouldn’t be the last person whose life would be ruined by her.

She was evil.

And I was faster than most people expected.

“Maria.”

She slowed and turned in my direction, but her assistant never stopped. Reaching behind me, I pulled one of the small pistols from the holster hidden in my dress. It took seconds, maybe less.

Sometimes bad people just needed to die.

When I pulled the trigger I felt no remorse. In fact, I felt hollow. Empty. I watched as her head flew backwards, blood spraying the wall beside the assistant, who never slowed.

And that was how my body count doubled.

“BLOODY HELL.” I held a bunch of fabric from Mavis’s dress to my shoulder. Danny shifted me on his shoulder and I winced. I stared down at Captain Horny’s blank eyes and was surprised I didn’t feel satisfied. He didn’t really matter. The only thing that mattered was finding Ava.

“You were supposed to move left.” Mavis glared at me.

“Right. It’s always right. Why the hell would we move left? We’re right handed!” I tried to bat her away, but it was ineffective. “We don’t have time for this. We need to get to Ava.”

“Then stop getting shot!” Mavis threw her hands in the air before kneeling to pick up one of her discarded knives. “Every time I turn around, you’re running into bullets! Do you have aspirations of becoming Swiss cheese?”

“Mavis, we have to find Ava.” I took a deep breath and tried to make sense of the spinning room. “I don’t trust Maria. She’s not safe.”

“I’ll go. This is my fault.” Danny moved to sit me down on the desk.

“No need.” A deep voice with a Russian accent filled the room.

I tried to stand, ready for an attack, but the room spun. Staggering backward, I sat on the desk. I needed to find Ava and get out of there. I was in no shape to fight.

“Oh, God.” Small, cold hands touched my face and I looked up at an angel. “Owen? Can you hear me?”

“’Course I can. Wasn’t shot in my ears.” I watched as Ava looked down at the bloody mess of my shoulder.

“What did he say?” The Russian bouncer leaned over me and I slammed my fist into his jaw.

“Owen, he’s on our side. Stop. Be still.” Her hands were back on my face, and tear tracks ran down her cheeks. My gut froze.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” She shook her head. “I thought you were dead.”

“Nope.”

“The bullet is still in there. I’ve got to get it out and patch him up before he bleeds out.” Mavis moved into my sight line. “Don’t do anything else stupid.”

“Ava?” I looked back at her. “You’re sure you’re not hurt?”

“I’m not hurt.” Her smile was blinding. “But if you ever pull that shit on me again I swear to every god there is, that I will be the one to put a bullet in you. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” I leaned forward and pressed my forehead to hers. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, you giant idiot.”

“Not to break up the reunion, but where is Maria?” Danny asked. He was peering out of the office door.

“Dead,” Vitz rumbled.

Ava stiffened and I looked over to where the burly Russian was standing.

“You killed her?” Mavis cocked her head to the side as she wiped her knife off on her dress. Her even tone was much scarier than when she raised her voice at Kenny. “I needed her. She has something of mine.”

“No.” He shook his head and looked at Ava.

He was looking at my sweet, angelic Ava.

The Ava that punched people for kissing the guy she liked.

My Ava that would kill to protect those she loved.

Mavis cursed under her breath, but didn’t say anything to Ava. Danny was looking at Ava in surprise and Vitz had his arms crossed as if everything was completely normal.