Lily was beyond shocked. She laid back down, trying to focus on the ceiling.
Five years. After Stankovski was dead, the plan had been to go back home. See her parents for the first time in two years. See her friends, if she still had any. Try to go back to some form of normalcy.
But now, when she really tried to picture it, she couldn’t. What, she was going to blow a man’s head off, then go sit down to Thanksgiving dinner? Work nine-to-five in some bank, after days and years of traveling the world? Going where she wanted, when she wanted, because she knew she had the weight of something bigger than herself to back her up.
What had Marc said earlier? Lawless. That’s what she was now. Could she go back to living within the law? It was like asking a wolf to go back and live as a house dog. She’d run wild for too long. Maybe she wasn’t fit to live in society anymore.
“I don’t know, Marc,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I want anymore.”
He shifted around on the mattress, then he was crawling over her. He pushed the shirt up as he went, running his tongue along her breast bone. She let him push and yank the material over her head and free of her arms.
“It’s not like you have to make a decision now, Lily. Get to Morocco first, get on that ferry. If you can do it, if you can kill him, then maybe you’ll know what you want,” he suggested, laying his full weight on her and kissing the side of her neck. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“If I can, huh. A lot of faith you have in me,” she pointed out his phrasing. He held still for a moment, then his lips moved down to her shoulder.
“You don’t have to do it,” he whispered.
“What?”
“You don’t have to do this,” he repeated himself. “You don’t have to do any of it.”
“Wait,” she was almost more shocked than when he’d offered her a partnership. She pushed at his shoulders, forcing him to lean away from her. “What are you saying!?”
“I’m saying, you don’t have to do this. Remember what you told me, back before the boarding house? I could just walk away,” he started to explain, his fingers drawing lazy circles around one of her nipples. She grabbed his hand.
“Walking away?”
“Those diamonds, Lily. Do you have any idea how much they’re worth?” he asked. She shook her head.
“No. I mean, a lot, obviously, I understand that, but not the exact amount,” she explained.
“Millions. So many millions of dollars. We could turn into something else. No one would ever know. Lily and Marc wouldn’t exist anymore,” he told her.
“Wait. Wait, wait, wait. You’re suggesting we … run away together? Keep the diamonds, sell them ourselves?” she checked.
“Basically.”
“You want to run away with me?” She was officially beyond shocked.
“Jesus, I’m not asking you to get married. We could leave, split up the diamonds, and never speak again. Or we could go off and fuck for the next three years. I’m just trying to say, we don’t need to be these people anymore,” he stressed.
She finally looked straight up at him and he was glaring back down at her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How had they gotten to this point?
He had described the first time he’d seen her; she tried to remember the first time she’d seen him. It had only been her second day in Africa, and she’d been taking a tour of the safe house. The compound had a large backyard that wrapped around the side of the house, which was where her car had been kept. While being walked to it, she had seen him.
Of course he caught her eye. He was a commanding presence, even when he wasn’t moving or saying anything. But when he was moving, when he was in action, he was impossible not to notice. He’d been carrying a large bag across the yard, laughing loudly with one of the bodyguards. He’d glanced at Lily and their eyes had caught for a moment. Just a moment. He hadn’t been able to guess what her job was, but she’d known immediately what purpose he was serving for the Bratva.
He’s so strong. He could do it. He could just take it all and leave everything behind. Even take me with him. Take everything.
“I can’t,” she choked out, then cleared her throat. “I just can’t. Five years. I made promises to yesterday. I can’t start giving away my tomorrows.”
Marc nodded and looked away from her, staring at the wall for a second. Then over her head, around the room. Then he nodded again and looked back down at her.
“Okay then. We’ll get you to Moscow,” he said, his voice strong and clear. She let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“Thank you, Marc.”
“And technically, since we’ve already had sex tonight, and it’s still tonight,” his voice lowered to a growl and he laid back down on her, his teeth on her collar bone, “then the ‘no sex’ thing doesn’t start back up till tomorrow.”
She laughed and scratched her nails across his shoulder blades.
“Only because you said it so nicely.”
DAY FOUR
Lily sat up in bed, hugging the blanket to her chest. She shoved her hair out of her face and looked around. The room was empty.
She went to call out for Marc, but then thought better of it and stood up, shuffling across the room. They’d washed their clothes the night before, scrubbing them in the shower. Marc had stressed the importance of keeping their clothes as clean as possible – neither of them had anything else to wear, and they couldn’t afford to get infections in any of the multiple wounds they both had peppered across their bodies.
She cursed at herself for not asking Marc for a weapon the night before; all she had was her Glock, which was empty. She tucked it into her belt anyway, figuring loaded or not loaded, it was at least scary looking.
She crept into the hallway, staying silent and listening to the house. There was no noise, so she kept moving. She went through every room with her gun out, but she was alone in the building. She stood in the bathroom, her hands on her hips, wondering where the fuck he’d gone.
He wouldn’t …
She ran back into his room, shoving through the door. It was empty, the bed made up. Of course it was, he hadn’t slept in it. He’d spent the whole night with her. But there was nothing else in the room. No weapons, no clothing, and not his stupid backpack.
He didn’t!
She ran through the house, not even worrying if anyone was outside. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she already knew what was waiting out there.
He couldn’t.
Lily burst into the front yard, skidding on the pebbles and loose rocks. She bent forward, her hands on her thighs, breathing hard. Her gun fell to the ground. Then she followed suit, dropping to her knees. She shoved her hands into her hair, pulling at the roots.
“He did,” she sighed, staring at the empty driveway.
No car.
No Marc.
No anything.
*
Lily sighed, sipping at the coffee she’d managed to make. She wedged the cup behind her foot, then adjusted the white sheet she had draped over her. It was helping to keep the sun at bay.
She was sitting on the roof of the house. It was the best vantage point, she figured. The house was at the top of a small hill. She could see for miles in every direction, so she would know a car was coming before they’d know she was at the house.
The owners had to turn up at some point. And if they didn’t, maybe she’d luck out and another car would drive past. The dirt road they were on seemed to circle back around to the main road, and further down the way, she saw another house.
Someone had to go by at some point.
She wanted to be angry at Marc, but she wasn’t. She was angry at herself. She’d fallen for it again. A nice body and good dick, good god, Lily. She expected better from herself. He’d lulled her right back into that secure feeling, all those touches, all those words.
“… we don’t need to be these people anymore …”
The man was goo
d. She’d completely fallen for it. She’d believed him, every word. Such an awful day. Such a wonderful night. Her soul had been begging to hear someone talk to her that way.
What would he have done if she’d taken him up on it?
He was gone. He’d taken the car and the diamonds. All the weapons. Everything. He was probably in a whole different country already, probably back in Mali. Meanwhile, she was alone in a house in a strange country, with no means of communications. No way to defend herself. Almost no food left, as well.
Whenever the home owners returned, she would have to steal their car. Have to pray that her empty Glock would be enough to scare them. She felt bad, leaving them carless, but she had to get out of there. Had to get anywhere else, she still had all the money in her pants, and then make a plan. Figure out what she could do next. What options were left to her.
She went to take another sip of coffee, then nearly dropped the mug. There was a dust trail way off in the distance, and it was heading her way. She’d been out there for two hours and nothing in the desert had moved. It could only be one thing.
Lily scrambled to the back of the roof, then cursed. She’d found a wooden ladder on the side of the house and had used it to climb to her perch. It had gotten knocked over somehow and was now resting on the ground.
She chucked the sheet down first, then sat down, her legs dangling over the side of the house. Praying that all those hours in the gym had really paid off, she gripped the edge of the roof and slowly twisted, careful as she lowered herself.
Her arms did her proud and she was able to lower herself till she was dangling. It was only a one story, so she dropped to the ground. She kept swearing under her breath, wondering how long that little jaunt had taken her. Then she climbed through the window into her bedroom, fighting with the curtains.
Just as she broke free of the fabric, she heard the front door open. She cursed. Some “badass” she was turning out to be; she was useless without Marc. Her plan was falling to shit. Keeping her footsteps light, she dashed across the room, pressing her back against the wall by the door. She held the Glock up by her head and she tried to catch her breath. Tried to slow her heart beat.
You can do this. You can do this. You killed a gang member yesterday. You can take some family hostage. You got this.
Heavy footsteps moved through the house. Slowly, almost like the person was looking for something. Maybe it wasn’t the homeowner. Maybe it was a Bratva member, someone who’d tracked her down.
It didn’t matter. She widened her stance, ready to pivot forward, all her weight on her right leg. She locked her arms into place, ready to snap the gun out. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. She wouldn’t let herself be taken.
The footsteps were in the hall, outside the other bedroom. Pause. Then they moved, drawing nearer. Paused outside her door. Lily held her breath, stared at the ceiling for a second. Said a small prayer. Then she heard it.
The knob started to turn.
She spun around as the door fell open and she shoved her gun forward, holding it up at an angle. It pushed up underneath a chin and she made a big show of racking the slide. Everything froze.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you missed me, sweetheart.”
Marc was smiling, but Lily kept the gun in place.
“You left me,” she hissed.
“That gun isn’t loaded.”
Five years of training with that specific gun hadn’t gone to waste. Almost faster than either of them could blink, she yanked the gun away, ripped off the slide, and shoved the frame into the side of his neck. She braced her free hand behind it, her palm flat against the back of the gun. One sharp shove and an arterial spray would redecorate the walls of the room.
“Still a weapon. Where the fuck did you go!?” she demanded. He blinked down at her, standing completely still.
“You were snoring like a fucking pig, I decided to go do some recon,” he explained. She glared.
“I don’t snore. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Princess, I -”
She jerked against the frame, causing him to choke on his words.
“My fucking name is Lily!”
“Alright, Lily, I went to go search the other houses to see if I could find a phone. I drove back to Néma to see if I could get some ammo, some more guns,” he explained, his voice soft as he raised his hands, holding them up like he was under arrest.
“Why didn’t you take me with you?” she asked.
“You were asleep.”
“Fucking liar.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You should’ve woken me up,” she told him. He smiled at her.
“I’m realizing that now.”
She hesitated. Should never hesitate. But she wasn’t sure whether or not she should believe him. His story sounded legit – he’d come back, after all. And in that moment of trying to decide, he saw her hesitance, and he acted.
And that’s why he’s better than you.
He grabbed her wrist, twisting the gun away from his throat. She was forced to move with her arm, and in another instant she was bent over in front of him, her wrists secured behind her back.
“Jesus, I’m impressed, sweetheart! Talk about getting the drop on me. I thought this was going to become a permanent part of my anatomy,” Marc chuckled, and she saw the gun frame get tossed onto the bed.
“Obviously wasn’t good enough,” she snapped, struggling against his hold. He jerked harder on her arms, forcing her head even lower. She couldn’t maintain her balance, she was almost completely bent in half. If he let her go, she would fall on her face.
“I don’t know. This is working out pretty good for me,” he said, and she felt his hand move across her ass. She tried to jerk away.
“Cut it out!”
He finally let her go, helping her to stand upright. She pulled away from him, made a production of straightening out her clothing.
“I was serious,” he said, heading back into the living room. Lily followed and watched as he picked up a large bag. “That was good, using the gun was good. If I was a stranger, you would’ve scared the shit out of me.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t wake me up,” she grumbled, standing next to him when he dropped the bag on a table.
“Because you look adorable when you sleep.”
“Fuck off.”
He opened the bag, and Lily’s eyes bulged as she took in the array of weapons and ammo that were inside. He tossed a box to her and she caught it, looking it over. Bullets that would fit in her Glock.
“I also got us some jugs, we can fill them up with water and gas, I saw some drums out back. I’ll get started on that while you sort this shit out,” Marc told her.
It was a huge gesture. He’d just barely trusted her with a loaded gun the night before – now he was leaving her with a whole bag full of weapons. He went to head back towards the front door and Lily grabbed his shirt, stopping him before he could get past her.
“I thought you left me,” she stated it simply, but hoped her voice conveyed how upset she really was. His brows furrowed together.
“I only went -” he started, but she shook her head.
“You took everything. The car. The guns. The diamonds. Everything. I thought you had lied, and I thought you had left me. Don’t do it again,” she instructed him. He stared at her for a second.
“I wouldn’t leave you, Lily. Not now,” he kept his voice soft. She nodded and let go of his t-shirt.
“Good.”
She went to turn away and he slapped her on the ass, then grabbed her belt, pulling her back into him.
“Not now that I know how accommodating you can be,” he growled in her ear, but his tone was teasing and he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close.
“Get off of me, no more of that,” she snapped, pushing his hands way.
Lily took inventory of the weapons while Marc loaded up the jugs. She sat in the doorway, the guns
spread out on the ground in front of her. She looked up every now and then, watching Marc move around the yard. The heat was stifling, and he took off his t-shirt at one point, wrapping it around his head. She tried not to stare.
What were you thinking!? Last time you slept with him, everything got ruined. What’ll happen this time!? Never again, Liliana. Never again.
But as she watched him hoist himself up on top of the large car, watched the different batches of muscles stretch and constrict, she could feel her mouth start to water and her resolve start to slip.
“Stop undressing me with your eyes, let’s get out of here!”
She prattled off their weaponry, discarding two guns that wouldn’t work – turned out he’d bought the bag as a sort of take-it-as-is bundle. While she loaded her Glock, he explained that he’d taken some of the bribe money from her pants in order to pay for everything.
“You what!?” she exclaimed, climbing into the passenger seat of the Scout.
“We needed it,” he said simply, tossing the bag-o-guns behind her seat before walking around and getting behind the wheel.
“I need that money, Marc, it has a specific purpose.”
“We needed it for this, too.”
He turned the ignition, but she reached over and grabbed his arm before the car could move.
“I want to see the diamonds.”
They were silent for a second, staring at each other. He glared at her.
“Are you serious? After last night?” he asked. She swallowed thickly and nodded.
“Yes. You left me. You didn’t say anything, just left me. I want to see the diamonds,” she repeated her request.
He grumbled, but he dug around behind his seat. He produced the backpack that never seemed to be far from him and dropped it in her lap. Then he gunned the engine, peeling out of the driveway.
Lily yanked the gallon baggie free from the pack. She hadn’t seen the diamonds since Liberia, and even then, she hadn’t gotten a very good look at them. Not in their entirety. She spun the bag around in her hand, watching the light bounce off all the little stones.
“Happy!?” he snapped.
“So much trouble, for a bunch of rocks,” she sighed, digging her fingers into the sides of the bag.
Best Laid Plans Page 13