The Laughing Assassin [Assassin's Diary] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Jennifer Willows

  “Unlike your namesake, you don’t know shit, Einstein.”

  Fuck. Kris and Stein? Jaden was certain her head had been up her own ass for a while if she had missed that one.

  Stein spoke, but Jaden would have never known it was him. The tones of his voice were much softer than the usual gruff ones the male affected from day to day. “I know better than you think. You crave being controlled, but you are too afraid to let a man have that much power. I can respect that, but you will never feel satisfaction until you allow yourself the luxury of being dominated.”

  Jaden heard the whistle of air before Kris responded. “First of all, I don’t get topped. I am the dominant. Secondly, even if I wanted that, you would be the very last person I’d come to for it. Uncouth brute.” Those sounded like fighting words to her for sure.

  Surprisingly, Stein never lost his cool. “I may be the last one you’d come to, but I promise that when you give in to me, you won’t need to look any further.” Stein’s tone was that of the dominant now. Jaden had learned his intonations quite well during her crash induction into the lifestyle.

  “I hate you.”

  “That’s better. Hate is the other face of love, so at least you’re halfway to admitting the truth.”

  “Why the hell are we even having this discussion?”

  “Because you aren’t woman enough to admit that you have needs that burn so brightly your eyes glow.”

  “Fu—” But the response cut off, and Jaden feared that she was going to have to roll a few heads. Not that it was a problem. She already knew she was capable of beating Stein if she had to.

  “Fuck you? Is that what you were about to say? Yeah, I could do that. But you still would be less than satisfied without the spice of kink involved. Just admit it. Say you want me, and I’ll let you come.” What the hell was the man going to do to Kris, and just outside of the area being prepared for her wedding?

  Jaden heard a soft sigh, and when she peered around the bush, concealing her from the view of the pair she eavesdropped on, Stein had Kris in an embrace that looked more than consensual. In fact, both of the parties involved looked ensnared within a sensual web that nothing could break. Kris practically melted under Stein’s hands. They even seemed to breathe as one being, and she watched Stein palm Kris’s skull, just before he clenched his fist cruelly within the locks.

  Jaden was close to breaking up the moment and had worked herself up to say something. But she remained silent when Kris gasped in pleasure under Stein’s hands.

  The man clutched the hair tightly, using the strands as a tether to hold her head upright and poised for the hungry tasting of mouths. Instead of the reaction Jaden had expected, which was for Kris to fight the forceful treatment, she saw her friend yield. And not just yield, but submit to Stein. Kris clenched his shoulders and arched into his body as if she couldn’t get close enough.

  Jaden watched as Stein tore his lips from Kris’s, as if the sensations were too much to bear. He only confirmed her assumption when he spoke. “God, woman, you make my forget myself.”

  Jaden saw Kris change imperceptibly, a slight stiffening of her shoulders and straightening of spine the only clues that the thrall of sexual tension was finally broken.

  “Get. Away. From. Me. Behemoth.” The words were said so vehemently that Jaden could hear the air whistle from between the other woman’s clenched teeth.

  Jaden turned from the spoiled idyll and jogged back to rooms set aside for clothing changes.

  But when Jaden finally saw Kris again, the woman didn’t even seem troubled. Maybe, just maybe, Kris was better at espionage than Jaden first assumed. Jaden was halfway dressed for the event, now in her undergarments and robe, and a light layer of makeup had already been applied by a professional. The artist was commissioned by the Whitmore matriarch to ensure that all of the wedding party was perfectly coiffed and cleaned up.

  As the woman worked on Kris, her friend beamed brightly as the tats around her shoulders were covered with a can of airbrush makeup. Jaden wanted to say something about what she had seen, but now was not the time or place.

  And really, Jaden wasn’t certain when the appropriate time would come around either. She and Jonah were supposed to fly out for their honeymoon in the morning.

  It may just have to wait.

  But I want to know now.

  It’s not going to happen, Jaden, may as well accept it.

  Just ask her when you get back.

  Jaden was interrupted from her musings when Kris cleared her throat.

  “So are you excited?” Kris asked, and Jaden wasn’t sure if she was. If this was supposed to be excitement, she wanted no part of it. Give her a gun and a bad guy. That was much more exhilarating in her opinion.

  “Not as much as it would seem.”

  “Come on. If this works out perfectly, you’re only gonna get this one. Better do it right the first time around.”

  Kris was right, but still. Jaden had one major flaw. She hated to be wrong, and this one was a doozy. Kris told her months ago that she and Jonah were going to be married eventually.

  “You’re going to marry him, Jaden,” Kris said the very night she had come back from the island for the preparations for Thalia’s wedding order of nearly eight hundred cupcakes. Jaden had considered herself lucky to have the extra hands on deck from Jonah’s encampment, as it would have taken the two of them two full days to complete the order with the necessary decorations. Not to mention they would have been forced to close the bakery down altogether until they finished.

  “Who am I supposed to marry, Kris?”

  Jaden’s head hurt. Now Kris was having dreams about her getting married? “What kind of drugs are you on today? Crack?”

  “You know who.” Kris barked out a chuckle as she attempted to keep the mirth at bay. “Keep on telling yourself that I’m on drugs if it will make you feel any better.”

  Jaden didn’t see the humor. “There’s no way I’m going to marry him, or anybody else for all that matters.”

  “We’ll see. I dreamt it, and you know how my dreams tend to go.” Yeah, Jaden did know. Kris had an uncanny tendency to dream about something that would pop up way later, like déjà vu or something.

  “Maybe it’s your wedding.” Or she hoped.

  But the errant hope was dashed when Kris responded, “Nope. I was your maid of honor, and his sister was the matron.”

  At that point, Jaden had never met his sister, nor did Kris have a way to know about the woman either. The idea was a frightening one even then. And now that it had materialized? She was still just as afraid, maybe even more so. She had butterflies in her tummy, probably the thousand that had been specially requested by Jonah to be released after the ceremony.

  While they discussed plans just a few days after the return from Venice, he smiled when Jaden protested the excess cost of the insects. “It’s the earth friendly version of rice. We don’t want to kill the local birds and wildlife, right? Plus, that means each of the guests can have ten apiece.” The butterflies were in bamboo cages, placed on each seat at the chapel for the release when the couple left the ceremony.

  Damn it. If she didn’t love the man so much, Jaden would have run away that very second. Again.

  You know it’s a waste of your time. He likes chasing you.

  * * * *

  The wedding was arranged with more fanfare than Jaden wanted. But Jonah wanted every bell and whistle, as he wanted the world to know that he was marrying the woman of his dreams. He made sure that everything pertaining to the wedding was kept a secret until the day of. The location was closely held secret. The time and date were as well. It was only when a guest used the self-addressed and pre-stamped envelope to issue back their response that they were given information as to where the wedding was to be held. The hundred people that he had slashed the guest list down to were only family with a few close friends.

  Once the actual ceremony was complete, the reception was under way. The island wea
ther was perfect for a sunset beneath open tents. There was a tent for everything. One was for the dinner service and another for dancing, both connected by a walkway constructed to keep the guests from having to stomp in the sand.

  As he and Jaden migrated to the second tent, he tugged her into his arms to parade her around the dance floor. At first, he was so into holding Jaden that nothing else mattered. All he wanted was to feel his wife. For respect of their vows, Jonah chose to wait to make love with Jaden from the time they left Venice.

  That was a hard decision to make, but Jonah wanted to give Jaden the reminder of what she would be missing if she didn’t follow through. If she wanted unlimited access to his body, then she would need to make an honest man of him. Jonah chuckled when he thought about the three weeks they hadn’t made love.

  They had done everything else though. Read books, went deep-sea diving, made plans for their future retirement, and baked cupcakes. The time was spent together as a normal couple and not a pair of covert agents. He was able to be himself with her, and that carried more weight than any of their lovemaking before.

  Although, the only reason he could laugh was because he was going to have her where he wanted her in just a handful of hours. But just twenty-four hours ago, he wasn’t laughing at all. Jonah was highly irritable. He wouldn’t let Jaden sleep away from him, but her nearness was enough to make him a caveman.

  He hadn’t slept at all last night. Each time he was comfortable enough to rest, he was awoken by the softness of her ass. Jaden had the most delicious tendency to rock her hips at night, as they spooned in repose. Her movements had initiated many an early morning session of sleepy sex. But as he had vowed to hold out, now the gentle wobble of hips was akin to torture.

  But the fantasies of things to come ended abruptly as he opened his eyes. Something niggled at him without remorse. His gut shouldn’t have rung with alarm over a few eyes on him, on his wife. Jonah didn’t know where the sense of discomfort came from, but he did know that he felt like someone was watching them. And not the “Oh, look at the newlyweds” gaze of fawn-eyed females or the “When the hell will this be over so I can bone so-and-so” displayed on the faces of the bored males. It was the feeling of ocular daggers being thrown at him.

  But nonetheless, he could sense someone watching them. The stare felt malicious and angry.

  “Do you feel that?” After the first minute, he couldn’t keep silent.

  “The eyes boring into us?” And that was why he loved this woman.

  “Yeah, that.”

  “I was hoping that was just me. Or maybe bad shellfish.” The idea of bad lobster was hilarious.

  “Never that. Not at our wedding. I paid good money for crustaceans caught yesterday. Believe me, they are not bad.” She laughed, and he chuckled as the onlookers oohed and ahhed over their not so privately held tête-à-tête.

  “But yeah. I can feel it,” she whispered back.

  “Who is it?” He wondered if she had seen something he hadn’t.

  “If I knew that, I’d be saying more than feels like right now. I’d be giving you a name or description.” Jaden didn’t know half of the guests, as his part of the list had many more guests than hers. Jaden only invited a few people, and the remaining people were his.

  “Okay, I’ll take the right half.” When she looked at him questioningly, he squeezed her left hand.

  “Okay, gotcha.”

  As they held each other, swaying to the beat of their song, Jonah looked carefully over each face until he saw it. A cigar lit up toward the back of the tent space. He watched the smoke trail exit the tent and float out into the sand beyond his view. Who was that? He had a feeling that he should know who it was. But to walk away now would cause questions that he couldn’t give a good answer to. Not yet.

  “I think I found it.”

  “Who is it? Cigar guy?” Jaden asked as her head turned to meet his.

  “Yeah,” he whispered into her ear.

  “So what should we do?”

  “Nothing for now. We would attract too much attention if we walk away in the middle of our song.”

  “Seeing as all eyes are on us, the only way we get more attention is to strip down and make love right here… So we’re supposed to let them go?”

  “For now, yeah. Whoever it is, they’re not going anywhere for now. We brought everyone here for the reception, remember?”

  “True.”

  When the song ended, other dancers moved onto the floor. It was crowded enough that their disappearance wasn’t remarked on too much. But he could hear some of the guests say that the newlyweds were going away for a little alone time. The idea was funny. If he and Jaden were anything other than what they were, the assumption would be the truth. He would be taking his new bride somewhere that he could touch the soft skin concealed by her dress. Maybe even finger-fuck her to climax away from probing glances and prying eyes.

  But on this occasion, Jonah and Jaden walked onto the sand and followed the footsteps until the pair found themselves far away from the twinkling lights of their wedding reception.

  When they had almost reached the man who’d made the sandy imprint path, Jonah recognized him as Herbert Biormann. Biormann was a close friend of the family. In fact, Jonah and his siblings had all gone to prep school with Biormann’s children, Heidi, Elsbeth, and Ragnor.

  He had shared many an occasion with the family at various holidays and special events. So much so that when the short list for the wedding was slashed, Biormann’s name had remained, despite the fact that Jonah didn’t invite one of his cousins to make the space.

  Herbert turned to face them once they were within several feet of the older man.

  “Congratulations on your nuptials.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Biormann,” Jaden said, and Jonah knew she was giving the man the once-over.

  “It’s no problem. In fact, I hope that you enjoy the gift I had arranged for you.”

  “We haven’t had the chance to open gifts yet, but I am certain your gift will be of among the best tonight. Your taste is reputed to be impeccable.” Jaden spoke with familiarity, as if she had met Biormann before, but Jonah knew that she had never had that opportunity.

  “Cat got your tongue, Jonah?”

  “No.” He was looking closer, imagining Biormann with a black half mask.

  “Well, I am an old man who likes the sand. Would you care to share a cigar with me?”

  “It smells delightful. What is it?” That cigar blend smelled very familiar.

  “Cuban, of course. You know I prefer the best.” The man did. As far as Jonah had seen, there was never anything less than best and rarest offered to Biormann.

  “Well, Biormann, I’ll leave you to your delicious tobacco. My wife and I will be delighted for your presence once you join the rest of the party.”

  “Thank you, Jonah, for inviting me. I know the list was kept very small, and this is an honor that I am very grateful to be a part of.”

  “Certainly, you are as close to my family as one can be without blood. To not invite you would have been a mistake that I would have regretted.” And not for the reason the man assumed, either. Now that he had the identity of the slaver, the man was as good as caught, and he could finally retire altogether for a quiet life with his new wife.

  Jonah clasped Jaden’s arm, and the pair walked back to the tents while he rummaged over the idea that he couldn’t shake loose. Biormann was the black-masked slaver, and he knew it.

  Now it was just a matter of proving it.

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Who is Jennifer? A thirty-something single? A mother of two of the most bratty, beautiful kids ever? Well, she is all of that and more. Jennifer is still fixing mistakes by day and falling in love with her novel heroes at night. She hates juggling, but she seems to be quite good at it, and as a consequence she has thirty projects going at once. Actually, she is quite bland and not in a mysterious way. Lately, she has found herself fe
nding e-mails and writing as much as she can. Occasionally, she gets a wild hair up her keister and wears her afro out. As always, her fascination with procrastination keeps her from getting her website together, but one of these days… But if you would like to talk to her, feel free to send a shout-out to jenwritesuread@gmail.com (or send a request to the same e-mail on Facebook), and she is on twitter @wildinthewillow.

  For all titles by Jennifer Willows, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/jennifer-willows

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com