The Accidental Assassin (Assassins #1)

by Nichole Chase

  “Where will we go?” She chewed on her bottom lip. It seemed to be her tell for when she was nervous.

  “That depends on what kind of information Mavis and the boy wonder have found.” I opened the door and motioned for her to walk out.

  She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before marching down the stairs. I kept my chuckle to myself. I could care less who knew that I’d just spent the last two hours inside Ava. In fact, I was feeling quite proud about it.

  Downstairs was a mess of computer cables. Kenny was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch as he stared at his computer, pointedly ignoring our entrance. Mavis was on the couch, papers spread in her lap.

  “Food’s in the kitchen.” She didn’t look up as we walked past.

  “Thank you,” Ava said as she walked past. In the kitchen she found two plates and set about spooning pasta for us both.

  “Milk?” I opened the fridge and lifted the jug.

  “Thanks.” She smiled at me before turning back to the plates.

  We moved around the kitchen, getting the food ready with little talk. When we sat at the table, the silence was comfortable, and the pasta was good.

  “Cucumber pasta salad. Much better than tiny tea sandwiches.” She smiled at me.

  “Better than soup, anyway.” I wasn’t sure either really counted as a meal.

  “Ava? Can you look at some of these?” Mavis’s voice drifted back to the kitchen.

  “Sure.” Ava stood up, taking her plate with her.

  I finished the food on my plate and washed it quickly before following her out. She was sitting on the couch arm and reading over Mavis’s shoulder.

  “Those planes are from the company I worked at.” Ava leaned forward.

  “Do you remember who bought them?” My pulse quickened. This could be our link.

  “Not really.” Ava frowned. “I mean, these aren’t painted in a way that makes them stand out. Some people have crazy paint jobs and it’s easy to remember who picked out the pink and leopard print plane. These aren’t meant to stand out in any particular way. They’re fancy on the inside and used to carry self-important people back and forth.”

  “So, corporate planes?” I shrugged. “That should be easy to figure out.”

  “It could be a charter company.” Ava looked up at me. “Someone that hires out planes to people that don’t want to fly commercial.”

  “Or to people that can’t fly commercial.” Mavis tsked. “People that don’t want their every movement tracked and documented.”

  “They still have to fill out paperwork and go through customs…” Ava snorted. “After the last few days I should realize that it would be easier to skip customs forms and security checks on a private plane. They probably just hand over cash with whatever clipboard the official gives them.”

  “Have you seen any of these people before?” Mavis pulled up a file of headshots on her computer and scrolled through them. “Maybe you can tell us about the company owner.”

  “If you recognize one, I can get files on them from the company you worked for,” Kenny offered.

  Ava watched as Mavis clicked from one picture to the next. There were corporate headshots, images of people in the plane or about to board a plane, a few were of the owners doing an inspection as the plane was being built.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t—stop!” Ava touched Mavis on the shoulder and leaned forward. “That’s one of the hangars owned by my company. Can you zoom in?”

  Mavis touched the screen of her laptop with pinched fingers and then spread them so that the image enlarged. It was fuzzy, but I could make out a tall man talking with several people in uniforms. He seemed to be laughing.

  “Oh my God.” Ava leaned back. “That’s Captain Horny.”

  IT FELT LIKE it had been a lifetime ago that I had last seen the pilot that had a running reputation where I once worked. He was infamous for hitting on any available woman. Tall with brown hair, blue eyes, and a Scottish accent meant he’d been pretty successful in his attempts.

  “Excuse me?” Owen’s eyebrows pulled together. “Captain Horny?”

  Mavis threw her head back and laughed. It was loud and honest.

  “I meant Patrick. He’s a pilot for a charter company. The girls started calling him Captain Horny over the years. He was always hitting on someone.” I blushed. He’d hit on me more than once, but I’d always turned him down. Despite whatever was going on between me and Owen, I didn’t usually bed hop. One night stands were fine, they just weren’t really my style.

  Or I hadn’t met anyone that had inspired that kind of lust. At least not until Owen. If I was going to risk my heart being broken in a fling, it had to be worth it. My heart tightened. And I was definitely headed for a broken heart. No matter what happened between me and Owen, I knew that I didn’t fit in his world. I couldn’t be sneaky or kill bad guys and he would never be happy in routine job.

  “I bet he had a good track record.” Mavis looked at Ava and smiled. “Did you give him a go?”

  “Um, no.” I bit my lip.

  “Why not? Were you in a relationship?” Mavis cocked her head and frowned at me. “I know he had to hit on you. You’re blushing.”

  “If you weren’t wearing a ring he considered you fair game.” I shrugged. “Some of the other girls enjoyed his company.”

  “So, you just told him no and that was it?” Mavis raised an eyebrow.

  No. Captain Horny was also Mr. Persistent. He’d shown up with a different flower every time I was working. Which I assumed meant that he showed up on the days I wasn’t there with a flower for whoever else was at the front desk. Another reason that made it easy to tell him no.

  “Pretty much.” I nodded.

  “You’re a terrible liar.” Mavis looked at Owen. “We need to get her ready.”

  “What? Ready for what?” I looked from Mavis’s amused face to Owen’s tight jaw.

  “I’m out.” He looked at me with dark eyes. “You and Mavis are in.”

  “In what?” A sinking feeling filled my stomach. “I really don’t have any way to get in touch with him and I don’t remember ever meeting his boss. A lot of buyers send their pilots in to handle things.”

  “We already know who his boss is,” Mavis said. “Captain Horny is our way in.”

  “I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you’re suggesting.”

  “Owen doesn’t.” Mavis laughed. While she rattled out information for Kenny to start digging into, I looked up at the man standing stiffly behind me.

  “What is it?”

  “You and Mavis are going to tag team Captain Horny.” His voice took on a distant note.

  “Whoa. I don’t want to know about my aunt’s freaky business.” Kenny looked in my direction and blushed.

  “Um, I’m not sleeping with Mavis.” His face clouded and I rushed to clarify. “Or Captain Horny. I mean Patrick. I’m not sleeping with anyone.”

  “That’s not what I heard.” Kenny muttered loudly enough to carry through the house.

  “You know what I mean.” I fought to not sound exasperated.

  “Relax, dear. I’ll do the heavy hitting, but you can be my way in.” She shrugged.

  “How am I supposed to do that?”

  “Well, like I said. We’re going to have to work on your lying.” Mavis turned back to her computer. “Can you remember his last name?”

  “Van Horne.” I sighed.

  Mavis started laughing so hard she snorted. “Oh, that makes it so much better! Hullo, Captain Van Horne. How’s it hanging?”

  I tried to not laugh, I really did, but watching the serious faced assassin on the couch giggle like a school girl was contagious. Even Kenny couldn’t keep from smiling.

  Owen sat down in the chair next to the couch and propped his elbows on his knees. “Okay. Van Horne is our gatekeeper. What else do we know about him?”

  His voice was calm, even, and completely fake. I cringed. This wasn’t exactly how I thou
ght this kind of thing would go.

  “He dates a lot of models,” Kenny offered. He turned his laptop around to show a picture of Patrick standing in front of the Victoria’s Secret Plane, his arms around several of their popular models. “Maybe I should rethink the computers thing and become a pilot.”

  “Not happening.” Mavis responded.

  “Any idea where he’s based?”

  “Edinburgh.” Kenny and I answered at the same time.

  Owen’s eyes locked on mine for a moment before looking over at Kenny. “Can you get us more information?”

  “That’s what I do.” Kenny’s fingers danced across the keyboard.

  “I have a place in Edinburgh. Will that work for you?” Mavis looked over at Owen.

  I zoned out as they discussed locations and logistics. I had no idea where the streets were or the buildings they were discussing.

  “Yo, incoming.” Kenny sat up a little straighter as he looked at his computer.

  “What’s wrong?” My muscles tensed and I looked over my shoulder thinking someone was about to burst through the back door.

  “Three of the planes have chartered trips to Paris three days from now.” Kenny licked his lips and leaned forward.

  “Captain Horny?” Mavis looked around her computer.

  “Not yet.” Kenny looked over at his aunt.

  “Get me the number. Now.”

  Kenny called out the number and I watched as Mavis deftly dialed and waited for someone to answer.

  I would have sounded like I had a stutter or would have accidently pressed a button while trying to answer a simple question. Mavis did none of those things. As soon as someone picked up, her mouth curled into a small, calm smile.

  She booked a trip for her imaginary boss and assistant to Paris. When offered flights she asked the right questions to narrow down the possibility that we would get a pilot other than Patrick. By the time she hung up, I was in awe.

  “And that is how a professional does it.” She tossed Owen the phone and wiggled her hips.

  “Pack up.” Owen stood up and looked around the room. “We need to go.”

  I looked around the little old living room and felt a bit of sadness. I’d started to feel comfortable in the place.

  Okay, maybe not exactly comfortable. I wasn’t wearing any panties and jeans without panties wasn’t exactly as sexy as it sounded. Denim just wasn’t meant to rub against certain points on the body for prolonged periods of time.

  And it smelled of mothballs.

  But so far, no one had shot at me here. Which was a definite improvement compared to some of the last places I had been staying.

  “You and Kenny go together. I’ll take Ava on a separate train with me,” Mavis announced.

  “Ava stays with me.” Owen crossed his arms, his chin tilting upward as if preparing for a fight.

  “Hello. I’m right here.” I waved my hands in the air.

  “People are looking for you to be traveling with an American woman. It makes more sense for her to go with me.” Mavis stood very still, obviously aware that she was walking a tight rope. “Besides, I need to get some things together, and Ava needs to go shopping.”

  “It’s like I’m invisible.” I looked over at Kenny who just shrugged.

  “You get used to it,” he said.

  “I don’t think I will.” I frowned at Owen.

  “I’m trusting you with my family, Owen.” Mavis let her hands hang by her sides. “He’s all I’ve got left and I wouldn’t let him out of my sight if I thought there was a better way to do this.”

  Owen was quiet, his jaw tight as he looked from me to Kenny to Mavis. Even without Mavis explaining it, I understood that she was offering Owen her trust, which wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

  “I won’t let anything happen to her.” Mavis voice was so quiet I barely heard it.

  “I’m not a child, guys.” Slapping my hands on the chair arms I stood up. “I’m going with Mavis. It makes the most sense. Your brother is probably still looking for us and it will be easier for Mavis and I to arrive in Scotland together in case anyone from the charter service is watching for her. It’ll look like we work together. I’ll be her assistant and carry her bags so her gun hands are free.”

  Owen looked at me, his calm expression in place. I waited for him to ask me if I was sure, to ask me if I really trusted Mavis, but he didn’t. Instead he nodded his head.

  I sighed in relief. He trusted my judgment and that meant more to me than a suitcase full of money. This was important. All of our lives were at stake. Including Kenny, Mavis, her friend, and Tessa.

  “Have you heard from my friend?” I knew he would have told me had he heard from her, but I still needed to ask.

  “No.” He watched me carefully.

  “Do you think they have her?” I took a breath and held it.

  “I don’t know. She hasn’t responded which could mean she hasn’t checked her obscure email, or she knew better than to respond. It’s impossible to say at this point.”

  “What’s her name?” Kenny asked from where he was bundling up computer pieces to put in a box.

  “Tessa Myers.” I took a quick breath. “Tessa and Danny Myers.”

  “Danny Myers?” Mavis stopped and looked up at the ceiling trying to remember something. “That sounds familiar.”

  “We think that the original ticket was meant for Tessa, Ava’s friend. However, there wasn’t enough information and they went for the first female American they saw staying in that flat.” Owen cocked his head. “You think you know a Danny Myers? Is he in the same line of work?”

  “Danny is an assassin? No. I can’t believe that.” I shook my head. “He’s a contractor. Everyone likes him.”

  “That’s the best cover.” Mavis shook her head. “But I don’t think he’s an assassin. I’d remember that for sure.”

  “Someone connected to an assassin?” Owen lifted one of the boxes of computer parts.

  “Not sure.” Mavis flipped through her bag, pulling out a scarf and sunglasses that she tossed to me. “I just know the name rings a bell. He must be into something on the shady side of things.”

  I looked around the room and frowned. Danny was into something that would make him the target of a criminal mastermind. Did Tessa know? Did she realize that people would be looking for her because of her new husband? She was in danger. People had tried to kill me because they thought I was his wife.

  Anger boiled under my skin.

  “That fucking asshole!” I turned around and kicked the chair. “I trusted him! I let him marry my best friend. I gave him my blessing!”

  I kicked the chair again and again, sending it backward a foot at a time. It was a heavy chair.

  “I’ve been shot at! And you! You’ve actually been shot because of me!” I turned and pointed at Owen. “What if he’s hauling Tessa around while he does shady stuff?”

  “She might know that he’s into shady stuff,” Mavis offered. She was looking at the chair I had kicked across the hallway. “Maybe she doesn’t care.”

  I turned to give the tiny woman my full attention. “You think my best friend would marry some kind of—of—of criminal?”

  “You’re shacking up with an assassin.” Mavis arched an eyebrow.

  Point for Mavis.

  “That—that’s not the same thing,” I sputtered.

  She just looked at me.

  “Okay. Fine. It’s the same thing.” I flung my arms in the air. “I’m going to get my gun. Wait, how am I supposed to take a gun on the train? Aren’t there metal detectors and stuff? I hope Tessa has a gun. If not I’m going to give her mine so she can shoot Danny if she doesn’t know about his extracurricular what-evers.”

  “Traveling with your firearm is the easy part,” Owen said. “We need to get you new identification first.”

  “I already took care of that.” Kenny stood up and brought over paperwork and a passport.

  I looked at the picture and frowne
d. “Is that my Facebook profile photo?”

  “I had to put it on a different background, but you can’t tell.” Kenny stood up with a box of stuff in his arms and looked over my shoulder. “Turned out pretty good.”

  “Huh.” I ran my finger over the picture and then the shiny seal claiming dual citizenship. Funny how I had hoped to move to England and find a job so I could stay. Now I had fake paperwork giving me that very thing. Not exactly what I had planned on. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” He turned around and exited the back door, kicking it shut behind him.

  I went upstairs, slipped on the men’s button up shirt and wrapped the scarf Mavis gave me around my hair. I looked in the mirror and put on the giant sunglasses.

  Yep. I looked just like me in sunglasses and someone else’s clothes.

  Eat your heart out, Ava Gardner.

  “You’ll be careful.” Owen’s voice came from the bedroom door.

  “Fine, I won’t run down the street screaming my real name.” I turned to look at him. “What do you think?”

  “You’re wearing sunglasses.”

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious.” I pushed the sunglasses up on top of my head.

  He grunted. “Well, not everyone can be Captain Horny.”

  “And I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that.” I tried to not wince. Way to remind him about my new role in this game. “I much prefer Captain Obvious.”

  “Let’s keep it that way.” He grabbed me and pulled me to his chest. His mouth covered mine in a deep, lingering kiss.

  “You’re not saying goodbye to me, are you?” I pulled back and tried to catch my breath. I didn’t want to say goodbye. Saying goodbye implied that I might not see him again…and I couldn’t think about that. It made my heart ache.

  “Just giving you something to look forward to when I see you in Edinburgh.” His eyes ran over my face. “I don’t like this. I don’t like leaving you.”

  “Me either.” I pressed my face into his shoulder. “But we’ve got to man up and do what’s best.”

  He chuckled and tightened his arms around me before letting go. “I’m leaving with the kid. We need to stagger our exit.”

  “Okay.” It wasn’t really okay. Owen and I had been through everything together so far. It felt weird to separate from him. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Mavis. She wouldn’t have suggested Kenny go with Owen if she was going to pull something horrible. And…