Mavis’s deep laugh filled the room before she managed to get a grip. It was followed by a snort. She wiped her fingers under her eyes, careful to not smudge her makeup once she finished laughing.
“I thought Owen was going to encourage him to go sky diving without a chute,” I mused. He hadn’t said much to me since we’d arrived at Mavis’s place. The original plan had been to lay low at his place, but it made more sense to look like big wigs. He’d left pretty quickly with some explanation of trying to find backup.
“Don’t worry, dear. He’s not used to feeling jealous. It got to him.” She stood in front of the mirror and refreshed her makeup. “You’ve got to think about the world he lives in. He does what he thinks appropriate, even when that means killing someone. Watching someone grope the person you love isn’t easy. It would hit him harder than most people. Honestly I was coming up with a plan on how I’d explain the blood stain on the interior when you hugged Captain Horny. I thought for sure he was going to break the pilot’s neck.”
“I know.” I’d have been chewing on one of the plastic and wood tables to keep from killing a woman that rubbed all over Owen. The fire glowing in Owen’s eyes had been intense.
“You’ve got just over an hour before your used car salesman shows up,” Mavis said. “Go get changed and primp. You’re a bit ruffled.”
“Why thank you, Mother. You know exactly how to warm my heart.” I fluttered my eyelashes at her before picking up the dress I was supposed to wear. The shoes were something I wouldn’t wear for a runway job, much less somewhere I might need to fight.
There was a smaller room next to Mavis’s that I had procured for my stay. I slipped out of the outfit I’d worn on the plane and changed into my new dress.
I pulled my hair up in a sophisticated ponytail, leaving my bangs to shield my eyes, and amped up my look for a night time date. Normally I didn’t wear this much makeup. It made me feel fake and I’d swear I could feel my pores getting clogged, but this was a special occasion. I needed Captain Horny to think he stood a chance. Wanted him to think I’d dressed up for him, not so I could sneak in a pistol tucked into a band around my waist nor the knives I’d strapped to my inner thighs and between my shoulder blades. I might not be able to do much with the deadly blades or new pistol, but I could at least act like a pack horse for Mavis and Owen.
Kenny had gone with Owen, which had made my heart bump a little harder. Despite his initial disregard for the teenager, he seemed to have really taken him under his wing. It was sweet. He was teaching him how to break bones, shake someone down for information, and stay out of sight. Yep, very assassin-sweet.
“How do I look?” I turned to look at Mavis. The dress felt more like lingerie than attire appropriate to walk the streets. Scratch that. It was appropriate when combined with street walking.
She turned to look at me, her critical eyes running over the ensemble. She twirled her finger in the air and I performed on cue. The shoes were much more comfortable after breaking them in over the last two days. I’d even gotten used to the extra height.
“Perfect.” Mavis nodded her head. “Seriously sexy with a touch of innocence. Which seems to be the captain’s weakness.”
The sound of someone moving downstairs announced the arrival of Owen and Kenny. I could hear the two different sound of footsteps as they moved around. Suddenly the reality of what we were attempting that night hit me like a ton a bricks. We were going to sneak into an underground casino in an attempt to catch a woman that had put a hit out on my best friend, but had mistakenly targeted me instead.
My gut clenched and I knew we weren’t going to make it out unscathed. We might die. If Mavis died tonight, she would be leaving behind a nephew that needed her. If Owen died tonight…I couldn’t even think of it.
Tears filled my eyes and I turned my attention to the ceiling. How fitting would it be that I finally came to Paris just to die?
“We’re going to be okay.” Mavis touched my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked down into her concerned face. “You have to focus on one step at a time. Don’t try to anticipate the outcome. Just know we’ll all be fine and we’re going to get what we needed.”
“You should stay here with Kenny. We’ll say you got sick.” My stomach rolled and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
“I have to find Laura.” Her eyes narrowed. “I owe it to her sister.”
“What happened?”
“I had a job go wrong. I was so intent on keeping Kenny out of the sights of someone wanting revenge that I accidently led them to Laura. Kenny was tutoring her in maths one day. I was observing, he didn’t even know I was back in town.” Her eyes swirled with regret and guilt. “Laura is petite with blonde hair. They must’ve thought she was the one I was protecting.”
“Oh God.” I tried to keep from gasping.
“So, I’m going tonight. Kenny knows what to do if things go bad, but I have to try and right this wrong.” Mavis frowned at me. “I shouldn’t have told you, but there is something about you that makes people…comfortable. You’re already at your edge. Just forget what I said and focus on distracting Captain Horny.”
I took a deep breath and looked back at my reflection. I could do this. I could pretend I was on a blind double date with a grabby guy. While the man I loved pretended to be on a date with another woman.
This was completely do-able. It was practically normal. Someone had probably written a scene just like it in a book. A romance novel set in France.
Okay, it sounded like a bad romance novel. Or some kind of spy flick. Only we were bad guys against very bad guys.
Stop thinking about it, I commanded myself.
“Better?” I tried to smile at Mavis. Footsteps sounded on the stairs and I looked toward the door.
“Let’s find out.” With more strength than someone of her stature should possess, she pushed me into the tiny hallway.
I practically fell into Owen’s arms and fought to keep my footing in the stupid heels.
“Sorry.” I untangled myself and stood up. “Mavis is like the Hulk stuck in Barbie’s body.”
Her snort came from behind me and I shot her an angry look. I turned back to look at Owen. He hadn’t said anything yet but his eyes were a little wider than normal.
“Owen? Are you okay? Did something happen?” I placed my hand on his chest, surprised by how fast his heart was beating.
“You’re wearing that tonight?” His eyebrows drew together.
“Yep. It’s perfect,” Mavis announced before stepping back and closing her bedroom door.
“Does it look bad?” I dropped my eyes to the dress and frowned. It wasn’t something I would normally pick out, but I hadn’t thought I looked gross. Was my butt hanging out? I looked over my shoulder but couldn’t really tell. I didn’t feel a draft so I hoped that was a good sign.
“No. It doesn’t look bad.” Owen placed his hand on my hip and pulled me closer. “It looks entirely too good.”
“Oh.” I smiled. “Thank you.”
“But I think it’s missing something.” His eyes turned serious.
“A coat would be nice. I feel like I’m wearing nothing but underwear.”
“That’s not what I was thinking.” Stepping back, he led me to another bedroom.
As soon as the door was closed behind us, his mouth was pressed to mine. His teeth tugged on my lips, forcing them open so his tongue could explore inside. My breathing hitched and I kissed him back with just as much force.
The horrible feeling in my stomach came back in full force and I needed his hands to push it away.
His fingers slid along the soft material of my dress, tracing the guns strapped to the small of my back and the knife that ran between my shoulder blades. He broke our kiss and rested his forehead against mine.
“You look scared, love.” His soft breath washed over my face.
“I am.” A shudder ran over my body.
“That’s normal.” His fin
gers traced my jaw. “It’s okay to be scared.”
“Are we going to die tonight?” My fingers tightened on his shirt.
He didn’t answer, his breathing slow and even, but he closed his eyes. “No, love. None of us will die tonight. We’re going to be fine.”
“You promised to not lie to me,” I reminded him.
Wrapping our fingers together, he lifted our hands and pressed his lips to where our skin met. “I’m telling you the truth, Ava. We’re going to be fine. I did some scouting today and found the location of the casino. One of my contacts has guaranteed to have transportation waiting for us when we need it and to provide a distraction for a getaway. If we’re lucky we’ll negotiate a truce and walk out of there free and clear. If not, we’ve got an exit planned.”
I took a deep breath. “We’re going to be okay.”
“Yes. Trust me, love. Everything is accounted for.” He lifted my chin so I could look into his eyes. “Now, you need to relax and not look so worried. You have to look excited.”
“I’m not sure I can relax. I can’t turn off my worry.” I shook my head. “It’s just there, gnawing at my stomach.”
“You need a distraction.” He pressed his body closer to mine. “I can help with that.”
“Owen—”
“Shh, love. Let me distract you.” He lifted me from the floor and set me on a table.
He kissed me, slowly, with tender fingers cupping my face. When he pulled back to breathe I was surprised to hear him whisper. “I need you to distract me, too.”
His hands moved along my legs and slipped my skirt up my hips. He traced the lacy edge of the knife sheath wrapped around my thigh as if surprised to find it there. When he knelt in front of the table, I leaned back and threaded my fingers through his hair. I focused on his hands, his warm mouth, the way he made me feel.
When he stood up and slid inside of me, our movements were slow and tender. There was nothing hurried or urgent, just a need to love and be loved. When the climax came it hit us both at the same time. A shocking wave of pleasure that made him groan my name.
Later, once he’d changed and I’d fixed my makeup, we joined the others downstairs.
A somber tone filled the apartment as everyone took care of last minute details. Mavis decided to change her jewelry to something that had a GPS Kenny could track and a microphone so he would be able to hear what was happening. Owen had hidden several knives along his person, including a simple pocketknife in a front pocket.
“If you hand them what they’re searching for, they usually don’t look much further,” he explained.
Mavis went to the kitchen and came back with two glasses of champagne. She handed me one and sipped from the other.
“We’re supposed to be living it up.” She clinked glasses with mine before turning on an mp3 player. Music filled the room and she started dancing around as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
Kenny glared at his aunt before pulling a pair of noise cancelling headphones out of a bag. They apparently didn’t have the same taste in music. He had spent most of his time sneaking through back doors of the casino’s security system. This way he would be able to remotely help us if we needed anything.
“C’mon, Ava. Move your ass! Show me what you’ve got.” She did a little shimmy and I laughed.
I took a gulp of champagne and decided dancing wouldn’t hurt anything. It would be easier to look stupid here than try to be sexy at the casino.
When a Taylor Swift song came on, I didn’t find it too hard to start dancing and shaking my butt. I was more than happy to try and shake off my bad mood.
Mavis finished her glass of champagne and pranced around the living room, gyrating and wiggling. For someone so poised and posh she was a truly terrible dancer. Laughter exploded from me when she wiggled her butt all the way to the floor and almost didn’t make it back up.
I went over to help her up, not noticing when someone knocked on the door. It wasn’t until I’d gotten Mavis off the ground, giggling, that I realized someone else had joined us in the room.
“Looks like the party started without me.” Patrick was wearing a tux, though not nearly as well as Owen. He was holding two bouquets of flowers and wearing a smile.
“Sweetheart, our guest has arrived.” Owen took Mavis’s hand and pulled her toward Patrick.
“There’s our lovely pilot!” Mavis leaned forward with a smile that was a little too large. “Would you like some champagne? I think we still have some!”
Without waiting for a response, she wandered off to the kitchen, her steps a little uneven. When she came back out she was holding a bottle that was almost dry. There couldn’t be more than a couple of tablespoons left inside.
“I’m sorry, Captain, but apparently Ava and I drank most of it.” She giggled.
Considering that I’d not finished my first glass, I knew there was no way we’d gone through an entire bottle. Mavis was putting on a good show though.
“Not to worry, Miss Thomasino.” He handed her a bunch of flowers. “Your company is more than enough. And please call me Patrick.”
“Flowers! Oh, look at this, Ava.” She turned and gave me a sly smile. “He brought me flowers.”
“I’ve also brought some for the lovely Ava.” He handed me a bunch of red roses wrapped in newspaper.
Giving him a large smile, I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Patrick. That’s so sweet.”
“Most definitely my pleasure.” He smiled down at me and his fingers chucked my chin while his eyes ran over my tiny dress. I ignored the nasty smirk and let him throw his arm over my shoulder. “Are you ready to go eat? I’m starving.”
His thumb rubbed a little circle on my arm and I suppressed a shudder. He hadn’t stuck his tongue in my ear yet. If Mavis could get through that, then I could definitely get through his leering and innuendos.
I had to. If we didn’t figure out what was going on, I was going to end up dead eventually and they might find Tessa.
If they hadn’t already.
DINNER WAS TORTURE. Pretending to find Patrick interesting was exhausting. I still didn’t understand why he had latched onto me instead of Mavis. Things would have been much simpler. Owen had slipped into his comfort zone, despite his occasional glare in Patrick’s direction. The drive around Paris would have been wonderful if Patrick hadn’t been so intent on running his hand up my leg. I tried to pretend I didn’t care, but when he came dangerously close to my thigh sheath I tapped his hand playfully and made a tsking sound. His eyes glinted with amusement and his soft chuckle tickled my ear.
That was the key to stringing the idiot along. He liked the chase and enjoyed the final conquering. If I kept playing hard to get and giving him little rewards from time to time, he would keep following me.
No lights announced the illegal casino. No intricate signs declared the location. Cars were staggered in a way that you couldn’t see anyone as they exited their vehicles and went inside.
Two men were visible just outside of the door, but I knew from the research Owen had done that there were a dozen more within a few feet of that entrance. Would they search me for weapons? Did I look suspicious?
I shivered and Patrick looked down at me.
“Are you cold?”
“I should have realized that it would be chilly tonight,” I sighed dramatically. “But I really wanted to wear this dress.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” He winked at me before pulled out of his tuxedo jacket.
Owen was watching him with a carefully guarded expression.
“Oh, no. I couldn’t take your coat. I’m sure it’ll be warmer inside.” I shook my head with a sad smile.
“I’ll be fine.” He wrapped the coat around my shoulders and for the first time I thought maybe he wasn’t as bad as I had thought. “I like seeing you wear my clothes.”
And that thought didn’t last very long.
I looked out of the limo window and barely made out the prof
ile of a man melting out of the shadows. I pulled the jacket tight around me and allowed the young guy to help me out of the car. Patrick placed his hand on the small of my back and I pulled away. Had he noticed the guns strapped under my clothes?
“This way.” He nodded at a large man standing to the left of the door. “Good evening, Vitz.”
“Nice to see you, Patrick.” The man stepped forward and I tried not to wince at the scar running down the left side of his face. His voice had a slight accent. If I had to guess I would say he was originally from Russia, but had lived elsewhere for a long time. “Have you cleared your guests?”
“Of course. She’s aware that I added them to the guest list.” He rattled off our fake names and passed Vitz a business-card sized piece of cardboard that he pocketed.
“Go on.” Vitz looked us all over with an expression of disinterest…until he got to Owen. “Hold on. What’s your name?”
“Owen Vander.” He kept his hands calmly at his side. Patrick turned to watch, but didn’t offer any help.
“Vander.” Vitz said the name slowly, as if he was waiting for something. “Where are you based?”
“I’m sorry?” Owen leaned his head toward Vitz with a confused expression.
“You freelance, or do you work for a firm?” Vitz leaned his head back, taking in Owen’s appearance.
“I’m an investment manager.” Owen shrugged. “I do contract work from time to time, but right now I’m working with Miss Thomasino full time.”
“I think he believes you’re my bodyguard.” Mavis wrapped her arm around Owen’s waist and smiled up at him. “It’s a compliment. He thinks you look tough and scary.”
“Me? Of course I’m tough and scary.” Owen jabbed a thumb into his chest and stood up a little taller.
“You don’t guard?” Vitz frowned and in that one show of emotion I could see the wheels turning quickly in his head.
“Um, no. Not really the type to throw myself in front of a bullet, you know.” Owen flashed a cheeky smile.
Oh, no, he wouldn’t jump in front of a bullet. It wasn’t like he’d been shot just days ago when trying to save my life. But if I hadn’t known that fact, I would have been convinced by his charade. Vitz, however, didn’t seem inclined to jump on the I’m-just-a-playboy-scoundrel train.
The Accidental Assassin (Assassins #1) Page 26