The Accidental Assassin
Page 38

“An old coworker.” I ran my finger over the butter knife next to my drink.
“Coworker.” Ava leaned forward a little more and her eyes tightened. “You mean another assassin.”
“Yes.” I saw the swish of blonde hair in my peripheral vision and silently palmed the knife and slid my hand under the table.
“And is this coworker a friend?” Ava’s eyes darted out the window.
“Depends on her mood.” I shifted in my seat so that I’d be able to get my legs out from under the table quickly. “She’s a short-tempered one.”
“Now, that’s not fair.” A warm voice replied from behind me.
“Hm. The last time I saw you, you shot out my tire.” I narrowed my eyes, but didn’t turn around. The muscles in my body coiled tightly as I prepared to fight.
“You forgot to call.” A small hand slid over my shoulder and under my jumper. I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and pulled her closer. Her small knife dug into my back, but it was safer than letting Mavis have a chance at Ava.
“You burned my clothes.” I turned just enough so I could angle my blunt knife at her stomach. “I thought you didn’t want to hear from me.”
“Meh.” Her lips moved close to my ear. “I got over it.”
“What do you want, Mavis?” I lowered my voice.
“Well, since it looks like you’ve moved past our fun in Rome, I guess I could collect the money on your head.” The knife in my back moved away and she stood up a little straighter. “Or I could settle for breakfast with an old friend.” Mavis pulled the chair out next to me. “Would you rather me sit here or across from you? All the better to keep an eye on me?”
“Sit down.” I growled the words. I didn’t want Mavis any closer to Ava until I knew exactly what she was after. Mavis was an assassin, a very accomplished assassin, but she usually picked cases where her appearance would make it an easy kill. It was much easier to get next to a powerful man if he wanted to fuck you. And Mavis was very fuckable. I knew from experience.
“Would you like a menu, miss?” The waitress sat the plates down on the table and smiled at Mavis.
“Tea, please, and a muffin.” Mavis set her black purse on the floor. We’d argued about purses in the past. I thought they would be a distraction, but Mavis insisted that they let you get away with a lot more than trying to conceal a knife in a thigh holster.
“Yes, ma’am.” The waitress moved away and I looked at Ava. I tried to reassure her with my eyes, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“You said your name was Jilly.” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis. “I knew there was something wrong with you.”
“Jilly?” I looked from Mavis to Ava.
“She was at the shop in Oxford.” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis. “I had a feeling she was full of shit.”
I paused and looked at Ava. Was she jealous? Hm.
Mavis tsked. “I just wanted to see you for myself. How was the book?”
“Just perfect.” Ava’s fingers clenched her fork.
“So, this is nice.” Mavis folded her hands on the table and smiled.
“What do you want?” She had talked to Ava in Oxford and I hadn’t even known about it. If she was going to collect her, that would have been the time to do it. Not here with all of these people.
“God, Owen. You always were bad at small talk.” Mavis glared at me. Her perfect lips pursed in disgust. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friend?”
“I thought you’d already done that.”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly honest.”
“Ava, this is Mavis. Mavis, this is Ava.” I glared at the little woman next to me. “Mavis, don’t kill Ava.”
“How have you put up with him these past few days? He’s such a grump.” Mavis smiled at Ava, but Ava wasn’t impressed. “I could only stand a few hours at a time.”
“We were doing okay until a few minutes ago.” Ava’s chin jutted out.
“Ah, I see. Well, he does have his good points.” Mavis ran her hand over my thigh and I shoved it away.
“Quit it, Mavis. That was over a long time ago.”
She laughed loudly, but it wasn’t cruel or mocking. Genuine humor shone in her eyes as she regarded me and Ava. I was struck by their differences. Mavis, poised and polished, radiated self-confidence and sex appeal. Ava, with her large eyes and baggy clothes, looked innocent and trusting. But just as sexy. The t-shirt under her sweater barely clung to her cleavage, threatening to slip too low at any minute. Her heavy bangs shrouded her eyes in a way that enhanced them, making them feel deeper. A natural beauty, one that didn’t have to try to be alluring. It was a breath of fresh air next to the perfectly coifed woman sitting next to me.
“You know, when I saw the video of you I wasn’t sure. I had to check it out for myself.” Mavis turned her smile on the waitress as she took her tea. “And now I know.”
“Know what exactly?” Ava narrowed her eyes at Mavis.
“What video?” I asked.
“That he really is protecting you.” Mavis poured milk into her cup and I passed her the sugar. “Videos of you and Ava in the parking garage were circulated. There were lots of theories, of course. That you were going to collect the bounty, you were going to offer a trade. Oh, lots of things. But it’s much simpler than all that.” She winked at Ava. “He’s just chasing cute ass. Men are all the same.”