The Accidental Assassin
Page 66
“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 frowned. “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…
“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 frowned. “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…
