I think it’s time we were somewhere else.
I move beside Lily and push her arm down gently with my hand. I ease my gun from her grip and slide it back into its holster. “Come on, Lily. We’re done here.”
I put my arm around her shoulder and usher her away from the screaming women and the retreating men, walking hurriedly in our original direction. After a few minutes, we turn off down a side street and drop to a more discreet, casual pace.
I turn to look at her. “So, are you gonna tell me what happened that really brought you here?”
She turns to meet my gaze, her brown eyes sparkling in the glow of the streetlights. “I will, but not now, okay? After all that, my adrenaline’s pumping, and I just want to drink and dance. We can talk tomorrow.”
I nod. “Fair enough. Drinking sounds good.”
“And dancing…”
I shake my head and smile. “You can dance. I’ll drink and watch.”
She rolls her eyes at me and we share a laugh.
I have a feeling our night is just beginning…
11
Holy shit… what was I drinking last night?
I open one eye. I’m lying in bed, face down, buried in my pillow. It’s daylight outside. Far too bright for my liking… I glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table and close my eye again.
Ugh! The inside of my mouth feels like the desert, and my head is banging louder than the music was in the club last night. I’m not cut out for this shit anymore. I’m too old.
I frown.
Wait a minute…
I snap both eyes open and quickly roll over on my back. I look to my right and see Lily lying next to me, seemingly still asleep. She’s sprawled on top of the covers. She still has her cropped top on, for what it’s worth, but she’s dispensed with her white jeans. Her underwear doesn’t look like it offers much in the way of warmth.
Oh… my… God…
I stare at the ceiling, massaging my temples. What the hell happened last night?
I roll out of bed carefully, so I don’t disturb her, and make my way to the kitchen. I grab some juice from the refrigerator and stand looking out the window at my pool. It’s already hot, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky, so the glare from the sun is unrestrained. Neither of which are prime conditions when dealing with a hangover.
I hear something behind me. I look over my shoulder and see Lily padding barefoot into the kitchen, looking tired, but decidedly more awake than I feel. She waves silently and heads straight to the fridge, takes out a beer, pops the top, and takes a big gulp before walking back out. I force myself to look away, so I don’t stare at her ass as she goes.
She really is something else…
I finish my juice and follow her out. I push open my bedroom door to see her sitting on the bed, leaning back against the pillows.
She smiles weakly. “Morning, sunshine.”
I nod a quick greeting. “It sure is. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m alright. Those cocktails were stronger than I thought, though…”
“Yeah… what happened last night? I remember going in the first place we found after the fight, but then things get a little blurry…”
She chuckles. “Yeah, I think that was where we discovered that really expensive tequila.”
I raise an eyebrow and try desperately to recall anything about what happened last—
Wait…
Tequila?
I remember shot glasses.
I hold my head with both hands and breathe a heavy sigh. It’s as if remembering it is actually increasing my hangover.
“Oh yeah… tequila.”
I sit down on the end of the bed, lean forward, and rest my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.
Lily moves next to me and pats me on the back. “Don’t worry, big boy — it’s just your age.”
I don’t bother looking up. “Gee, thanks. How are you so perky, anyway? You’re way too skinny to absorb that much alcohol, surely?”
She giggles. “Practice. I’m gonna jump in the shower… that okay?”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Go for it.”
She disappears inside my bathroom. I quickly throw some clothes on, pick up my cell phone from the bedside table, and walk back out to the kitchen. I make a pot of coffee — I need the caffeine to wake me up — and check my phone.
No messages.
I let out an impatient sigh.
Considering all the hoops I jumped through to get in The Order, and the fuss they made about recruiting me, things have been annoyingly quiet. I guess I envisioned being busier than this…
I sit down and sip my coffee. Ten minutes or so pass easily enough before Lily appears next to me, wearing the same clothes as yesterday, looking more refreshed and smelling amazing. She pours herself a cupful of the good stuff and sits down opposite me.
I gesture a silent cheers with my mug. “Feel better?”
She nods. “Yeah, thanks.”
“Okay, down to business. I don’t know what, if anything, you told me last night, but I’m damned if I can remember any of it, so we need to run through it again. Or for the first time — whichever. Who’s your target, and what went wrong?”
She sighs and stares at the counter, seemingly reluctant to tell me. I can understand that — it’s a pride thing. We’re meant to be the elite in our profession… it’s not easy to admit you failed.
“Horizon activated a contract on a man called Sayed bin Mawal. He’s a Saudi prince visiting the city for a few days. Naturally, he’s well protected. My plan was to use what God gave me—” She gestures to her chest with her hand. “—to get close to him, then take him out once we were alone.”
I shrug, trying not to stare. “Makes sense. So what happened?”
“I couldn’t get close enough. His security was too thorough and they didn’t trust me. When I pushed the issue, they threatened me and I was forced to defend myself, blowing my cover. I barely got out of there alive. I won’t get within a mile of him now.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Lily — that happens sometimes. Just regroup and try again.”
She shakes her head. “No, you don’t understand… I told Horizon it was done. I said I’d killed him.”
I frown. “Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know! I panicked, I guess…”
“But won’t Horizon and The Order find out he’s still alive?”
She nods.
“And I’m guessing they frown upon the whole failing and lying about it thing, right?”
She nods again.
“Shit… How long d’you think you have?”
She shrugs. “Twenty-four hours, max.”
I nod, processing the information. Instinctively, I start thinking about the hit — looking at every option, every eventuality… playing out the contract in every possible way, considering every possible scenario, until the target’s dead. Then I rewind everything in my mind, right back to the very beginning, and focus on the single most important question.
“Why does The Order want this guy dead?”
Lily sighs. “Not this again, Adrian… I don’t know, okay? I didn’t ask, and Horizon didn’t tell me. Besides, who cares?”
“You should. You’re putting your life on the line here… don’t you wanna know why?”
She shakes her head. “No, I don’t. We’ve been through this — that’s not how things work. It’s not for us to ask why. I trust that Horizon has his reasons. I’m just his weapon.”
I roll my eyes. “Jesus, Lily — when are you going to wake up and smell what you’re shoveling? You sound like you’re brainwashed, reading out of the Welcome brochure! We’re highly trained killers, but we’re not animals. We’re professionals, and you can’t honestly tell me, if you were working for yourself, you wouldn’t ask that question…”