"How come I'm more freaked out about what happened today than you are, Ava?"
She shrugged as their gazes met, recalling her conversation with Joe the prior night. "I'm just glad we got some type of response. I'm considering it a good thing."
He sighed and shook his head. "We're just damn lucky we don't have tourists walking through our brain matter in Pioneer Square right now."
They all sat quietly for a few moments, then Joe spoke. "I agree with Ava. I think this is an excellent sign."
She leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees. "He seemed like he was sick, almost like he had a fever-sweating, shaking … I was actually worried about him."
"Interesting."
Garrett nodded. "Yeah, he did look bad. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it was drugs or something like that."
Ava shook her head. "Jordan despised drugs. You know that."
"We aren't dealing with the same guy we once knew, Ava. The guy I knew sure wouldn't have stuck a gun in my damn face."
Joe stared off into the distance, deep in thought. Ava longed to know what went through that smart mind, but decided that if Joe wanted her to know, he'd tell her.
After a few moments, he spoke. "Garrett, yesterday when you followed Jordan through the market, what was his demeanor?"
"He was pretty damn calm. Watched the fish toss for a while, looked at some flowers, watched a magician … just strolled around like he didn't have a care in the world."
Excitement tore through Ava. "He bought me a bouquet of flowers at the market, and we watched the magician together!"
"Yes, but what about when he saw you? You said that he literally ran out into traffic."
She nodded. "He did."
Garrett agreed. "Like his ass was on fire."
Joe nodded. "Fascinating. Now, I'm speculating on this, but what if his outward symptoms, such as the sweating and trembling, are a direct physical response to him seeing you, Ava?"
She furrowed her brow, never having given it any thought.
"That would be some weird shit," Garrett murmured.
Joe nodded. "Yes, it would, Garrett. I agree."
It upset her that her presence caused him so much physical pain, but at the same time, it also gave her even more hope. He may have pulled a gun on her, but at least, there had been some response. He hadn't ignored her, so somewhere deep inside of him, some part of him knew her.
Joe pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go speak to Lucas and Brody about tomorrow."
Garrett stood. "Are you sure you don't want me go with you guys?"
Joe wheeled himself to the door. "No, Garrett. He's seen you. When he attempts to take my life, I want him as calm as possible."
Ava cringed at his words, and nerves fluttered in her belly. She hoped they could grab Jordan tomorrow without incident, and certainly without anyone getting hurt.
15
Jordan woke the next morning wishing he hadn't picked the Motel 6. The bed seemed to have been around since the eighties, right along with the décor, and now his back felt like someone had just jacked a knife in his spine.
After yesterday's fiasco in Pioneer Square, he'd bought some new clothes, as well as some toiletries. Then, he'd hunkered down in the hotel for the rest of the night, not even bothering to eat dinner.
He just wanted out of this damn city.
He gave a lot of consideration to pulling the plug on this job. Frankly, he questioned whether or not he possessed the mental stability to pull it off. However, if he didn't, they'd simply assign him somewhere else, and his work in preparing for this job would go down the drain. Besides, he'd been told this target was extremely important, and operated in the shadows. Men and women who lived in the grey area of life, as he did, found it easy to disappear and never be heard from again. If he didn't complete his job, they may not get the chance to kill the bastard again. That little tidbit would go down on his record, and his bosses wouldn't be happy. They'd probably send him to Siberia, or somewhere just as warm and lovely. Forget the beach and margaritas he'd thought about yesterday.
Rolling out of bed on a groan, he did a few minutes of light stretching, and felt a bit better.
His dreams last night had been one erotic tale after the other, all involving a faceless woman, but his hands had been tangled in long blonde hair.
"Ava."
He stared at the old, greying carpet. She had said yesterday her name was Ava, but it apparently hadn't registered until just now. Saying it brought a chill down his spine, goose bumps over his skin, and an erection in his boxers.
Yesterday, he'd been so panicked, he hadn't given any consideration to what she'd yelled after him as he ran away.
Jordan! Please! It's me, Ava! Jordan, you have to remember me!
Like he should have known her. Her voice had been so desperate, as if she begged him to recall her.
He searched his memory and came up with a big, fat nothing. He didn't know her, and he guessed it to be some ploy to build up his trust. Well, not going to happen. He covered his ass.
Yet, as he remembered her sky blue eyes, his headache came back.
He pushed the image of her out of his mind as he stepped into the shower. He had three hours until he did the hit, and then he'd get the fuck out of this city.
Hopefully, at that point, he'd get a bit of peace.
16
The morning light came through the windows, and Ava's coffee churned in her stomach as she listened to the plans being laid out at the kitchen table.
Brody, Lucas, Thomas, and Joe all sat around it discussing what would happen in a few short hours, the tension so thick in the room, she could probably choke on it if she inhaled too deeply.
Brody and Lucas both wore suits with their hair combed back. If she didn't know them so well, she never would have recognized them, as she was used to seeing them in more casual attire as well as fatigues.
Joe seemed calm and cool, as usual. How he did it, she couldn't understand. In a couple of hours, he would be presenting himself as bait to Jordan and depending on Brody, Lucas, and Thomas to make sure he didn't get assassinated. He obviously trusted them a great deal.
"I'll take the elevator to the tenth floor, where Thomas will get on. He'll get off at the fifteenth floor. I'll then ride to the top floor, where Jordan will try to shoot me. Then, it's up to you, Brody and Lucas, to make sure that doesn't happen."
Brody rubbed his face. "No pressure, though."
Joe smiled. "Of course not. However, we are having steak and lobster brought in tonight, and I'd like to enjoy that."
Lucas ran his hand through his hair. "Like Brody said, no pressure at all."
She smiled, and realized that Joe had Jordan's favorite meal planned for dinner.
"Why do you think he'll wait to shoot you at the top floor?" she asked.
Joe turned to her. "The top floor is reserved for meetings, so it tends to be the quietest. He's not going to risk shooting me, then have the elevator open to a group of people waiting to get on. He'll want as little exposure as possible, and the top floor offers that."
"What if he's willing to take a chance and shoot you on another floor?"
He shrugged. "That's a chance we'll have to take, but my guess is that Jordan is very cautious. If he weren't, he would've been caught by now. He'll take advantage of the place with the lowest risk, and that's the top floor. Besides, he's not going to want to take the chance of my brain matter getting on him. He'll wait until I exit the elevator, shoot me, then make his escape."
She cringed at how calm he seemed talking about his brains being spattered everywhere.
She leaned back in her chair, eyeing her cup. No, her stomach definitely couldn't take any more caffeine today.
After a moment of silence, Joe asked, "Are we clear on everything?"
Everyone at the table nodded.
"Good. I know I'm asking a lot of you, gentlemen, but I wouldn't put myself in this position unless I explicitly trusted you."
Brody took a sip of his coffee. "We owe you, Joe. You saved us, and we plan on doing the same for you."
Lucas nodded, and offered his fist to Brody, who gave it a bump. "Damn straight. If it weren't for you, Joe, I wouldn't have Gabby back, and frankly, I'd probably be dead."
Garrett walked into the room and pulled a cup from the cabinet. "If it weren't for me, you'd be dead. I had to kidnap your skinny, smelly ass, remember?"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yes, Garrett. I remember."
Joe rolled away from the table, a small smile on his face. "Gentlemen, we'll leave in thirty. Try not to spill anything on your suits before then. We need to look as if we belong in the Four Seasons."
Ava rose and went to her room with Grunt at her heels as the men continued to rib each other. She lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and prayed that everyone would arrive back at the house.
"Please, take care of them, and bring Jordan home to me."
17
Jordan walked into the Four Season a half hour before the scheduled meeting. He wished he had on a better suit, but he had bought the best he could find after that fiasco in Pioneer Square. Usually, his suits were tailored, but this one, he'd bought off the rack. He'd paid extra to have the pants hemmed on such short notice.