Attempted Assassination(9)

What the hell was wrong with him?

What he'd do for some ibuprofen, a bed, and a cold cloth on his head.

"I have a meeting with Joe Smith tomorrow, and I left my notes on the room number at home. Could you please look that up for me?"

Her brow furrowed and the smile faded. "I'm sorry, sir, but it's against policy for us to give out that information except to the person who booked the space."

He nodded, then leaned in a little closer, imagining all the pleasure those lips could bring him. But then the blonde woman crossed his thoughts, again crushing any desire he had. "I get it, but here's the thing. I don't want to have to call Joe and ask him for it again. It's an important meeting, and I don't want to look like a dumbass."

She glanced around, as if to make sure no one eavesdropped on their conversation. When satisfied, she grinned at him. "Of course. We wouldn't want that, would we?"

A few keystrokes later, she wrote down the information on a slip of paper and slid it over to him.

"Thank you," he said, glancing down at the sheet. It contained a room number and the elevator access code to the top floor, but under that, she'd written a phone number and her name, Brenda.

"Give me a call if you want to get together while you're in town."

A promise to do that sat on the tip of his tongue, but suddenly, he couldn't say the words. Instead, he shocked himself by blurting, "I can't. I'm married."



       
         
       
        

Disappointment crossed her face, but it didn't compare to the utter astonishment that rolled through him. Why the hell had he said that?

Shit. He ran his fingers through his hair as sweat formed on his brow. He was saying things that weren't true, hearing voices that weren't there, thinking he knew people he didn't, and considering all this happened in a city where he'd never been before, it felt like his brain was slowly coming apart at the seams.

He grinned at Brenda again and made his way to the elevator. After pushing the button for the top floor and a brief wait, he stepped inside and entered the access code. As he rode up, he decided he'd check out the layout of the twenty-first floor, then he'd take the stairs down to the lobby and time himself. He had to explore all escape routes.

Meanwhile, he had to try to line up his mental marbles.

Why the hell would he tell Brenda he was married? It didn't make a lick of sense. And why did that blonde woman keep popping into his head, especially when he was setting everything up to get laid? And what was this woman's voice he heard?

He sighed, wishing he had some pain relievers for his headache. The damn pain must be messing with his brain cells.

Once he did a bit of recon, he'd go back to his room and have a shower and a nap.

Hopefully, he'd wake up feeling focused and alert.

A distracted assassin could not be effective.





10





Ava sat in her bedroom staring out into the dark night, sipping her third glass of wine. She kept hoping the red liquid would somehow dull the ache in her chest, but it didn't.

Being back in the Northwest had brought back so many memories of her and Jordan and made them seem so much more visceral as she stood around all the sights and smells that had accompanied them. Having Jordan with her was the only thing missing.

They'd met in Pioneer Square, both of them going on the same underground tour.

Seattle had an interesting history. When first settled, the pioneers had built on the tidal flats, which led to increments of flooding. In 1889, a fire began in the cabinet shop as a young man named Jonathan Edward Back accidently turned over a glue pot. The glue had been made of grease, and he attempted to put it out with water, which only fed the fire. In the end, the fire destroyed thirty-one blocks of buildings and business.

The powers that be at that time decided that they would build over the damage, which would take care of the flooding.

The underground tour had taken them into the original city while the tour guide told them about the history of Seattle and some of its more interesting characters.

She'd first noticed Jordan as she stood in line to buy her ticket. Her girlfriend, Tara, who she'd been traveling with, had come down with a bad case of food poisoning the night before after eating some clam chowder. Tara had been up all night long, and finally slept soundly. Ava had decided to go do some tourist activities instead of try to pussyfoot around the hotel room, trying not to wake her. 

When they'd lined up for the tour, Jordan had stood right next to her. She had to admit, she'd found him attractive from the second she saw him. As the tour had progressed, he'd begun making funny little comments to her about what they saw, and she'd found herself enjoying his company.

After the tour, they'd stood in Pioneer Square and grinned at each other.

"I'm Jordan, by the way. I probably should have introduced myself before talking to you for two hours."

"Ava. Where're you from?"

"I was stationed in California, but got reassigned to North Carolina. I'd never been up this way, so I decided to check it out before I head east."

She found herself surprised, as that's where she resided. "Really? Where?"

"Just outside Fayetteville."

"That's about an hour from where I live!"

They stared at each other a moment, then he asked, "Would you like to grab a bite to eat with me?"

She quickly agreed, happy to have someone to talk to while she explored Seattle.

They went to lunch at a little café, then walked around the city and got to know each other. By the time dinner rolled around, she found herself disappointed that their day had to end.

"I should get back to my friend," she said. "She's been so sick, and I need to check on her."

He nodded and grabbed her hand. "Look, I don't mean to come across as a stalker or possessive, but I have an idea. Give her a call. If she's feeling better, I'll get you back to your hotel. If not, we can have dinner together."

She hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit guilty about leaving Tara all day.

"If you want to have dinner with me, of course."

As she studied his chocolate gaze and handsome features, she really didn't want the day to end. Not quite yet, anyway.

"Okay, I'll call her."

Relief swept through her as Tara said she felt better, but wasn't quite ready to get back to playing the tourist.

"We're on for dinner."

They took a car over to Dukes, a restaurant that sat right on Lake union  . As they were seated at the table by the window, Ava kept stealing glances at Jordan. She'd really enjoyed spending the day with him, and wondered if they'd see each other back in North Carolina.

Almost as if he read her thoughts, he said, "I have to leave for North Carolina tomorrow, but I was hoping that we could get together once you get back."

As he met her gaze, her heart thudded in her chest and heat rose in her cheeks.

"I'd really like that."

She and Tara had two more days in Seattle, and then they would head down to Portland for a couple of nights. After that, they'd be going home.

As she sipped her wine and they talked in low tones, she realized she almost wanted to cancel the rest of the vacation and head home now so didn't miss a moment with Jordan.



A light knock sounded at her door, bringing her out of her memories.

"Come in."

Joe wheeled himself into the room, a small smile on his face as he carefully eyed her. "How are you, Ava?"

She sat down on the bed. "I'm fine."

"Today shook you up quite a bit, I heard."

She nodded and sighed. "It was difficult seeing him, and not knowing what he would do. He ran at me so hard, almost getting hit by cars and a truck, and I kept wondering if it was because he remembered me, or if I set off some type of trigger in his brain that made him want to hurt me."



       
         
       
        

"I'm sure it was frightening for you, but I consider it a good sign. He saw you, and it did something to him. If he had seen you and not had a reaction, then I would be worried that we've lost him for good."

She grinned. "You're quite the optimist."

"I don't know about that, but I am a realist. What happened today was an excellent sign."

As she contemplated Joe's words, she realized he was right. It also gave her a little bit of hope-hope that she'd get him back.

"Will you be ready to do it again tomorrow, Ava?"

She felt a bit lighter, the weight in her heart not quite as heavy, and she wanted to see Jordan again, to see his reaction. She just had to trust that Garrett would be there to protect her if Jordan did try to hurt her.

She sighed, feeling better about everything, but still nervous. "Yes, I'll be ready."





11





The next morning, Jordan ran down the stairs from the top floor to the lobby again, timing himself. He figured it served a dual purpose-first, he'd get in some exercise that would hopefully calm the jitters within him, and second, he expected to be faster than yesterday because he'd never get out of the hotel unnoticed if he didn't pick up the pace.

He hadn't slept well. He'd kept dreaming of conversations that sounded familiar, but he didn't recognize the people talking, although the male voice sounded a bit like his own. As the man and woman chatted amicably about mundane things such as a broken dishwasher and bills, he tried to block it all out, but failed. He woke, tossed and turned, and finally went back to sleep. When he dreamt of the moans and soft sighs that definitely sounded sexual to him, he sat up in bed, his heart beating rapidly. It almost seemed as if some of the noises belonged to him, and he had no idea who the woman had been.