A toxic blend of dread and anger twisted her insides like a pretzel. She fought the urge to start the car back up and drive…somewhere. Anywhere. Without a doubt, this would make her Top Ten List of unpleasant conversations. Hell, it might crack the top three. Vaughn had never been the kind of guy who tolerated failure. This time would be no different, especially considering she’d acted as the catalyst.
Served him right, she thought as she retrieved her gun from the glove box and tucked it into her ankle holster. He’d lied to her, manipulated her, and in the process had damn near made her an accomplice to murder.
For good measure, and because she’d rather be paranoid than dead, she clipped a knife to her belt and folded her shirt over it. If given the choice, she’d rather have the gun on her belt and within closer reach, but the fit of her clothes made it impossible to conceal a firearm there.
As she got out of the car and climbed the stairs to her apartment, she mentally made a list of all of the places she’d rather be, from Acapulco to Zanzibar and everywhere in between. She’d been in precarious situations before, but this one made her long for the days of black ops in Beirut. At the door, she paused, drew a deep, steadying breath, and went inside.
“Where the hell have you been?” Vaughn demanded the instant the door clicked shut behind her. He stood near the entrance of the kitchen, still dressed in the all-black waiter’s uniform, his hands planted on his hips and his hair slicked back from his angular face.
Funny, she’d never noticed before how anger made him look at least ten years older.
“I’ve been calling you for hours. I was starting to worry that Bazarov’s goons got hold of you.”
“I’m touched by your concern, but as you can see, I’m quite all right.” It took a considerable amount of effort to keep the temper out of her voice. Normally she was much better at keeping a lid on her emotions, but damn it, this hit too close to home. She hated being played for a fool, particularly by someone she’d considered family and trusted with her life.
An awkward silence stretched between them as she tucked her keys into her pants pocket. This was uncharted territory for her. She hoped to talk some sense into Vaughn, to remind him of the man he was and convince him to abandon the path he’d chosen, but if not…she kept one hand near the knife tucked under her shirt.
Things could get messy.
Vaughn broke the silence. “So where have you been?”
“Out for a drive. I needed to clear my head.” Essie met his gaze, and she felt as if she were on a roller coaster, about to take that first giant plunge. “What were you doing in the restaurant, Vaughn? You said no contact with the target.”
“I know, but I wanted to be close just in case one of Bazarov’s men slipped past you.”
He sounded convincing, so much she wanted to believe him, to believe he was the same man she’d once looked to for guidance and support. Unfortunately, she knew better, and it squeezed her heart like a vise.
One of the first things covert operatives learned was how to lie convincingly in a high-stress situation. In the field, that ability could mean the difference between walking away on your own two feet and being zipped into a body bag. After a while, it became second nature. But if you spent enough time with a person, you eventually learned their subtle cues that hinted at deception. In Vaughn’s case, it was a slight twitch of his left eye. Barely detectable, but it was there. Odds were he wasn’t even aware of it. Back in the day, that giveaway used to come in handy on poker night.
“If you wanted to get close, you could have gone in as a customer. The table right next to them was empty. But that wouldn’t have allowed you to deliver those drinks to her table. I’m assuming they were poisoned. Cyanide, right? That always was your favorite.” When he didn’t deny it, the bitter taste of bile rose up in her throat. Damn, she felt so stupid. Deep down, she’d wanted to believe that he was different from all of the others. “You’re not here to protect Antonina Petrov. You only want the Russians out of the way so you can be the one to complete the contract.”
At least he didn’t insult her intelligence by feeding her a bullshit cover story. He’d probably cooked up a few in the event something like this happened. Instead, he let out a huff of annoyance. “Since when did you become a paragon of virtue?”
“I never claimed to be one. Forgive me for having a slight problem with murdering for money.”
Vaughn leaned one hip against the kitchen counter and dragged a hand through his hair. For a moment or two, he looked tired, defeated. But then he blinked and the hardened glint returned to his eyes. “Don’t act so shocked, kiddo. You know how this business operates. Some people live, some people die. There’s nothing personal about it. Sooner or later, that bounty will be collected. It might as well be me.”
The words hit her like a punch to the gut, but she refused to let the pain show. “Yeah, which means I never should have taken your word at face value.”
Vaughn’s expression reminded Essie of a parent trying to reason with a petulant child. “What, you think this woman is a saint? She’s Russian mafia, third generation. You know how vicious they are. It’s practically written in their DNA. Her family has the blood of hundreds—maybe thousands—on their hands.”
“But she doesn’t. She left the family for a reason.” Essie drew another deep, steadying breath, and gave one last shot at appealing to Vaughn’s better nature. She only hoped he still had one. “You know this is wrong. The Vaughn who taught me everything I know wouldn’t consider killing an innocent woman just because the price was right.”
“Innocent?” Vaughn scoffed. “Are you serious? She killed her own brother.”
“Don’t bullshit me. I read the file. She was there when he died, but she didn’t pull the trigger.”
“Her type never does. She just got her boy toy to do the dirty work.” A vein stood out on his forehead, the most notable sign that his patience was nearing an end. “Look, we’re talking five million dollars. Opportunities like this don’t come around every day, and I can’t afford to waste time arguing with you about it. Are you with me or not?”
In the past, she’d killed in self-defense, to keep the country safe, to guard its secrets, and only when it was the last available option. Just hours ago, she’d killed to protect a woman marked for death. She’dneverkilled for money. Vaughn didn’t see the distinction, at least not anymore. Somewhere along the line, his moral compass had bent beyond the point of recognition. For him, a job was just a job, as long as the price was right.
If she agreed to the job, she’d never be able to remove the stain from her conscience. “I’m sorry, but this is where we part ways.”
He sighed. “I had a bad feeling you were going to say that. I’d ask you not to interfere, but we both know you’d only lie to me. The next time our paths cross, things won’t be so cordial.” The disappointment in his voice sounded sincere. He extended his right hand. “It was a pleasure working with you again, Esther. I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
She shook his hand, his grip warm and strong.
Perhaps a little too strong.
