The Laughing Assassin [Assassin's Diary] (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

When he finished the last bites of the huge sandwich, he left again, and this time when he came back it would be with the truth. No sooner than he touched the door, he looked back and saw her smile. He knew that she didn’t intend for him to see it, but she wasn’t quick enough to wipe the mirth from her face when he made the quick decision to look at her once more. It only took her a few seconds to put on her blank social mask, and he couldn’t hide his own grin. Even if she didn’t want to admit it, she liked him. That was perfect, because he liked her, too.

She liked him, really liked him, and there was no way she could hope to hide it from him now.

Lie Like a Dog

Jaden had a great Sunday night with Kris as usual. They had a mani-pedi day and some awesome back massages, which her pupil sorely needed. When finished, they watched one of their favorite movies,
The Incredibles
, as they laughed at the animated flick and dined on a delivered New York style pizza with garlic knots before they called it a night. But she felt something was amiss. What it was, she wasn’t sure, but something was in the wind, and she didn’t know what it was to speak on it yet.

Jaden went to sleep, but her dreams were fitful. Men chased her, and she was helpless to fight back.

When she woke up bright and early at five thirty, she knew that she needed to find out what was going on around her. More than anything she detested the idea of being caught unaware and in a situation beyond her control. Everything life threw at her could be handled with a good plan and her own two hands. She ran a program on her computer before she took a shower. It was time to find out who the mystery man was at her shop on Saturday evening, as she was sure that he was the cause for what she felt was coming her way.

She had ignored the urge to find out about him for too long, and come hell or high water she would know what she was about to be thrust into. Jonah had an ulterior motive, and she needed to know what it was, before she could react instead of being proactive, as that was even worse than not having a plan at all. When she left the comfort of her hot water and padded back to the PC, what she found was worse than she thought.

His family tree extended beyond the Mayfair, and he came from a long line of military men and statesmen. The only branch of government his roots hadn’t crept into was that of the White House. Not that his cover was blown, she still had no idea who he worked for truly. But the information she found was too perfect, too pat, and everything in his history fit together like puzzle pieces. The information she found mainly used the truth of
who
he was to cover up
what
he really did.

The cover career he had established was done by a master hacker, and she had to admit, whoever did this had skills that she wasn’t entirely able to compete with. If he was a security consultant, she would eat her apron. The hackers Jonah employed could give her a run for her money, and that said a lot about his ability to employ the best of the best.

The only plan she could make now was to wait and watch for her opportunity. Hopefully she could find the cracks in his perfect history and put herself in a position of control again. She hated that he was one up on her. He may not know who she was entirely, but she was sure he knew enough to be trouble. If anything, he did know that she wasn’t who she said she was. That was more knowledge than she wanted him or anyone else to have about her.

Not to mention that he was too attractive to her. She didn’t want to want him, even though she perversely wanted him to want her. For what, she couldn’t fathom. He was out of her league in too many aspects. She could see that in the way he carried himself. He was similar to a dictator, in control of everything around him, and she was afraid he would set his gaze to her side of the world next. And she was even more terrified that she might just forego her right to bear arms and let him take over, as long as he took her as well.

Jaden wasn’t in the mood for that type of revelation today. She had been self-sufficient for too long to lie down like a dog and take it.

But the reference to a dog only sent her thoughts elsewhere, about what it could feel like to be under him. Beneath him with her head hung low. Beneath him with his hands on her skin, and those were desires she assumed that she didn’t have. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had sex before. It was just that she never really enjoyed the act before. More than anything it seemed a form of exercise that was conducted in a bed. There had been occasions when she’d had an orgasm, but never with another person present, and she only came when alone.

She’d had two lovers before, if she could call it that. They weren’t one-night stands, but the interludes were only that and just a handful of weeks long each. No one was ever considered permanent. Not in her bed, as men tended to ask too many questions that she could never give the answers to. The first time wasn’t a total bust, but there were no trumpets blowing or angels singing. Not in the context that she would have assumed the act could be like.

Unless everything she ever saw or heard was bullshit, and that was a possibility.

Jaden had spent numerous nights in some of the seediest parts of the world, in rented rooms that charged in fractions of an hour and not by the night. So that was most likely why she thought that there was enjoyment for others but not her. The women that stayed in those places were bought by the hour just like the flats were rented out, and they had to pretend for their customers to like what was being done with them.

She shook the random tack her thoughts had taken off, and she got ready to start her day. Her morning was built to have just enough time for a quick series of stretches before she dressed, and her woolgathering cost her those few moments today. Therefore it was no surprise to her that she wasn’t a happy camper at the bakery that morning.

When the doors were unlocked for the public to come inside, she had the premonition that her first customer would be him. The ovens in back were filled with racks of muffins and scones for the morning rush. Normally she prepared the dough and batters needed in advance, and all that had to be done was baking them at the right temperature for the right amount of time. Today she was glad she didn’t have the added burden of preparation. She was all thumbs and strangely clumsy.

When the chimes in the front clacked together, she wanted it to be Jonah. She was right, and just like the devil, he came when called. Jaden felt a ridiculous thrill at the sight of him. When she walked out, she almost dropped a tray but she saved the éclairs in the nick of time. They needed to cool so they could be frosted and filled for the midafternoon pickup.

But when their eyes locked, she felt shaken somehow, as if she were a blade of grass at the mercy of the wind. He was even more potent to the eye than he was the first time their eyes locked gazes. For a split second before the urge was smothered, Jaden truly wished she could be the kind of woman that took what she needed from a man, no questions asked.

There was no problem taking what she wanted from life, but from the opposite sex?

She was as naïve as a newborn lamb when it came to that. There was nothing of the femme fatale in her. She didn’t know how to flirt or be demure. She was an in-your-face kind of woman, and anyone with sense knew that men didn’t find strong women attractive. Her body was curved in the right places, and everything was tight and taut from her years of training. But in her experience, men wanted a woman weaker than they. That helped them to feel more masculine.

The saddest part was that she wanted to be weak for a moment, to know what it would feel like. To know that someone else would take care of her and that she didn’t have to worry about anything, save to exist in the moment. It was that thought that made the scowl hit her face when she really wanted to smile at Jonah.

He was wonderful at making her forget everything, save him, and she hated that more than her own weaknesses. No sooner than she served him, he was headed to one of her back corner tables with the wall to his back, yet another sign that he preferred to see what was going on around him. And another clue as to his training. He positioned everything in a haphazard manner, but that was only at the first glance.

Each item had a place, and the way he arranged the items allowed him free movement if needed. She kept her eye on him as he occupied the bench seat alone for a couple of hours. His hands never stopped moving, and she liked the rhythm he set. It corresponded with the radio station that she had piped in the speakers discreetly in each corner and the same beat she moved to. It made the small room seem fuller and more robust somehow, even with the steady stream of customers that came and went over the course of the morning.

That afternoon arrived faster than she thought it would when he walked back into her shop as if he owned it and her. She pretended like she didn’t care if he came back or not, but she really did, more than she could admit out loud. Jaden made him a huge turkey sandwich and sent him away, but he only went back to the small table he’d chosen at breakfast.

When he left after lunch, she felt a bit sad, and she wished she could be bold enough to ask him to stay, just so she could look at him some more. But she smiled at his back and knew he would never see the grin that helplessly lifted her lips. He had a nice back, the muscles richly apparent even beneath the T-shirt he wore.

For some odd reason, the cocky bastard looked back at the perfect moment, and she wiped the mirth from her face as quickly as she was able. But he saw it. There was no way he could have missed the smile on her face. Jaden wouldn’t have.

When the lunch rush passed and all was calm once more, Kris was back from her classes and, thankfully, ready to work.

Jaden had been so slammed she wasn’t able to take a break all day to even catch her breath. Not that she could have taken that moment if she’d wanted, as the man across the room owned all of the air in the vicinity for some odd reason.

“Hey, J, what do you need me to do?”

“Heck, Kris, there is too much going on to even say right now. I need to take a minute though.”

“No problem, boss lady, take a minute and get your bearings. I did come bearing gifts if you want some.”

“What is it?”

“Just something I think you would love to eat.” Kris winked at her and chuckled. “Here, have some.”

“Is it?” Hello, slice of heaven, she thought. It was her personal favorite, Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

“Yep, and the hot sign was on when I passed by, so I decided to get a few doughnuts and some spicy Thai noodles for you while I was at it. It’s my consolation prize.” Jaden loved Flaming Amy’s Bowl. It was a place where customers could choose whatever they wanted to have stir fried and smothered in sauce. They served everything over noodles or rice, and she adored spicy food. Not only that, but it was a dive where a tattoo got a discount off the meal.

Kris had plenty of skin ink, as she used the artwork to cover the scars from her abduction and torture all those years ago. Her arms were an ode to sea and sky. Her back was an ode to fire, and her hips were an ode to earth, with bunches of wild flowers clustered along her hips. The only part of the ink visible when she was fully dressed was a smattering of manga clouds and splattered stars at the shoulders, along with a score of ocean waves down the arms. The colors were vivid and the art was still unfinished as Kris mentioned a while back that she wanted to add a sun and moon to represent day and night on her shoulders.

Under the circumstances, Jaden let Kris be as independent as possible, and that meant allowing her control over her body as well. She could understand the need to erase as much of her past as possible.

Jaden had tattoos as well, actually just one. But if anyone had the chance to see the hidden ink, she was probably close to dead and it wouldn’t matter anyhow. When a student was considered complete, a tattoo of mastery was applied to the skin as part of the graduation. Hers was actually the Japanese character for attention, the master’s tenet. But having the art in plain view was more than she could fathom. She didn’t like the idea of being identifiable just because she had skin art, and that was best left to people who didn’t mind a little notoriety.

Therefore, hers was on the arch on the underside of her foot.

That made her wonder if her hunter Jonah had any ink as well, and that was a path her mind was better off not meandering down.

“Okay, for what, Kris? Don’t tell me that you are going to ditch me tonight again.”

“All right then, I’ll tell you that I’m going to be here tonight to close out the last of the prep. But I’m not.”

“Ugghh, what is it now? Are you going to save mistreated drug testing bunnies or something?”

“Not quite, I’m going on a date. Sorta…kinda. Let’s just say it’s me and a guy alone having dinner together and a movie.” Kris grinned and scrunched her lips sideways.

Mentally, Jaden let her off the hook immediately. Kris hadn’t been interested in a date with a man since she was freed. Kris had needs, but after what happened to her, she only felt comfortable with sex if she was dominant during the act. The welcome thought of Kris beginning to heal was pervasive, and Jaden couldn’t in good conscience deny the young woman an evening of fun.

“You got me. It shouldn’t be too bad tonight anyway. I can close up, but you have to be here two hours early tomorrow to prep more fondant.”