Chapter 144
144
Iwatched on the surveillance app as John walked up to the table and said something.
The cameras didn’t pick up sound, but it looked like he said, Diana?
The blonde replied, and John reached over and shook hands with her. Then he sat down opposite her.
I’d gotten lucky with my choice. John seemed to be fairly charming – a big smiler and easy talker.
I continued to watch the camera feed, waiting.
John started glancing around the restaurant, obviously looking for me –
And then it happened.
Another woman – tall, brunette, and wearing a slinky black dress – walked up to the table with her back to the camera.
My heart stopped in my chest.
Rachel.
I switched camera feeds to confirm.
It was definitely her.
She tapped the blonde on the shoulder, and the woman got up and left.
John was incredibly confused as Rachel sat down in the blonde’s place – although he also seemed pleased with his good fortune. The blonde was very pretty, but Rachel was stunning.
I quickly left the lobby, walked into the restaurant, and headed for the table, approaching from behind Rachel.
As John looked up, a bit of disappointment washed over his face. “Oh, there you are p>
“Here I am,” I said as I circled around and shook his hand, slipping the remaining four hundred pounds into his palm.
But the entire time, my eyes were on Rachel.
She looked up at me, her eyes widening –
And all the blood drained from her face.
“Well, uh, I guess I’ll be going,” John said awkwardly.
“Thanks again,” I said, ignoring him as I stared at her.
John got up… looked at us staring at each other… and then shuffled out of the restaurant.
I took his old seat and gazed at Rachel. She was even more gorgeous than in my memories. Her long, dark tresses were piled on top of her head in an elegant hairdo, and her body was mouthwatering beneath the thin material of her dress. She wasn’t wearing a bra, which distracted the hell out of me.
I also noticed she wasn’t wearing a diamond ring on her finger.
I didn’t know if that meant anything or if she just didn’t want it to get in the way during a gunfight.
I was absolutely sure she’d brought a gun. Something small – either in her purse or strapped to her inner thigh where a garter would normally go.
“So,” she said drolly. “Herman p>
“Hello… Diana p>
“It’s been a while p>
“It has p>
“Cute diversion with the guy,” she said.
“Nice decoy with the girl. Who is she p>
“My assistant p>
“Kind of shitty to put her in harm’s way like that p>
“She knows the risks, and I pay her very well. Speaking of shittily putting people in harm’s way, did your patsy know he was walking into the lion’s den p>
“No, but I figured you wouldn’t hurt him. And he was well-paid, too p>
“I’ll bet.” Rachel settled back in her chair. She was still on high alert, but she seemed satisfied I wasn’t going to try to kill her – at least right away.
At that moment, our waiter made the inopportune decision to come over.
“Good evening, and welcome to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. Could I start you off with something to – ”
“We’re talking,” I said without looking away from Rachel’s face. “When we’re ready to order, I’ll let you know p>
“…oh… of course,” the waiter said. “Excuse me p>
And then he walked away.
“That was rude,” Rachel said mockingly.
“That was civil. You haven’t seen me be rude yet p>
“No, I’ve just seen you be shifty and duplicitous.” She smirked. “So, who made the appointment on your behalf… Herman p>
“Gunnar did p>
“Next time you talk to him, tell him I said he’s a real son of a bitch p>
I tsk tsked. “That’s not very nice p>
“Not very nice of him to set me up, either p>
“He’s your biggest supporter, actually. He made me promise that all I would do is talk to you p>
Rachel peered deep into my eyes. “Is that a promise you’re going to keep p>
“That all depends on you p>
She was silent for a second… then her shoulders slumped the tiniest bit as a note of sadness entered her voice. “I didn’t know you were going to be there. I had no idea you even worked for them until I saw you dive on top of Rosolini p>
I believed her.
Time to find out if I believed the rest.
“Who were you working for? Your pals over in Vauxhall p>
Vauxhall was the neighborhood where MI6’s building was located.
“No,” she said coldly.
“Are you still with them p>
“No,” she said, her voice even colder. “I’m not p>
I raised one eyebrow. “What happened p>
“We had a parting of the ways p>
“Mutual p>
“No,” she said, bitterness dripping from that one syllable.
Despite how things had turned out between me and Rachel, I felt a surge of relief that I’d never told her about Alistair.
I had lost her when I went to prison, yes… but Rachel had also lost me. I tended to forget that.
Hearing the rancor in her voice, I would have hated for her to have lost her job because of me, too.
“Who hired you, then?” I asked.
She gave me a disapproving look. “That’s confidential p>
“Fausto Rosolini p>
“I didn’t get a name.” If it wasn’t the truth, she had a great poker face.
“Did you meet him p>
“I did p>
“Italian, 50-something, bit of a gut? Mustache and goatee like the devil p>
She smiled like Okay, I give up. “That’s him p>
“Was his son Aurelio there, too p>
“Again, I didn’t get a name p>
“Young guy, handsome, scowls all the time? A real asshole p>
“Two for two,” she said, playfully mocking me. “You know all about these people p>
“I should. I met them the day I got hired p>
“They must not have liked your job performance p>
“It’s more that they didn’t like the people who hired me p>
“The mafia,” she said, her voice laced with contempt. “That’s who you’re working for now, huh p>
Her disdain made me angry – as did her hypocrisy.
“You were working for them, too,” I growled, “when you showed up in Tuscany p>
She shrugged dismissively. “I didn’t know p>
“Or you didn’t want to know, so you didn’t ask p>
“Oh, I asked,” she hissed. “If what you’re saying is true, then they lied to me p>
“And that absolves you of everything, huh,” I said, addressing her with the same contempt she’d shown me.
She glared at me but didn’t reply.
“Fausto hired you to kill his nephew,” I said.
“Family drama’s always the worst, isn’t it,” she said flippantly, like she was bored of the conversation.
“I don’t know… I’ve always found relationship drama to be worse. Speaking of which – where’s your ring p>
I’d hit a nerve.
I could see it in the flash of anger in her eyes.
“I gave it back p>
“Didn’t work out?” I asked mockingly.
“No… it didn’t p>
I suddenly felt bad.
Despite everything that had happened between us, I still loved Rachel.
I didn’t want her to get married to someone else –
But I didn’t want her to be miserable, either.
And from her reaction, I was fairly sure the end had been miserable.
Before I could say anything, though, she beat me to the punch.
“I guess you’re right,” she drawled.
“About what p>
“Relationship drama is the worst,” she sneered, her eyes locked on mine.
I knew she wasn’t talking about the other guy.
She was talking about me.
I stopped feeling bad and went back to being angry.
“What happened when you didn’t succeed?” I asked.
“Succeed at what – my relationship?” she asked bitingly.
“The job in Tuscany. Fausto just let you walk away p>
“He didn’t pay me the remainder of the fee. We parted amicably.” She smirked as she stared into my eyes. “Unlike some other men I’ve been involved with p>
I didn’t take the bait, even though her little barb pissed me off. “Fausto didn’t ask you to make a second attempt p>
“He did p>
That surprised me a little. “And you refused p>
“Yes p>
“Why p>
The look of hatred she gave me took my breath away. “Why do you think p>
“I don’t know,” I said icily, “or I wouldn’t have asked p>
Her voice broke as she said, “Because of you, ASSHOLE p>
I sat there in shock.
I’d secretly hoped that might be the reason…
But I never thought she would say it. Not to my face.
And I never, ever suspected the depths of her pain…
Pain I had caused.
“So you really didn’t know I was involved when you took the job,” I murmured.
“I already told you that,” she said acidly. “You should start paying attention p>
I ignored her sarcasm and asked, “How did Fausto find you p>
“Same way you did, probably p>
“This is what you’re doing now? After…” I decided to be discreet. “…parting ways with your former employers p>
She shrugged. “A girl’s got to pay the bills somehow p>
“Hell of a way to do it p>
“Said the man working as a flunky for a mafioso,” she sneered.
“Said the woman working as a paid killer,” I shot back.
She stared at me hatefully but kept quiet.
“Even though I was involved,” I asked, “why pass up a second crack at the job p>
She stared at me, dumbfounded – but her voice was full of contempt. “Is that really a serious question p>
I let my own anger show through. “You told me it was over. You said I should walk away. So why would my presence affect you at all p>
She narrowed her eyes. “I changed my mind. Gunnar’s not the son of a bitch – you are p>
“You mean to tell me,” I said sarcastically, “that your ex-boyfriend was involved, and that’s why you passed up a second chance at a paycheck p>
“I’m beginning to regret it,” she sneered as she grabbed her purse, obviously preparing to leave.
I wasn’t about to let that happen.
As I pushed away from the table to stand up, I snapped, “I’ll bet you are – ”
That was when the glass window of the restaurant shattered –
And the empty plate in front of me exploded.