The Assassin's Bride Ch. 10

"Cool." Gavin already had the phone to his ear, frowning into the room service menu.

After ordering various items and a bottle of champagne, he replaced the handset and stretched. "Let's shower and robe up. Do you want to go first?"

Carina shook her head mysteriously, and Gavin laughed. "One of us should be around to open the door when they arrive. The champagne will come first."

He was right; the knock came within five minutes. Gavin opened the door and stood back for the porter to enter. After gently placing the tray, the young man turned, and his attention settled on Carina for three long seconds. Then his eyes darted back to Gavin, who was still smiling.

"Thanks," Gavin said, pushing some notes into the man's hand and shutting the door behind him.

"Well, this was nice," he remarked, handing Carina a glass of champagne with a strange look in his eye. "We'll freshen up, then check out before the food arrives."

"Why?" Carina blinked at the abrupt information. "I thought we were staying the night?"

"You've stayed here before, haven't you?" he lightly questioned, taking a leisurely sip of bubbly.

"A few times," she admitted, nervously downing her glass and feeling like Gavin was always keeping her on her toes, when she'd rather be on her back, under him. "So what?"

"You've been made."

"M-Made?"

"That look on the champagne guy's face was pure recognition. And the double-take directed at me implies you're usually here with someone else."

Gavin took the empty glass from Carina's shaking hand and refilled it. "Depending on what kind of arrangement this hotel had with your people, I wouldn't put it past them to make a call. Customer service can always extend a stretch, invasively so, for valued clients."

Carina's face fell. It was true in her own little world everything was taken care of, extensively. No cost was spared when they travelled, and most establishments registered this fact very quickly.

At this particular hotel she received whatever she asked for, without even having to quote a room number. Of course, they would know her. Changing company wouldn't alter that, it would only seem out of the ordinary.

"I feel so stupid," Carina muttered, agitatedly running her hand up the nape of her neck.

"I really hope Carlos hasn't exhausted every decent hotel on the planet," Gavin said, lost in his own thoughts and looking disturbed. "Not that he's a problem anymore. But I'm guessing Ethan had a hand in travel arrangements, so they might be able to reach him. Was he part of your security?"

"They'd call Michael?" Carina gasped.

"Or a contact of Carlos'. He would have put out some kind of alert when you disappeared, and probably didn't bother to retract it when we boarded the yacht."

Carina swung her handbag over her arm and went for the door. "I don't need a shower. Let's get the fuck out of here."

"Not yet."

Gavin's hands fell on her shoulders, spinning her to face him.

"But-" she began, but Gavin cupped her face and kissed her quite ruthlessly.

It was like he'd struck a match up her body and sparked her into flame, because Carina forgot what she was going to say and found herself eagerly straining to deepen the kiss. Gavin gently pinched her chin and drew back.

"Next time tell me if you've stayed somewhere," he whispered against her lips, his other hand firmly holding her neck in a way that warned he meant business. "I was really looking forward to unwinding with you. You could say I'm fucking disappointed."

Carina nodded breathlessly, and Gavin tilted his head. "Do me a favour?"

She nodded, without any idea what he was about to ask of her.

"Stop calling him 'Michael.'" Gavin arched an eyebrow. "His name is 'Ethan'. He doesn't deserve the persona he dishonoured. If anything, on some sick level I'm sure it indulges him."

Slowly, Carina nodded again, and Gavin released her to stand back, still with that smouldering look in his eyes hinting he had his own struggles with desire. But his voice was calm when he spoke.

"Good. Let's go."

***

Before they could leave, Gavin's hand was in Carina's, drawing her back from the door. When she turned, he wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the watch on his other hand, horrified.

"That tenacious bastard!" he breathed, looking gobsmacked.

Still glaring at the small screen on his wrist, Gavin guided Carina to sit.

"Fuck." He looked at the ceiling, blinking as though calculating number equations. "Okay. Alright."

Carina bit her lip, afraid to ask. "What is it?"

"He's gained on us." Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose, his face flexed with concentration.

"The hotel called him?" Carina gasped, horrified.

"No." Gavin shook his head. "He's too close for that. He could be here in as little as three hours."

Carina's mind spun with panic, and not least of all, exasperation. They'd only recently escaped, and Michael had already caught up to them.

"How do you know?" she faltered, very glad to be seated. If she was standing she may have collapsed.

"A contact of mine stealthed his bank account."

"S-Stealthed?" Carina numbly repeated.

"Like an invisible hack. It only tells us where he's purchased. Not the amount or item. Probably suit-shopping for his grand entrance. But how did he...?" Gavin looked annoyed, then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Carina croaked, her voice fading with fear and exhaustion.

"It's not really funny," Gavin chuckled. "The guy, my contact, doesn't take sides. He's probably stealthed me for Ethan. Fuck, I bet that's what he did. Just for kicks. Cheeky shithead."

"So, maybe we should leave?" Carina suggested; eyes bright with terror.

"No." Gavin closed his eyes. "This isn't 'fight or flight'. We have to stay. If I don't face this now, I'll regret it. He's too close." He paused, his eyes calculating. "I'm not sure what he hopes to achieve in the city."

"Maybe he just wants to know where I am until he's ready to strike," Carina moodily suggested.

"Yeah," Gavin said slowly. "Actually, I think that's exactly it."

Carina's face was in her hands. "Why is he doing this to me?" she moaned.

"I don't know," Gavin frowned, pulling himself together with a brisk shake. "I'll send him a fucking straitjacket for his birthday."

"I-Is it...November tenth?" she asked, looking nauseous.

Gavin looked away. "I don't know," he lied.

"A Scorpio would make sense," she bitterly muttered.

"Hey, don't disrespect the sign. We don't all sting," Gavin joked, arching an eyebrow when Carina turned to him, startled. "Yeah."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Gavin went on. "We're not leaving anymore. Not right away, I mean."

"Oh," Carina numbly repeated.

"Come on," he smiled, drawing her from the chair. "Let's go shopping."

*****

Carina was carefully applying a shade of burgundy lipstick in front of the mirror when Gavin whistled behind her. She almost drew a harsh red line up her cheek.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed. Despite her fright, she couldn't help smiling at Gavin, looking ridiculously hot in a black suit; there wasn't anything not to smile about. If he was a gigolo, he would be exorbitantly expensive.

"Stop eating me, with your eyes," he said, the corner of his mouth turned up in a knowing smile. "Are you ready?"

Carina nervously looked back to her reflection. She was as Gavin requested; heavily made-up for a striking effect. Conservatively sexual.

"You look perfect," Gavin reassured her, stepping forward to tweak a glossy dark lock curled artfully over her shoulder. "I meant are you ready for what's next?"

"I'm scared," she whispered, her eyes on the front of Gavin's coat.

Gavin tickled her chin, so she looked at him. "It'll be fine. This is the best way."

"I still think we should run," she proposed, her eyes silently asking him to relent.

Gavin regretfully shook his head. "It's too late. We need to make a stand he's not expecting. It's the best way. Do you trust me?"

Still looking petrified, Carina mutely nodded.

"Good." The steely blue of his eyes softened as he cupped her cheek. "I won't be far. There are only two things to remember. Don't panic, and don't bait him. Go for calm surprise."

Fifteen minutes later, Carina sat alone at a dining table, looking a work of art with her shining hair out and flowing down her back, secured by two side twists pinned under a black crystal hair piece.

The sleeveless dress was an interesting contradiction. Classy, but attention-grabbing; dark-blue velvet with a not-so-subtle dip in the front. Her shoulders were bare but for a sheer black scarf delicately draped about her.

Every soul entering the room glanced her way, whether their interest was admiring, curious or purely subconscious. Partnered men went out of their way for their date's sake to pretend they hadn't noticed her. Elderly couples stared openly while they discussed her.

Carina was clearly the 'elephant in the room', and she hated it. Gavin deliberately picked the best-lit table that was visible from all angles; the dining room's 'centre-stage'. Regardless of Carina's impressive appearance, it was difficult not to see her, though many of the room's occupants looked more than once.

Sipping a second glass of champagne, Carina managed an expression of petulant boredom despite being very nervous. She was determined to impress Gavin with her charade.

When a heavy arm fell across the back of Carina's seat, she stiffened, refusing to glance at the man practically kneeling by her side. Without looking, she knew it was him. The familiar cologne stirred her emotions like a memory-reviving hallucinogen; her heart fluttered; her stomach coiled with discomfort.

"Don't scream, sweetheart."

Forgetting to be surprised, Carina angrily rolled her eyes as Michael neatly slithered into the seat opposite, like the snake he was. He looked good, despite lingering bruises from Gavin's punch and fighting Carlos. He'd cut his hair, and dressed almost as conspicuously as she was, in a white dinner jacket. As usual, his eyes burned with ill-suppressed desire.

"Or what, Ethan?" she said pleasantly, liking the way Michael's eyes darkened with annoyance. "You'll stab me with a needle again?"

Michael exhaled in an irritable hiss; his brooding eyes still warm with longing. He wanted to bamboozle her, and she wasn't reacting the way he expected.

"I don't have to," he answered, his hand sneaking over her wrist in a grip that looked affectionate but was quite viciously firm. "Jesus Christ, you look fucking devourable. When Gavin returns, we'll have a little chat. Then you'll be leaving with me."

"Or what?" she retorted with a charming smile, knowing half the room was watching them.

"I'll make you watch Gavin die," he smoothly threatened. "You know I'm capable of anything."

Carina's eyelid flickered, but she bit back a scathing reply and raised her glass with a steady hand. "How did you find us?"

Michael grinned; his thumb lightly trembled as it traced her smooth wrist. "Admit it, seeing me brings back feelings. I know you think about me."

"Actually, no," she shrugged, carefully lowering her glass. "You don't cross my mind unless something reminds me of you. Like a cockroach." Her hand trapped to the table curled into a fist. "Take your fucking hand off me."

Surprisingly, he did, and leaned comfortably back in his seat, shaking his head with a frown to deter the waiter approaching with menus.

"Carina," he tried to reason with her. "Please just listen-"

"It's difficult when you're so fucking boring," she flatly interrupted.

"Sweetheart, stop. You're turning me on."

Disgusted, Carina's sexy mouth pursed into an angry line.

"Carina, I love you," Michael earnestly continued. "Every day we're apart is like a knife in my gut."

"Better than a knife in your back," she shot back, her eyes flashing.

With a harsh sigh, Michael snatched Carina's champagne glass and tossed it back. "You're so confident tonight. Already recovered from killing Carlos?"

"You, fucking bastard!" she snarled, by some miracle still managing to appear civil for the benefit of onlookers. "We would never work. You make me sick."

"Don't say this doesn't work," Michael retorted, his eyes on her cleavage. "You know how much I need you."

"That's your problem, not mine," she coldly answered.

"Is that why you couldn't shoot me?"

"I didn't want to rob Carlos of that privilege," she answered, tilting her head as though the answer was obvious.

"Liar," he chuckled, his glowing dark eyes on her clenched fist, wishing it was wrapped around his cock. "You were so fucking scared. I don't think you even knew your weakness for me until that moment."

"Yeah, well," Carina snapped, racking her brain for a good comeback. "My weakness for Gavin is something else."

When Michael looked both cynical and unsettled, she felt a whole lot better and completely forgot Gavin's strict instruction not to goad him.

"What, you think we haven't fucked?" she mocked, watching Michael stiffen in his seat. "Oh, God, you have no idea. The things he does to me in bed..."

"Pfft, I know Gavin," Michael smirked, arms crossed in a position that made him appear intimidatingly broad-shouldered. "He wouldn't touch you with me so close on your heels."

"You don't know that!" she snapped, some of her sexual frustration rising to surface.

"I do, now," Michael laughed with quiet satisfaction.

"Fine." She leaned forward confidingly, she same way she did when they were friends. "You know when I'm lying?" she taunted, lightly tracing down the dip of her dress. "Then you must know I am not lying when I tell you I would suck his cock for hours. And I can't fucking wait."

Against his will, Michael's fiery stare immediately dropped to her mouth. Not caring they were in public, Carina very deliberately dragged her tongue across her upper lip. Michael's jaw clenched, but it wasn't enough. Still smarting from his comment about Carlos, she wanted to hurt him.

"By the way," she sneered, letting the scarf shift on one side to reveal a small circular Band-Aid on her arm. "You didn't knock me up, fucker."

Michael glowered. "He took you to the clinic?"

"Before he bought me this beautiful dress," Carina smugly glanced down at her enticing figure. It was a stunning gown.

"I'm just desperate for Gavin," she continued with a wistful sigh. "I want him to own me. Every inch of me. I want to suck and fuck him, and have his babies."

"Good luck with that," Michael laughed harshly, his eyes blazing. "Gavin's snipped. He didn't tell you?"

"Oh, good! They're reversible," Carina beamed, elated she was finally getting under his skin. "It wouldn't suit me to be pregnant now. But when the time comes, I think we'd make the cutest babies. Do you think they'd be blonde? Or brunette?"

Looking murderous, Michael's hand clenched around a butter knife. "You think you're safe because we're in public?" he growled. "You think choosing the most conspicuous table in the room will mean someone will come to your aid when I drag you out of this building and spank the fuck out of you?"

"Always a gentleman," Carina purred, her eyes staring daggers.

"I'm not here to cause a scene," Michael spat. "You'll learn exactly what a gentleman-!" he broke off and checked his watch. "Where the fuck is Gavin?"

Carina shrugged nonchalantly; her eyes still full of loathing.

"He's watching us, right now, isn't he?" Michael accused; the angry flush of his cheeks suddenly paling. "That's why you're so cocky. He wants me here," he muttered, pushing his seat back to rise.

"How can we help you?" Carina smiled at the two men standing behind Michael's chair.

One displayed a badge, his eyes on Michael. "I am sorry to interrupt, but we need to speak with Steve Baloney."

Carina almost snorted, and Michael looked incensed. "That is not my name!" he snapped.

"Why would you say that, Steve?" Carina asked with innocent confusion, unable to keep a straight face.

Michael gave her a frightening look that said it wasn't over and abruptly stood from his seat, ignoring the entire room gawking at him. "What is this about?"

"Please come with us."

"Let me see that badge again."

The man tiredly held it for Michael's inspection, who swore softly after ten long seconds. It wasn't fake. "You're going to feel very stupid when this is resolved."

"I'm sure we will," the man politely replied, nodding to Carina, who was cheerfully refilling her champagne glass. "I am sorry to disturb you."

"No problem," she answered, raising her glass when Michael looked back. "Bye, Steve!"

The next time Michael turned, he almost lunged back to the table. Gavin stood behind Carina's chair, also toasting him. Once Michael was escorted from sight, Gavin's fingers curled over Carina's shoulder and sharply pressed.

"Upstairs," he ordered; his tone deadly.

Placing her champagne glass down, Carina uneasily glanced up. Gavin stared back; all trace of humorous mockery gone. He looked furious with her.

***

Carina nervously held her breath as Gavin angrily shut the door to their suite.

"What the fuck happened down there?" he raged, shedding his coat and clawing a hand through his hair. "Do you have any idea how fucking close that was?"

"W-What?" Carina stammered, taken aback. "I didn't-!"

"What did you not understand about 'do not bait him'?" Gavin ground out. "I saw the look on your face! You knew what you were doing!"

"He was being an asshole!" Carina retorted, removing the scarf from her shoulders to drape it across the back of the couch. "I'm only human!"

"You were supposed to keep him in conversation. Not look like bickering lovers. My God, if he accosted you, you could have been detained. Everything would have unravelled."

"Well... it didn't," she said consolingly, wondering why Gavin was so fucking hot when he was angry.

Before he could continue berating her, she stepped close and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gavin. I didn't mean to get carried away. I'm new to this. It won't happen again."

"Right." Gavin didn't look appeased. "They're going to hold him for at least 24 hours, if we're lucky."

"Why didn't you tell me he was going to be arrested?"

"I was rightfully paranoid you might let it slip in a rage," he said matter-of-factly. "Then he could have sneaked out before they nabbed him."

"What will happen to him?"

"Probably nothing. The details I anonymously provided will inevitably come up false. Ethan's 'official' identification will be verified. The charge isn't serious."

"The charge should have been rape," she said bitterly, her lip curled with disdain.

"That is a very serious charge, requiring a victim testimony," Gavin remarked, holding up his hand when Carina looked argumentative. "I'm not discounting the seriousness of what he did, and I never will. But I want our journey to be minimally complex. Revenge is not a priority."

"Humph," Carina said sourly. "So now we can leave?"

"Yes. I have plane tickets booked, but we're going by boat."

"Oh."

"A red herring. Something to temporarily throw him off."

Carina lightened the tension with a giggle. "'Baloney' really suited him."

In spite of his mood, Gavin's grim face broke into a huge grin. "I admit, that was fucking funny."

Drawing an arm around Carina, he pulled her against his chest, slightly lifting her to breathe the scent of her neck and gently bite. Carina eagerly sighed, her hands lightly resting on Gavin's shoulders as she was lowered to the ground again.

"So, you're ok with all this travel upheaval?" he murmured into her hair, sounding mildly curious. "Not tired of me, yet?"

Carina dreamily shook her head, her eyes fluttered open and she saw the look on his face. "What?"