“Obviously,” I drawled.
“So, apparently there have been a few unexplained mercenary deaths lately,” she told me in a conspiratorial voice. “Like, more unexplained than usual. Mercs being killed in their own homes, not on a mission, with no motive or reason. Did you ever meet Petr Wagner? Hacker merc, super cute, thick German accent? He was found in his own bed, throat slit, no signs of forced entry. Hell, his own security systems were still active, and they were super high tech.”
I frowned. Petr Wagner. Why did that sound so familiar?
“Okay, but mercs get killed for all kinds of reasons, why do you think it’s connected to these attempts on me?”
“Because it’s not just him. Franklin seemed to be alluding to a lot of mercs being killed or just disappearing. It’s almost like someone is targeting the whole Guild. Not just a few mercs.” She finished her martini, then held the empty glass out to me. “Refill, please!”
I got up and went to make her another cocktail, pondering her theory that it wasn’t me being targeted. But… why would Emmanuel Blanchet want to kill off the Guild? He was on the Circle. That seemed illogical. Unless he wanted to establish a new mercenary guild in the power vacuum it would create? One that didn’t require seven ruling members, perhaps? Maybe one that only he was in charge of?
Damn it, this was only giving me more questions. Though, I’d admit, it made me feel a little better to hear I wasn’t being specifically targeted. Surely Leon knew more than he’d told me. He was an executioner and a tech bunny. He knew the identity of the Circle, something not even the Circle themselves knew. So he must know more.
Something wasn’t adding up. A lot of somethings, actually.
“It can’t be all Guild assets being targeted,” I mused aloud as I mixed Jude’s drink and threw in extra olives. “Do you know if there was anything in common with everyone Franklin was talking about? Maybe… geography? Were they all European assets?” Because that would mean they—like me—fell under Emmanuel Blanchet’s purview.
“I don’t think so?” Jude replied. “I couldn’t say for sure, but I know another one was an American merc, went missing in California around the time you were there for that Halloween party, which—I might remind you—ended pretty badly for you.”
I stiffened. That was my Ares mission… the one I was supposed to collaborate with a different tech bunny on, but Leon had turned up last minute.
“What was his name?” I demanded, returning to the couch with Jude’s drink. “The American.”
She shrugged. “No idea. Why?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and raked a hand through my hair. Shit. Now I knew why Petr Wagner had sounded so familiar… He was the hacker I was meant to run the Ted mission with.
They hadn’t been killed by an unknown assassin. They’d been killed by Leon. I was sure of it.
Ding dong.
I jerked in surprise as Jude’s doorbell pealed through the apartment. My wide eyes shifted to her in question, but she was relaxed and smug.
“Answer the door for me, would you? My leg hurts too much to get up.”
Suspicious, I stood up and grabbed a gun before checking the peep-hole in the door. When I saw who was there, though, the tension dropped off me like water off a duck.
Throwing open the door, I grinned. The visitor—dressed as a slutty elf—struck a dramatic pose.
“Surprise!” Sabine sang out, not even flinching at the gun in my hand. “Merry Christmas, bitches!”
4
“It’s not Christmas for another two weeks,” I informed my bubbly friend as she wrapped me in a huge hug. “You’re early, little elf.”
“Oh shut up, killjoy,” she laughed. “We never get to spend Christmas together, so this is as good as it gets. Besides, it’s ten days, not two weeks. Judith! I love what you did with your hair!” Sabine swept into the apartment, leaving me to close the door and put my gun away.
Jude, laughing, hugged her back as Sabine climbed onto the couch in my spot. “I changed my hair a year ago, you twat waffle. You’ve seen it a hundred times on video chat.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same as seeing it in person,” Sabby replied, stroking Jude’s dark locks. “It really suits you. Oooh, are we drinking already? Hell yeah, count me in!”
I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I went to make more martinis. Sabine was totally right that we rarely found time to get together under normal circumstances. Holidays were a total write-off, being one of the busiest times of year for the Guild. Especially for honey traps. All that holiday cheer made some easy targets for those who intended to exploit it.
“Jude, did you arrange this?” I called out as I hunted for another bottle of vodka in the freezer.
“You know it!” she yelled back. “I figured this was exactly what you needed to take your mind off Leon.”
Sabine gave a dramatic gasp. “Leon Marx? I knew that was him you were making out with at the Halloween party! Damn, girl, he is scorching hot.”
“You were spying on me? Creep.” I winked at Sabby as I joined them once more, handing a drink over to her. Then I sighed. “Okay. Here’s the full story.”
Jude snorted. “And by full, she does mean the bare minimum to protect her missions and be a big old gossip tease.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, same thing. You wanna hear my boy troubles or what, Sab? Maybe you can shed some light on this Leon bullshit.”
Sabine grinned, sinking back into the couch and sipping her martini. “Please proceed. I have to fly back to Shadow Grove first thing tomorrow morning, and I want to know everything before I go.”
“Speaking of that, how did you manage to sneak away from your assignment?” I arched a brow at her, and she wrinkled her nose.
“I had some sick days up my sleeve, and my mark is out of town with his family. I’ll be back before anyone notices I left town; it’ll be fine.” She sounded confident, but her smile slipped a little.
Worry for my friend rippled through me. “Your cover hasn’t been compromised, has it?” She’d spent so long on this contract, and the stakes were so high…
Sabine shook her head. “No. No way.” Her smile returned to her lips. “You’re not the only one who can play a long game, DeLuna.”
I sighed. “I know… but if Hades finds out—”
“She won’t, and she never will. This contract has nothing to do with her anyway. Just tell me about Leon, okay? I can’t talk any more about this.” She gave me a hard look, and Jude frowned with concern that seemed to match my own.
But that was one of the hurdles that we always encountered when we all caught up. There was so much about our lives we couldn’t share with one another, so we’d learned to just accept that we weren’t entitled to everyone’s secrets and move the fuck on. So I gulped my drink and launched into my rather abridged version of events, starting from Halloween night when Sabine had seen me in Shadow Grove.
I glossed over my time on Kai’s island, just saying that I’d been tortured but eventually fooled them into allowing me to escape. I didn’t mention how Kai tracked me to the bridge in Venice or how it felt like I had torn my heart in half as I leapt into Leon’s arms. Not because there were any great secrets there, but because I simply couldn’t get the words past my lips. No matter how deeply I lied to myself that I’d moved on, it was still raw.
So I hurried past that section and moved onto my tryst with Leon. I told them about the outdoor spa overlooking the snowy, frozen lake—location kept vague out of habit more than a desire to protect Leon’s home… I think. How Leon had made me come with his fingers, then taken me back to his room… god damn him for not coming after me. Was it so much to ask that a man chase a woman when she waves a red flag?
When I finished, Sabine let out a low whistle. “Oh girl,” she laughed. “You’re screwed. You fell for them both, didn’t you?”
I startled. “What? No. Why would you—”
Sabine and Jude both snickered.
“Come on, DeLuna,” Jude groaned. “It’s us. We can read between the lines.”
I glared at them both, fighting the embarrassed blush that wanted to rise in my cheeks. “You guys are drunk,” I muttered unconvincingly. “I need to pee. Sabby, you’re on drinks.”
Their teasing laughter followed me as I headed to the bathroom, and I grumbled curses about how I needed new friends that weren’t trained in espionage.
My head pounded and my mouth tasted like something had crawled inside and died at some point during the night. What fucking time was it? Jude, Sabine, and I had continued drinking and gossiping well into the night until Jude had run dry of alcohol and we were all too drunk to buy more. That was when we’d decided to call it a night and all crashed out in Jude’s bed.
I rubbed the heel of my hand over my crusty eyes and groaned.