Ava went pale and I ground my teeth. I wasn’t sure if she even registered the dig about sex, because her eyes had taken on a look of horror at the mention of me stringing her along just so I could collect the bounty.

God damnit. What did I have to do to get her to trust me?

“Mavis.” I felt my lips pull back in a sneer. “That’s rubbish.”

“Relax. I knew you wouldn’t do that, but I wanted to see what was really going on.” Mavis took a sip of her tea. “And now I know! It’s sweet, really. The big bad assassin saving the adorable, clueless American.”

“I’m helping Ava. That’s it.” I said the words flatly. I could guess what Mavis thought she understood, but that was far from the truth. Despite her background and cold exterior, the woman curled up every night and watched romantic comedies. “She’s been wrongly targeted and wouldn’t last on her own.”

“Hey.” Ava sat up straighter in her seat. “I can help myself.”

“Relax, sweetheart. You should be grateful. He’s the best there is. In more ways than one.” Mavis smiled over her cup at Ava. “And we all have our skills. Maybe yours are just more…romantic?”

Red washed over Ava’s face and before I could tell her to not let Mavis push her buttons she exploded.

“I don’t know what the hell you want or why you’re here, but you can take your snazzy British accent and backhanded compliments and shove them up your ass.” Ava clenched the table with her hands and I hoped that my mouth wasn’t hanging open. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, tired of being shot at, tired of assholes. And I sure as hell don’t want your bitchy attitude ruining my breakfast. It could be my last one.”

A heavy silence descended on our table as I stared at the woman across from me. Pride welled up in my chest as I watched sweet Ava stare down the killer next to me.

“She called me bitchy.” Mavis raised an eyebrow. “I think I like her after all.”

“Figures.” I shook my head and leaned back in my chair. A test. Mavis had been testing Ava and apparently she had gotten what she’d been looking for.

“Right. Thanks.” Ava rolled her eyes. “I’m going to eat now while you tell us why you’re here.”

“I’m not out here for you, but I couldn’t help the tease.” Mavis leaned forward and I could see her playful mood melt away to something more serious. “I’m actually helping a friend and my leads are bringing me back to your brother. I think there might be some connections.”

“What the hell is Marcus mixed up in?” It wasn’t good whatever it was, that was for damn sure.

“Missing girls.” Mavis’s lips clamped together for a minute as if she was fighting to not say something.

“No.” The word left my mouth, but it was only an automatic response. Despite my denial, there was no flutter of hope that she was wrong. No need to make sure she was right. I knew there was something off with Marcus, with the way he had become greedier over the years. My brother was mixed up in the slave trade; something I despised. Something he should hate just as much as I did. There was no denying that something was really wrong at this point. And all of this time… “How long?”

“Years.” Mavis sipped her tea calmly, as if the floor hadn’t just been ripped out from under my feet. How long had my brother been dealing with the devil? And how many of the hits I had accepted had been what I thought? My eyes slid to Ava, wondering what she must be thinking, wondering if she had made the right decision in sticking with me. Her bright eyes watched me with sadness—not for herself, I guessed, but for me.

“Right.” I cleared my throat and looked out the window.

“I thought that maybe we could help each other.” Mavis set her cup down.

“And how’s that?” Ava asked. But despite her bravado, she still hadn’t touched any of her food.

“Well, I’ve been tracking down Marcus’s workers, but I need to talk to him. There is something that doesn’t add up. Marcus is smart and has contacts, but I don’t think he fell into this on his own. There is someone else involved and I need to know who it is. I had hoped you might be able to get me in there.” Mavis frowned. “Of course, that was before he put out a contract on you.”

“Puts a damper on that plan, huh?” Ava sighed.

“Not really.” I looked back at them. “Does he know you’re on his scent, Mavis?”

“No.” She smiled. “I’m good at what I do, Owen.”

“Then you’re our key inside.” I looked at Ava. “Eat up, sweetheart. We’re about to get some answers.”

OWEN WAS DISCUSSING plans quietly with Mavis as I stuffed my mouth with food and tried to keep up. There was talk about guards, talk about guns, and talk about scaling a wall. I looked down at my now clean plate and frowned. Maybe I shouldn’t have had that last piece of bacon.

“Explosives?” Mavis asked calmly.

“Too messy.” Owen shook his head. “We need to enter without conflict. We don’t want the police involved.”

“Too right, that. Blundering bunch of fools.” Mavis sniffed.

“What am I supposed to do?” I wiped my hands on my napkin and looked at them calmly. “Sit on my thumbs and count cars?”

“I could take her with me.” Mavis wasn’t answering me, she was looking at Owen.