CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

 

 

THEY HAD A stalker.

Mary Jo needed to tell Jean. But she didn’t want to. She knew what she had to say would change everything.

And the last year had been wonderful. They even had planned a night on the town for the second anniversary of The Event. Mary Jo had never imagined herself being so happy, so content with a life.

Both of them in the last year had turned down offers for targets. Both of them just wanted to enjoy the time for as long as they could.

But Mary Jo had no doubt what she had seen would change that and change everything.

So that morning, while they were both eating a light breakfast of eggs and toast around their small, but cozy, kitchen table that looked out at the rooftop garden, Mary Jo just blurted it out.

“We’re being followed. Maybe targeted.”

Jean glanced up from her iPad, her toast halfway to her mouth. Mary Jo could see instant worry in Jean’s wonderful green eyes.

“It’s a pro, I’m sure,” Mary Jo said. “Maybe from the order.”

“Why would anyone hire an assassin against one of us?” Jean asked.

Mary Jo shook her head. “I have no idea. Maybe our last client decided to finish the job before we finished him and the assassin was never called off. You know how patient we can all be.”

Jean put her toast down and sat back, staring at Mary Jo with her intense green eyes.

Mary Jo hated to ruin such a perfectly good day, but they had to work together now to solve whatever was happening. That was one of the hardest things Mary Jo was trying to adapt to, that there was two of them now. She had a partner and she actually loved that fact, something she never would have thought possible before.

“Describe what you saw, exactly,” Jean said.

Mary Jo nodded and went carefully through the details of spotting the stalker three different times. The woman following them was as short as they were, with short black hair and a dark skin. The woman had all the traits of an assassin of the order.

Jean listened until Mary Jo was done, then said simply, “I’ve seen her as well. But didn’t realize she was following us. Very good observation.”

That shocked and worried Mary Jo even more.

“You ever targeted another order member?” Jean asked. “I haven’t.”

Mary Jo shook her head. “Never. Can’t imagine it ever happening.”

Jean nodded. “So first we find out if this person following us is an order member.”

Mary Jo watched as Jean stood and vanished into the side room where she kept what little personal things she had kept from their last job. She came back a moment later.

Mary Jo couldn’t imagine calling the order for anything, but clearly Jean didn’t have that problem at all. Mary Jo had a phone with a direct link to the order just as Jean did, but she always kept it turned off and in a heavy metal box.

Jean smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her green eyes. Then she punched one key.

After a tense moment of silence she said, “Freyia Mist.”

Mary Jo knew that was Jean’s order name. Mary Jo’s order name at the moment was Angela Sea. It had been numbers of others over the centuries.

“I am with another order member,” Jean said into the phone. “Angela Sea. Are we being targeted by an order member?”

Jean listened for a moment, then said simply, “Understood.”

She hung up and put the phone on the table.

Mary Jo just sat, waiting as Jean took a deep breath.

“We are not being targeted by another order member and it is against order rules for one member to turn on another for any reason.”

Mary Jo felt a huge sense of relief.

“Thank you,” she said to Jean.

“So any suggestions?” Jean asked, smiling and this time the smile reached her eyes.

“Now that we know that critical fact,” Mary Jo said, “I think we need to invite our stalker to the party.”

“We’re throwing a party?”

“I think we should,” Mary Jo said, smiling. “A very intimate party with just you and me and our stalker.”

Jean laughed. “Think she’ll like vodka and orange juice?”

“If not,” Mary Jo said, “she won’t be allowed to stay.”