Revenge for Hire (The Get Even Agency)

by Lynn, Janice

  “For that I’d have saved you the trouble and hung them myself.”

  “I did my job and my client was satisfied with the service provided.”

  Anger and astonishment warred within him. He couldn’t resist asking, “But not as satisfied as she’s been with the service she’s received the past three weeks?”

  Angel’s face paled, then she regained her composure. God, how could she be so calm when they were discussing his life? His life?

  “You tell me.”

  Rage rushed through him. She tore his world apart for money. Damn it. He wanted to lash out, to hurt her as she’d hurt him. More.

  His eyes bore into her and he smirked, “Immensely satisfied.”

  Her eyes flashed with annoyance, her lips tightened into a thin line, but he couldn’t say otherwise that she appeared fazed by his words. She took a sip of her coffee, a slow sip, as if she had all the time in the world and they were discussing tea next week rather than what had to be illegal activities.

  She set down the cup and arched a brow. “I take it you’ve gotten your problem fixed, then?”

  “Problem?”

  “Wham, bam, oops-I-finished-without-you Ma’am,” she clarified sugary sweet.

  Ouch. That hurt.

  “That was a one-time deal.” He straightened his shoulders. “Never happened before or since.”

  She blinked her eyes innocently. “Lucky me to have been the winner of that one time lotto.”

  Jude stared, battling with the rampant emotions running through him. She’d ripped his life apart for money. Ripped his heart out for money.

  He raked his fingers through his hair.

  “Why did you come? To Claire’s? Here?”

  Why had he come? He laughed bitterly and admitted the damnable truth. “Because you were going to be here.”

  Her eyes sparkled a brilliant green. “That matters because?”

  He wasn’t going to take this lying down. They’d played with his life. He wasn’t some damn plastic Ken doll to be manipulated however took their female whim. “Because you destroyed my life. I wanted to look in your eyes and hear you admit it.”

  She nodded, seeming to understand.

  “I want retribution.”

  She shook her head. “My business doesn’t work that way. The revenge I meet out is non-returnable.”

  He pinned her beneath his gaze, unwilling to budge from his stance. He did want vengeance and one way or the other, he’d take it. “You owe me.”

  She shifted in her seat. “I owe you nothing.”

  The flicker of emotion in her eyes said she didn’t buy her words one hundred percent. He’d take that percentage and use it to his advantage.

  “I warned you up front that I turn men’s worlds upside down,” she continued. “If you failed to take me at my word, that’s your fault, not mine.”

  “Placing an article in a major newspaper declaring me to be gay is a bit more than turning my world upside down,” he accused. “Not to mention my career and my mom. You knew I was allergic to that shrimp dip, didn’t you? You fed it to me intentionally?”

  “I didn’t.” Her expression remained calm, controlled.

  Damn it. He wanted her to lose control the way she’d taken his control and shot it to hell. At the minimal, he deserved her loss of control.

  “Otherwise, I never would have given you the dip.” Her face paled and she grimaced. “Well, not unless all else failed, then I might have.”

  “I almost died.”

  “You didn’t.” Her pulse beat erratically at her throat, giving away that she wasn’t as calm as she pretended with her cool expression and prim attitude.

  “You tried to kill me,” he accused, his fury and need for a real reaction from her building in momentum.

  “I didn’t even know you were allergic to shrimp.” Her voice remained calm, even, as if she had this kind of conversation all the time. Hell, maybe she did for all he knew.

  “Damn it, what you did was wrong. You tried to kill me.” He repeated it as much for himself as for her. He’d loved her, and she’d done nothing but lie from the day they met. Lie? She’d cut off his airways and sent him to the hospital by ambulance.

  A steely look passed over her face. “Be assured that if I’d wanted you dead you wouldn’t be sitting here.”

  He didn’t want to know what she meant by that, didn’t want to know if she was also a hit man--hit woman--hired to take out unwanted lives for a price.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, folding her hands into her lap and not meeting his eyes.

  “That’s it?” he scoffed. “You ruin my life, almost murder me, and all you have to say is that you’re sorry?”

  She shrugged, calling his attention to the delicate lines of her throat. A throat he’d like to wrap his fingers around and demand how she could have done this to him. “I’ll never feed you shrimp again.”

  The enormity of what she was admitting sank in. His angel had been a mercenary from hell.

  “My food poisoning. That was you?”

  “I had to have uninterrupted access to your office to set up my cameras.”

  “Cameras?”

  “Surveillance equipment. Your office was wired from almost the moment I arrived until the moment I left.”

  She’d flubbed up his whole world. Intentionally. For money. “So that’s all I was to you? A job?”

  “That’s all I wanted you to be, but—”

  “But nothing. You’ve stripped me of my reputation, my career, my academic record. I may never convince my mom that I didn’t have a racy affair with Marcus, and you did all this for money?”

  “You don’t understand. To begin with you were only a job, but that changed.”

  “To begin with? I didn’t see you telling me what was going on after we slept together. Or was that part of the job too? Sleep with Jude and make him pay. Hell, you didn’t slip some STD into my condom while I wasn’t looking, did you?”

  “That’s low, Jude.”

  “No lower than sending my mother a hundred vibrators from Marcus. What did he ever do to you?”

  Another wince pulled quickly under control. “Nothing other than be your best friend and an easy way to get at you.”

  “For being my friend he had to be punished?”

  “That’s not how it is.”

  “You’re wrong. That’s exactly how it is. You set yourself up to play God with my life. Angel giveth and she taketh away.”

  “You’re being overly dramatic.”

  “What? You screwed me for money.”

  Several people in the restaurant glanced their way at his outburst.

  “I cared for you,” she said, but her face remained impenetrable. Whatever was going through her mind, she didn’t want him to see it. Perhaps because there was nothing to see except a cold heart.

  “Funny, I distinctly recall you telling me you didn’t care and would never care for me. I was just too dense to read the signs.” He shook his head at his own stupidity. Thank God he hadn’t told her the truth about him and Mandy, that he hadn’t wanted any woman except her. She’d probably have laughed in his face if he’d admitted that.

  “I didn’t mean to fall for you, but I did. I do care for you, Jude.”

  She had to be kidding. Or perhaps this was the second phase of her revenge. To convince him she cared so she could rip his heart to pieces the way she’d shredded the rest of his life. Hell, who was he kidding? She’d already ripped his heart to pieces.

  “I can tell by how well you’ve treated me.”

  “Listen to me--”

  “Like you listened to me when I said I loved you?”

  “About that,” she glanced down at her coffee, looking unsure of how to proceed, “did you mean it?”

  “At the time.” At the moment he wasn’t sure what he felt. She’d lied to him, cheated him, stolen his life. For money. For Mandy. “Mandy hired you to do this, didn’t she?”

  Avery was the agency. An agency th
at delivered revenge for a price.

  “I’m not allowed to discuss my clients. Ever.”

  “Why, because you’re no better than the damn mafia?”

  “Oh, get real.” Her eyes glittered, and she lashed out. “You got what was coming to you. You’ve been screwing women over for years. You deserved to be set back a notch or two.”

  “And you were just the woman to do it?” he glared angrily.

  She smiled tightly. “Apparently, since I did.”

  Damn it. She had a point.

  “So, what happens now? Are you going to chop off my balls and hang them from the top of the Empire State Building to finish the job?” He leaned forward, pinning her beneath his gaze. “Just why am I here?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Good question. Why was Jude here? Why was she here?

  Avery clenched her hands together beneath the table so Jude wouldn’t see her angst. She held her gaze steady and knew she looked to have her act together.

  Appearances could be deceiving.

  What about Jude? Was his appearance deceiving? His hair was its normal tousled style. Like always, he wore all black. Currently, his eyes were so dark they almost matched his clothing. No doubt, his mood matched the blue-black of those eyes.

  So why was she here? Doing this? Risking her heart?

  “I wanted us to start over,” she went for the truth.

  “Start over?” He threw back his head and laughed. “You have got to be kidding.”

  Her heart plummeted. How much more could she risk telling him? It was apparent he was furious. She’d expected him to be angry. How could he not be? At this point he knew what she did but nothing about TGEA, nothing that would implicate TGEA or the other girls. Not even if Mandy opted to help him could they prove anything other than that an untraceable website existed.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  “Missed laughing at me behind my back?” he scoffed.

  “I’ve never,” she paused. Maybe she had. She wasn’t sure. A throb started at her temple and increased in tempo. She rubbed it. Glancing around the bagel shop, she grimaced when she noticed most of the occupants glancing their way. She doubted any of them could make out details, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out she and Jude were arguing.

  Then again, he had gotten quite loud a minute ago.

  She tossed a generous tip onto the table and scooted out of the booth. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Jude looked like he might refuse, but finally he stood and followed her from the restaurant.

  “Where to?” he asked when they stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  As if on cue and making Avery question the location of her friends, the limo pulled to the curb.

  “Here.” She opened the door and motioned for him to get inside.

  He stood on the sidewalk and stared.

  Avery cringed. He didn’t trust her. Questioned where she would take him and what she would do when they arrived. Could she really blame him?

  “I give you my word that no harm will come to you.”

  He snorted. “Do you think I’m afraid of you? I’m not. However the thought that I might strangle you and end up in jail, now that scares the hell out of me.”

  “Then don’t worry because you couldn’t.” She said it with such confidence Jude’s gaze lifted to hers and she knew the gravity of who she was began to sink in.

  “Who are you? Some kind of secret service? Ex-military or something?”

  Avery glanced around the sidewalk. “I won’t discuss this here. Get in the limo, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

  Jude got in.

  When the limo drove away from the sidewalk, he turned to her. “Anything I want to know? Who the hell are you?”

  “Avery Wade.”

  “Was everything you ever told me a lie?”

  “For the most part. Until tonight, that is.”

  He snorted. “You normally sleep with the men you’ve been hired to destroy?”

  “Never.”

  “You slept with me.”

  “You were different.”

  “Different how?”

  She hated the hurt reflected in his eyes. “I found myself not wanting to go through with the plan.”

  “The plan?”

  “To destroy your career.”

  “My career?” His mouth twisted. “You destroyed much more than that.”

  “I know.” She smoothed out her skirt, wishing she could smooth out the tension lines on his face as easily. “I had to prove to myself I didn’t care so I elaborated on the plan.”

  “You elaborated because you cared?”

  She nodded. “Added stuff to prove I was professional and could objectively do my job.”

  “Lucky me that you cared,” he sneered.

  She glanced away.

  “Like I said,” he continued, determination harsh in his tone, “you owe me.”

  Avery sighed. Fine. “What is it that you want of me?”

  “Revenge.”

  * * *

  Jude glanced around the hotel ballroom and nodded at several business acquaintances who’d come for Simon Sims’ bash for his daughter’s engagement.

  Simon had welcomed Jude back into the fold as Mandy predicted. Not that Simon admitted he’d been wrong to think Jude guilty, just that he understood everyone made mistakes.

  The only mistake Jude made was getting involved with Mandy to begin with.

  All Simon and Mandy’s friends and family were there. Jude’s friends and family, too, including Marcus and his date, a pretty public defender he’d come up against in court and had gone out with the past two weekends.

  “Jude, this place is absolutely gorgeous,” an elegant graying blond woman said as she kissed his cheek. A woman he loved dearly. The only woman who’d ever deserved his love.

  “Mom.” He hugged her and shook his father’s hand. He’d picked them up from the airport earlier this afternoon, but the trip had been rushed and they hadn’t gotten to talk much.

  “I can’t believe you’re getting married. Finally,” his mother said with excitement on her breath.

  He hated that she’d be disappointed, but the truth needed to come out and all the key players were here. Even Mrs. Yamaguchi and her daughter. How Avery convinced them to accept the invitation, Jude didn’t have a clue. She’d promised they’d be here, and they were.

  Avery. No, damn it, he wasn’t going to let thoughts of her in. She was a cold-hearted witch. He’d deal with her later.

  “To think I believed you and Marcus,” his mother trailed off at his sour expression. Marcus hadn’t been a happy camper when he’d heard about the vibrators, although after the shock wore off his pal admitted Avery had a wicked sense of humor. Jude didn’t see anything funny in the situation.

  “Marcus is my best friend,” Jude assured. “In that sense I love him, but we’re both heterosexual and proud of it.”

  His father gave a relieved sigh and the enormity of emotion in that sigh fueled Jude’s anger. Vengeance would be his.

  He mingled, watching Mandy bask in the glow of being the center of attention. Within the hour she’d have more attention than she wanted.

  When Simon dinged his spoon against his crystal champagne glass, the room quieted and the press cameras flashed. He thanked the guests for attending and sharing in this special moment.

  “It is with pleasure I announce the engagement of my only daughter.” Simon motioned for Jude and Mandy to join him at the front of the room.

  Smiling, Jude stepped up next to a beaming Mandy. Simon handed his microphone to her. She said a few meaningless words, then handed the microphone to Jude.

  Jude swallowed and stepped forward to take his life back.

  * * *

  Avery lay on the sofa and petted Payback Puss. Cassidy was in Florida on a case, Randi was in Michigan, and Courtney was somewhere in Utah neutering a white water rafting guide who’d knocked up sisters on the same weekend then refused to take
responsibility for his actions. The jerk.

  Avery remained in New York despite the cases there being completed. She had to fulfill the second portion of Jude’s revenge. The one he demanded of her. She waited for his beckoned call.

  Tonight was the big night for the first half of his vengeance. Avery set everything in motion as he’d asked. Everything for the engagement party of the year. The one that people would be talking about for months to come. The one where the would-be groom revealed the would-be bride as the witch she was.

  It had taken some doing to come up with a revenge for Mandy that didn’t reveal or compromise TGEA, but Avery had done it. She’d given Jude proof Mandy had been out to destroy him. Proof that didn’t implicate TGEA in any way. Once he revealed that gem of information and Mandy reacted in overly dramatic Mandy fashion, key people would make correct assumptions Mandy was also responsible for Jude’s other supposed faux pas. Key people that included Simon Sims, Mrs. Yamaguchi, Jude’s parents, and the slew of press that had been invited to the blessed event. Before the party finished, the truth would come out.

  Avery considered going, but it wasn’t her place. Not once had Jude hinted he wanted her there. No, Jude was pretty much finished with her. Not once had he hinted he still cared. Not once had he hinted he would ever be able to forgive what she’d done. Quite the opposite.

  He hated her, had told her point blank that he’d deal with Mandy. Then he’d come to Avery and reap restitution.

  He hadn’t had to tell her what he’d want. She’d known. He planned to use her for sex. To take the control away and dominate. Which scared and, crazily enough, thrilled.

  So she waited. She hadn’t expected Jude to come to her until he dealt with Mandy. After tonight, it would be soon. Although perhaps he’d make her wait to drag out the torture.

  Avery stroked Payback Puss, eliciting a pleased purr from the relaxed cat. She reminded herself that she was alone tonight because she chose to be alone and not because she had to be. All three of her friends offered to stay, but she’d sent them on. These were her issues to deal with. Knowing they were there, that she could always lean on them, strengthened her, but this was something she had to do on her own.

  Cassidy insisted upon leaving the cat so Avery would have company. Finally, she’d agreed and was grateful for Payback Puss’ presence on this hard to bear day.