pub.
Doing a quick scan of the premises, I noticed that it was mostly empty, save for staff behind the bar and a few punters who looked like they were paid well to look inconspicuous. As I suspected, Vaughn had planned this little meeting right down to the last detail. We were visitors in his territory and there was no other way he could declare it so plainly.
Mercy was slightly behind me and I reached back to grasp her hand, but she was already searching for my touch. As her palm connected with mine and our fingers curled together, I gave her a small squeeze.
Vaughn sat in the back corner, and as we approached, he rose from the table and smiled, his gaze running the length of Mercy and back up again, making me prickle with anger.
“X, glad you could make it,” he said. I snorted, but his attention was firmly on Mercy. “And you must be the woman everyone has been talking about.”
She cocked her head to the side.
“Mercy Reid,” Vaughn said with a smirk.
“And you must be Vaughn,” she replied sweetly.
He smiled, a wicked gleam in his eye, and bade us to sit.
“Drink?” Vaughn asked, gesturing to a man by the bar. A moment later, three pints of beer appeared on the table before us. “I hope X has been treating you well, Mercy,” he went on. “He has a penchant for violence.”
I tensed, grinding my teeth.
“I can hold my own,” Mercy retorted. “I don’t need your concern. What I need is your information.”
Vaughn’s eyes widened slightly and he began to laugh. “Fair call.”
I straightened up, my cock twitching. Fuck . And she was worried about this meeting?
“You’ll be interested to know that Weiss is alive.”
That one was directed at me to test my reaction, but I already assumed as much. Royal Blood wasn’t my concern. They were a fight that was queued up for another day.
Mercy tensed beside me and I clamped my hand on her thigh.
“We’re here about the hit on Sykes. Nothing more. What are the arrangements?”
Vaughn's lips curled into his trademark smirk and he said, “All business? No pleasure?”
He was trying to bait me in front of Mercy, but it wasn’t going to work. I narrowed my eyes and he leaned back in his chair, getting the message.
“I have a man who will meet you just south of Portsmouth to take you across the English Channel.”
“France?” Mercy asked, her eyes wide. “Sykes is in France?”
Vaughn eyed her, but whatever he thought of Mercy’s eagerness he kept to himself. “He will be.”
“Keep talking,” I drawled.
“A fishing trawler will be waiting offshore to collect you.” Vaughn reached into his pocket and produced a small envelope, which he handed to me. “Inside you’ll find coordinates for your rendezvous point. Once you’re on the trawler in open water, my man will give you the location of your drop off point and the location of the cache.”
“What’s in it?” I asked, stuffing the envelope into my jacket pocket.
“I’ve arranged what I can. Weapons, equipment, clothing. Transportation.”
I nodded. He’d gone above and beyond and now I owed him. We both owed him big time and he fucking knew it. I wondered what favor he’d hold over my head when the time came. Paying back men like these rarely came easy.
“I do have to stress, that once you’re on French soil, you’re on your own.”
Obviously. “Sykes’ location?”
“On the twenty-seventh at nine pm, Sykes is due to meet with Jacques Lafayette in Saint Germain . Lafayette owns a small wine bar, which is where they will meet. They won’t be in plain sight, there are private rooms below and above.”
Lafayette. The name sounded familiar and I began to wonder if it was attached to another memory Royal Blood programmed me to forget. I felt something tugging at the corners of my mind, trying to surface.
“Who is he?” I asked. “Lafayette?”
Vaughn smirked. “You don’t remember do you?” He let out a low whistle. “ Greggor really did a number on you,
Doing a quick scan of the premises, I noticed that it was mostly empty, save for staff behind the bar and a few punters who looked like they were paid well to look inconspicuous. As I suspected, Vaughn had planned this little meeting right down to the last detail. We were visitors in his territory and there was no other way he could declare it so plainly.
Mercy was slightly behind me and I reached back to grasp her hand, but she was already searching for my touch. As her palm connected with mine and our fingers curled together, I gave her a small squeeze.
Vaughn sat in the back corner, and as we approached, he rose from the table and smiled, his gaze running the length of Mercy and back up again, making me prickle with anger.
“X, glad you could make it,” he said. I snorted, but his attention was firmly on Mercy. “And you must be the woman everyone has been talking about.”
She cocked her head to the side.
“Mercy Reid,” Vaughn said with a smirk.
“And you must be Vaughn,” she replied sweetly.
He smiled, a wicked gleam in his eye, and bade us to sit.
“Drink?” Vaughn asked, gesturing to a man by the bar. A moment later, three pints of beer appeared on the table before us. “I hope X has been treating you well, Mercy,” he went on. “He has a penchant for violence.”
I tensed, grinding my teeth.
“I can hold my own,” Mercy retorted. “I don’t need your concern. What I need is your information.”
Vaughn’s eyes widened slightly and he began to laugh. “Fair call.”
I straightened up, my cock twitching. Fuck . And she was worried about this meeting?
“You’ll be interested to know that Weiss is alive.”
That one was directed at me to test my reaction, but I already assumed as much. Royal Blood wasn’t my concern. They were a fight that was queued up for another day.
Mercy tensed beside me and I clamped my hand on her thigh.
“We’re here about the hit on Sykes. Nothing more. What are the arrangements?”
Vaughn's lips curled into his trademark smirk and he said, “All business? No pleasure?”
He was trying to bait me in front of Mercy, but it wasn’t going to work. I narrowed my eyes and he leaned back in his chair, getting the message.
“I have a man who will meet you just south of Portsmouth to take you across the English Channel.”
“France?” Mercy asked, her eyes wide. “Sykes is in France?”
Vaughn eyed her, but whatever he thought of Mercy’s eagerness he kept to himself. “He will be.”
“Keep talking,” I drawled.
“A fishing trawler will be waiting offshore to collect you.” Vaughn reached into his pocket and produced a small envelope, which he handed to me. “Inside you’ll find coordinates for your rendezvous point. Once you’re on the trawler in open water, my man will give you the location of your drop off point and the location of the cache.”
“What’s in it?” I asked, stuffing the envelope into my jacket pocket.
“I’ve arranged what I can. Weapons, equipment, clothing. Transportation.”
I nodded. He’d gone above and beyond and now I owed him. We both owed him big time and he fucking knew it. I wondered what favor he’d hold over my head when the time came. Paying back men like these rarely came easy.
“I do have to stress, that once you’re on French soil, you’re on your own.”
Obviously. “Sykes’ location?”
“On the twenty-seventh at nine pm, Sykes is due to meet with Jacques Lafayette in Saint Germain . Lafayette owns a small wine bar, which is where they will meet. They won’t be in plain sight, there are private rooms below and above.”
Lafayette. The name sounded familiar and I began to wonder if it was attached to another memory Royal Blood programmed me to forget. I felt something tugging at the corners of my mind, trying to surface.
“Who is he?” I asked. “Lafayette?”
Vaughn smirked. “You don’t remember do you?” He let out a low whistle. “ Greggor really did a number on you,
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