breath, then said softly, "He told you I was watching this building yesterday at dawn."
"Yes."
"How did he know it was your building?"
Six
Lara didn't want to believe it. She liked Luke, and facing the possibility that he could be trying to kill her was both difficult and chilling. "Nick has my address. Luke could have asked him about it."
"Yes. He could have. He's been interested in you from the first night." Devon sighed. "Maybe it's that innocent. And maybe he's just a talented carpenter moonlighting at a community theater."
"But?" she prompted, knowing there was more.
Devon was trying to keep his mind on business, and it wasn't easy. Despite the deadly situation surrounding Lara, memories of holding her in his arms kept distracting him as if it had been days instead of only hours since he had held her. It was an unexpected reaction, and his realization that their lovemaking had only added fuel to an already raging fire was more than a little unnerving.
That had never happened to him before. He wrenched his mind back to the most vital subject, refusing himself the luxury of exploring his own confusion.
"But. He's new in town and staying at a hotel. His regular job is a recent one, and the builder who hired him knows nothing about him except that he's skilled in the work. He doesn't seem to have a past, at least none that we could find; the car he drives is registered in his name, but the address is a post office box in California."
"California? He said that he was something of a gypsy at the moment." Lara shook her head. "But he is a skilled carpenter; would an assassin be able to fake that?"
"Who says he'd have to? Maybe it's his hobby. It isn't that unlikely. Lara, many paid killers lead perfectly normal lives most of the time. They command a high wage and often accept no more than three or four assignments in any given year. Some collect art or run legitimate businesses. As a general rule, the only traits assassins must have are the ability to consider murder just a job to be done and the detachment to do the job."
Devon watched her intently, wishing that he could insulate her from some realities that most people were never aware of. But he couldn't. She had to know for her own protection. He watched the acceptance of hard realities show on her delicate face, and it hurt him that she had to consider the motives and abilities of paid killers.
Lara shivered.
"Sorry, but you need to know." He forced a smile and held his voice steady. "Killers aren't all steely-eyed machines, or monsters with hate burning inside. You've probably passed a few on the streets with no more than a glance."
She was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Accepting the possibility that it could be Luke—has he guessed who you are, or was his warning just meant to keep a man from becoming inconveniently involved with me?"
"Good question." Devon frowned slightly. "If he is the one, we have to assume he's on to me—just to play it safe. But, at the same time, I can't understand why he'd warn you if he thinks I'm an agent; there was every chance you'd tell me about the warning, and that would focus my attention on him— and it did, even though I was suspicious before. Suspicious but more than a little surprised. I didn't expect the cartel's man to be directly on the scene with you, not at first."
"Why not?"
"Because it breaks the usual pattern." He hesitated, then said carefully, "Assassins don't generally get close to their potential victims, and we have to assume he's just that. Men who'd be involved in something like the cartel would see a threat—and eliminate it immediately. They'd send someone to get rid of the threat and not waste time with scare tactics."
"But they did this time." Lara tried to think it through. "So they must be very sure that evidence against them did exist, and at least reasonably sure that I know something. They sent someone to try for the information, at least as a first step. But why didn't they
"Yes."
"How did he know it was your building?"
Six
Lara didn't want to believe it. She liked Luke, and facing the possibility that he could be trying to kill her was both difficult and chilling. "Nick has my address. Luke could have asked him about it."
"Yes. He could have. He's been interested in you from the first night." Devon sighed. "Maybe it's that innocent. And maybe he's just a talented carpenter moonlighting at a community theater."
"But?" she prompted, knowing there was more.
Devon was trying to keep his mind on business, and it wasn't easy. Despite the deadly situation surrounding Lara, memories of holding her in his arms kept distracting him as if it had been days instead of only hours since he had held her. It was an unexpected reaction, and his realization that their lovemaking had only added fuel to an already raging fire was more than a little unnerving.
That had never happened to him before. He wrenched his mind back to the most vital subject, refusing himself the luxury of exploring his own confusion.
"But. He's new in town and staying at a hotel. His regular job is a recent one, and the builder who hired him knows nothing about him except that he's skilled in the work. He doesn't seem to have a past, at least none that we could find; the car he drives is registered in his name, but the address is a post office box in California."
"California? He said that he was something of a gypsy at the moment." Lara shook her head. "But he is a skilled carpenter; would an assassin be able to fake that?"
"Who says he'd have to? Maybe it's his hobby. It isn't that unlikely. Lara, many paid killers lead perfectly normal lives most of the time. They command a high wage and often accept no more than three or four assignments in any given year. Some collect art or run legitimate businesses. As a general rule, the only traits assassins must have are the ability to consider murder just a job to be done and the detachment to do the job."
Devon watched her intently, wishing that he could insulate her from some realities that most people were never aware of. But he couldn't. She had to know for her own protection. He watched the acceptance of hard realities show on her delicate face, and it hurt him that she had to consider the motives and abilities of paid killers.
Lara shivered.
"Sorry, but you need to know." He forced a smile and held his voice steady. "Killers aren't all steely-eyed machines, or monsters with hate burning inside. You've probably passed a few on the streets with no more than a glance."
She was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Accepting the possibility that it could be Luke—has he guessed who you are, or was his warning just meant to keep a man from becoming inconveniently involved with me?"
"Good question." Devon frowned slightly. "If he is the one, we have to assume he's on to me—just to play it safe. But, at the same time, I can't understand why he'd warn you if he thinks I'm an agent; there was every chance you'd tell me about the warning, and that would focus my attention on him— and it did, even though I was suspicious before. Suspicious but more than a little surprised. I didn't expect the cartel's man to be directly on the scene with you, not at first."
"Why not?"
"Because it breaks the usual pattern." He hesitated, then said carefully, "Assassins don't generally get close to their potential victims, and we have to assume he's just that. Men who'd be involved in something like the cartel would see a threat—and eliminate it immediately. They'd send someone to get rid of the threat and not waste time with scare tactics."
"But they did this time." Lara tried to think it through. "So they must be very sure that evidence against them did exist, and at least reasonably sure that I know something. They sent someone to try for the information, at least as a first step. But why didn't they
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