His Princess (A Royal Romance)(133)

Nothing, just weapons and a laptop. No time. I need to meet up with the crazy bitch who’s going to drive me to my torture appointment.

Fuck.

It’s not a long drive from the cache. I don’t care if I’m being followed anymore, although it would be a little ironic if some other assassin took me out and claimed the bounty on my head before Santiago could get to me. The sick bastard would probably find that amusing.

I’m to meet this woman in public at a café in the Old City, probably to make sure I don’t attack her. Santiago thinks everyone is like him, a totally sick f*ck without the slightest hint of scruples. I don’t hurt women. I have rules.

He doesn’t.

What the hell. I park the Impala in a garage so she won’t get towed (for a while, anyway; I’m probably not coming back to her alive) and walk down to the corner of Third and Market where there’s this pizza place.

Crazy Bitch Lily is sitting at a table in the corner, eating a slice of pepperoni pizza. I walk in, sit down at the cast-iron table, and give her the death stare.

“Hello,” she says.

“I can see you’re all choked up.”

“Been stewing on that one a while, I see.”

“Better than dumping your drink in your lap and saying, ‘Ice to see you.’ I considered that one.”

She snorts. “I’m sure you did.”

“Are you going to sit here and watch me squirm or can we go get me tortured to death now? I want to get this over with.”

“Want some pizza?”

I glance down at the mostly uneaten pie on the table before me.

Lily shrugs. “I’m not going to poison you. Santiago wants you for himself.”

“Kinky,” I declare, and take a slice of pizza.

“You’re in a weird position,” she says, chewing. “You want to throw all sorts of threats at me about your woman, but you can’t because I’m a woman.”

“That’s right, I won’t hurt you.”

“Stupid.”

“Yeah.” I chew with my mouth open. “That’s me. We gonna get a beer or get this over with?”

“Let’s go,” she says, rising. “You understand what happens if you bail on me.”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Good, I don’t feel like chasing you.”

I stand up and follow her out. It’s blazing hot out, the sun baking down on the city streets, hitting the brick of the buildings and warming them up to oven hot. I start to sweat. She doesn’t.

“What happened between you and Santiago?” she says, glancing at me as I walk beside her.

“We had a falling out.”

“Over what?”

“He had two apprentices at the time. Only one of us was going to pass the test. It was never said but I knew it all the same.”

“You had to kill the other one?”

“No, he did, and I swore if I ever saw him alive again, I’d kill him. He just laughed at me. Santiago de la Rosa can never be killed, he’d say.”

“He says that a lot. Who was the guy?”

“Girl. Like you. You alone?”

“I’m the only one.”

“You’re not freelancing yet.”

She shakes her head.

“What’d he do after you returned from your failed mission? You tried to kill me and didn’t succeed.”

“Nothing. He said we’d correct the problem. He said you were his most dangerous pupil and it was a mistake to send me alone.”

“Oh,” I say cheerily. “I guess he didn’t tell you what that means.”

“No, what?” she says, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

“It means he’s going to kill you, too. He doesn’t tolerate failure, Lily. Is that your name, Lily?”

“I gave it to you true. I was there to kill you, after all, not much reason to hide my name. Professional courtesy, and Santiago is not going to kill me.”

I walk with her to a parking garage and my instincts make me scan all the exits and corners.

“Have you told Santiago we’re coming?”

“Yes, of course. I’m not an idiot. If I don’t make it back, your women are dead.”

“Right, right. How much time would you say we have?”

“It’s an hour drive.”

“Call him and tell him there’s traffic, it will take longer.”

“Why should I do that?”

“I have a story you need to hear.”

“I’m not interested.”

“I’m offering you this as a courtesy. I’m trying to save you.”

“Why?”

“You’re a woman.”

“So?”

“You want the answer to that question, tell Santiago we’re going to be late.”

She stops and fishes out the keys to the car.

“Get in, Mulqueen.”

I sit down in the front seat of the car, and wait. Outside Lily has a clipped conversation on the phone before she gets in with me. She starts the car and wheels around to the bottom of the garage.

“I’ve given you maybe an extra twenty minutes. Think that’ll work?”

“Yeah. I’ll make this quick. When Santiago first took me in I was twelve years old. He already had another apprentice. Her name was Samantha. She was a year older than I was, and I was just starting to notice girls, so it made things a little awkward even in Santiago’s place. He still at the villa?”