Page 53 of Bastard
“The Irish police had a mess to clean up.”
I stare at them, wide-eyed.
“McDuff did well and played his part perfectly.”
“And that woman. She thought she’d slip away, didn’t she? Wasn’t expecting her to come flying out of her vehicle when we stopped them or to charge at Hayden with a knife. Man, he shot her straight between the eyes. Her corpse is probably cross-eyed.”
“That’s nothing. Did you see how he knifed two men with one swing? Both death kills to the gut.”
I feel the blood drain from my face. It’s difficult trying to reconcile the man I married to this violent killer. “Hayden did that? Killed a woman? Knifed two men?”
The men give me a curious look.
“She looks horrified.”
“No one told her what we do?”
“He brought in a civilian for this assignment?”
Everyone is staring at me. I’m aware of what they do. Yet hearing it described with such gory detail ... no wonder Hayden believes he can’t live a normal life. How can Diego and the others, with all the violence?
But I grew up in cartel-riddled Loreto. Living on the edge is in my blood. Maybe this is why I’ve never settled down? Always searching for a thrill. Maybe there’s more than the need to help people that’s driven me to move to Africa, far away from the dull, San Diego suburbs.
Maybe a normal life isn’t something I want.
Does Hayden know this about me? Do I want him to?
“We said too much. Are you okay?” a man asks.
I think of Mustafa, what she’d say ... do. “Can I get anyone another beer?”
17
Iwake up from my nap with a jolt, the sensation of being watched interrupting my semi-comatose state.
My gaze halts on a small Sykes’ monkey. The gentle animal is closely scrutinizing me from a tree branch a yard away.
“Qué haces aquí, monito? And how long have I been asleep?”
His head cocks as he considers my questions before scampering off.
“An hour,” Hayden’s voice rings out. I jump in surprise, causing the hammock to rock. I gasp at the shadowy figure seated on a small chair. “Dios mío. How long have you been sitting there?”
“Long enough.”
The empty beer bottles left behind on the table are gone and the hut is tidied up. I flip over in the hammock and place my feet on the floor. Glancing around, I spy two additional suitcases.
“I brought you something.”
My eyes flash wide.
“But before we get to that, there are a few minor details we need to discuss.”
“Minor,” I murmur. “Nothing you do is remotely minor.”
“True.”
I laugh at his blunt admission.
