Part 15
Karma looked over at Blaise, shaking his head as he drove them both back to the Daybreak mansion. "This isn't going to work."
Blaise sighed with irritation, inspecting her newly manicured red nails. "I didn't see you coming up with a better plan."
Karma didn't say anything. So far he'd managed to help Cayla avoid Regan and her insane need to make Cayla's life miserable. As far as he was aware, Regan still thought he was working for her. Which was good for his part. Only Astara had gone nuts and apparently tried to take matters into her own hands.
But Astara was spoiled and used to having difficult things done for her. Luckily for Karma, Blaise had over heard her insane plan and between them they'd come up with a decoy.
"We did what had to be done," Blaise said calmly.
"She's going to be crushed."
Blaise shrugged. "She'll get over it."
"How can you be so cold?"
"No one's supposed to know about the affair. Besides," Blaise added with a smirk, "you think I'd give away *all* my secrets?"
Karma stared at her. When an angry horn blared at him, he quickly focused his attention back on his driving and recognised control of the car before it swerved across the road. "Secrets? What the hell are you talking about?"
Blaise chuckled in her throaty, sexy way. "For me to know."
* * *
"I don't come cheap."
Cayla nodded. She had little money, but she didn't care anymore. Revenge scoured her mind. She thought of nothing else. "I have two thousand bucks. Will that be enough?" She knew assassins would be expensive, and the money should be saved for when the baby came. She didn't care. There were seven months before the baby came, she'd have made more money by then.
She had dragged out of Ocean the name of the only werewolf assassin known in the Night World. There was no way she'd spend the money on a leech. She couldn't see his face clearly. He had agreed to meet her in a Vegas bar. A strip club was his choice, and the last place anyone would think of looking for Cayla.
"I guess it'll do." His voice was deep, throaty, but it told her very little about him.
"Her name is Astara Blackthorn."
"I know who she is. Okay; you have yourself a deal."
Cayla smiled and handed him a suitcase. "As soon as I have conformation she's dead you'll get the other half."
"Good enough for me."
Cayla stood up and left the club after which she found herself wondering down the Strip surrounded by the masses of people. Ardon...gone? She still wasn't sure she believed it.
Maybe she should have spent some of her money on having Miranda assassinated. That blabbermouth must have told Astara, and then Astara had murdered Ardon. Tears blurred Cayla's vision. The mingled smells of blood and sweat and the hundreds of people stirred the 'wolf part inside her. The happy couples walking hand in hand made her sick. She wanted to shift right there outside the dancing water display of the Bellagio hotel.
"Don't go there, he's not worth it." The comforting hand on her shoulder was that of Lupe.
"I loved him! We're soulmates! We're going to have a baby together!" Cayla snapped, gripping the railings that stopped her from falling into the water.
"And you still have that baby. Losing it now and exposing yourself is going to get you *both* dead." Lupe said sharply.
Cayla stared at her. The haze of red pain she felt was starting to fade from her vision. She moaned, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Okay," she said weakly. "Okay."
Lupe sighed. "On the plus side there's no real evidence that it was Ardon that was murdered."
Cayla snorted. "What are you going to do, call the squad from CSI and get them to investigate?" She laughed hollowly.
Lupe chuckled. "If only we had one who helped with the Night World stuff.."
"If it wasn't Ardon found dead, then who was it and where the hell is he?" Cayla let Lupe lead her to the waiting limo at the curb.
"I don't know," Lupe said.
Cayla didn't feel any better. Even if she did get rid of Astara, Ardon would still be dead. But Lupe was right about one thing. She still had Ardon's baby growing inside her. One true living memory of him. She pressed her hands against her stomach. She'd do anything for Ardon's baby.
* * *
Karma looked over at Blaise, shaking his head as he drove them both back to the Daybreak mansion. "This isn't going to work."
Blaise sighed with irritation, inspecting her newly manicured red nails. "I didn't see you coming up with a better plan."
Karma didn't say anything. So far he'd managed to help Cayla avoid Regan and her insane need to make Cayla's life miserable. As far as he was aware, Regan still thought he was working for her. Which was good for his part. Only Astara had gone nuts and apparently tried to take matters into her own hands.
But Astara was spoiled and used to having difficult things done for her. Luckily for Karma, Blaise had over heard her insane plan and between them they'd come up with a decoy.
"We did what had to be done," Blaise said calmly.
"She's going to be crushed."
Blaise shrugged. "She'll get over it."
"How can you be so cold?"
"No one's supposed to know about the affair. Besides," Blaise added with a smirk, "you think I'd give away *all* my secrets?"
Karma stared at her. When an angry horn blared at him, he quickly focused his attention back on his driving and recognised control of the car before it swerved across the road. "Secrets? What the hell are you talking about?"
Blaise chuckled in her throaty, sexy way. "For me to know."
* * *
"I don't come cheap."
Cayla nodded. She had little money, but she didn't care anymore. Revenge scoured her mind. She thought of nothing else. "I have two thousand bucks. Will that be enough?" She knew assassins would be expensive, and the money should be saved for when the baby came. She didn't care. There were seven months before the baby came, she'd have made more money by then.
She had dragged out of Ocean the name of the only werewolf assassin known in the Night World. There was no way she'd spend the money on a leech. She couldn't see his face clearly. He had agreed to meet her in a Vegas bar. A strip club was his choice, and the last place anyone would think of looking for Cayla.
"I guess it'll do." His voice was deep, throaty, but it told her very little about him.
"Her name is Astara Blackthorn."
"I know who she is. Okay; you have yourself a deal."
Cayla smiled and handed him a suitcase. "As soon as I have conformation she's dead you'll get the other half."
"Good enough for me."
Cayla stood up and left the club after which she found herself wondering down the Strip surrounded by the masses of people. Ardon...gone? She still wasn't sure she believed it.
Maybe she should have spent some of her money on having Miranda assassinated. That blabbermouth must have told Astara, and then Astara had murdered Ardon. Tears blurred Cayla's vision. The mingled smells of blood and sweat and the hundreds of people stirred the 'wolf part inside her. The happy couples walking hand in hand made her sick. She wanted to shift right there outside the dancing water display of the Bellagio hotel.
"Don't go there, he's not worth it." The comforting hand on her shoulder was that of Lupe.
"I loved him! We're soulmates! We're going to have a baby together!" Cayla snapped, gripping the railings that stopped her from falling into the water.
"And you still have that baby. Losing it now and exposing yourself is going to get you *both* dead." Lupe said sharply.
Cayla stared at her. The haze of red pain she felt was starting to fade from her vision. She moaned, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Okay," she said weakly. "Okay."
Lupe sighed. "On the plus side there's no real evidence that it was Ardon that was murdered."
Cayla snorted. "What are you going to do, call the squad from CSI and get them to investigate?" She laughed hollowly.
Lupe chuckled. "If only we had one who helped with the Night World stuff.."
"If it wasn't Ardon found dead, then who was it and where the hell is he?" Cayla let Lupe lead her to the waiting limo at the curb.
"I don't know," Lupe said.
Cayla didn't feel any better. Even if she did get rid of Astara, Ardon would still be dead. But Lupe was right about one thing. She still had Ardon's baby growing inside her. One true living memory of him. She pressed her hands against her stomach. She'd do anything for Ardon's baby.
* * *