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“And Diesel?”
“Gone. She…she poisoned him. I think. I’m having a hard time remembering.”
“Whatdoyou remember?”
“Diesel fell overboard, and Natalya jumped after him. A boat came from the fog and took them both aboard. I’m sure of that much.”
Margareta said nothing for a long moment. “He was drunk, wasn’t he?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t think he was.”
“He was drunk,” she repeated, “wasn’t he.”
This time, I realized it wasn’t a question. “Ma’am?”
“Diesel had too much to drink and fell overboard. An accident. You have no reason to believe otherwise. That is what you saw.”
The sickening truth of it settled in my stomach. I dropped the ice in my hand on the carpet and watched the widening puddle.
My voice sounded hoarse. “This was staged?”
“Although it didn’t go according to plan.”
I pointed to the wound on my head. “Wasthispart of the plan?”
“Of course not. But we didn’t anticipate that you would be so aggressive. Since when did you use an enchanted sword?”
“Why did you hire me at all?”
Margareta shrugged. “Backup. We had reason to believe that our enemies might try to make a move on Diesel before we could carry out our plan. Our other mercenary couldn’t guard Diesel as well as carry out her mission.”
“Drugging and abducting Diesel?”
Margareta’s eyes glittered like frost. She slid open a desk drawer, grabbed a coin purse, and tossed it in my direction. “Your compensation.”
I resisted the urge to slam my fist on Margareta’s desk. “But Ifailed.”
“There’s no need for melodrama. You know now that our mission with Diesel was a success. You played your role.”
“As your pawn.”
Margareta’s nostrils flared. “Perhaps you would like some time off from being a pawn? Three weeks sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
My face on fire, I shoved my chair away from the desk and stood. “Yes, ma’am.”
I turned to go, but Margareta cleared her throat. “Ardis?”
“Ma’am?”
“Don’t forget your money.”
Disgusting. I had been so stupid to think they trusted me with Diesel.
They didn’t even trust me with the truth.
The thought of it burned in my throat. I stormed across the street to the Imperial Palace Hotel and returned to our room.
Wendel wasn’t there.
