Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

here tonight, bitch. Because I didn’t respond. Let McAllister figure it out for himwe’re on my side of town now, and I’m going to kill you.”
    self.
    His brown eyes landed on the heart-and-arrow rune
    “Hiding from me, huh, bitch?” he laughed. “I knew around my neck. “After I fuck you a couple of times.”
    you’d be running scared of me sooner or later.”
    I raised an eyebrow. “You want me? Come and get me, I rolled my eyes at his foolish assumption, but still I you bastard.”
    waited. Heavy footsteps sounded on the tile floor. McAlI slammed my fist into his windpipe. Jake’s face went lister’s shadow crept closer and closer to my hiding place. beet-red, and he struggled for air. While he was gaspI tensed, gathering my strength. If he got away from me, ing for breath, I drove my other fist into his stomach. if he screamed, it was over. I had to kill him with the first First one, then the other. Thwack-thwack . Like kneading strike.
    dough. He bent over, and I hurried away, moving deeper Jake McAllister threw back the shower curtain I was into the mansion.
    standing behind. The Fire elemental had reached for his Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 290-291
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    292 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 293
    magic during his lumber down the hall. The power redflecked the front of my dress. Nothing I could do about dened his eyes, and sparks snapped and hissed around his that right now. So I put both hands on his suit jacket and fat fingertips. His gaze met mine, and he smiled. dragged him forward. He was heavy, and it took some “There you are, bitch—”
    muscle to flip his legs up and over the side of the tub and Last words he ever said.
    then to lower his whole body down the steps and into the With one hand, I grabbed McAllister’s tuxedo jacket bottom without letting him thump down. By the time I and pulled him forward, so that his torso was directly was done, Jake McAllister was dead, and I was a sweaty, above the bathtub I was standing in. With my other hand, bloody mess.
    I shoved my silverstone knife up to the hilt in his chest. First things first. I shut the bathroom door. Then I The blade scraped his ribs before plunging into his heart. went back over to Jake McAllister. The bathtub was the Not the best blow I’d ever made, but effective enough. fancy marble kind that was more like a small pool than a Jake McAllister’s magic snuffed out like a candle in tub and sat on a raised dais. A couple of steps led up to a hurricane. The fiery sparks puffed away, and the red the rim, and several more led down into the square pool. glow vanished from his eyes. His arms jerked and flailed I got down into the bottom with Jake. The first thing I against me, connecting with my chest. I grunted at the did was to retrieve my knife from his chest and lay it on heavy, solid blows, but I didn’t dare reach for my Stone the edge of the tub. Then I maneuvered him so his back magic to harden my own skin. Any elemental in close viwas facing the rest of the room. I curled his hands under cinity would sense the power surge. Stones were the rarest head and splayed out his legs to make it look as though of elementals, and any magic user who felt that kind of he’d had too much to drink and had crawled into the tub power would be curious about who was using it and why. to sleep it off. At least at first glance. If someone turned Jake opened his mouth to scream. I left the knife where Jake over, they’d see the blood on his shirt and in the it was in his heart, clamped my hand over his fat lips, and bottom of the tub. But hopefully, I’d be long gone by the yanked him forward so the blood gushing out of his chest time that happened.
    would fall into the bathtub and not spatter onto the tile once that was done, I climbed out and assessed the floor. And so we stood there, seesawing back and forth damage. The tub also featured several shower heads which over the tub, Jake McAllister trying to jerk away, and me were set into the walls at various angles, hence the curtain pulling him closer, my hands digging into his face. that cordoned the area off from the rest of the bathroom. After about thirty seconds, Jake’s legs wobbled and The shower curtain was a rich burgundy flecked with gave way. His eyes glazed over, and his mouth slackened gold—and now blood. But unless you peered closely at underneath my hand. I dropped my fingers from his lips. it, you wouldn’t realize the spatter wasn’t part of the inJake