Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

backtracked the drop, and realized a steady stream me. “I don’t know any Warren Fox.”
    of water rushed down one wall of the cavern. Still more
    “Bullshit,” Tobias snarled. “I saw you at his store the water dripped from other stalactites over my head. Hmm. other day.”
    That might be useful.
    I raised an eyebrow. “You mean that shack by the side Tobias Dawson walked in a loose circle around me. of the crossroads? Yeah, I was there. So what?”
    His snakeskin cowboy boots clattered on the rough stone.
    “Why?” Dawson demanded.
    “Do you know where you are?”
    “I had to pee,” I quipped. “And I didn’t feel like getting I put my hands on the ground and pushed myself up a briar in my ass by going in the woods.”
    to my feet. Spots swam in front of my eyes again, but I The dwarf stared at me, considering my words. “I blinked them away. “I have a pretty good idea.”
    don’t believe you.”
    It was hard to talk through my broken, throbbing jaw,
    “Doesn’t much matter to me whether you believe me and my words came out mushy and mumbled. Just the or not.”
    way my face felt.
    Tobias spit a stream of tobacco juice out of his mouth. The dwarf stared at me. “You broke into my office, It spattered against my bare, scraped leg. The dwarf was into my safe.” His floppy mustache bristled with anger. going to pay for that. I might die down here, but before I shrugged. No use denying it now. If Tobias Dawson’s I went, I was going to get at least one good blow in. Just elemental talent for sensing and identifying others’ magic for that.
    was as good as he claimed, no lie of mine would con“Who are you working for? What do you want?” Dawvince him otherwise. Besides, I was already on the hook son asked again. “I have ways of making you talk, you here. If I played my cards right, maybe things would stop know.”
    and end with me. I didn’t want Dawson to start thinking My jaw twitched with pain, which kept me from rollabout who else might have been involved with me—and ing my eyes. Yeah, I’d figured out the dwarf could hurt I didn’t want him going after Finn, the Deveraux sisters, me the first time he’d slammed his fist into my face. The the Foxes, or even Donovan Caine.
    memory was still fresh in my mind, even if it had appar“Yeah, I broke into your office.”
    ently slipped his.
    “Why?” the dwarf snapped. “What were you looking
    “I’m sure you do. As for what I want, well, it’s more Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 330-331
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    332 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 333
    about what my employer wants. Maybe we can work out he’d already sold himself on. I could see the suspicion in some sort of deal.”
    his eyes. All I had to do was fill in the name for him. And The dwarf stopped his circle to stand in front of me. even if I didn’t make it out of here alive, I still planned His pale blue eyes narrowed. “I’m listening.”
    on causing as much trouble as I could for one certain
    “You let me go, and I tell you who wants you dead. individual.
    How does that sound?”
    “Who hired you? Why? Tell me right now, or I’ll let The dwarf nodded. “All right. You have a deal.”
    my boys have some fun with you.” Dawson jerked his Lying bastard. He wasn’t going to let me go, and we thumb over his shoulder at his two men.
    both knew it. But this was how the game was played Behind him, one of the giants rubbed his crotch and when you were sloppy enough to get captured. Dragging rocked his hips forward. His buddy laughed at him and things out to the bitter end. I’d only get one shot to try gave me a slow wink. Their casual mockery made my to take out Dawson. I knew what I was going to do, but anger ratchet up from a slow simmer to a boil. Those baswhether I had the strength for it was another matter. Still, tards weren’t laying another hand on me.
    it was best to keep him talking as long as possible. But I still had my part to play for Tobias Dawson, so I backed up a few steps from the dwarf so that I was I took another step back from the jagged stalactites and clear of the stalactites and the water dripping down from threw my hands out wide. “Isn’t it obvious who I’m workthe ceiling. He didn’t follow me. His first mistake. “So ing for? Who else knows about this little diamond mine you’ve figured out what I am, what I do.”
    you’ve stumbled upon? Who else have you told about it?
    “You’re an assassin,” Dawson said. “That’s the only exWhy