Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

another swig of her own shakes? on the house.”
    milkshake.
    Violet shrugged and walked around the far end of the The front door opened, causing the bell to chime. I counter. Eva Grayson studied Donovan Caine with open looked up, ready to greet a potential customer. interest. She sniffed, clearly telling me she didn’t think And he walked into the restaurant.
    the detective had anything on her big brother. Then she Detective Donovan Caine. Black hair, golden eyes, folowed Violet.
    bronze skin. The Hispanic detective looked the same as I waited until the two college girls had disappeared I remembered, except for the lines on his face. For once, through the swinging doors and were out of earshot bethey seemed to have smoothed out, as though some great fore I looked back at the detective. “I saw you on TV at weight had been lifted off his lean shoulders. As though the coal mine. Looked like you had your hands full recovhe’d made some decision that had finally brought him a ering Tobias Dawson’s body.”
    measure of peace. I wondered what it could be, but I had The detective nodded. “I did. But owen Grayson was a funny feeling it had something to do with me. Maybe a tremendous help with that. So were all the other emereverything to do with me. gency and disaster workers.”
    The detective came over and rested his hands on the We could have been talking about the weather for as counter. Hands that had done such wonderful things to interesting as the conversation was. But the detective’s my body. “Gin.”
    hands gripped the edge of the counter like he wanted to
    “Detective.”
    break it off. He was upset about something. I had no idea
    “Can we talk?” he asked in a low voice.
    what it could be. Because he was the one who’d turned I hadn’t seen the detective since that afternoon I’d his back on me that day at the mine, not the other way waved to him from the ridge, and he hadn’t made any efaround. So I decided to get to the heart of the matter. Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 386-387
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    388 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 389
    “Why did you come here, Donovan?” I asked. “What
    “I came here to explain,” Donovan said in a low voice. do you want?”
    “Can you please just let me do that?”
    The detective stared at me, his golden eyes tracing over
    “Fine,” I snarled. “Explain.”
    my face. “I’m leaving Ashland, Gin. I thought you should Donovan drew in a deep breath. “I’ve thought about know. I thought I should tell you in person.”
    you every day, Gin. Ever since that first night we met at For a moment I was stunned. Simply stunned. of all the orchestra house. The night Gordon Giles was murthe things he could have said, I wasn’t expecting that—and dered. I’ve replayed that scene over and over in my head. the emotions it stirred up in me. Hurt. Anger. Sadness. And not just that one. That night at Northern Aggres“You’re leaving town? Why?”
    sion. The time we spent together at the country club. Donovan ran his hands through his black hair. “A lot Then, in my car a few weeks ago. That night in the rain. I of reasons. Too many to get into right now.”
    can’t get you out of my head. Your voice, your smell, your
    “Well, let’s get into the only one that matters, the real laugh, the way you feel against me.”
    reason you’re here. Me,” I snapped. “You’re leaving town
    “Why is that a bad thing?” I asked. “We’re attracted to because of me, aren’t you?”
    each other. That’s what people do when they’re attracted
    “Guilty as charged.” The detective tried to smile. It to each other.”
    didn’t come off very well.
    Donovan stared at me. “It’s a bad thing because of who
    “Why?” I asked. “You turned your back on me at the you are and what you used to do.”
    mine that day. I got the message. For some reason, you I’d expected the words, but they still stung. I sighed. don’t want to have anything to do with me. Not anymore.
    “If this is still about Cliff Ingles—”
    You don’t have to leave town to accomplish that, detecHe shook his head. “It’s not about Cliff, not anymore. tive. I’m not the sort who runs after a man, begging him I know why you killed him. Like I told you before, I not to leave her.”
    might have done it myself, if I’d had the chance. No, this My voice dripped with acid. So did my heart, but I is about me.”
    kept my face calm, cold, remote. I wasn’t going to let I just looked at