Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

usual Goth outfit—black jeans, a black T-shirt, and against his son.”
    black boots. Today, dainty silverstone hearts hung from
    “Former assassin,” I corrected. “And let Jonah McAlher black leather collar. They clanged and clashed like lister send some of Mab’s goons after me. We both know cymbals as she walked.
    exactly how that would turn out.”
    “Sophia? Pretty please?” Finn smiled and held out his Finn snorted. “Yeah, with their blood on the floor of empty cup.
    the restaurant.”
    The Goth dwarf grunted, but the corners of her I grinned. “C’mon. You have to admit I do good work.”
    lips, crimson today, twitched upward into a tiny smile.
    “Deadly work, perhaps. You know how I feel about the Finnegan Lane could charm any woman he set his mind word good .” He shuddered.
    to, and he enjoyed practicing his skills on every female Like me, Finnegan Lane was firmly entrenched in within a twenty-foot radius. Young, old, pretty, tooththe shady side of life, with morals that bent easier than less. Didn’t much matter to Finn. He enjoyed playing the wet grass. Banking regulations, married women, public part of the old-fashioned, charming, Southern gentleman indecency laws. Finn fucked around with whatever and to whatever audience was handy. Even the gruff, tough whomever he could without getting caught. Even when Sophia Deveraux wasn’t immune to his ladykiller smile. he did, he always found a way to wriggle out of whatThen again, he’d had thirty-two years to wear her down. ever messy love triangle he currently found himself in. Finn batted his green eyes at Sophia while he sipped Finn was more slippery than grease on a hot skillet. He his fresh cup of coffee. Sophia gave him another minuspreferred to tackle problems in a roundabout way, which cule smile, then moved over to the double sink, where usually involved pulling his pants up while he ran away she was draining a colander of elbow macaroni to make from whatever gun-toting husband was hot on his trail. some salad. Normally, during the lunch hour rush, there Me? I went at my problems straight on—and knife wouldn’t be room to move or turn around back here. point first. Another reason Fletcher Lane had trained me Waitresses would be stacked three deep behind the counto be the assassin, and not his son, even though Finn was ter, waiting on Sophia and me to cook up their latest two years older than me.
    order. But it was just the two of us today. I’d sent the rest Finn held up his empty cup and let out a low whistle of the staff home with pay, after it had become apparent I between his teeth. A moment later, Sophia came through wouldn’t need them to man the Pork Pit.
    the double doors that led to the back of the restaurant.
    “What about owen Grayson?” Finn asked between The dwarf clenched a battered silver coffeepot in her sips of steaming coffee. “How are you going to cash in stubby fingers. The one she always kept warm for Finn. that favor?”
    Fletcher too, before he’d died. once again, Sophia wore Grayson’s visit hadn’t made the newspaper article, but Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 52-53
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    54 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 55
    I’d mentioned it to Finn last night when I’d called to tell golden opportunity I have? Asked him to help me make him about the attempted robbery at the Pork Pit. He’d the charges stick?”
    been more excited about owen Grayson owing me a Finn snorted. “Then you’d be wasting your favor, and favar than the fact Sophia and I had foiled the would-be you know it. Even if you got owen Grayson to back you robbers.
    up, Jake McAllister still would never see the inside of a
    “I’m not,” I said. “ I would have done the exact same jail cell. Because Jonah works for Mab Monroe. Even thing to Jake McAllister and his friend if a couple of somebody like Grayson would think twice about crossing homeless guys had been eating here instead of Eva GrayMab, especially since he has his sister to think about. I son. Saving her from getting dead doesn’t change anyimagine owen would like to be around to help her finish thing for me.”
    growing up and not die a fiery, torture-filled death at the Finn shook his head. “Gin, Gin, Gin. You really need hands of Mab or one of her giant flunkies.”
    to learn to take advantage of these golden opportunities
    “I know. But it’s still a nice thought. The idea of Jake when they present themselves to you.”
    McAllister being somebody’s prison