Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

the girl. Somebody The driver shot me a dirty look.
    wanted her dead.
    “Red means stop, you twit!” I screamed.
    As I stood there brooding, the front door of the She didn’t see me flip her off. Too busy nattering away restaurant opened. Violet stepped outside and hurried on her cell phone to do something safe, like pay attention away.
    to pedestrians and traffic signals. And she’d cost me any
    “Fuck,” I snarled and sprinted from the apartment. chance I’d had of catching the girl. Up ahead, the cab had already pulled out into traffic. Five seconds later, it turned The assassin was long gone, so I didn’t bother reaching right, disappearing from sight.
    for my Stone magic to harden my skin again. Besides, he Gone. The girl was gone.
    wasn’t after me anyway. Instead, I ran down the stairs and And I had no idea where she went or more imporout of the apartment building. I hung a left and sprinted tantly, why someone had tried to kill her. down the block in the direction the girl had gone. I stood there a moment, cursing my own stupidity. I She must have been power walking because she was should have known the second the girl asked for the Tin already a full block ahead of me. She raised her arm, and Man that something was seriously wrong. That it wasn’t a cab slid to a stop at the curb in front of her. just a fluke or an accident or dumb luck. That trouble “Hey, you!” I yelled. “Stop!”
    had just walked into the Pork Pit.
    The girl paid no attention to me. I was too far away for Trouble that had gotten away from me.
    my voice to carry over the traffic on the street. Even if she
    “Fuck,” I snarled again before turning and heading had heard my cry, she probably wouldn’t have thought back to the restaurant.
    Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 72-73
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    74 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 75
    *
    *
    *
    “I just need to find her before the assassin decides to make I tucked my knives up my sleeves and slowly, calmly, quianother run at her.”
    etly strolled the block and a half back to the Pork Pit.
    “Why?” Finn asked. “It’s her problem, not yours.”
    No need to draw any more attention to myself today. If I I stared at him. “Because she comes in here asking kept this up, somebody might call the police and report a about the Tin Man, asking about Fletcher, and a minute crazy woman. Not too long ago, I’d spent several days in later, somebody’s shooting at her. I want to know why. Ashland Asylum on one of my jobs. I had no desire to pay Why she came here, what her connection to Fletcher is, the facility a return visit.
    all of it.”
    A couple minutes later, I stepped into the Pork Pit. Mainly, I wanted to make sure there was no way her Sophia was adding some red pepper and paprika to her almost or future murder was going to get laid on my macaroni salad. Finn sat on his usual stool, sipping andoorstep or on Finn or the Deveraux sisters. Covering other cup of chicory coffee and reading the rest of the myself had been one of the first things Fletcher Lane had financial section.
    taught me.
    “Problems?” he quipped.
    “Now, what happened after I left? Did she say anyI gave him a sour glare. thing, do anything?”
    “I only ask because a) you’re not smiling and covered Finn shook his head. “No. She sat there a minute getin someone else’s blood, and b) I saw you run out of the ting her breath back; then she got up and left.”
    building across the street like there were a pack of hungry My gray eyes narrowed. “And you didn’t try to stop vampires after you,” Finn said. “I take it Jake McAllister her?”
    managed to allude you?”
    Finn shrugged. “I figured as long as she wasn’t screamI shook my head. “It wasn’t McAllister. The shooter ing and calling the cops, it was all right. We both thought wasn’t even gunning for me. He was aiming at the girl.”
    it was Jake McAllister shooting at you, not somebody else I filled Finn and Sophia in on my theory about the gunning for her.”
    shooter being a pro and my conclusion his target had I bit back another curse. Finn was right. It wasn’t his been the girl, not me.
    fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Still, I needed some anFinn let out a low whistle. “Someone hired an assassin swers, and the girl was the only one who could give them to take out the girl? She must have really pissed somebody to me. But she was miles away by now. So how could I off.”
    track her down? I thought for a second, then went