Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

broken dish and smashed bits when he made the stupid mistake of trying to rob me. of food. I’d just thrown everything away and washed Maybe it felt even better to do the same to his old man. my hands in the sink when the bell over the front door But if I’d let Jake go that night, I’d have a dozen Jake chimed again. I turned, a silverstone knife already sliding McAllisters in here today, all thinking they could knock into my hand.
    over my joint for a quick wad of cash. You know it. AshBut this time it was just Finn. land’s all about survival of the toughest. It always has Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 154-155
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    been. Word gets out you’re weak or an easy mark, and Finn opened his mouth again, but I held up my hand you’re finished, no matter what business you’re in.”
    to cut him off.
    Finn shrugged his agreement.
    “Enough talk,” I said. “We have other people to deal
    “Besides, if I give in to the McAllisters now, they’ll with today, remember? Warren T. Fox. So let’s go get Viothink they own me, that they actually frightened me today. let and see what Grandpa has to say for himself.”
    Jake would start coming in here all the time, just to lord it over me. He’d think the restaurant was his own personal Finn and I left Sophia to clean up the remaining mess little fiefdom, take my money, and terrorize my customand headed over to Jo-Jo’s to pick up Violet Fox. Finn had ers. And I just couldn’t stand that. Not in Fletcher’s rescalled ahead to say we were on our way, and the two of taurant. Not when he worked so hard for so long to keep them waited on the front porch for us. Both sat in rockfrom paying protection money to anyone.” I sighed. “Being chairs that creaked and cracked with every pass back sides, it’s too late for all that now anyway. I pissed off Jake and forth. Jo-Jo had dragged Rosco’s basket outside, and McAllister again, embarrassed him in front of his father. the fat, lazy basset hound sat at the dwarf’s feet, snoozing He’s not going to forget that. He’s going to kill me—or at in a patch of sunlight that sliced across the porch slats. least try. He has to, or he’ll never have his father’s respect Sophia must have lent Violet some of her clothes, beagain. What little of it there was to start with.”
    cause the girl was dressed in a pair of black jeans and
    “And then what are you going to do?” Finn asked. a matching T-shirt with an enormous set of red lips on
    “You kill Jake, and Jonah will come down on you like it. Despite Violet’s full figure, the clothes sagged off her a ton of bricks. Hell, he might even get Mab Monroe frame. Sophia Deveraux had quite a bit more muscle on involved at that point.”
    her than Violet did.
    A few weeks ago, someone had set me up to be killed Jo-Jo wore one of her many pink flowered dresses and as part of a larger power play against Mab Monroe, to a string of pearls that were each as big as a giant’s tooth. try to wrest control of Ashland away from her. I’d gotten Her bleached white-blond hair was arranged into its typicaught in the middle, which meant I was already more cal helmet of curls, and perfect makeup covered her face. involved with the Fire elemental than I’d ever wanted As usual, the dwarf’s feet were bare, despite the Novemto be. ber chill in the air. Jo-Jo hated wearing socks. Said they I thought of that piece of paper in the file Fletcher made her feet hurt.
    had compiled about my family’s murder, the one with Finn and I stepped up onto the porch. Violet stood up, Mab’s name on it. Maybe I’d always been involved with but Jo-Jo kept rocking in her chair.
    the Fire elemental—I just hadn’t known it. “I’ll deal with
    “Sleep well?” I asked.
    Jake McAllister when he makes his move.”
    “As well as could be expected, I suppose. But Jo-Jo reEstep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 156-157
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    ally made me feel at home.” Violet gave her hostess a shy the vehicle had probably been stripped of everything but smile.
    the cigarette lighter. Hell, somebody had probably taken
    “Jo-Jo’s good at that. We should get going.”
    that too. Barracudas couldn’t pick a corpse any cleaner
    “Say hello to Warren for me,” Jo-Jo told Violet. “Tell than the white trash and gangbangers in Southtown. him I’ll be up that way for some more honey real soon.”
    “It might be okay,” Finn replied in