Elemental Assassin 03 - Venom

“Consider it done.”
    “What about me?” Xavier asked in a low voice.
    Xavier had his elbows on the table, and his hands laid out flat in front of him. The giant’s arms were so long that he could have leaned forward and grabbed the opposite edge of the counter. The broad, coiled muscles of his back and biceps pressed against his white tuxedo jacket, threatening to split the material at the seams. Shadows darkened his black eyes, and his strong jaw clenched and unclenched. A vein throbbed on the top of Xavier’s shaved skull, the blue tint of his blood visible even through his ebony skin.
    I knew the signs and could read the rage in Xavier’s eyes like a pirate scanning a treasure map. X marked the spot. This was a man who wanted to rip into something, or rather someone—Elliot Slater—and slowly tear the skin from his bones, pound it back on, and start again. Couldn’t blame Xavier for that. Not after what the bastard had done to Roslyn. But it was my job to keep him in line, so I could take care of Slater once and for all. And so we could all walk away clean after the fact.
    “Your job is going to be the most difficult,” I said. “You need to go to Northern Aggression tomorrow andopen the nightclub as usual. Work the door, keep an eye on the crowd, everything you usually do.”
    “Why is that going to be difficult?” Xavier growled.
    I stared at him. “Because sooner or later, Slater’s going to come by the club looking for Roslyn—and you’re going to have to deal with him.”
    Xavier’s hands curled into two massive fists. “I’ll deal with the bastard, all right.”
    “No,” I said in a sharp tone. “You will not fucking touch him, unless you want to get dead. Slater’s sure to have backup with him. Even if you took him out, one of his buddies would get you in the end.”
    Xavier’s face hardened, and his eyes glinted with rage. At Slater, mostly, but I wasn’t in the giant’s good graces right now, either.
    “Look,” I said. “I’m not questioning your skills or your strength or how much you care about Roslyn. We all know that you wish you could kill Slater yourself. And we all know that you can’t do that without dying, either there at the scene or later on, when Mab Monroe gets involved. We all want the same thing—Elliot Slater cold and rotting in the ground for what he’s done to Roslyn. But more importantly, we want everyone to be able to walk away after the fact. What’s it going to be, Xavier? You want to play the hero and die for your woman? Or you want to do things my way and live long enough to go spit on Elliot Slater’s grave? Decide. Right now.”
    Xavier looked to the others for support. First, his eyes cut to Finn, who took another slug of coffee and moved to stand behind me. Xavier turned to Sophia. The dwarf grunted, gave him a flat stare, and also walked over to myside of the table. Finally, the giant stared at me. Rage still glinted in his eyes, but another emotion shimmered in his dark gaze. Resignation. Despite his feelings for Roslyn, Xavier was smart enough to realize that I knew what I was talking about—and that I’d do everything in my power to keep my promise to him and especially to Roslyn.
    “Fine,” Xavier said in a low voice. “We’ll do it your way. But if Elliot Slater’s not dead in two days—”
    “Then you can go after him and damn the consequences,” I said.
    Xavier stared at me a moment longer, then nodded. “All right. What do you want me to do?”
    “When Slater comes to the club looking for Roslyn, you tell him you don’t know where she is and that you don’t care anymore. That you hate her, and he’s welcome to her.”
    Xavier flinched at my harsh words, but he nodded. “All right. I can do that.”
    “You have to do more than just do it,” I snapped. “You have to
sell
it. Make Slater think that you’re done with Roslyn. For good. I’m not going to lie to you, Xavier. Slater’s probably not going to believe you. Things will get ugly. He’ll probably get his goons to beat you or do it himself. He could hurt you real bad. Maybe even kill you just for the fun of it.”
    Xavier stared at me, his black eyes as hard as granite. “I don’t care how bad he hurts me as long as Roslyn is safe. That’s all that matters to me.”
    I nodded. “Good. Is there anyone at the club you can trust? Anyone there who will back you up?”
    Xavier thought a moment. “Vinnie. The Ice elemental who works the bar. He’s a