Elemental Assassin 04 - Tangled Threads

sixtysomething years, Jonah McAllister was still an attractive man—if you thought that having absolutely no wrinkles or natural expression in your face was something to be desired. McAllister had his chiseled features sandblasted by expensive Air elemental facials on a regular basis in order to keep his youthful glow intact. His smooth face seemed at odds with his thick coif ofsilver hair, which swirled around his head and gave him an elegant, distinguished air. A perfectly fitted black suit covered his trim figure, topped by a long black wool overcoat.
    But more important than his slick appearance was the fact that Jonah McAllister also happened to be Mab Monroe’s personal lawyer and the number two man in her organization now that Elliot Slater was dead. And he was very, very good at what he did. McAllister was known throughout Ashland for his ability to get the worst criminals off with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Which is why he handled all of Mab’s legal affairs. Thanks to McAllister’s expertise, the Fire elemental had never been charged with anything, not even a traffic violation, much less taken to court, despite all the murders, kidnappings, and beatings that Mab had ordered over the years—or had simply rolled up her sleeves and done herself.
    Jonah McAllister also happened to hate me, since he suspected me of being involved with his son, Jake’s, death a few weeks ago. That’s when Jake had come into the Pork Pit, scared and threatened my customers, and tried to rob me before I’d shown him exactly whom he was dealing with. But the punk hadn’t learned from his first mistake. During one of Mab’s parties, Jake had threatened to rape and murder me, so I’d stabbed him to death and left him in the Fire elemental’s bathtub. Needless to say, the older McAllister had been extremely upset.
    Ever since then, Jonah McAllister had kept an eye on me, trying to figure out what, if anything, I knew about his son’s murder. McAllister had even had Slater and some of his giant goons attack me one night over at AshlandCommunity College. Of course, I hadn’t cracked under the pressure of the giants’ fists, even though they’d almost beaten me to death. But that didn’t stop McAllister from suspecting me. So far, the slick attorney had gotten exactly nowhere, but he hadn’t given up, as witnessed by his visit here tonight. No doubt he’d dropped by just to see what other kind of trouble he could make for me.
    McAllister stepped to one side, holding the door open for someone coming in behind him, and I realized that the lawyer wasn’t alone. He had a woman with him, one that I recognized.
    LaFleur.

13
     
    In the split-second it took me to register the fact that Jonah McAllister and LaFleur were here in the Pork Pit, in my restaurant, in my gin joint, all sorts of scenarios flickered through my mind. Most of them involved my killing the two of them where they stood and helping Sophia dispose of the bodies.
    The Goth dwarf had helped Fletcher Lane dispose of bodies for years, and I’d inherited her services when I’d taken over the assassination business from the old man. Sophia had the same Air elemental magic as her sister, Jo-Jo. Except in Sophia’s case, she used her power to rip molecules apart, to break them down and tear them into nothingness. All of which was great for getting pesky little things like bloodstains off floors and walls.
    My eyes strayed to the two couples still lingering over their food. Sophia and I couldn’t take care of McAllister and LaFleur, not in front of four witnesses. Anyway, itwas better to see what the dynamic duo actually wanted first before I made my move.
    “I’ve got to go,” I told Owen. “I just had a customer walk in the front door.”
    “Anyone I know?” he asked.
    “Jonah McAllister. And he has the new girl in town with him.”
    Silence. I’d told Owen all about LaFleur and what her plans were for me the other night when I’d been at his house.
    “Do you need some help, Gin?” Owen asked in a soft voice. “I can be there in ten minutes.”
    And this thing might be over with in one, depending on what the two of them wanted and what they knew about me and who I really was. Still, it pleased me that Owen cared enough to come, that he wanted to help me, wanted to stick his neck out for me.
    I put my left hand down under the counter out of sight and palmed one of my silverstone knives. The blade was sharp enough to cut through almost