Web of Lies

by Jennifer Estep

  “No one’s making any trouble. It’s going just like you much is there?”

  said it would. Quick and easy. Let’s just get the money Lance rifled through the green bills. “A little more than and go.”

  two hundred.”

  Jake stared at me, the flames dancing in his red eyes

  “That’s it? You’re holding out on me, bitch,” Jake matching the movement of the ones on the knife blade. snarled.

  Pure, malicious glee filled his crimson gaze. Even if I I shrugged. “Monday’s a slow day. And not many peohadn’t been good at reading people, that emotion alone ple like to get out in this kind of cold weather, not even would have told me that Jake enjoyed using his magic, for barbecue.”

  loved the power it gave him, the feeling of being invinThe Fire elemental glared at me, debating my words cible. And that he wasn’t going to be satisfied just stealing and what he could do about them. I smiled back. He my money. No, Jake was going to use his Fire power to didn’t know what he’d gotten himself into—or whom he kill everyone in the restaurant just because he could, bewas messing with. cause he wanted to show off his magic and prove he was a

  “Let’s just go, Jake,” Lance pleaded. “Some cops could real badass. Unless I did something to stop him. come along any second.”

  “Jake? The money?” Lance asked again.

  Jake tightened his grip on his flaming knife. “No. Not After a moment, the fire dimmed in Jake’s eyes. He until this bitch tells me what she did with the rest of the lowered the glowing blade a few inches, giving the girl money. This is the most popular restaurant in the neighsome much-needed air. “Money. Now.”

  borhood. There had to be more than two hundred dolI opened the register, grabbed all the wrinkled bills inlars in that cash register. So where did you hide it, bitch?

  side, and held them out. All Jake had to do was let go of You wearing a money belt underneath that greasy blue the girl long enough to step forward and grab the cash, apron?”

  and I’d have him. Come on, you bastard. Come and play I shrugged. “Why don’t you come and find out, you with Gin.

  pathetic fuck?”

  But some sense of self-preservation must have kicked His eyes grew darker, redder, angrier, until I thought in, because the beefy half giant jerked his head. Lance left the sparking flames flickering inside might actually shoot his post by the injured woman, tiptoed forward, snatched out of his magic-tinted irises. Jake let out a furious growl. the money out of my hand, and stepped back. I didn’t He shoved the girl away and charged at me, the knife held bother grabbing him and using him as a hostage. Guys straight out.

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  My smile widened. Finally. Time to play.

  his wrist, bending it back so he couldn’t move it. I eyed I waited until he got in range, then stepped forward the weapon in his locked hand.

  and turned my body into his. I slammed my elbow into

  “Fuck,” I said. “Get a real knife. You couldn’t even peel his solar plexus and swept his feet out from under him. potatoes with that thing.”

  Jake coughed, stumbled, and did a header onto the floor. Then I plucked the blade from his chapped fingers and His temple clipped the side of one of the tables as he snapped his thick wrist.

  went down, and a resulting bit of blood spattered onto Jake howled in pain, but the noise didn’t bother me. my jeans. The sharp blow was enough to make Jake lose Hadn’t in years. I shoved him down onto his back, then his grip on his Fire magic. The prickling power washing straddled him, a knee on either side of his beefy chest, off him vanished, and the flames snuffed out on the knife squeezing in and putting pressure on his ribs. Giants, in his hand. The hot metal hissed and smoked as it came even half giants like Jake, hated it when they had trouble into contact with the cool floor.

  breathing. Most people did.

  I looked to my right. The woman Jake had thrown I adjusted and tightened my grip on the knife, ready across the room scrambled to her feet and prepared to to drive it into his heart. A flimsy weapon, but it would launch herself at Lance. But Sophia grabbed the girl’s do the job. Just about anything would, if you had enough waist and pulled her back. The woman started to strugstrength and determination to put behind it. I had plenty gle, but the Goth dwarf shook her head and stepped of both.

  forward, putting herself in front of the customer. Lance A small, choked sob sounded, drawing my attention swallowed once and backed up, ready to turn and run. away from Jake and his high-pitched, keening howls. But Sophia was quicker. The dwarf punched him once My gray eyes flicked up. The girl huddled underneath a in the stomach. Lance went down like an anvil had been table a few feet away, her knees pulled up to her chest, her dropped on him. He crumpled to the floor and didn’t eyes as big as quarters in her face, tears sliding down her move.

  flushed cheeks.

  one down, one to go.

  A position I’d been in, once upon a time.

  I turned my attention back to Jake, who’d rolled over A couple of months ago, the girl and her tears wouldn’t onto his side. Blood dripped down the side of his head have bothered me. I would have killed Jake and his friend, where he’d cut himself on the corner of the table. The washed the blood off my hands, and asked Sophia to get half giant saw me standing over him, curled halfway up, rid of the bodies before I closed up the Pork Pit for the and slashed at me with his cooling knife. Idiot. He didn’t night.

  even come close to nicking me. After Jake made another That’s what assassins did.

  flailing pass with the blade, I crouched down and grabbed And I was the Spider, one of the very best. Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 10-11

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  But I’d had an epiphany of sorts two months ago when I slashed down with the knife, breaking the skin on my mentor had been brutally tortured and murdered inhis beefy neck. Jake yelped at the sting and clawed at the side the Pork Pit—in the very spot Jake and I were in slight wound with his sausage-thick fingers. I slapped his right now. The old man, Fletcher Lane, had wanted me to hand away and nicked him again. The smell of warm, retire, to take a different path in life, to live in the daylight coppery blood filled my nose. Something else that hadn’t a little, as he was so fond of saying. I’d followed Fletcher’s bothered me in a long, long time.

  advice and quit the assassin business after I’d killed Alexis

  “Every time you move, I’m going to cut you again. James, the Air elemental who’d murdered him. Deeper and deeper. Nod your head if you understand.”

  “Hmph.”

  Hatred flared in his gaze, taking the edge off the pain Behind me, Sophia grunted. I looked over my shoulder and panic, but he nodded.

  at the dwarf, who still had hold of the other woman. The

  “Good.”

  girl was unsuccessfully trying to pry the dwarf’s stubby finI clipped his temple with the knife hilt. Jake’s head gers off her waist. Good luck with that. Sophia had a grip snapped to one side and fell onto the floor. Unconscious. like death. once she had you, she didn’t let go—ever. My Just like his friend Lance.

  gray eyes locked with Sophia’s black ones. Regret flashed I stood up, wiped my fingerprints off the knife, and in her dark gaze, and she shook her head just the tiniest dropped the weapon on the floor. The half giant didn’t bit. No, she was saying. Not in front of two witnesses. stir. Then I got to my feet and headed for the girl, still Sophia was right. Witnesses were bad. I couldn’t crouched underneath the table.

  gut Jake with the two girls watching and get rid of the She shrank back against the legs of a chair at my apbody afterward. Not in my own restaurant. Not without proach, like she wanted to melt into the metal. Her pulse blowing my cover as Gin Blanco and leaving everything fluttered like a mad butterfly in her temple. I put my behind. And I wasn’t going to do that.
Not for a piece friendliest, most trustworthy, charming, Southern smile on of trash like the Fire elemental. But that didn’t mean I my face and crouched down until I was eye-level with her. couldn’t let Jake know exactly whom he was dealing with.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” I said, holding out my hand. I waited until there was a lull in Jake’s howls, then

  “It’s over. Those men aren’t going to hurt you now.”

  tipped his head up with the knife point and gazed into his Her chocolate eyes darted to Jake lying on the floor. eyes. They’d lost all hint of their red, fiery magic. Now his Her gaze flicked back to me, and she chewed her lip, her brown irises were wide and glossy with panic, fear, pain. teeth white against her toffee skin.

  “You ever come to my restaurant and fuck with me or

  “I’m not going to hurt you either,” I said in a soft my customers again, and I’ll carve you up like a Thanksvoice. “Come on, now. I’m sure your friend wants to see giving turkey.”

  how you are.”

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  “Cassidy!” the other woman called out since Sophia wanted the cops, you called them yourself. You certainly still wasn’t letting her go. “Are you all right?”

  didn’t depend on the kindness of strangers to do it. Not Her friend’s voice penetrated Cassidy’s fearful daze. in Ashland.

  She sighed and nodded her head. The girl reached out, I frowned. Cops. Just what I needed. Some of Ashand I grabbed her trembling hand. Cassidy’s fingers felt land’s finest getting an eyeful of me, the former assassin, like thin, fragile icicles against the thick scar embedded in a Goth dwarf who liked to dispose of dead bodies in her my palm. I tugged the girl to her feet. She eyed me with spare time, and the two guys we’d so easily dispatched. understandable caution, so I kept my movements slow Not the kind of attention I wanted to draw to myself, and small, not wanting to startle her.

  even if I was retired. Nothing I could do about it now,

  “I’m fine, Eva,” Cassidy said in a low voice. “Just a though.

  little shook up is all.”

  Sophia went back to the stove to check on her baked Sophia let go of the other woman, and I stepped back. beans. Eva spoke in a low voice to someone on her phone. Eva rushed forward and caught her friend in a tight hug. Cassidy finished her 911 call and sank into the nearest Cassidy wrapped her arms around the other women, and chair.

  the two of them rocked back and forth in the middle of The girl stared at Jake on the floor; then her brown the restaurant.

  eyes flicked to the bloody knife. Her lower lip quivered, I walked over to Sophia, who was watching the two her eyes grew glossy, and her hands trembled. Trying to women with a flat expression on her pale face. hold back the tears. Something else I’d had to do, once.

  “Friendship. Ain’t it a beautiful thing?” I quipped. I walked over to the counter and picked up a glass cake

  “Hmph.” Sophia grunted again.

  plate filled with the black forest cookies I’d baked this But the corners of the Goth dwarf’s lips turned up into morning.

  a tiny smile.

  “Here.” I took the top off and held the plate out to The two girls hugged a minute longer before Eva her. “Have a cookie. They’ve got plenty of sugar and butpulled a cell phone out of her jeans. ter and chocolate in them. They’ll help with the shakes.”

  “You call the cops,” Eva told her friend. “I need to let Cassidy gave me a wan smile, took one of the chocoowen know I’m okay. You know how he is. He’ll freak late treats, and bit into the concoction. The bittersweet when he finds out about this.”

  chocolate melted in her mouth, and her eyes brightened Cassidy nodded her head in sympathetic agreement with pleasure instead of worry.

  and pulled her own phone out of her jeans. The two Eva finished her call and sat down next to her friend. women started dialing numbers, instead of asking me, the Her hands didn’t tremble as she snapped her phone shut, restaurant owner, to do it for them. Not surprising. If you and she looked at Jake with a thoughtful expression. The Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 14-15

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  only sign anything had happened to Eva was a red welt on her cheek, where her face had smacked into the floor. The girl had a level head on her shoulders and a firm grip on her emotions. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t crash later.

  2

  I held the plate out to her. “You too.”

  Eva took a cookie, broke it in two, and stuffed half of it into her mouth. Not shy, either.

  I also plucked one of the chocolate treats off the stack. Not because I had shaky nerves, but because they were damn good cookies. I’d made them myself, and I was just as good a cook as I had been an assassin.

  I looked at the two unconscious men on the floor. Lance lay spread-eagled next to one of the booths where Sophia had dropped him. Blood continued to drip from A couple of uniformed patrol officers showed up twenty the cuts on Jake’s throat and temple, staining the floor a minutes later. Late, as usual. If we’d really needed them, rusty brown.

  our bodies would have been getting cold and sticky on I grabbed another cookie off the plate and watched the floor. The cops barreled through the front door and him bleed.

  stopped, surprised by the calm scene.

  Eva and Cassidy sat in their original booth. Cassidy munched on her fourth cookie and took a swig of the milk I’d given her. Eva leaned one elbow on the tabletop, holding her head up with her hand. With her free hand, she methodically broke apart a cookie and slowly ate it, piece by piece. Looked like the shock had finally caught up with her.

  At the stove, Sophia ladled baked beans into glass Mason jars to take home to her older sister, Jo-Jo. I perched on my usual stool behind the cash register, eating my third cookie and reading about odysseus blinding a cyclops.

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  The first cop was about my height, five seven or so, The cops looked at the two men, then at me, then a wiry Hispanic guy with nut-brown skin and a mop of Sophia, and finally the girls.

  matching curls that escaped the toboggan he’d stuffed

  “Is that how it happened?” the short cop asked. them under. Dark freckles dotted his cheeks like walnuts. Eva and Cassidy nodded their heads. Sophia grunted He had his gun out and held down against his leg. her agreement.

  In contrast, the other officer was around seven feet tall,

  “That’s exactly how it happened,” I said.

  with a shaved head as big as a cantaloupe and matching, The short cop focused on Lance. “And the other guy ham-size fists. His skin was so black it was glossy, like there?”

  polished jet. So were his eyes. His name was Xavier. I’d

  “His buddy. Tried to calm him down. Didn’t work.”

  seen him working as a bouncer out at Northern AggresThe cop looked at the two men a moment more, then sion, a trendy nightclub I’d had occasion to visit recently. back at me. “And you did this to them? With what? A I hadn’t realized he was a member of the police force as baseball bat?”

  well.

  “No,” I replied. “I just handled the first guy, the big Xavier recognized me too and tipped his head in my one. My cook took care of the other man. Neither one of direction. I returned the gesture.

  us had a weapon.”

  Xavier didn’t have his gun out. Didn’t need to. Giants With her great strength, Sophia didn’t need a weapon could take a couple bullets in the chest before they went anymore than a giant did. And I didn’t think it was necdown, and one well-placed punch from his fists would essary to mention the five silverstone knives currently snap just about anyone’s neck. Strange that he’d be workhidden on my body. or the others placed in strategic ing as a cop, though. Most of the giants in
Ashland hired locations throughout the restaurant. or the fact that I themselves out as private security. Paid better, even if it could have just formed a jagged icicle with my Ice magic was just as dangerous.

  and cut Jake’s throat with it. or even used my other el“We had a call about a robbery,” the first cop spoke. emental Stone power to collapse the whole restaurant on His voice was high and whiny, like a power saw. top of his head.

  “Yeah. Those two guys busted in and tried to rob me. The short cop let out a low whistle. “Picked the wrong That one,” I pointed to Jake, “came into the store and place to rob, didn’t they?”

  told everybody to freeze. When I started to open the cash I didn’t respond. He could see exactly how wrong register for him, he grabbed one of the girls and held a they’d been from the blood spatters on the floor. knife to her throat. He’s a Fire elemental. Put flames on The two men were starting to come around. Lance his knife and almost burned the girl with it. But luckily, rocked back and forth on the floor, holding his stomach, my cook and I were able to subdue them both.”

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  punched him. Jake lay on his back and blinked up at the most folks, Mab was the richest businesswoman in the ceiling as though he wasn’t really seeing it. city, who generously, selflessly, used her wealth to help the The giant cop, Xavier, reached down, picked up Lance less fortunate. But those of us who moved in the shady by the scruff of his neck with one hand, and slapped a set of side of life knew Mab did everything from ordering kidsilverstone cuffs on him with the other. “You. Stand still.”

  nappings, to bribing government officials, to murdering Lance was too busy trying not to puke to do someanyone who got in her way. thing stupid, like run. Xavier got down on one knee and Mab had money, but her real power came from the started to repeat the handcuff process on Jake. He stared fact she was a Fire elemental, just like Jake McAllister. into his face. Xavier frowned, then looked up at me with Being an elemental meant Mab could create, control, and his black eyes.