Elemental Assassin [9] Heart of Venom

by Jennifer Estep

  But I made it home without them rear-ending me

  and turned into the driveway. I took my foot off the gas, coasting forward, but the men didn’t veer onto the path behind me like I thought they might. Instead, they drove right on past the entrance, as though they were going somewhere else entirely.

  I sighed. I’d really wanted to get on with the business of killing them and confronting their boss. But good things came to those who waited, and I was very, very good at waiting.

  So I steered my car up the driveway, parked it, and went inside the house to get ready for my not-so-unexpected visitors. It didn’t take long.

  Half an hour later, I was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, drinking some blackberry lemonade, when Harley Grimes finally made his move.

  One minute, I was alone, sipping my beverage and

  wondering how much longer I’d have to sit out here before Grimes and Hazel took the bait that I was so thoughtfully dangling in front of them—me. The next, I heard a car start rumbling up the gravel driveway. Then another one. Then another one. Three vehicles total, all churning up the hill as fast as they could, as if they thought that I would run once I heard them coming and realized who they were.

  I wasn’t running, not tonight.

  The cars left the driveway and skidded to a stop in the yard near the edge of the trees, spewing dirt and gravel everywhere, and cutting off any escape I might have thought of making to the woods. Men erupted out of the vehicles a second later. Guns drawn, they spread out in front of me. There were only eight of them, which was about what I’d expected. I recognized six as the watchers from the Pork Pit earlier, although they’d traded in their cowboy clothes for their regular old-fashioned suits, boots, and fedoras. But it didn’t much matter what they had on. Because every single one of them was dead—they just didn’t know it yet.

  Finally, two more figures climbed out of the last car: Hazel and Harley Grimes.

  Hazel marched over to join the group of men clustered on the lawn, but Grimes lingered by the car, staring up at Fletcher’s house. I wondered if he was thinking about building some similar, twisted version of it up on his mountain. Well, he wasn’t going to get the chance.

  I put one foot up on the railing, tipped my rocking chair back a little farther, and took another long swig of my lemonade, completely unconcerned by all the guns pointed at me.

  Finally, Grimes walked over and joined Hazel and his men, standing in the middle of them all. He too was wearing another old-fashioned suit, this one in a black that was as dark as his soul. His hat was black too, with a white feather jauntily perched in the brim just like usual.

  Hazel had on a white wrap dress with black ribbon pip— ing down the seams. More diamond pins glittered in her wavy black hair, this set shaped like tiny roses. I wondered if the brother and sister had matching funeral outfits. I hoped so. They’d need them soon enough.

  Ever so politely, Grimes lifted his hat for a moment before bowing his head to me. “Ms. Blanco,” he said.

  “Please forgive me for my disbelief during our previous encounters at my camp. According to everything that my men have heard, you are indeed who you say you are, the Spider.”

  “Well, it’s about time you figured that out,” I drawled, and took another sip of my drink. “I would have thought that all of those dead bodies that I left up at your place would have clued you in to that simple fact. But I guess you’re just a little slow on the uptake.”

  “And I see that you’ve picked up the same insolence that Sophia has,” Grimes murmured. “But Hazel can quickly cure you of that.”

  Hazel smirked at me, elemental Fire flashing in her eyes in anticipation of the fight to come. She was looking forward to torturing me with her magic again. Good.

  Because I was looking forward to cutting her throat.

  Grimes’s gaze flicked around the yard again before scanning the front of the house, trying to see if there were any lights on inside or any hints of movement through the windows. “Where is Sophia? I thought that she would be here with you, given how . . . protective you’ve been of her.”

  “You might as well forget about Sophia, because she’s somewhere where you will never, ever find her.”

  Grimes gave me a thin smile. “I rather doubt that, seeing how easily I found you. I’ve had my men watching you all day long at that restaurant you run downtown.”

  I returned his smile with an even colder one of his own. “You think I didn’t know that? You really shouldn’t have dressed them all up like cowboys. Or at least you should have made sure that their clothes weren’t so obviously brand-spankin’ new.”

  Grimes studied me, trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth. “If you knew that they were there, that they were watching you, then why didn’t you try to slip away from them?”

  “Because I’m not afraid of them—or you. You’re a small, petty, mean little man who gets his kicks by hurting others. If I ran every time one of those came into the restaurant, well, I’d never be open for business.”

  His frown deepened, and anger sparked in his eyes.

  He didn’t like hearing the truth about himself. Too damn bad.I drained the last of my lemonade, put the glass down on the railing, got to my feet, and stepped off the porch.

  I walked out into the yard and stopped about twenty feet away from Grimes and Hazel. They stood in the middle of the eight goons they’d brought along with them. Not exactly the position that I’d wanted them in, but they were here, and that was all that really mattered.

  “You should send your men away,” I said. “Unless you want them to die in the crossfire. We all know that this is between you and me and Hazel.”

  Grimes gave me an amused look. “You really think

  that you can beat Hazel and me and our combined Fire magic? Is that why you let my men follow you home?

  Because you have some fanciful notion of defeating us in an elemental duel like you did Mab Monroe?”

  I shrugged. “I didn’t feel like hiking up your stupid mountain again. Besides, I figured that it was time for you to come to Ashland and see how we do things down here in the big city.”

  Grimes glanced around at the house and the clearing again, and his lips curved into a mocking sneer. “You mean living out here all by yourself in that run-down house? I prefer my camp. You’ll come to love it there, too, over time, Gin. I just know that you will.”

  Once again, that greedy, lustful look flared in his eyes, and his oily, lecherous gaze tracked up and down my body, trying to see my curves through the jeans, long-sleeved black T-shirt, and matching black vest that I had on.I gave him a flat look. “I said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’d rather be dead than be one of your playthings.

  I managed to survive the mountain. I’ll survive you, your twisted sister, and what’s left of your little army too.”

  “You stupid bitch,” Hazel snarled. “You think that you can take all of us on by yourself?”

  “Why, sugar,” I drawled, “who ever said that I was by myself?”

  She looked at me, and I grinned back at her. Grimes frowned at my words, but it was Hazel who finally realized what I was up to and why I’d let them follow me home. She cursed, and a ball of elemental Fire flashed to life in her hand.

  A perfect signal, if ever there was one.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Crack!

  Crack! Crack!

  Crack!

  Gunshots rang out from the woods to the left of the house. The first wave of shots took out two of Grimes’s men. The others saw their buddies hit the ground, then ducked down and scrambled back behind their cars for cover. They raised their own weapons and started firing toward the trees where the bullets were coming from, but I didn’t bother ducking or running for cover. The bullets weren’t meant for me. I’d let Grimes and his men follow me back to Fletcher’s so that I could lure them into my own trap, into my own sticky web of death, and Grimes had been arrogant enough to fall for it. />
  While I’d been sitting on the porch, drinking lemonade, Finn, Bria, Owen, and Phillip had been getting into position in the woods, ready to snipe at Grimes, Hazel, and their men when they showed up.

  Crack!

  Crack! Crack!

  Crack!

  My friends fired another hail of bullets at the gangsters, shattering the windshields and denting the car doors that they were crouched behind. But I kept my eyes fixed on Grimes and Hazel, who were staring right back at me, as unconcerned by the bullets as I was. I stayed where I was, because this was the moment I’d been waiting for, my chance to finally take them out.

  For Sophia, for Jo-Jo, and for Fletcher.

  “What did you do?” Hazel spat out.

  “Just made sure that you all get what you so richly deserve,” I snarled back at her.

  Hazel shrieked with rage, and the flames crackling in her palm intensified. I tensed, thinking that she might hurl her ball of elemental Fire at me, but instead, she turned and threw it into the woods. The Fire hit a tree and exploded, sending flames shooting into the air and licking at the leaves and grass along the ground.

  In the distance, I could hear Finn yelling at Bria and the others to watch the Fire. He knew as well as I did that they couldn’t afford to let the flames get out of control, or the whole ridge might go up, along with Fletcher’s house—and then we’d all be dead.

  Hazel laughed with dark delight when she realized that the flames were spreading. Bria left her hiding spot in the woods to rush over to the burning tree. Grimes’s men drew a bead on her, but Finn and the others laid down

  another round of gunfire to cover her. A bluish-white light flared in Bria’s hand, and she sent out a blast of Ice magic that quickly turned the flames into thick, twisted icicles.

  Hazel’s cackle cut off. Another ball of Fire popped into her hand, and she reared back, ready to throw it at Bria and roast my sister where she stood. I palmed my knives and charged at her, determined to keep that from happening.

  Hazel saw me coming out of the corner of her eye. She waited until I was in range, then whirled in my direction and shoved her hand—and the flames flickering on her fingertips—right into my face.

  I had just enough time to reach for my Stone magic and use it to harden my skin, head, hair, and eyes before the molten heat engulfed me, making me feel as though I was standing next to an open furnace. Hazel wasn’t as strong as Mab had been, but she was still a powerful elemental in her own right, and it took me a moment to push back and snuff out the flames of her power with my own Stone magic. Smoke drifted up from my body, and sparks and ash fell from my clothes.

  Hazel’s eyes narrowed. “So it’s true. You do have Stone magic, along with all that Ice you threw around on the ridge.”

  “You really should have listened to the rumors,” I hissed.

  “Because now I’m going to kill you with it, just like I have all the others before you. Just like I will all the others after you who are stupid enough to mess with me and mine.”

  Another ball of Fire popped into Hazel’s hand. “Not if I kill you first, bitch.”

  Instead of answering, I threw myself at her.

  I stabbed out with my knives, trying to end Hazel once and for all, but she reached for even more of her magic, turning her fists into two flaming torches. Every time I swung at her, she thrust the flames of her magic into my face, making me retreat. So I reached for my Stone magic, used it to harden my skin, and went after her again.

  Hazel realized that I was coming after her through the flames, and she stepped up to meet me.

  Slash-slash-slash.

  Whoosh!

  Slash-slash-slash.

  Whoosh!

  Every time I swiped at her with my knives, Hazel reached for even more of her magic and tossed it in my direction. Since I didn’t want to get burned alive on the spot, I kept my distance.

  Finally, though, I grew sick of Hazel’s game and stepped through the flames toward her. One knife to the heart, and she’d forget all about using her Fire power on me. She’d forget about everything except how much I’d hurt her.

  And I did so want to hurt her.

  But Hazel was as good a fighter as I was. Strong, quick, decisive, ruthless. Every time I lashed out with a knife, she managed to block the blow. She punched out with her fist, flames shooting out from between her fingers, and made me duck to one side. I came back up on the left with a knife, but she was already there, anticipating the blow.

  Slash.

  Punch.

  Slash-slash.

  Punch-punch-punch.

  And on and on it went, with neither one of us able to do any real damage to the other. All we were really doing was wearing each other out and using up all of our magic in the process.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Grimes watching us while we moved in circles around the yard. Every once in a while, he would turn and throw a ball of Fire at the woods, forcing Bria to use her Ice power to counter it, and keeping the others pinned down there, but mostly, he watched me battle Hazel.

  Yeah, he’d be the kind who liked to watch. I wondered if this was another way he got his kicks, besides torturing people in his pit of death or hunting them down like deer in the woods. I hoped he enjoyed the show, because he was going to get a front-row seat for round two. I was killing him as soon as I finished with Hazel.

  I shut Grimes out of my mind and focused all of my attention on Hazel once more. Back and forth, we fought, kicking up dust, dirt, grass, gravel, and everything else that was underfoot, as though we were in the center of some whirling dust storm.

  Finally, though, I saw an opening, and I took it. I raised both of my knives high and went in for the kill.

  Hazel caught one of my hands in hers, then the other one. We seesawed back and forth, with me trying to drive the blades into any place on her that they would go and her easily using her mix of giant and dwarven strength to keep me at arm’s length.

  “What are you going to do now?” she hissed, the flames of her magic licking at my skin, trying to break through the protective shell of my Stone power.

  “How about this?” I hissed back at her.

  I head-butted the bitch as hard as I could.

  I caught her square in the nose, the bone crunching like cereal under my forehead.

  Snap, crackle, pop.

  For the first time, one of my blows actually seemed to have an impact. Hazel staggered away, blood spraying all over her face, her eyes rolling up into the back of her head. The Fire dancing on her fingers dimmed down to a manage— able level. I twirled my knives in my hands and went after her, pressing my advantage.

  Slice.

  Whiff.

  I drew a knife across Hazel’s right arm, making her yelp with pain. I ducked to one side, and her flaming fist sailed right on by my face.

  Slice-slice.

  Whiff-whiff.

  A cut on her left arm this time, followed by a gash to her stomach. Hazel lurched forward, still swinging at me, but I easily sidestepped her blows.

  Slice.

  Whiff.

  A deeper, more brutal strike went in and skittered off her collarbone before my knife slid free of her body. Hazel screamed and lurched forward again, but I ducked her awkward blows.

  She shook off the rest of her daze and moved to block my next attack. I’d raised my knives as though I was going to try to stab her again, but it was a feint to disguise my real intention. Hazel stepped up to grab my arms once more, but I ducked down and lashed out with my foot, sweeping her legs out from under her. She let out a scream of surprise as she fell, and her head cracked against the ground.

  Before she could recover, I threw myself on top of her.

  I raised my knife, ready to plunge it into Hazel’s black, venomous heart— A blast of Fire knocked me off her.

  I’d been so focused on Hazel that I’d lost track of Grimes during the fight. He might have liked to watch two chicks rough each other up, but apparently, he
drew the line at me actually killing his sister. I tried to get up, but another wave of Fire washed over me, even hotter and more brutal than before. I sucked down a breath in surprise, and I could feel the flames trying to force their way down my throat, but I managed to use my own Stone magic to block the attack.

  This time, I was the one who was dazed, but I staggered to my feet anyway and turned to face my enemies.

  Crack!

  Crack! Crack!

  In the distance, Finn, Phillip, and Owen were still firing at what remained of Grimes’s men, while Bria worked to contain the bursts of Fire that Grimes had sent hurtling their way. But I pushed away all thoughts of my friends and the flames still licking at the edge of the woods. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by anything right now, or I was dead.

  Which was still a distinct possibility.

  It was a risk, taking on two elementals at once, but it was a chance that I had to take. I hadn’t wanted Sophia and Jo-Jo involved in this fight, but the truth was that I hadn’t wanted Finn, Bria, Owen, or Phillip in it either.

  That’s why I had insisted that they stay in the woods, instead of Bria and Owen standing with me and using their magic like they’d wanted to. I’d felt how strong Grimes and Hazel were in their magic on the ridge, and I hadn’t wanted the others to be tortured with it if things went bad. This way, even if they used their combined power to kill me, my friends would still have a chance to snipe at them from the woods. I’d told Finn, especially, to kill Grimes—even if he had to sacrifice me to do it.

  And it looked like that was what it had finally come down to.

  “It doesn’t have to be like this,” Grimes said. “Tell me where Sophia is, and I’ll let you live, Gin. You and Sophia.

  You can both come with me, stay with me. You’re both strong. You both belong with someone who can handle that strength, tame it, shape it—someone like me.”

  He was so focused on me that he didn’t see the evil glare that Hazel shot him. She’d make sure that I wouldn’t live a week if I was stupid enough to take Grimes’s up on his offer.