Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd

by Web of Lies (pdf)

  and he wasn’t going to try to stop me. Not anymore. I Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 238-239

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  hadn’t expected the detective to come around so easily. I wondered what had caused the quick turnaround. His friendship with Warren Fox? Me? Something else?

  But I didn’t feel like celebrating my victory in making the detective agree to my plan. Something was bother22

  ing Donovan. Me, most likely, and what had happened between us in the backseat of his sedan. But the detective’s anger over my assassinating Cliff Ingles, his corrupt partner, seemed to have faded away, for whatever reason. Donovan hadn’t mentioned it once all day. So what had I done now that was so terrible besides give him a couple of orgasms? I couldn’t help but wonder.

  But now wasn’t the time to focus on Donovan Caine and this curious warmth I felt for him. Things needed to be done tonight before I made any kind of move against

  “First of all, the two of you,” I jerked my head at the Tobias Dawson. So I pushed thoughts of the detective Foxes, “need to disappear for the next few days. Take a away and looked at the others.

  vacation somewhere.”

  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” I said.

  Warren shook his head. “No. I’m not running from Tobias Dawson. Never have, never will.”

  “And what about Violet?” I asked. “She almost got raped and killed last night because Dawson wanted to send you a message. If he even thinks the break-in at the mining office tonight is connected to you, he’ll come down here, kill you two, and burn everything to the ground. Is that what you want?”

  “of course not,” Warren snapped. “But I’m a Fox, of the Ridgeline Hollow Foxes. My ancestors have lived in these mountains for more than three hundred years. The settlers didn’t drive my people out, and I’ll be damned if one greedy dwarf is going to make me go anywhere. I’ve never run from a fight. I’m not about to start now.”

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  A mulish look spread across his wrinkled face, and I I looked at the two dwarves. “You two think you can knew he wasn’t going to budge. Not on this point. Warstand guard duty for a few days?”

  ren might die, but he’d do it in his own store—just like

  “of course,” Jo-Jo said. “Anything you need, Gin. You Fletcher had. My heart twisted, and the old man’s ruined know that.”

  face awam before my eyes. I shoved the image away. War“Um-mmm.” Sophia grunted her agreement. ren T. Fox wasn’t going to end up like Fletcher Lane—not

  “What about me?” Finn asked.

  if I could help it.

  I smiled at him. “Fletcher’s gone, so you’re my handler

  “Fine. You can stay here in the house.”

  now. I want everything you’ve got on Tobias Dawson. Warren smiled.

  You know what to do with it.”

  “With Sophia and Jo-Jo as protection,” I added. “And Finn nodded.

  you’re going to close the store for the rest of the week. And then there was one. I stared at the detective, who That’s not a request.”

  still wore a stricken look on his face. “What are you going His smile slipped. “Why?”

  to do, Donovan?”

  “Because Tobias Dawson will be sure to be watching. He stared at the carpet underneath his muddy shoes. If he sees the store’s closed, he might think you’re finally The detective knew what I was asking—if he was going to softening up. It should buy us a little extra time.”

  try to stop me or worse, warn Tobias Dawson that I was

  “What about me?” Violet asked. “I can’t exactly leave coming for him.

  either. I’ve got classes and exams coming up.”

  “Nothing. I’m not going to do anything. Not a damn I turned to her. “Do you have a friend you could stay thing.” Donovan scrubbed his hands through his black with for the next few days?”

  hair and let out a bitter laugh. The detective had just She nodded. “I could stay with Eva Grayson.”

  sided with an assassin, with the Spider. He’d just conI flashed back to that night in the Pork Pit when demned another man to death, and he knew it. owen Grayson had told his little sister she was getting a

  “Good,” I said. “Then let’s get to work.”

  bodyguard whether she liked it or not. The guy I’d seen Eva with at the community college had looked capable An hour later we were all set. While Finn slid his laptop enough. So had owen, for that matter. Staying with the into its leather case, Violet gave her grandfather a long, Graysons was probably the best place for Violet until this tight hug. Eva Grayson had been thrilled her best friend thing was over. “All right. Call Eva.”

  wanted to crash at her place a few days, and Violet had Violet blinked. “Now?”

  already packed a bag. Now we stood in the foyer of the I nodded. “Now. I want this all squared away tonight. house, saying our good-byes.

  That way, I can focus on getting to Dawson.”

  “You could come with me,” Violet told her grandfather. Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 242-243

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  Warren put a speckled hand on her cheek and shook outside. Violet waited with Finn on the porch. Donovan his head. “You know I can’t. That’s just not me. The only Caine leaned against the porch railing, still brooding. way I’m leaving this land is when they cart me off in a

  “Take Violet straight to Eva Grayson’s house,” I told pine box. Besides, Gin might need me for something. I Finn. “No stops.”

  want to be around if she does.”

  Finn pouted. “Would I do something like that?”

  Violet nodded and tried to smile. Tears filled her dark

  “Yes.”

  eyes.

  He stuck out his lip a little more. Violet laughed at his

  “We need to get you to Eva’s,” I said in a low voice. expression. Finn’s green eyes swept over her. He grinned. Violet gave her grandfather another hug and picked up

  “Shotgun, Finn,” I murmured to him. “Remember her bag. Finn held open the door for her, and the two of Grandpa Fox and his shotgun.”

  them stepped outside.

  That dulled Finn’s smile, but it didn’t completely erase I went over to Sophia and Jo-Jo. “If anything happens, it. Few things could ever do that. Finn had pulled his if Tobias Dawson or his men come back, you kill first and Cadillac over to the house. He opened the passenger’s side ask questions later, understand?”

  door for Violet, who gave him another shy smile, then The Goth dwarf grunted at me. Jo-Jo nodded her head. slid inside.

  “We know, Gin,” Jo-Jo said. “This isn’t the first time After a moment, Finn tore his gaze away from her long Sophia and I have done this sort of thing.”

  enough to glance at me. “Hope you don’t mind sitting in I frowned. “It’s not?”

  the back,” he said in a very unapologetic tone. The dwarf smiled. “No. We watched out for folks for

  “I don’t mind at all because Donovan’s going to drive Fletcher a time or two as well.”

  me home,” I announced.

  Again, there was that mention of Fletcher Lane helpFinn blinked. “He is?”

  ing out other people. That secret part of him that I hadn’t

  “I am?” Donovan chimed in.

  known about. I don’t know why the thought unsettled

  “Yeah,” I said. “You are.”

  me, but it did. or maybe it was just because I was off the Donovan’s face tightened a little more in the darkness. edge of the map here. I’d spent seventeen years of my life killing people, and here I was trying to save an old man Finn and Violet headed back toward Ashland, and Donoand his granddaughter from a greedy miner—for free, no van and I did the same in his sedan. We didn’t speak, exless
. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. only one thing was cept when I gave him directions to Fletcher Lane’s house. certain. It was a hell of a lot more entertaining than my We pulled up about thirty minutes later. Donovan Caine retirement had been so far.

  peered through the windshield at the rambling, misI left the dwarves to watch over Warren and stepped matched structure.

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  “So this is where you live now?” he asked. you killed him. And since you wouldn’t tell me, I did

  “Yeah. It was actually Fletcher’s house, the old man some digging on my own.”

  who ran the Pork Pit.”

  I tensed. Damn and double damn the detective and

  “Finn’s father, your former handler. The one who was his tenacity.

  tortured and murdered by Alexis James.”

  “A lot more people were willing to do me favors after I nodded. Donovan said nothing.

  the Alexis James incident,” Donovan continued. He I stared at the detective, my eyes tracing over the rough stared out the windshield at the rain instead of looking at planes of his face. “You could come in,” I suggested. me. “one guy who worked vice was particularly helpful.

  “Spend the night. With me.”

  He told me that I should talk to a hooker, one of Roslyn Donovan turned his gaze to mine. Heat. Desire. Guilt. Phillips’s girls, strangely enough.”

  All that and more flashed in his eyes, but after a moment, Roslyn Phillips was the vampire madam who ran he shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good Northern Aggression, a trendy, upscale nightclub that caidea, Gin.”

  tered to the rich folks of Ashland and serviced their every

  “Why not? A bed would certainly be more comfortneed and twisted desire. She was also one of Finn’s friends able than the backseat of your sedan.” I glanced at the with benefits. I’d killed Roslyn’s abusive brother-in-law mud we’d left everywhere in our frenzy. “Cleaner now, several months ago, after he’d almost beaten her sister and too.”

  young niece to death. Roslyn, in turn, had told one of her He shook his head again. “I’m not coming inside, girls about my services. Loose lips get people dead, and Gin.”

  Roslyn’s furtive whispers had eventually led to Fletcher

  “Why not? Is it because of what I plan to do to Tobias Lane’s murder. Something I wasn’t going to let the vamDawson?”

  pire forget—ever.

  Donovan ran his hands through his black hair. “That’s But if Caine had talked to the hooker I had in mind, part of it. I still can’t believe I’m going along with that.”

  he knew exactly why I’d killed his partner—and what

  “And the other part?”

  the bastard had done to the woman’s thirteen-year-old He blew out a breath. “Do you remember that night daughter.

  in your apartment, before we went to the rock quarry to

  “I know Cliff raped and beat that girl,” Donovan said, rescue Finn and Roslyn Phillips? Do you remember what confirming my suspicion. “I know that’s why you killed I said to you about my partner, Cliff Ingles?”

  him, so he’d never do that to another girl.”

  “I remember. You wanted to kill me for assassinating No use denying it now. “Yes. That’s why I killed him. him.”

  Because of the girl. When did you find out?”

  He nodded. “Mainly, though, I wanted to know why

  “Two weeks ago.”

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  Pain deepened the grooves on Donovan’s face. The deI can’t be a part of something like that again. I can barely tective reminded me of a mythological character out of live with the fact I know what you’re going to do to Dawone of my literature books, of Atlas, bearing the heavy, son and the knowledge I’m not going to do a thing to heavy burden of others’ evil, perverted actions upon his stop you from killing him.” His voice dropped again. lean shoulders.

  “And I can’t be with you. Not tonight.”

  “All that time you let me blame you for Cliff’s death,”

  “You weren’t too concerned with Tobias Dawson and Donovan said. “All that time you let me think you were a what I was going to do to him when you were fucking monster. And you weren’t.”

  me in the backseat a couple of hours ago.” My voice was I shrugged. “That’s debatable. I still killed him. And harsher than I would have liked. “or have you forgotten slicing off a guy’s balls isn’t exactly the action of a normal about that already?”

  person.”

  Donovan flinched. “No, I haven’t forgotten about it, Donovan barked out a laugh. “Do you know what none of it.”

  the funny thing is? If I’d known about Cliff, about the

  “But you’re not going to do it again. Not going to sleep hookers he was beating, about that girl he raped, I might with me again.”

  have killed him myself. But you got there first.” His voice His hands tightened around the steering wheel until dropped to a whisper. “And somehow I feel indebted to the leather creaked. “No, I’m not.”

  you, Gin. Grateful, even. Because you killed him, and I I heard the hard resolution in his voice. Donovan didn’t have to.”

  Caine had made himself a promise, and he wasn’t going

  “So that’s what this is still about. Me killing Cliff Into break it. oh, I imagined I could get him to forget gles. That’s why you don’t want to come inside. That’s about his morals, his rules, his vows. All I’d have to do why you don’t want to be with me.” I could have killed would be to crawl over and start giving him the lap dance the dirty cop all over again for pushing Donovan away of his life. A variation of the striptease I’d performed earfrom me. lier this evening in the rain.

  Donovan shook his head. “Not entirely. It’s mostly But I’d made the first move twice now. I wanted the about me. Finding out about Cliff, it’s made me think. detective to want me, Gin Blanco, the good, the bad, and About a lot of things. And now, this mess with Warren the ugly. Not just succumb to my charms in the heat of and Violet . . . I’ll help Sophia and Jo-Jo watch out for the moment, then feel guilty about it afterward. them as best I can.”

  “It appears we’re at an impasse then,” I said in a low

  “But . . .”

  voice.

  “But I’m not going to help you with Tobias Dawson.

  “Guess so.”

  Not like I did with Alexis James. I can’t, Gin. I just can’t. Donovan didn’t look at me. He’s not the one for you, Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 248-249

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  Warren T. Fox’s reedy voice whispered in my head. I didn’t want his words to be true, but it looked like they were—at least for tonight. Besides, I had Tobias Dawson to take care of. Fletcher Lane had trained me to put the job first, ahead of my own wishes. Distracted assassins 23

  got sloppy, and then they got dead. I especially needed to focus this time, since I had a couple of innocent people to protect. one problem at a time. I’d deal with Donovan and his conflicted feelings about us later.

  “All right,” I said. “You watch out for Warren and Violet. I’ll get Finn to help me with Tobias Dawson.”

  Donovan nodded. “I think that’s for the best.”

  There was nothing else to say. Not tonight. So I got out of the car. The detective didn’t look at me as he threw the vehicle in reverse, turned around, and drove away. I I’d just finished pulling a blackberry cobbler out of the stood there and watched the fog and darkness swallow oven around noon the next day when I heard the sound him up.

  of tires crunching on the gravel outside. I padded into For some reason, my heart felt as icy as the rain drizthe front living room and peered out a crack in one of zling down around me.


  the curtains. A silver Aston Martin crouched in the driveway. I unlocked the front door, then went back into the kitchen.

  A minute later, Finn stuck his head inside the room. As usual, he wore an impeccable suit, this time in a dark charcoal gray. His cheeks were ruddy from the ever-present drizzle, and water droplets glistened in his walnut hair. He carried his laptop in a black leather waterproof case.

  “About time you got here.” I dumped a tin pan full of orange-cranberry muffins onto a white plate. “Coffee’s on already.”

  Finn helped himself to a mug of the hot chicory brew. Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 250-251

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  He took a couple of sips, then moved a basket of sourFinn took another sip of his coffee. He examined the dough rolls out of the way so he could set his laptop on various treats I’d baked and grabbed two orange-cranthe kitchen table. “Looks like somebody didn’t get any berry muffins to start off with.

  last night.”

  “I hope you did something last night other than hit on I glared at him.

  those two girls,” I said, dishing up a generous portion of Nonplussed, Finn threw his arm out and gestured blackberry cobbler into a large bowl.

  at the kitchen. “C’mon. I see a cobbler, muffins, rolls,

  “If you consider sifting through reams of information a chocolate cake, and what I assume are strawberry preon Tobias Dawson, then yes, I did do something useful serves. You always cook more when you’re upset.”

  last night, although it was a thoroughly eye-glazing exHe had me there. The situation with Donovan Caine perience. The man doesn’t have nearly enough vices to hadn’t been resolved to my liking, and it had affected me make things interesting. All he does is mine coal and buy more than I’d realized. Why couldn’t the detective just equipment to mine coal and look for more places to mine accept me for what I was? Morals. They always ruined coal. Did I mention he mines coal?”

  everything.

  “once or twice.” My lips twitched up. No matter how I’d gotten up early with nothing but time to kill until bad I felt, Finn could always make me smile. I loved him Finn showed up. So I’d started cooking. But the mixing, for that.