Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd

by Web of Lies (pdf)

  hips, flat stomach, toned thighs, just the right amount of Finn opened the door, and we stepped inside an ofcurve to her ass. Roslyn was like a female version of the fice. Roslyn Phillips sat behind a wide, massive desk that David—only much more fuckable. The vamp was one would have made even Xavier look svelte in comparison. of those who used sex to power up, along with blood, A variety of pink and white papers lay scattered on the and she’d spent years, decades even, learning how to work surface in front of her, along with what looked like an what she’d been given to her full advantage. old-fashioned ledger book. A computer drowsed at her Roslyn came around the desk, and Finn pressed a elbow, while a red light blinked on her phone. It was chaste kiss to her cheek, once again playing the part of heart-shaped, with what looked like an arrow forming the Southern gentleman. The vampire drew back, and her the headset. The phone matched the runelike shape of dark eyes landed on me.

  the clock on the back wall.

  “And you brought Gin along with you,” she said in a Finn held his hands out wide. A charming smile neutral tone.

  stretched across his face. “Roslyn, darling, so good of you

  “Hello, Roslyn,” I replied. “Lovely to see you too.”

  to see me on such short notice.”

  Roslyn’s smile turned into more of a grimace. She An answering smile curved Roslyn’s lips, showing her hadn’t forgotten our last meeting at Fletcher Lane’s fuperfect, pearl-white fangs. “You too, Finn.”

  neral. The one where I’d told the vampire I knew that The vampire got up from behind her desk. To say that she’d talked about Fletcher, Finn, and me, about what Roslyn Phillips was an attractive woman would be like we did. That her well-intentioned whispers had led Alexis Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 264-265

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  James to Fletcher and the Pork Pit and had gotten the old her. The less Roslyn knew, the better. But after our last man killed.

  conversation, I had no doubts the vampire would keep

  “What do you need?” she asked in a quiet tone, still her mouth shut this time. She knew what I’d do to her if staring at me.

  she didn’t.

  Need, not want. Roslyn Phillips seemed to be taking

  “I need to get close to someone.”

  our conversation to heart. I’d agreed not to kill the vamp Roslyn frowned with understanding. “Who?”

  or tell Finn what she’d done—and told her point-blank

  “Tobias Dawson.”

  she would have to give me and Finn anything we needed The vampire blanched with disgust, but she didn’t ask for as long as I saw fit. Since I wasn’t a forgiving person, why I was interested in the dwarf. Hooking in Souththat was going to be a good long while. Starting right town for a few decades was a great way to dampen your now.

  curiosity. on the mean Southtown streets, you did things

  “Ah, Roslyn, you wound me,” Finn said. “What makes without asking the reasons or thinking too much about you think we need anything? Perhaps I just wanted to them afterward. Besides, Roslyn knew the why didn’t restop by and bask in your beauty.”

  ally matter, since the only reason I ever got close to anyThe vampire snorted. “Cut the bullshit, Finn. If you’d one like Dawson was to kill him.

  come by yourself, I might have pretended to buy that Roslyn crossed her arms over her chest. Her foot tired old line. But you brought Gin with you. I doubt turned sideways and tapped on the thick carpet. After she’s interested in my beauty.”

  a few moments of quiet introspection, comprehension

  “Sorry, Roslyn,” I said. “I don’t swing that way.”

  flickered in her dark eyes. “You want to go in as one of The vampire shrugged and turned her dark eyes to my girls. That’s why you’re here.”

  Finn. “So I ask the question again—what do you need?”

  I nodded.

  Finn opened his mouth, probably to sweet-talk Roslyn Roslyn stared at me, and I let the coldness leech into some more, but I cut in. We didn’t have a lot of time to my gray eyes. I respected the vampire for what she’d acwaste. We needed to get what we came for from Roslyn complished, for being smart and savvy enough to work and get on with things.

  her way up from a street hooker to a wealthy business“I need to get into Mab Monroe’s party tonight,” I woman. And I especially admired Roslyn’s fierce devosaid. tion to her sister and young niece, her determination to Roslyn’s eyes widened for half a second before she provide a better life for them. But that didn’t mean I was masked her surprise. “You want to get into Mab’s party?

  going to let the vampire renege on our deal. Fletcher Lane Why?”

  was dead, partly because of her. She owed me until I said I stared at the vampire, debating what I should tell otherwise.

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  “All right,” Roslyn said in a quiet voice. “I’ll help you, makeup tables and stabbed the pen at me. “Strip,” she Gin.”

  ordered.

  “Thank you.” I might be twisting Roslyn’s arm to the

  “Why?”

  breaking point, but there was no need to be ungrateful Roslyn pierced me with a hard stare. “Because if you’re about it.

  going to masquerade as one of my girls, then you’re damn The vampire nodded her head. “Follow me.”

  sure going to look the part. I’m not sending out shoddy merchandise, especially not to one of Mab Monroe’s parRoslyn led us out of her office. The maze of corridors ties.”

  snaked all the way around the interior perimeter of I had to applaud Roslyn’s dedication to her craft, if Northern Aggression, forming a series of passageways, nothing else. So I stepped out of my boots and socks, peepholes, and discreet doors that let Roslyn, her hookpeeled off my jeans, and shrugged out of my fleece jacket. ers, and the giant bouncers who watched out for them I took a little more care with my long-sleeved T-shirt, have access to the entire nightclub without having to making sure Roslyn didn’t see the two knives I had tucked fight their way through the drinking, smoking, snorting, up my sleeves or the one I’d had hidden against the small fucking crowd on the main floor.

  of my back. A minute later, I stood there in my bra and After a series of twists and turns, Roslyn opened a door panties. The concrete floor felt like ice against my bare marked Supplies and stepped inside. Finn and I followed feet.

  her.

  “Underwear too,” Roslyn barked. “I need to see evFinn stopped dead in his tracks, and a wide smile erything.”

  spread across his face. “I think I’ve died and gone to I looked at Finn and made a circle with my finger, sugheaven.”

  gesting he turn around.

  I snorted. “Yeah, hooker heaven.”

  “C’mon, Gin. It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before,”

  The room wasn’t filled with what I would consider sup- Finn protested.

  plies, but then again, I wasn’t in the nightclub business. Roslyn started. “Don’t tell me the two of you—”

  Racks and racks of clothes took up a good portion of the

  “Yeah, we did,” I said. “When we were kids. Before I room, along with a couple of rows of metal lockers and knew any better. Now turn around, Finn.”

  several vanity tables crammed with makeup, hairspray, Finn rolled his eyes, but he turned his back and wanand dozens of boxes of condoms, feminine lubricants, dered over to the racks of clothes, most of which were and assorted body oils.

  either transparent wisps of lace and satin or form-fitting Roslyn removed a clipboard and pen from the wall pieces of leather.

  next to a clothes rack. She perched her hip on one of the Roslyn grabbed a tape measure from one of the tables Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 268-269

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  and wrapped it around various parts of my body. I stood cowboy persona, he likes for a woman to catch his eye, there and let her work. The vampire regarded me with all and then he does his best to hog-tie her.”

  the interest a butcher would a cow. Standing there naked

  “Literally or figuratively?”

  wasn’t the most comfortable thing I’d ever done, but I Roslyn stared at me. “Both. one of my girls had rope knew Roslyn had seen better bodies than mine in her burns for a week after paying him a visit.”

  time. Hell, she had one herself. So I decided to focus on I filed the information away. “What else?”

  more important matters.

  “He also likes to wear chaps, a cowboy hat, and his

  “According to info Finn found, some of your girls have boots when he fucks.”

  had dealings with Tobias Dawson before,” I said. “What

  “Sounds like a kinky bastard to me,” Finn said. does he like?”

  The vampire walked over to a different rack of clothes

  “Why do you ask?”

  than the one Finn had been rifling through. “UnfortuI shrugged. “I need to attract his attention tonight. nately, not as kinky as some I’ve seen and done.”

  Can’t hurt to stack the deck in my favor.”

  Roslyn flipped through the clothes for a moment Roslyn wrote down another measurement on her clipbefore turning back to me. “I assume you’ll want someboard. “Have you ever seen Tobias Dawson?”

  thing with a little coverage to it. Where you can stash

  “once.”

  certain . . . supplies?”

  “Then you know about his cowboy fetish,” Roslyn Weapons, in other words. “Yeah. The more coverage said.

  the better. I like to be prepared.”

  “You mean the cheesy snakeskin boots and the hat Roslyn nodded. “Any particular color you’d prefer?”

  that’s almost as tall as he is?”

  “Black.”

  The vampire nodded. “Dawson not only dresses like a

  “Shocking,” she muttered.

  cowboy, but he acts like one too—especially in bed. He After a few minutes, Roslyn pulled a black pushup likes Texas beauty queens. Big blond hair, big blue eyes, bra and a set of sheer matching panties off the rack. She big tits, tight asses, lots of makeup. of which the only handed them to me. “Put those on.”

  thing you currently have is a tight ass.”

  I did as she asked. The garments fit perfectly, and the

  “Thanks,” I said in a wry tone.

  bra pushed my small breasts up to new, gravity-defying Roslyn raised her eyebrows. “Just pointing out the heights. Finn let out a whistle of appreciation. I drew my facts. You did come here for my professional opinion, finger across my throat, showing him exactly what would after all.”

  happen if he didn’t shut up. Finn just grinned at me. I nodded. “I did.”

  Roslyn also plucked a black cocktail dress out of the

  “Dawson likes to take the lead. In keeping with the mass of clothes and handed it to me. I slipped into the Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 270-271

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  fabric. The dress was long-sleeved with a sweetheart neckthe rune. The metal felt cool under my fingers. “Thank line and bustier-like top. Thanks to the bra, my cleavage you, Roslyn, for your help.”

  swelled on either side of the fabric. The skirt was a mass She stared at me. “No thanks are needed, remember?

  of black crinoline with tiny sequins sewn into it. The garI owe you. But when the other girls come in to get ready ment stopped just above my knees.

  for tonight, we’re going to report that invitation, neck“How’s that?” Roslyn asked. lace, outfit, and wig as being stolen. Xavier will take down I looked at myself in a mirror over one of the vanity the report. of course, he’ll be busy working the door totables. The sleeves were loose enough for me to carry my night, so he won’t call to tell me about it or even turn it knives, and I could strap a couple more to my thighs uninto the cops for a couple hours. That should give you derneath the billowing skirt. “Perfect.”

  plenty of time to do whatever you’re planning to do.”

  Roslyn nodded, like she’d expected nothing else, and I nodded. I couldn’t blame the vampire for covering sashayed over to one of the vanity tables. She handed me herself. If things went badly, and they just might, Tobias a box that read Contacts—Sky Blue, and a long, curly, Dawson and Mab Monroe would probably come knockblond wig with teased bangs. “With the wig, contacts, ing on Roslyn’s door, demanding to know why I’d been and enough makeup, you’ll be Dawson’s dream girl. I aswearing one of the vampire’s rune necklaces and how I’d sume you can do your own makeup.”

  snitched one of the hookers’ invitations to the party. This

  “I think I can manage.”

  way, Roslyn had an out.

  Roslyn ignored my sarcasm. She opened a drawer

  “And do me another favor,” the vampire said, her dark on one of the vanity tables, drew out an envelope, and eyes serious behind her silver glasses.

  handed it to me. A sunburst done in gold foil glittered on

  “What?”

  the creamy stationery. The rune for fire—Mab Monroe’s

  “Whatever you’re going to do to Dawson tonight, personal symbol.

  don’t get caught,” Roslyn said. “I don’t want to have to

  “That’s one of the invitations for tonight,” Roslyn deal with the honky-tonk bastard any more than I already said. “You’ll need this too.”

  have.”

  She reached back into the drawer and pulled out a I gave her a cold smile. “Don’t worry. If I get caught, black velvet choker. A rune dangled from the middle Tobias Dawson will be having too much fun with me to of the wide band—a silver heart with an arrow through even think about bothering you.”

  it. The symbol for Northern Aggression. The rune that would mark me as one of Roslyn Phillips’s girls and part of the evening’s entertainment.

  I took the choker from her and rubbed my thumb over Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 272-273

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  A light spotlighted a red banner draped over one of the balconies in the center wing of the mansion. The enormous piece of heavy fabric featured a rune done in shim25

  mering gold—a round circle surrounded by several dozen curled, wavy rays. A sunburst. The symbol for fire. Mab Monroe’s personal rune. The same one on the invitation in my purse.

  The driver fell into the flow of traffic going through the open wrought-iron gates that designated the entrance to Mab Monroe’s estate. The yellow taxi seemed out of place among all the stretch limos crawling up the curving driveway like fat, black beetles. It took twenty minutes for the driver to maneuver all the way up and stop in front of the entrance.

  At eight o’clock that evening, my taxi pulled into the long, My gray eyes flicked over the security. Five giant snaking driveway that led up to Mab Monroe’s mansion. guards roamed through the line of limos, opening doors, Given her status as the city’s richest and deadliest helping people out of their vehicles, directing traffic, and citizen, Mab Monroe lived in the biggest, most impresmaking sure the waiting drivers weren’t getting into too sive home in Ashland. The gray stone structure soared much trouble drinking or smoking on the sly. Two more fifteen stories into the air, making it taller than some of giant guards stood by the front double doors that led into the downtown skyscrapers. The mansion’s three equalthe mansion, flanking a smaller human holding a large size wings formed a wide, upside-down W-shape. Tall, clipboard.

  skinny windows fronted each floor, along with crenel“That’ll be twenty bucks,” the driver growled. lated balconies. A twelve-foot-tall stone fence ringed the

  “Twenty bucks? You only drove me a couple of miles.”

  mansion itself, which was set back mor
e than a mile from Earlier this evening, I’d taken the precaution of parkthe main road. From the research Fletcher Lane had done ing a car on the side of the road just beyond Mab Monover the years, I knew the expansive, manicured grounds roe’s estate. An old, battered burner vehicle with fake featured several gardens, three greenhouses, an aviary, a registration and fake plates. I’d put a white trash bag in golf course, copses of woods, and a small lake. Along with the window, left the hood up, and scattered a few tools giant patrols, guard dogs, assorted magical trip wires, and by the side of the road. All designed to make it look like some other nasty surprises.

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  back for it. The car was my insurance policy, in case I too.” I gave him a winsome smile and handed over the needed to make a quicker getaway than the one I had in engraved invitation Roslyn Phillips had slipped me. mind. once I’d put the car where I wanted it, I’d hiked The man stared at the heart-and-arrow rune a moover to the closest anonymous coffee shop and called the ment; then his eyes swept over the rest of my body. Becab to bring me here. hind him, the two giants also leered at me. Looked like

  “Twenty bucks,” the driver said again.

  Tobias Dawson wasn’t the only one here tonight with a Since I didn’t want him to remember me, I quit arthing for busty blondes. guing, paid him, got out, and walked toward the stairs The man with the clipboard pulled his attention away that led up to the main entrance of the mansion. I could from my boobs and checked the name on the invitation. hear it, of course. With fifteen stories of solid, stacked

  “I assume you know the rules for tonight, Candy?”

  stone looming above me, I’d have to be deaf not to. The I nodded. “Yeah, sugar, I know how to behave myself. stone whispered of power and money, the way I’d always I’m a pro.”

  thought it would. But there were other vibrations in it too. Before Finn and I had left the nightclub, Roslyn had Fire, heat, death, destruction. But perhaps most disturbgiven me a list of rules Mab Monroe had sent her for ing was a touch of madness that trilled like a whippoorthe party guys and girls. Basically, Roslyn’s hookers were will’s cry through the solid rock, as though the stone itself to make themselves available to anyone at anytime durhad somehow been tortured until it broke. The murmurs ing the course of the evening and do anything— any- grew louder, harsher the closer I got to the mansion, until thing—Mab’s guests wanted. Those guys and girls who all I could hear was the stones’ wailing cries. went home with one of Mab’s guests for the night would I gritted my teeth and blocked out the noise of the be generously compensated after the fact. All outstandstones’ unending pain. My only concern was Tobias Dawing bills, hospital and otherwise, would be paid in full son, getting close enough to kill him, and getting away afby Mab. terward. Not the insanity that permeated the foundation The man with the clipboard jerked his thumb over his of Mab Monroe’s mansion—or why it made me want to shoulder. “Go on in.”