Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd

by Web of Lies (pdf)

  had enough power, even seventeen years ago, to do all the So I strolled through the rooms, sipped my chamhorrible things that had taken place that night. But why?

  pagne, and pretended to admire Mab Monroe’s tasteful Why had she murdered my mother, Eira, and my older furnishings while I looked for a spot to stiff Dawson. sister, Annabella? Why had she wanted to kill me? Why one thing actually did catch my interest—a series of rune had she demanded to know where my baby sister Bria was paintings, not unlike the drawings I had propped up on above all else? I just didn’t understand why—

  the mantel in Fletcher Lane’s den.

  Footsteps whispered on the carpet off to my right, and My eyes flicked over the runes mounted on the wall opa large, beefy hand clamped onto my ass and squeezed—

  posite the back of the staircase. A sunburst. A lit match. A hard.

  teardrop-shaped flame licking at the paper it was on. The

  “Hello there, sweetness,” a male voice said. “If your framed pieces all had to do with fire or heat in some way, front looks as tight as your ass, I’m in for a real good time and all were done in burnt siennas, bloody oranges, fiery tonight.”

  yellows. It seemed Mab and I shared the same taste in He put his other hand on my opposite shoulder and something besides killing people. Weird. And disturbing. turned me around. I let him and plastered a smile on my As I stared at the paintings, an uneasy shiver tickled face, my lips ready to form an excuse to get rid of the my spine like a cold finger. Something about the artwork ogling bastard.

  resonated on a primal level with me. Here, something old I found myself looking up at Jake McAllister. The Fire Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 288-289

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  290 JENNIFER ESTEP

  Web of Lies 291

  elemental had traded in his rock-star jeans and vintage My desire to find a quiet area to kill someone had just T-shirt for a tuxedo. It didn’t improve his looks. His body turned into a necessity. I had to finish Jake McAllister was still too beefy, his face still puffed out with baby fat. now. He was right. This was his turf, or at least Mab He looked like an oversize kid playing dress-up in his Monroe’s turf, and I had no doubt the Fire elemental daddy’s clothes. But the important thing was that he was would let Jake do whatever he wanted to with me—if here and staring at me.

  I didn’t take care of him first before he could sound the of all the people I could have run into here tonight, alarm. My eyes swept back and forth over the open doors the possibility one of them would be Jake McAllister had and rooms I passed. There. That would do.

  never crossed my mind. So much had been going on the I looked over my shoulder. Jake McAllister had strugpast few days I’d relegated Jake and his threat to kill me gled to his feet. I blew him a kiss. His face reddened, and to the back burner. But luck, that capricious bitch, had he lumbered down the hallway in my direction. I stepped decided to fuck me over once again.

  inside the room, found the spot I wanted, palmed one Jake frowned, as though he knew me from somewhere of my silverstone knives, and waited. Ten . . . twenty . . . but just couldn’t place me. Then, recognition dawned on thirty . . . I counted off the seconds in my head. his beefy face.

  Jake McAllister was quicker than I’d given him credit

  “You!” he hissed.

  for—or just more pissed off. only forty-five seconds passed before he charged into the room.

  Jake McAllister stared at me. A cruel smile spread across

  “Where are you, bitch?” he growled. “I saw you come his face, making his cheeks puff out that much more. in here.”

  “You shouldn’t have come here tonight, bitch. Because I didn’t respond. Let McAllister figure it out for himwe’re on my side of town now, and I’m going to kill you.”

  self.

  His brown eyes landed on the heart-and-arrow rune

  “Hiding from me, huh, bitch?” he laughed. “I knew around my neck. “After I fuck you a couple of times.”

  you’d be running scared of me sooner or later.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You want me? Come and get me, I rolled my eyes at his foolish assumption, but still I you bastard.”

  waited. Heavy footsteps sounded on the tile floor. McAlI slammed my fist into his windpipe. Jake’s face went lister’s shadow crept closer and closer to my hiding place. beet-red, and he struggled for air. While he was gaspI tensed, gathering my strength. If he got away from me, ing for breath, I drove my other fist into his stomach. if he screamed, it was over. I had to kill him with the first First one, then the other. Thwack-thwack. Like kneading strike.

  dough. He bent over, and I hurried away, moving deeper Jake McAllister threw back the shower curtain I was into the mansion.

  standing behind. The Fire elemental had reached for his Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 290-291

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  292 JENNIFER ESTEP

  Web of Lies 293

  magic during his lumber down the hall. The power redflecked the front of my dress. Nothing I could do about dened his eyes, and sparks snapped and hissed around his that right now. So I put both hands on his suit jacket and fat fingertips. His gaze met mine, and he smiled. dragged him forward. He was heavy, and it took some

  “There you are, bitch—”

  muscle to flip his legs up and over the side of the tub and Last words he ever said.

  then to lower his whole body down the steps and into the With one hand, I grabbed McAllister’s tuxedo jacket bottom without letting him thump down. By the time I and pulled him forward, so that his torso was directly was done, Jake McAllister was dead, and I was a sweaty, above the bathtub I was standing in. With my other hand, bloody mess.

  I shoved my silverstone knife up to the hilt in his chest. First things first. I shut the bathroom door. Then I The blade scraped his ribs before plunging into his heart. went back over to Jake McAllister. The bathtub was the Not the best blow I’d ever made, but effective enough. fancy marble kind that was more like a small pool than a Jake McAllister’s magic snuffed out like a candle in tub and sat on a raised dais. A couple of steps led up to a hurricane. The fiery sparks puffed away, and the red the rim, and several more led down into the square pool. glow vanished from his eyes. His arms jerked and flailed I got down into the bottom with Jake. The first thing I against me, connecting with my chest. I grunted at the did was to retrieve my knife from his chest and lay it on heavy, solid blows, but I didn’t dare reach for my Stone the edge of the tub. Then I maneuvered him so his back magic to harden my own skin. Any elemental in close viwas facing the rest of the room. I curled his hands under cinity would sense the power surge. Stones were the rarest head and splayed out his legs to make it look as though of elementals, and any magic user who felt that kind of he’d had too much to drink and had crawled into the tub power would be curious about who was using it and why. to sleep it off. At least at first glance. If someone turned Jake opened his mouth to scream. I left the knife where Jake over, they’d see the blood on his shirt and in the it was in his heart, clamped my hand over his fat lips, and bottom of the tub. But hopefully, I’d be long gone by the yanked him forward so the blood gushing out of his chest time that happened.

  would fall into the bathtub and not spatter onto the tile once that was done, I climbed out and assessed the floor. And so we stood there, seesawing back and forth damage. The tub also featured several shower heads which over the tub, Jake McAllister trying to jerk away, and me were set into the walls at various angles, hence the curtain pulling him closer, my hands digging into his face. that cordoned the area off from the rest of the bathroom. After about thirty seconds, Jake’s legs wobbled and The shower curtain was a rich burgundy flecked with gave way. His eyes glazed over, and his mouth slackened gold—and now blood. But unless you peered closely at underneath my hand. I dropped my fingers from his lips. it, you wouldn’t realize the spatter wasn’t part of the inJake coughed twice. Blood sputtered out of his lips and tended pattern.

  Est
ep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 292-293

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  294 JENNIFER ESTEP

  Web of Lies 295

  Some of Jake’s blood had also sprayed onto the marble ric was black, you couldn’t tell what the stain was, just tile in front of the tub. I grabbed a burgundy washcloth, that I’d gotten something on me. But I managed to get wet it, and used it to mop up all the stray flecks and most of the blood out.

  specks. I also cleaned off my knife and tucked it back up My eyes swept over the bathroom again, but there was the sleeve of my dress. The smell of warm copper filled no visible sign anything out of the ordinary had hapmy nose, but I blocked it out—along with the murmur pened in here tonight. I carefully folded the burgundy of the marble under my feet. Instead of the dark tone I’d washcloth and laid it back in its original spot next to the expected, the stone practically sang with giddiness—as bathtub.

  though having fresh blood spilled on it made it happy. While I waited for the damp spots on my dress to dry, The noise made my stomach twist.

  I rummaged in my purse and pulled out a pressed powder I worked quickly, quietly. It had taken me less than compact I’d brought, along with some lipstick. I’d gottwo minutes to kill Jake McAllister. Nobody should have ten sweaty during my struggle with Jake McAllister, and missed him yet, but I wasn’t taking any chances by movI touched up my makeup into its heavy mask once more. ing slowly. once I had the blood wiped up from the I’d just popped open the lipstick to finish fixing my floor in front of the tub, I drew the curtain, hiding it and face when the door to the bathroom opened—and Mab McAllister’s body from sight.

  Monroe stepped inside.

  In addition to the tub, the bathroom featured two toilets made out of what looked like real gold. They lay opposite two sinks done in a burgundy marble with streaks of white swirled through it. A gilt-edged mirror flanked the wall above the counter. I stared at myself in the glass, assessing the damage Jake McAllister had done to me with his dying struggles. The bastard’s coughing had spattered blood all over my chest. I used the wet washcloth to mop up the blood on my exposed skin, then wrung it out, wet it again, and scrubbed the remaining blood out of my wig. It was harder getting the gobs of blood out of the fake blond tresses, but I managed well enough. once that was done, I went to work on my dress. I used some liquid soap from a bottle on the counter and rubbed it into the biggest blood splotches. Since the fabEstep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 294-295

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  Web of Lies 297

  primal sensation surge through me again. Enemy, that little voice muttered in the back of my head. Enemy, enemy, enemy.

  27

  But I tuned out the voice, widened my eyes, and put on my best oh-no-I-just-totally-fucked-up face. Then I gasped. “oh, I’m so sorry, sugar. I just didn’t know. Nobody told me, you see, and this is my very first time here at one of your parties.”

  Mab stared at me, her eyes dark and thoughtful. Her gaze went to the fuchsia lipstick in my hand, then moved down my body. Her eyes lingered on the damp spots on the front of my dress. “What are you doing in here?”

  “oh, just freshening up a bit. Lot of competition out there tonight. Girl’s got to look her best at one of these For a moment, we just stared at each other, her black eyes things.”

  on my faux blue ones. My mind raced as I tried to figure The Fire elemental stepped farther into the bathroom. out what the Fire elemental could be doing here—and I gave her another smile, leaned forward, and reapplied how I could get away from her.

  my lipstick. Mab just stood there, staring at me in the But since Mab Monroe didn’t immediately scream mirror. She might be able to intimidate everyone else in for her giant guards or worse, reach for her Fire eleAshland with her hard stare, but not me. But that didn’t mental magic, I assumed she hadn’t heard me kill Jake mean I was going to do something stupid, like insult the McAllister—or clean up the mess. only one way to find Fire elemental to her face in her own bathroom—with out.

  Jake McAllister’s cooling body lying ten feet to my right. Somehow, I plastered a smile on my face. “oh, hello Antagonizing Jonah McAllister in my own restaurant there,” I said in a cheery tone. “How are you?”

  was one thing. So was killing his son after he threatened Mab frowned. “This is one of my private bathrooms. to rape and murder me. But Mab—Mab was different. If You’re not supposed to be in here.”

  only for the simple fact that I didn’t know which one of The Fire elemental’s voice was soft, breathy, with just us would come out on top in a fight. But one of us would a hint of a rasp, like silk rubbing together. But there was die, and I didn’t want it to be me. I had promises to keep far more power and menace in her light tone than in any to the Foxes, promises I wouldn’t be able to fulfill if I got else’s voice I’d ever heard. At the sound, I felt that strange, into a battle with Mab.

  Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 296-297

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  298 JENNIFER ESTEP

  Web of Lies 299

  So I kept my eyes on my own face and not hers. But She was silent for a few seconds, thinking about my in my peripheral vision, I could see the magic glimmering answer. “And what might your name be?”

  in her eyes. Unlike Jake McAllister, Mab’s eyes didn’t turn

  “Why, Candy, of course, because I’m supersweet.”

  red when she reached for her Fire magic. If anything, they Disgust flashed across Mab’s face. Evidently, she didn’t got darker, blacker, until they seemed to suck the light like hookers with cheesy names. But her reaction gave me out of the room. Mab was also one of those elementals an idea as to how I could escape this inquisition. who leaked power. Well, more like radiated in her case. I I wet my lips and stepped forward. For a moment, I could feel her Fire magic pouring off her. It pricked at my toyed with the heart-and-arrow rune on my velvet choker, skin like a thousand hot, tiny needles.

  drawing Mab’s attention to it. Her eyes flicked to the rune,

  “What’s that on your dress?” Mab asked. “Those then back up to mine. I stepped forward and reached for a spots?”

  piece of her hair that had fallen forward over her shoulder. I capped my lipstick and slid it back into my purse. I immediately regretted the move, because holding onto to My fingers brushed the hilt of my silverstone knife, but Mab’s hair felt like rubbing a lit match between my fingers. I I didn’t reach for it. Killing a punk like Jake McAllister half-expected my skin to start blistering from the sensation. was one thing. He was reckless, stupid, sloppy. But Mab Still, I gave no sign I could sense her elemental magic. Monroe was the most dangerous woman in Ashland. I Instead, I rubbed her lock of hair, curled it around my had no doubt she could fry me alive with her magic befinger, and pushed it back over her shoulder. I let my finfore I even got the weapon out of my purse. gers linger on her shoulder a moment longer than would So I closed the tiny bag, turned to face her, and widbe considered polite, then drew my arm back. My fingerened my smile. “Well, you see, that’s why I came in here tips, my whole hand, felt like they were on fire. Somehow, in the first place. The gentleman I was with got a little I managed not to look at them.

  too . . . excited about things. A real early bird, if you

  “You know, I’m here this evening to service the guests know what I mean.”

  any way they’d like,” I said in a breathy tone. “And since I let out a laugh. Mab didn’t join in.

  this is your party, I’d be more than happy to make myself

  “Anyway, I came in here to mop up some of the damavailable to you, Miz Monroe. For however long you’d age, before I made the rounds to see if any other gentlelike. Any way you’d like.”

  men were interested in my services this evening.”

  For the first time, something like amusement sparked Mab’s black eyes never left mine. “And who might this in Mab’s eyes. “You’re very bold, aren’t you?”

  gentleman be? This . . . early bird?”

  I gave her a d
elicate shrug and a lascivious grin, makI forced out another laugh. “oh, sugar, I didn’t ask his ing sure to wet my lips with my tongue again. “You have name. That was at the top of your list of rules.”

  to be, in this line of work.”

  Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 298-299

  12/17/09 9:32 PM

  300 JENNIFER ESTEP

  Web of Lies 301

  Mab’s black gaze moved down my body again, this I gave her another smile before I ducked out into the time with more prurient interest. She gave a regretful hallway.

  shake of her head. “As tempting as your offer is, Candy, I’m afraid I don’t indulge like that at my own functions. I Somehow, I forced myself to saunter back the way I’d always keep my business and pleasure separate.”

  come instead of running like I really wanted to. I didn’t I stuck my lower lip out and pouted. “Too bad. Well, know what bothered me more. The fact Mab Monroe if you change your mind, I’ll be around. All night long.”

  had considered taking me up on my fake offer to fuck her I batted my eyes at her. Mab raised an eyebrow, but or the fact I’d left the Fire elemental in her own bathroom the corners of her lips turned up into what I assumed was with a dead body in the tub. Either way, things were starta smile. I couldn’t tell if I’d amused her or if she was just ing to get out of hand. I needed to get Tobias Dawson mocking me, but I didn’t care to stick around and find alone—now—or get out. Saving my own skin tonight—

  out.

  and Finn’s and Roslyn’s—came first. Even before the job

  “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I really do need to get back I’d promised to do for Warren Fox.

  to work,” I said. “Mix and mingle and all that.”

  I’d just rounded the corner that led back to the main

  “of course,” Mab murmured.

  hallway when someone moved in the shadows off to my I made a move to step around her. But Mab Monleft. I palmed one of my knives. roe shifted ever so slightly, so that my body brushed up