series of narrow hallways that made up the outer wall of Northern Aggression—a hollow shell of space that wrapped all the way around the building. The passageways gave Roslyn,her hookers, and the giant bouncers who watched out for them peepholes and access to every part of the building without having to fight their way through the crowd. I’d taken advantage of them as well a few months back when I’d been stalking the people responsible for Fletcher’s murder.
Roslyn led us to the back side of the building and opened a door for us. The February cold stung my face, but I welcomed the chill after the overbearing heat of the club. Beside me, Finn shivered and tucked his chin down deeper into his jacket.
Roslyn pointed to the left. “If they’re meeting in the west lot, there are a couple of Dumpsters you can hide behind. There’s some cracked, broken pavement that needs to be fixed, so we moved the bins over there to keep folks from driving across it and blowing out their tires.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Roslyn. For everything.”
She nodded back. “I’ll go get Xavier,” the vampire said and disappeared inside.
Finn and I stayed where we were, both of us reaching into our coat pockets and pulling out black ski masks. Before I’d retired, I’d never worn a mask while working as the Spider. I didn’t need to—none of the people who saw my face were ever around to talk about it after the fact. But ever since I’d declared war on Mab, I’d taken to sporting a mask during my nocturnal activities. It was one more little thing that I did to protect my true identity as Gin Blanco—and the lives of everyone I cared about. If Mab found out who I was, the Fire elemental wouldn’t be content just hunting me down. She’d kill everyone she could get her hands on who might be close to me.Finn, Bria, the Deveraux sisters, Owen, even Roslyn and Xavier. I might be rather cavalier about my own life, but I wasn’t risking the others like that.
Once I pulled the mask down over my face, I turned to stare at Finn. “You ready to do this?”
“Just like Bonnie and Clyde.” He grinned, his teeth a gleaming white against the black fabric. “Although let’s try not to get shot to pieces tonight, okay? This coat is imported leather.”
I snorted, and the two of us moved off into the darkness.
The Dumpsters were crouched at the edge of the west parking lot, just where Roslyn had said they would be. Finn and I slipped behind the metal containers. The stench of sour beer, fried food, and vomit hung over the area like retched fog. I started breathing in through my mouth, even though the cold air burned my throat and lungs. That was still far preferable to the frontal assault on my nose.
“You know, Gin, this would be a perfect place for an ambush,” Finn murmured.
He was right. The Dumpsters cordoned this area off from the rest of Northern Aggression, and the parking lot in front of us was deserted. Someone had made an effort to clear away the snow, letting me see several deep, jagged cracks that zigzagged through the pavement. A cluster of snow-covered trees butted up against the far side of the lot. Next to them, a flat piece of land stretchedout parallel to the ice-crusted street beyond. Two SUVs were parked out there off to the right. Their owners must have driven them to the club tonight because the tinted windows were clean and defrosted. The music of the club pulsed out here, but the thumping beat was softer than it had been inside. Still, it was more than loud enough to soak up a scream or two.
The bad feeling in my stomach arched up, gaining force, and I palmed one of my silverstone knives.
Footsteps sounded, along with the rustle of clothing, and Bria rounded the building and came into view, heading toward the parking lot. She looked left and right, scanning the scene just as Finn and I had. Bria didn’t like what she saw any better. Her mouth flattened into a hard line, and her hand slid into the pocket of
Roslyn led us to the back side of the building and opened a door for us. The February cold stung my face, but I welcomed the chill after the overbearing heat of the club. Beside me, Finn shivered and tucked his chin down deeper into his jacket.
Roslyn pointed to the left. “If they’re meeting in the west lot, there are a couple of Dumpsters you can hide behind. There’s some cracked, broken pavement that needs to be fixed, so we moved the bins over there to keep folks from driving across it and blowing out their tires.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Roslyn. For everything.”
She nodded back. “I’ll go get Xavier,” the vampire said and disappeared inside.
Finn and I stayed where we were, both of us reaching into our coat pockets and pulling out black ski masks. Before I’d retired, I’d never worn a mask while working as the Spider. I didn’t need to—none of the people who saw my face were ever around to talk about it after the fact. But ever since I’d declared war on Mab, I’d taken to sporting a mask during my nocturnal activities. It was one more little thing that I did to protect my true identity as Gin Blanco—and the lives of everyone I cared about. If Mab found out who I was, the Fire elemental wouldn’t be content just hunting me down. She’d kill everyone she could get her hands on who might be close to me.Finn, Bria, the Deveraux sisters, Owen, even Roslyn and Xavier. I might be rather cavalier about my own life, but I wasn’t risking the others like that.
Once I pulled the mask down over my face, I turned to stare at Finn. “You ready to do this?”
“Just like Bonnie and Clyde.” He grinned, his teeth a gleaming white against the black fabric. “Although let’s try not to get shot to pieces tonight, okay? This coat is imported leather.”
I snorted, and the two of us moved off into the darkness.
The Dumpsters were crouched at the edge of the west parking lot, just where Roslyn had said they would be. Finn and I slipped behind the metal containers. The stench of sour beer, fried food, and vomit hung over the area like retched fog. I started breathing in through my mouth, even though the cold air burned my throat and lungs. That was still far preferable to the frontal assault on my nose.
“You know, Gin, this would be a perfect place for an ambush,” Finn murmured.
He was right. The Dumpsters cordoned this area off from the rest of Northern Aggression, and the parking lot in front of us was deserted. Someone had made an effort to clear away the snow, letting me see several deep, jagged cracks that zigzagged through the pavement. A cluster of snow-covered trees butted up against the far side of the lot. Next to them, a flat piece of land stretchedout parallel to the ice-crusted street beyond. Two SUVs were parked out there off to the right. Their owners must have driven them to the club tonight because the tinted windows were clean and defrosted. The music of the club pulsed out here, but the thumping beat was softer than it had been inside. Still, it was more than loud enough to soak up a scream or two.
The bad feeling in my stomach arched up, gaining force, and I palmed one of my silverstone knives.
Footsteps sounded, along with the rustle of clothing, and Bria rounded the building and came into view, heading toward the parking lot. She looked left and right, scanning the scene just as Finn and I had. Bria didn’t like what she saw any better. Her mouth flattened into a hard line, and her hand slid into the pocket of
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