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"Yeah, Mab just ignores Southtown trash like us. " Finn snorted.
I smiled. "Going to be the death of her. One day real soon. "
Finn stared at me out of the corner of his eye. After a moment, he shook his head and returned my sly smile.
The Hummer carrying Slater and his cohorts got off the interstate. Finn slowed down and followed the black vehicle. The Hummer rumbled past a couple of cobblestone shopping malls filled with pretentious bookstores, overpriced coffee bars, and designer clothing shops. There was just enough late-night traffic to keep us from being spotted. Not that I really cared if Slater realized we were following him. If the giant stopped and confronted us, well, I'd solve Roslyn Phillips's problem on the pavement, witnesses be damned.
But the giant was far too busy plotting his foul deed for the evening to notice us tailing him, because the Hummer never slowed down or did any sort of evasive maneuvers. After about twenty minutes of driving, the massive vehicle turned into a subdivision. A spotlight on the brick entrance highlighted the name-Paradise Park. Finn waited until the Hummer had made the turn into the subdivision before killing the lights on his Aston Martin and following.
I peered at the houses we passed. Mostly two-story affairs with wide porches. Roomy enough for a family, but not enormous. Swing sets, plastic castles, and other toys littered most of the sloping lawns.
"Not as nice as I'd expect for someone causing trouble for Mab Monroe," I said. "These are middle-class homes, not McMansions. "
Finn shrugged. "Doesn't matter either way, does it? We're here to watch Slater, not Mab's target. "
I returned his shrug. "Not really. "
A block ahead, the Hummer's taillights flared red in the darkness. The vehicle made a final turn, coasted halfway down the street, then stopped. I peered out my window. Unlike the other jam-packed avenues in the subdivision, this one only featured two houses sitting on opposite sides of the corner. The Hummer sat several hundred yards away from each one. What was going on? Did Elliot Slater need his exercise or something? Was the giant going for a jog out in the suburbs?
"I wonder why they're stopping here," Finn murmured, voicing my silent question.
"No idea. Let's find out. "
I picked up a pair of night-vision goggles from the dashboard and peered through them. The Hummer doors opened, and Slater slipped out, along with four other giants. Elliot Slater ran his hands down his suit jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles. Then he jerked his head at his men. But instead of walking back down the street in our direction, Elliot Slater and his men tromped through the grass to the right of the Hummer. I scanned over and spotted a modest house hidden behind a thin row of freshly planted trees. It looked like it had just been built, given the amount of loose dirt, cement blocks, and two-by-fours that still ringed the structure. The house was the only one on its block, and more than a half mile from the next-closest building.
"Looks like they're slipping up on a house on the next street, Jasper Way, according to the sign at the end of the corner. Going in the back instead of the front," I said.
"Jasper Way?" Finn asked. "What's the name of this subdivision again?"
"Paradise Park," I replied. "Why? Does one of your many conquests live around here?"
"Probably, but the name sounds familiar for some other reason. " Finn frowned and tapped his fingers on his thigh, trying to remember something important.
I peered through the goggles again. A light burned in one of the downstairs windows of the home, but the curtains were drawn, so I couldn't see inside. A gleam of white caught my eye, and I looked to the right.
"The name on the mailbox says Coolidge. " I frowned. The name tickled my memory for some reason.
"Coolidge?" Finn asked.
"Yeah, Coolidge. " I snapped my fingers. "I remember now. After Elliot Slater finished beating me that night at the community college, I heard Mab talking about someone named Coolidge. About how Mab wanted him taken care of-the sooner the better. Must be why Slater and his men are paying him a late-night visit. I wonder what the poor guy did to piss off Mab. "
Finn sighed and closed his eyes for a second. "Not him, her," he replied. "Coolidge is a her, Gin. "
"How do you know that?"
Finn stared at me, his green eyes flashing like emeralds in the semidarkness. "Because it's in that file of information I gave you. "
A hard knot formed in my stomach. "Which file?"
"The one on Bria," Finn replied. "Bria Coolidge. That's the name she's using now. "
Oh, fuck.
Chapter Ten
I dropped the night-vision goggles, grabbed my ski mask from the dashboard, and yanked the black fabric down over my head, hiding my pale face and brown hair from sight.
"Gin-"
