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Bria looked at me. "I got a call this morning from one of my sources telling me that he knew what was going on and that it was something big-something that would really shake things up for everyone in the Ashland underworld. I asked him what it was, but he didn't want to talk over the phone. Said it wasn't secure enough. I'm supposed to meet with him tonight. "
"I'm sensing a but in there. "
A smile flitted across her face. "But he sounded strange when I talked to him. Like he was really excited about something, and this is the kind of guy who only gets excited when there's a big score to be had. I don't see what angle he's playing by telling me what's up, since I don't pay him for his info. So I told Xavier about it, and he thought that it might be a good idea to talk to you about things. "
I looked at Xavier. "Suggesting me as backup? That's not like you. "
The giant shrugged. "I
thought that it might be prudent, what with everything that's going on with Mab. Especially since someone tried to take out the Fire elemental last night-in her own mansion, no less. "
I winced. I hadn't brought up my little trip to Mab's for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because I'd missed the shot. I wasn't supposed to miss-ever. Especially not when the stakes were this high, not when my sister's life hung in the balance, swaying back and forth on the end of a spider's thin, silky thread. Mab wanted Bria dead in the worst kind of way, and I didn't want Bria to think that I couldn't protect her. I supposed that I was still playing the role of the big sister, just like I had when we were kids. Even though at twenty-five and with Ice magic that was almost as strong as my own, Bria could more than take care of herself.
I sighed. "So you guys heard about that, huh?"
"We did," Bria said.
All sorts of emotions clouded her features. Caution, respect, fear, and just a touch of concern. I wondered if that last one was for me or for herself.
Mab was under the mistaken impression that Bria was the Snow sister with both Ice and Stone magic-the girl who Mab had been told would kill the Fire elemental one day. I'd wanted to put the word out to the Ashland underworld that Mab had it all wrong, that the Spider was the one with both Ice and Stone magic. But Bria had pointed out that since the Fire elemental didn't seem to know who the Spider was or what the assassin's connection might be to Bria, it was foolish to give Mab any information that she didn't already have. From past experience, I knew that the Fire elemental wasn't that stupid, sloppy, or clueless, but I'd acceded to my sister's wishes. Bria wanted Mab focused on her and not me-no matter how dangerous it was.
I thought Bria's fatalistic attitude had something to do with the guilt my younger sister felt over how things had gone down that fateful night. Bria had seen Mab torturing me, but instead of trying to help me, she'd panicked and run away. I didn't blame Bria for that, though. She'd only been eight at the time, just a scared kid, the same as me. If she'd tried to stop Mab, she would have been dead too-burned to ash by the Fire elemental's magic. Still, all these years later, Bria felt responsible for things, like it was somehow her fault that Mab had tortured me instead of her.
I looked at Bria, and our eyes locked. So many emotions swam in the depths of our gazes, so many things that we just couldn't say to each other. But one thing was certain-my sister had asked for my help, and I was going to give it to her.
"You want me to come along for backup, I will," I said in a low voice. "Anytime, anyplace. You know that. So where is this little party going to be? Because I'll be there, but with silverstone knives strapped on, instead of bells. "
Chapter 8
"What's this guy's name again?" I asked Finn.
"What?" Finn said, cupping his hand over his ear to try to hear me better over the rocking music. Something he'd done three times in as many minutes whenever I'd tried to talk to him.
I sighed. Another night, another job, another chance to hang out at Northern Aggression.
That's where Finn and I were now, just before midnight, since Bria was meeting her source here. Northern Aggression was the most decadent nightclub in Ashland, a hedonistic den of sin where you could get anything you wanted if you had enough cash, plastic, or other valuable commodity to pay for the delights that waited inside. Sex, drugs, blood, smokes, alcohol. All that and more was available on the nightclub's pleasure-filled menu.
As its name suggested, Northern Aggression was located in Northtown, cozied in among the area's cookie-cutter McMansions and sprawling estates. The city's rich, corporate yuppies had to have somewhere to go after quitting time, and the club serviced all their needs. At Northern Aggression, you could do everything from have a casual drink with the girls to get your rocks off with whichever waiter-or three-caught your eye.
In keeping with the polite veneer that Northtown was so famous for, the outside of the club was surprisingly tame, looking more like a warehouse than anything else. The only thing that suggested there might be something of interest inside was the rune that hung over the entrance-a heart with an arrow through it. Every night, the sign burned first red, then yellow, then orange, inviting folks to come inside and get their freak on.
Once you stepped through the door, the tame, featureless veneer vanished. Crushed red velvet drapes covered the nightclub's walls, while a bamboo floor cushioned the feet of the many dancers. A bar made out of a single long sheet of elemental Ice ran down one wall, the suns and stars carved into the frosty surface glittering underneath the swirling lights. The runes were the symbols for life and joy, respectively, both of which folks in here seemed to have an abundance of tonight. Even if it all was just an alcohol-, smoke-, and sex-filled high.
As if all that wasn't enough to ambush, assault, and overload the senses, the waitstaff took care of the rest. Impossibly buff, beautiful men and women roamed through the crowd, serving up drinks and themselves to interested parties. Most of them were vampires, and all of them were hookers, as denoted by the necklaces they wore, each one with the heart-and-arrow rune of the nightclub dangling off the end of it.
I'd been in the club countless times, but it never failed to dazzle me with its sheer, unapologetic opulence.
That Bria's source had chosen Northern Aggression for the location of their meeting didn't surprise me. Lots of shady deals went down inside the club's private VIP rooms or the ones upstairs that could be rented out for as quick or as long as you liked. From the way my sister had described her source and the mysterious info that he wanted to give her, I doubted that anything tonight would be on the up-and-up.
I picked up my glass of gin and took a swallow. The cold liquor burned its way down my throat before turning into a pleasant heat in the pit of my stomach.
"What?" Finn asked again.
Next to him, Roslyn Phillips nodded her head in understanding. The vampire had no problem hearing me since enhanced senses were one of the many benefits that came along with drinking blood. Normal human blood was enough to give any vamp excellent eyesight and hearing, while those who drank from giants and dwarves received the great strength of those two races. Vampires could even absorb Air, Fire, and other forms of magic if they had access to an elemental's blood. Besides, this was Roslyn's gin joint, her nightclub. She'd had years to grow accustomed to the noise level.
She leaned forward and put her mouth close to his ear. "Gin wants to know the name of Bria's source. "
Finn's face cleared, and he held up his martini glass. "After I finish my drink. "
