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He grumbled and let out a few put-upon sighs, but he eventually leaned down and took hold of the dead guy's shoulders, while I grabbed his ankles. So far, we'd moved the guy from the storefront of the Pork Pit, through the rear of the restaurant, and outside. This time, we slowly shuffled away from the back door of the Pit and down the alley.
Finn and I had moved bodies before, but the fact that this dead guy was a seven-foot-tall giant with a strong, muscled figure made him a little heavier than most, and we stopped at the end of the alley to take another break.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and stared down at the dead guy.
Half an hour ago, the giant had been sitting in a booth in the restaurant, chowing down on a double bacon cheeseburger, sweet potato fries, and a big piece of apple pie and talking to the friend he'd brought along. The two giants had been my last customers, and I'd been waiting for them to leave before I closed the restaurant for the night. The first guy had paid his bill and left without incident, but the second one had swaggered over to the cash register and handed me a fistful of one-dollar bills.
I'd counted the bills, and the second my eyes dropped to the cash register, he'd taken a swing at me with his massive fist.
Please. As if no one had ever tried that trick before.
But such were the job hazards of an assassin. Yep, me, Gin Blanco. Restaurant owner by day. Notorious assassin the Spider by night. Well, actually, it was more like I was the Spider all the time now. Ever since I'd killed Mab Monroe, the powerful Fire elemental who'd owned a good chunk of the crime in Ashland, everyone who was anyone in the underworld had been gunning for me. I was a wild card in the city's power structure, and lots of folks thought that arranging my murder would prove their mettle to everyone else. Tonight's giant was just the latest in a long line of folks who'd eaten in my restaurant with the intention of murdering me right after sopping up the last bit of barbecue sauce on their plates.
Since Finn had been sitting on a stool close to the cash register, he'd pulled a gun out from underneath his suit jacket and tried to put a couple of bullets into the other man, but the giant had slapped Finn's gun away. The two of them had been grappling when I'd come around the counter, palmed one of my silverstone knives, and repeatedly, brutally punched the blade into the giant's back, sides, and chest until he was dead. Hence the blood that had spattered all over Finn - and me, too, although my long-sleeved black T-shirt and dark jeans hid most of it.
"All right," Finn said. "Let's lug this guy the rest of the way. I need to go home and get cleaned up before my date with Bria tonight. "
I'd just started to bend down and take hold of the giant's ankles again when a mutter of unease rippled through the stone wall beside me - a dark whisper full of malicious intent.
I stopped and scanned the alley in front of us. Sophia's rusty cooler stood at the far end, although several more Dumpsters and smaller trash cans
crouched in between like tin soldiers lined up against the walls. It was after nine now, and what little lavender twilight remained was quickly being swallowed up by the shadows creeping up the walls.
Another breeze whistled down the alley, bringing the scents of cooked cabbage, grilled chicken, and spicy peanut sauce with it from the Thai restaurant down the block.
Finn noticed my hesitation. "What's wrong?"
I kept scanning the shadows. "I think we have company. "
He adjusted his tie again, but his eyes were flicking left and right just as mine were. "Any clue who it might be?"
I shrugged. "Probably our dead friend's dinner companion. "
Finn shook his head. "But he left before the giant attacked you. Even if they were partners, once he saw what happened to his buddy, the second guy would have high - tailed it out of here as fast as he could if he had even the smallest shred of common sense - "
A bit of silver stuck out from behind a Dumpster off to my right. I immediately lunged forward and threw my body on top of Finn's, forcing us both to the ground.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The bullets sailed over our heads, but I still reached for my Stone magic and used it to harden my skin into an impenetrable shell. I also tried to cover as much of Finn's body as I could with my own. I might be bulletproof when I used my magic, but he wasn't.
Footsteps scuffed in the alley behind me, indicating that our attacker felt bold and confident enough to move toward us. Then -
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More bullets zipped down the alley. The guy must have
adjusted his aim, because I felt all three of the projectiles punch against my back before rattling away in the semi-darkness. They would have blasted out through my heart, killing me and maybe Finn too, if I hadn't been using my Stone power. My body jerked with the impact of the bullets; then I let my limbs go absolutely slack and still as I sprawled over Finn, as though I was as dead as the giant lying next to us.
I looked at Finn, who gave me a saucy wink, telling me that he was okay. I felt his hand reach up, then drop from my waist, taking a light, thin weight with it. Finn brought his hand back up, and I wrapped my fingers around his.
When he pulled his hand away, he left me holding the knife he'd grabbed from the small of my back. I slid the weapon partially up my sleeve, hiding it from sight, then closed my eyes and waited - just waited for my enemy to come close enough.
More footsteps scuffed in the alley, followed by the harsh, raspy sound of someone breathing in through his mouth. I cracked open my eyes. A pair of mud-covered boots were planted right next to my face. As I watched, one of the boots drew back, and I knew what was coming next.
Sure enough, a second later, the giant's boot slammed into my ribs.
Despite the fact that I was holding on to my Stone magic, the blow still hurt, like getting beaned in the chest with a fastball, but I kept my body loose and floppy as though I couldn't feel it at all.
