Elemental Assassin: Unraveled Part 9

I'd never thought about the show that way before, how hard the performers worked to put it on every single day, and how much enjoyment they and the audience got out of it. I s.h.i.+fted on my feet, guilt weighing down my stomach. "I really am sorry about that. I didn't mean to ruin the show."

Ira slapped his hands on his hips. "Sorry? You're sorry? No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hoping for one second that your friend Mr. Lane might actually be different from his mama. That he might actually give a d.a.m.n about this place and do what's best for it and all the people who work here."

I opened my mouth to say that Finn was different from Deirdre, but Ira snapped up his hand, cutting me off.

"Forget it," he growled. "I have work to do. I don't have time for the likes of you, you . . . menace."

Ira gave me another angry glare, then turned and stomped off, disappearing into the crowd.

I stood by the empty bleachers, digesting his tongue-las.h.i.+ng, which ironically enough was similar to what I'd said to Jonah McAllister a few days ago. And just like mine had been back then, Ira's words were all too true now.

I didn't care about Bullet Pointe and what happened to it, and neither did Finn. We'd come down here to get answers about Deirdre and the Circle. Nothing more, nothing less. This was just a lark for us, just a holiday, just a couple of days' respite from our own lives, problems, and worries back in Ashland.

But to Ira Morris, this resort with all its costumed characters, cheesy decorations, and corny shows was his home, and he was determined to fight for it. Even if he might still secretly be working for Tucker and the Circle, I admired the dwarf's conviction. It was the same way I felt about the Pork Pit and all of Ashland. Once the weekend was over, and my friends and I had our answers, I'd talk to Finn about his plans for Bullet Pointe, about making sure that the resort continued on.

But for right now, Roxy was here, and she was the only lead I had on Hugh Tucker and the Circle. So I squared my shoulders, left the bleachers behind, and set off down Main Street, more than ready to find some answers about what was really going on in these here parts.

I headed for the alley that Brody and Roxy had walked into, which was one of several that ran between the storefront blocks that made up the two sides of Main Street. A few of the performers were leaving the alley and heading back out to the street, and they all gave me the stink-eye as they pa.s.sed me. It made me feel as though I were still back in Ashland, still back at the Pork Pit, being glared at by the underworld bosses while I served up barbecue. Always popular, yep, that was me. Making enemies wherever I went.

I ducked my head and hurried on. Just before I reached the end of the alley, I glanced back over my shoulder, but no one else was in the corridor, so I sidled up and peered around the corner, staring out into the s.p.a.ce beyond.

A large square had been converted into a break and staging area for the performers and shows. A series of open-air wooden pavilions spread out across the square, each one a different station. Racks of cowboy, saloon-girl, gambler, and other costumes were lined up in one pavilion, along with several lit mirrored vanity tables so everyone could put on their beauty marks, scars, and other makeup to get fully into character. Metal footlockers for folks to store their personal possessions and clothes took up most of another pavilion. Still more supplies were housed in the other areas, everything from boots and high heels, to strongboxes full of fake guns and ammunition, to pickaxes, saws, and other tools, to la.s.sos that were curled up like thick rattlesnakes in plastic barrels.

The stagecoach that had been used in the high-noon show was also parked back here, complete with piles of luggage that had been lashed to the top. A dirt path led off to the right and over to a rusty red barn where the horses were kept, and the air smelled like manure, dust, and hay. A ten-foot chain-link fence topped with razor wire cordoned off the back of the square, and through the trees, I could see the dark blue surface of the lake glinting in the distance.

Since the show was over, all the performers were back at their usual stations on Main Street, and the square was empty except for Brody, who sat in front of one of the vanity-table mirrors, peering at his broken nose. Roxy leaned against the side of the mirror, her arms crossed over her chest. Her lips quirked up into a smile as she watched the giant try to push his nose back where it was supposed to be. I slipped my phone out of my jeans pocket, set it to video mode, and pointed it at them.

"That b.i.t.c.h," Brody growled. "I can't believe she broke my nose."

"Well, that's Gin Blanco for you," Roxy said. "From what Tucker told me, she just sledgehammers her way through life. Worse than a bull in the proverbial china shop. In this case, you just happened to be the china."

Roxy chuckled at her own bad joke. Brody gave her a sour look, which she ignored.

He leaned forward and smiled at himself in the mirror. "Well, at least she didn't get any of my teeth. I just had these babies whitened."

So Roxy was working for Tucker, just like I'd thought, and apparently Brody was too. I was glad that I'd busted the giant's nose. My only regret was that I hadn't hit him harder and made him eat his precious teeth like they were peppermint candies.

I thought about palming a knife and confronting the two of them, but we were only a few dozen feet off the main drag. Their screams would be sure to attract unwanted attention. Besides, I wanted to get as much information as I could first. Because I still didn't know what the point of all this was.

It was obvious now that Tucker had arranged for Finn to receive the deed to Bullet Pointe, but why had the vampire lured us down here to the resort? Did he plan to somehow get Finn to sign the property over to him? Or did he want something else from us? Once I knew the answer to that, I could plan my next move and kill Roxy and Brody to my heart's content. So I stayed quiet and still in the shadows in the corner of the alley, recording them with my phone.

"How much longer do we have to make nice with these people?" Brody growled.

"Until Tucker says otherwise," Roxy said. "You know that."

The giant tossed his ruined, b.l.o.o.d.y bandanna onto the vanity table. "All I know is that we've been stuck here for the last two months in this stupid theme park, dressing up like stupid cowboys, and putting on stupid shows. And what do we have to show for it? Nothing."

Well, at least I wasn't the only one who was frustrated by a lack of progress.

"Ah, come on," Roxy said. "Hanging around here has been fun."

"You're just saying that because of your cowboy fetish." Brody shook his head. "You actually like all of this cheesy Western stuff. The cowgirl costume, the aw-shucks att.i.tude, playing sheriff, the whole shtick. You even had all your creepy animal heads s.h.i.+pped up from Blue Marsh so you could decorate your office with them."

Roxy shrugged. "I like souvenirs of my hunts. I've got a guy working on that black bear that I killed last weekend up in Cypress Mountain. It's going in the corner, right next to my bobcat."

So she was a hunter, just like I'd thought when I'd seen all those poor stuffed animals in her office earlier. More than that, she liked to keep trophies of her deadly prowess.

Brody snorted. "No, you just like killing things. And now you think that Gin Blanco is going to be your big-game prize."

Roxy grinned. "Absolutely. That b.i.t.c.h is already dead. She just doesn't know it yet. And I'm going to be the one who finally puts her down for good. I would have done it outside McAllister's mansion, but Tucker wanted her down here instead."

My eyes narrowed. My head stuffed and mounted on a wall? Never going to happen, sugar.

"Yeah, McAllister, the guy you failed to kill," Brody sniped. "I can't believe he fooled you with a silverstone vest."

"Who thought he would be that smart?" Roxy muttered, her sunny disposition slipping just a bit. "Besides, Tucker just wanted him dead to prove a point to Blanco. McAllister doesn't know anything important. Still, I'll go back and finish him off after we get done with Blanco and her friends. Just for not dying when I wanted him to."

Brody crossed his arms over his chest. "And of course getting to show off your little tricks with your revolvers is just the icing on the cake," he snarked, continuing his rant. "This whole job has been like a dream come true for you."

"Well, it was certainly better than sitting in that penthouse in Bigtime, waiting to take that guy out with a sniper rifle." Roxy huffed. "There's no fun in that. No thrill of the chase, no outwitting your opponent, no hunting them down and seeing the fear in their eyes before you pull the trigger."

It sounded like the two of them were some sort of tag-team hit squad for Tucker, traveling around the country and doing whatever dirty jobs he paid them to. I wondered just how many people Tucker had working for him. Maybe he was higher up in the Circle than I'd realized. Maybe he was actually one of the leaders, instead of just Deirdre's minder and an errand boy like I'd thought.

"Besides," Roxy said, "working at the resort was the only way that we could come in and search for the jewels without tipping off everyone as to what we're really doing here."

It took a moment for her words to sink in, but once they did, understanding flashed through me like a lightning bolt.

The jewels. Of course.

So Deirdre had swiped Sweet Sally Sue's gemstones, but apparently, she hadn't hocked them for cold, hard cash or used them to pay for the hotel renovations. She must have stashed them here at Bullet Pointe as her golden parachute, in case things went south with Finn in Ashland. Only Finn had killed Deirdre instead, and she'd never had a chance to come back to the resort and retrieve the diamonds, sapphires, and rubies.

"Tucker knows that Deirdre hid those stones somewhere around here," Roxy said. "And he has made it very clear that we're not leaving until we find them."

"And I say that they're not here," Brody growled. "We've looked everywhere for those things. I don't see why Tucker wants them so badly anyway. He's got plenty of money of his own."

Roxy shrugged. "Sure, Tucker's loaded, but Deirdre Shaw owed millions to him and his friends, and he plans to get at least some of that money back by whatever means necessary. It's the principle of the thing. Besides, Tucker's friends aren't the kind of people you want to disappoint. He needs to smooth things over with them, even if it's only by putting a small dent in Deirdre's ma.s.sive debt."

The giant stuck his lower lip out in a petulant pout. "Well, I still don't see why we just can't kill Blanco, Lane, and the other two and be done with this job already."

"Because Tucker thinks that Blanco might be able to find the gems with her Stone magic," Roxy said in a patient voice, as though she were explaining something to a three-year-old. "Or that Deirdre actually told Finnegan Lane where she hid them."

"But you asked Lane flat out if he knew about the jewels, and he told you no."

Roxy shrugged again. "Maybe he knows something, maybe he doesn't. Maybe Deirdre fed him some clue that he doesn't even realize is a clue. Either way, I'll get it out of him." She paused. "Or Tucker will."

They both blanched a little at that. Apparently, they were well acquainted with how Hugh Tucker got answers from people. The image of Deirdre handcuffed to a chair, with cuts, bruises, burns, and deep, ugly bite marks all over her body flashed through my mind. Deirdre had worked for the vampire, and he hadn't had any qualms about making her suffer, just because she'd disappointed him. I could well imagine how much more enthusiastic he would be in torturing me, Finn, Bria, and Owen if he thought it would get him what he wanted.

"And Blanco?" Brody said, getting to his feet. "What do you want to do about her?"

"Well, you were supposed to grab her so we could get her out of the way before we went after Lane." Roxy tapped her own straight, perfect nose. "Not let her smash your face like it was a piata."

The giant growled, but Roxy waved her hand, dismissing his anger. "We'll take care of Blanco later. And if she can't find the gems, or if Lane doesn't know anything about them, and the stones really are gone for good, well, at least we'll have a bit of fun with them before we leave."

She grinned, plucked one of the revolvers out of the holster on her belt, and started spinning it around and around, making the silver barrel glimmer in the afternoon sun. Cold rage surged through me at the way she'd so casually talked about torturing and murdering me and my loved ones-and how much she was going to enjoy it.

This b.i.t.c.h was the one who was already dead. She just didn't know it yet. And the Spider was going to be the one to put her down for good.

11.

I'd heard enough, so I shut off my phone and slid it back into my jeans pocket. I glanced over my shoulder, but the alley was still deserted, although people moved back and forth out on Main Street, heading from one block of shops to the next. Once I was satisfied that no one was paying any attention to me, I palmed a knife and looked at Roxy and Brody again, plotting the best way I could get close enough to kill them both quietly.

My gaze moved from one side of the staging area to the other. If I could get over to that barrel full of la.s.sos without being seen, I could crouch down behind it, then sprint over to that rack of saloon-girl costumes. Once I was in position there, I could step out from behind the clothes and hit Roxy and Brody with a spray of Ice daggers. If I used a big enough blast of magic, I could probably kill them both before they realized what was happening. Even if they survived my initial attack, I could always finish them off with my knives. They might let out a few screams, but I was willing to take that chance, now that I knew the torture they had in mind for me and my friends.

I tightened my grip on my knife, feeling the spider rune stamped into the hilt press against the larger, matching scar in my palm. The sensation steadied me, the way it always did. I drew in a breath, reached for my Ice magic, and stepped out of the alley- Something beep-beeped, and Roxy turned in my direction. I swallowed down a curse and slid back into the shadows before she spotted me. She holstered her revolver, stepped forward, and picked up her phone off the vanity table, staring at the message on the screen.

"Jim says that Lane, Coolidge, and Grayson are in the Silver Spur, trying on hats. No sign of Blanco, though."

Brody shook his head. "Forget about Tucker wanting her alive. I'm telling you, Roxy, you need to kill that b.i.t.c.h now. Not play this stupid stalking game with her. She's not some dumb animal that I can flush out of the swamp so you can kill her on your own terms."

"But it's such a fun game," Roxy purred. "Especially since the ill.u.s.trious Spider doesn't even realize that she's my target yet. She's never even going to know what hit her."

She grinned, pulled out one of her revolvers, and started spinning it around and around in her hand again. The giant rolled his eyes. Yeah, me too.

Forget about being quiet. If Sheriff Roxy wanted a piece of me, then I was more than happy to show her what a real outlaw looked like-and just how dead I could make her. I reached for even more of my Ice magic and crept forward- Laughter sounded at the far end of the alley. I whipped around and realized that two giant cowboys were ambling in my direction. Their heads were down, both of them looking and laughing at something on one of their phones, so they hadn't spotted me yet, but it was just a matter of seconds before they would.

I swallowed down another curse. Witnesses and collateral damage were things that I tried to avoid at all costs, so I did the only thing I could-I tucked my knife back up my sleeve, stepped out of the alley, and walked out into the staging area where my enemies were.

"Oh, there you are!" I called out in a loud voice, waving my hand. "I've been looking everywhere for you two!"

Startled, Roxy and Brody both whipped around in my direction. Brody's hands curled into fists, while Roxy stopped spinning her revolver around, the gun pointing down at the ground.

For now.

They glanced at each other, obviously wondering if I'd overheard their conversation, but I plastered a benign smile on my face and went right over to them. They weren't the only ones who could put on a show.

I stopped in front of the giant and stared at his swollen, crooked nose, which looked like a rotten tomato that had been mashed into his face. I winced and hissed in a breath between my teeth in fake sympathy. "I just wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for hitting you. I just don't know what came over me. It must be all these self-defense cla.s.ses I've been taking lately."

I let out a light, pealing laugh, trying to play the whole thing off as a joke, but the giant was anything but amused. Brody's fingers clenched together even tighter, his knuckles cracking under the slow, steady pressure, and his lips twisted with rage. At that moment, the giant wanted nothing more than to lunge forward, wrap his hands around my throat, and strangle me to death for breaking his nose.

Roxy laid a warning hand on his shoulder and gave me an innocent smile in return. "Oh, Brody knows that you didn't mean any harm, Gin."

"Of course not," I chirped back at her. "It was all just part of the show, right?"

"Right."

We stared at each other, both of us smiling wide as though everything were fine, and this were a normal conversation. But Roxy kept her gun out, her finger on the trigger, ready to snap up the weapon and pump me full of Fire-coated bullets, and I had my own elemental power pooling in my palms, ready to whip up my hands and blast her in the face with my Ice magic.

But the two cowboys I'd spotted before stepped into the square, still chuckling over whatever silly video they were watching, and the moment-and our potential showdown-pa.s.sed.

For now.

The cowboys waved at Roxy and Brody, then went over to a costume rack to hang up their hats for the day and change back into their regular clothes.

"Well, then, I'll leave you to get cleaned up," I said, breaking the tense silence that had gathered around me, the giant, and the Fire elemental. "Again, I really am sorry. If you need an Air elemental to snap your nose back into place, please, feel free to send me the bill."

Brody glowered at me, anger turning his cheeks as red as his nose.

Roxy, however, gave me another innocent smile. "Oh, we have a healer on staff, so that won't be necessary. I was just about to call and get him to come over."

I nodded as though the information pleased me.

"Actually, Gin, I'm glad that you're here," Roxy said. "I know that y'all probably want to explore the park and the hotel for the rest of the day, but I was wondering if you and your friends would like to join Brody and me for an early lunch tomorrow before the high-noon show. It would be a chance for me to speak to Finn about the resort and for all of us to get to know each other better."

I would rather have carved out her heart with a b.u.t.ter knife than break bread with her, but I played along. "Of course. Sounds like fun."

"Great!" Roxy chirped. "Just show up at eleven o'clock tomorrow morning at the Feeding Trough restaurant on Main Street. I'll set everything up."

I nodded at her, then at Brody. "Again, I'm so very sorry, and I hope that you feel better soon. Y'all take care now."

I smiled at them again, turned around, and walked out of the square at a normal pace. My shoulders tensed, and I reached for my Stone magic, ready to send it rus.h.i.+ng out through my entire body. I wouldn't put it past Roxy to shoot me in the back, especially if she thought that I'd overheard any of her conversation with Brody. She might want to find the jewels, but she wanted me dead too so she could add another trophy to her wall.

But I didn't hear the distinctive click of her thumbing back the hammer on her revolver, and I rounded the corner and stepped back into the alley, out of sight of the staging area.

Not out of the line of fire, though. Not even close.

I left the alley behind and headed back out onto the main drag with its shops, crowds, and costumed characters. More than ever before, I felt like people were watching me and a.n.a.lyzing my every move. Every time one of the cowboys, gold miners, gamblers, or saloon girls sashayed past or smiled at me, I eyed them, wondering if they were going to text Roxy my current location the moment my back was turned. Probably. My shoulders tensed again, still expecting a bullet to blast into my back at any second, but I forced myself to step into the crowds.

I found my friends in the Silver Spur, right where Roxy had said they were. Part of the Silver Spur was an old-timey mercantile shop, with soaps, elixirs, and other goods, while the other half featured designer clothing, including the hats that Finn and Owen were both trying on. Bria leaned against a nearby rack of fringed leather vests, looking bored.

"What took you so long?" she groused. "I've seen about as many cowboy hats as I can stomach."

She jerked her head at Finn, who was staring at himself in a full-length mirror, admiring the white Stetson on his head and trying to talk Owen into buying the same hat in gray. Before I could answer her, Finn strutted over to us. He was also wearing a green-and-white paisley bandanna around his neck and white leather chaps bedazzled with pale green rhinestones over his jeans. He looked like some country-western singer about to go onstage. All he needed was a s.h.i.+ny guitar.

"Hey, Gin!" he called out, turning around in a circle and making the rhinestones s.h.i.+mmer under the lights. "What do you think? Is this me or what?"

I forced myself to smile at him. "It's totally you."