But these people were different. Oh, they all looked like I'd thought they would-dressed to the nines in tuxedos and evening gowns, with expensive jewels, perfect makeup, and coiffed hair to match. But they didn't act like I'd thought they would. They didn't mingle, they didn't start drinking and eating, and perhaps most telling, they didn't even bother talking to each other. Instead, all the singles, couples, and tight-knit groups stayed to themselves, leaving several feet of distance in between each of them. Curious. Most curious indeed.
Through the rifle scope, my eye went from one face to another, trying to get a sense of exactly who Mab had invited to her shindig and why they were acting so strangely. I might not care what their names were or how much money they had, but I did want to know if any of them fancied themselves tough guys who might be a threat to me. Not that I was planning on sticking around after I took out Mab, but it never hurt to be prepared. Fletcher Lane, the old man who had been my mentor, had taught me that, among many other deadly things.
Despite their tuxedos, gowns, and glittering jewels, every single one of the men and women had a tense, coiled, predatory air about them, and they all gave each other the same flat, hard stare, as if they were all competing for the same prize and would do anything to get it. A few of them actually eyed the silverware, as if they were thinking about picking up the knives, spoons, and forks, and thinning out the crowd a bit before the show got started.
I frowned. Mab did business with all sorts of unsavory characters, but something about the people inside the dining room bothered me. Maybe because they all reminded me. . . of me. Gin Blanco. The Spider.
Before I had time to think that thought through, the double doors opened again, and Mab Monroe stepped into the room.
The Fire elemental strolled through the tense crowd until she reached the middle of the dining room. Everyone turned to stare at her, and what little conversation there had been stopped, like a radio that had been turned off midsong. Like her guests, Mab had dressed up for the evening, in a long, sea-green gown that complemented her pale skin. Her coppery red hair was piled on top of her head, each artfully arranged strand dripping down the sides of her face like so much blood. But the most striking thing about Mab was her eyes-two bottomless black pools that seemed to suck up all the available light in the room instead of reflecting it back. Even the bright chandeliers overhead appeared to dim as she passed underneath them.
The severe V in the front of Mab's gown showed off her creamy decolletage, as well as the necklace she wore. A flat gold circle encased the Fire elemental's neck, accentuated by a ruby set into the middle of the design. Several dozen wavy golden rays surrounded the gem, and the intricate diamond cutting on the metal caught the light and reflected it back, making it look like the rays were flickering.
The flamboyant ruby-and-gold design was much more than just a mere necklace-it was a rune. A sunburst. The symbol for fire. Mab's personal rune, used by her alone. Runes were how elementals and other magic types in Ashland identified themselves, their families, their power, their alliances, and even their businesses to others.
I had a rune too. A small circle surrounded by eight thin rays. A spider rune. The symbol for patience and my assassin name. Actually, I had two runes-one branded into either palm. The marks had been put there by Mab the night she'd murdered my family. That's when the Fire elemental had tortured me by duct-taping a silverstone medallion shaped like the spider rune in between my hands and then superheating the metal with her magic until it had melted into my flesh, marking me forever.
The sight of Mab and her flashing sunburst necklace made the spider rune scars on my palms itch and burn, the way they always did whenever I was around the Fire elemental, but I didn't move from my position. Didn't rub my hands together to make the uncomfortable sensation go away. Didn't let out a tense sigh. Hell, I didn't even blink.
Killing Mab was much more important than the memories that filled my mind or the pain that they brought me, even now, seventeen years after the fact. Now was not the time to be sentimental or sloppy. Not when I had a chance to kill the bitch, to finally end our family feud once and for all.
Inside the dining room, Mab turned in a circle, her black eyes roaming over her guests, sizing them up just like I had.
"I'm glad to see that you all could make it. "
The Fire elemental's voice was low, soft, and silky, with just a hint of a rasp to it. Still, despite her gentle tone, a clear undercurrent of power and authority crackled in Mab's words.
Thanks to Finn and his ability to get his hands on absolutely anything, I'd opened the dining room window earlier and fastened a small bug inside underneath the windowsill. The bug's receiver, which I'd stuck in my ear several minutes ago, let me hear Mab loud and clear.
"I wasn't sure exactly how many of you would show up on such short notice," Mab continued. "But I'm most pleased by the turnout. "
I frowned. Turnout? What was the Fire elemental up to, and who were these mysterious people that she'd invited to her mansion? I had a funny feeling they weren't the tame businessmen and businesswomen that I'd expected to find.
A woman stepped forward, separating herself from the pack. She wore an evening gown like all the others, but the garment was just a bit too big for her thin, wiry body. The fabric was slick and cheap, and the mint green color was faded, as though she'd been wearing the dress for years, pulling it out of the depths of her closet for special occasions just like this one. She had to be seventy if she was a day, and her skin had the dark, nut brown look of someone who'd spent her entire life outdoors, working under the burning sun. Her gray hair had been pulled back into a tight bun, which set off her sharp, angular face, and her eyes were a pale, washed-out blue.
The woman was one of those who'd come in with someone else. A young girl of about sixteen stood off to her right, dressed in a low-rent pink gown with a poofy ballerina skirt, which made it look like a prom dress. The girl was as light as the woman was dark, with long, molasses-colored hair shot through with honey-blond highlights. Her hazel eyes were wide and innocent in her lean, almost gaunt face, and the girl kept glancing from side to side, obviously awed by all the lavish furnishings.
"Well, there was really no choice in the matter, Mab. " The woman's voice was low, pleasant, friendly even, as though she were talking to some stranger on the street and not the most dangerous person in Ashland. "Not with the generous payout that you were offering. I'm surprised that more people didn't show up to try to collect. "
The others in the room nodded their agreement. My eyes narrowed. Payout, for what? And how were they going to collect? Was this some kind of business deal? Or something else. . . something more sinister? Something to do with the Spider perhaps?
It wasn't out of the realm of possibility. Not too long ago, Mab had hired an assassin named Elektra LaFleur to come to Ashland, hunt me down, and kill me. Of course, I'd taken care of LaFleur instead. Still, ever since then, I'd been waiting for the Fire elemental to do something, anything, to try to find the Spider again. Mab wasn't the type of person to give up, especially when I'd been offing her men, thwarting her best-laid plans, and generally thumbing my nose at her for months.
But everything had been quiet since I'd killed LaFleur in the city's old train yard. Even Finn and his many spies hadn't heard a whisper of what Mab might be planning, which worried me more than if I knew that the Fire elemental had dispatched every man at her disposal to track me down.
Somehow, though, I felt that the quiet was about to end tonight-in a big, big way.
"And you would be?" Mab asked, staring down her nose at her guest.
The other woman bowed her head respectfully, although she never took her eyes off the Fire elemental. "Ruth Gentry, at your service. "
"Ah, yes, Gentry. Well, I appreciate your honesty," Mab said, returning the thin woman's pleasant tone. "You have a stellar reputation, as does everyone else in the room. Which, of course, is why I asked you all here tonight. "
The Fire elemental had peaked my curiosity with her strange words, and I paused, wanting to find out exactly who the mystery people were. Curiosity was often an emotion that got the best of me, but for once, I forced it aside. I was here to do one thing-kill Mab. Everything else could wait.
"I hope you all had a pleasant journey," Mab said, looking at her guests. "As you can see, we'll be dining on the various dishes that my chef has prepared. . . "
I tuned out the Fire elemental and lifted my eye away from the rifle scope. Slowly, I reached forward until my fingers closed around a tiny, clear, almost invisible suction cup on the window in front of me. I gently pulled on the cup, and a small circular piece slid out of the window. A glass cutter was among the tools I'd brought with me tonight, tucked away in the zippered pocket on my silverstone vest. Earlier, I'd used it to carve an opening in the window. I wanted a clear shot at Mab and not one that might be distorted by my crossbow bolt punching through the glass.