Black Widow (Page 15)

A couple of the customers gasped, but most of them started nodding their heads and muttering to each other. Everyone in the underworld knew that I was the Spider, but they weren’t the only ones. All of my staff had gotten wind of the rumors too, and the few customers who hadn’t heard the whispers hadn’t been paying attention.

“Now, don’t make me call the rest of my men in here to cart you out,” Dobson said. “Save yourself that much embarrassment.”

He gestured at the windows. I hadn’t noticed before, but four cop cars were parked on the street outside, with six more uniformed officers waiting on the sidewalk. All of the cops stared in through the glass at me, their hands on their guns, ready to storm inside and strong-arm me out of here, should I do something supremely satisfying but ultimately stupid, like cut Dobson’s throat where he stood.

But if I went outside and got into one of those cop cars, I wouldn’t ever get back out again. I knew it instinctively, the same way I knew Madeline had set this whole thing up. She hadn’t cared an iota about her maid, and when the woman hadn’t been able to kill me, Madeline had decided that having me arrested for murder would be a fun way to torture me before I died. If this hadn’t been her plan all along.

If I went with the cops, no doubt good ole Captain Lou Dobson would put a clip full of bullets in my chest on the way to the police station, claiming that I’d tried to escape. Then I would be dead and disgraced, and Madeline could get on with her plans for the Ashland underworld, whatever they might be.

“Don’t make this any harder on yourself, Blanco,” Dobson barked. “You can come along quietly . . .”

He didn’t add or else. He didn’t have to.

“If you so much as flap your hand at me again, I’m calling my lawyer and suing your sorry ass for harassment,” I snapped.

His eyes narrowed to slits. “Then you better start dialing because you are coming with me—one way or the other.”

“Actually, Gin doesn’t have to call anyone,” Silvio piped up. “I’m her lawyer, and I’m right here.”

The lean vampire hopped off his stool and moved to the end of the counter, so that he was standing beside me. With his gray suit and stiff posture, he did seem like a lawyer, right down to the superior look he shot Dobson. The giant loomed over Silvio, as though he wanted to punch the shorter man, but in the end he drew back, restraining himself, although I could see what an obvious effort it was.

Silvio glanced at me, and I raised my eyebrows in a silent question. He shrugged. I didn’t know if he was a lawyer or not, but he was willing to play the part for Dobson. My new assistant was definitely getting a raise—should I live through this.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Madeline frowning. Apparently, she’d thought that Dobson could cart me off and murder me with no problems. She hadn’t factored Silvio into her crafty calculations.

“Well, now that that’s settled, I suggest you get the hell out of my restaurant,” I said, my voice as cold as a winter night. “Before I sue you, the department, and anyone else who strikes my fancy right now.”

Dobson turned his head, as though he was going to look over his shoulder at Madeline and Emery for guidance, but he noticed me watching and caught himself. He snapped back to face me, although he took several seconds to tuck his phone away, button his suit jacket, and calm down, thinking about how to handle the situation. But apparently, he had another ace up his sleeve, because a pleased smile spread across his face.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Ms. Blanco,” Dobson said, a cheery note in his low, gravelly tone. “Because in addition to my questions, Ms. Winona Wright here is one of the chief inspectors with the Ashland Health Department, and she’s had some disturbing complaints about your restaurant.”

He gestured, and the woman with the clipboard slowly stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the pig tracks on the floor, instead of looking at me. Obviously she didn’t want to be here. I wondered how Dobson had bribed or bullied her into making an appearance. Didn’t much matter. She was about to cause problems.

“What sort of complaints?” I asked in an icy tone.

“Bugs in people’s food, roaches in the storerooms, filthy restrooms, unsafe working conditions . . .” the inspector mumbled, her voice pitching lower and softer with each supposed infraction.

Finally, she finished, and Dobson fixed his gaze on me. “So, as you can see, Ms. Wright needs to do a full inspection in order to substantiate the validity of these claims,” he crowed, knowing that he had outmaneuvered me.

Dobson brought his fingers to his lips and let out a sharp whistle that made even Sophia wince. “Come on in, boys!” he called out.

The cops outside on the street headed toward the front door, and the invasion of the Pork Pit officially began.

6

I might not have to go with Dobson to the station for questioning, but there was nothing I could do about the health inspector, who had the legal right to inspect every corner of my restaurant anytime she wanted to.

Including right now.

Given the tension, accusations, and hostility in the air, everyone was suddenly eager to push their plates away, pay up, and skedaddle, especially at the thought that there might be bugs in their food and cockroaches crawling around in the corners. Of course, the real roaches were out in the open where everyone could see them—Dobson, Madeline, and Emery—but I’d have a hard time convincing my customers of that.

So I gave the waitstaff the rest of the day off with pay, stationed Catalina at the cash register, and told her to charge everyone half price as they left, if they were even willing to pay that much for my supposedly tainted food. I wasn’t going to quibble about money today. No, I had far bigger problems to worry about.

“What do you want me to do?” Owen asked in a low voice, coming over to stand beside me. “Whatever you need, you know I’m here for you, Gin.”

I shook my head. “There’s nothing you can do. Go, take care of Eva’s problem at school and the one with your business deal. That’s the best thing you can do for me right now. Madeline’s screwing with us, and I need to know that you guys are safe.”

Besides, something could always go terribly wrong here, with all the cops with all their guns swarming all over everything, and I wanted the two of them out of the line of fire, should it come to that.

“Are you sure?” Owen asked. “I can stay. I want to stay.”