Venom (Page 38)

Another shudder rippled through the vamp’s body, and she didn’t say anything.

"I know I’m asking a lot, after everything you’ve been through. If you can’t, I understand," I said in a soft voice. "There’s still time for you to leave town. We can find another way-"

"No," Roslyn said in a grim voice so low I had to strain to hear her. "This is how it has to be. I want him dead. Tonight. I can… do it. I can… handle it one more night, one more time."

She bit her lip and nodded her head, as if trying to convince herself that she really could calmly go out with the man who’d been stalking her and using her as his own little toy. But Roslyn knew that playing her part was the only way this was going to work-no matter how distasteful it was going to be.

"And what will you be doing, Gin?" Roslyn asked.

I stared at her, my gray eyes as cold as ice. "Hopefully, stabbing the bastard to death before you down your first glass of bubbly."

Chapter Fourteen

Just after eight that night, I opened the door, climbed out of the Aston Martin, and smoothed down my dress. I walked around the front of the silver sports car and waited for Finn to lock his precious baby up tight.

Then, when Finn joined me, I put my hand on my hip and struck a pose. "How do I look?"

Finn gave me the once-over. "Nice. Not at all like you plan to commit murder before the night is through."

Since I was going to spend the evening hobnobbing with Ashland’s wealthiest citizens, I’d decided to dress up for the occasion. I’d traded in my usual jeans and T-shirt for a simple cocktail dress with a loose, flowing skirt. The garment was made of a heavy, shiny satin that was such a deep blue that it looked black. All the better to hide bloodstains.

Even more important, the dress also featured long sleeves to hide the two silverstone knives I’d tucked up them, and the poofy skirt fell to my knees, hiding the other two knives that I’d strapped to my thighs. Still two more knives rested in the sides of my stiletto boots, and I had another one tucked into my purse. Seven knives was probably overkill, but I wanted to be prepared when I went after Elliot Slater. It just wouldn’t do to have the giant in my sights and be unable to finish him off for a lack of adequate weaponry. I might officially be retired from being the assassin the Spider, but that didn’t mean I still wasn’t a pro.

In an effort to blend in with all the pretty young things and trophy wives sure to be in attendance, I’d gone heavy on the makeup-smoky eyes, deep plum lips, lots of mascara. I’d even freed my shoulder-length hair from its typical ponytail for the evening’s festivities. Jo-Jo Deveraux had been all too happy to curl my dark chocolate locks into wavy ringlets. The dwarf always liked it when I played dress-up.

Jo-Jo had also been kind enough to slip me some tubs of her magic-infused healing ointment, just in case Elliot Slater got a couple of licks in before his swan song tonight.

"And me?" Finn asked. "How do I look?"

Finn wore what he always wore to a society function-a classic tuxedo, small diamond cufflinks, and polished wingtips that had a higher luster than some of the jewels the debutantes would be wearing tonight. The black fabric accentuated the bright green of his eyes, while his walnut-colored locks curled around his collar in an artful arrangement that looked both deliberate and effortless. Finn had spent more time on his hair than Jo-Jo had on mine.

"Ever the gentleman," I replied. "Not at all like you plan to assist me in committing said murder tonight."

Finn grinned and held his arm out to me. "Ready for an evening of murder and mayhem?"

I grinned back. "Always."

Arm in arm, Finn and I left the parking lot and strolled toward the Delta Queen.

The riverboat was docked in the middle of the downtown district, where the Aneirin River curled like a ribbon past the city’s skyscrapers and cultural buildings like the Ashland Opera House. Several years ago when the riverboat casino had first come to town, the city planners had constructed a wooden boardwalk lit with old-fashioned iron street lamps. Despite its proximity to the mean streets of Southtown, the gentrification had stuck, mainly because the casino had its own ever-vigilant security staff who kept an eye out for the riffraff who might mug their customers before they could get on board and blow their money in high style.

No gang runes or graffiti could be seen on the boardwalk itself, and several artsy shops and restaurants had sprung up opposite the river on the far side of the weathered wooden planks-overpriced antiques stores and cafes determined to suck as much money as they could out of passersby before they boarded the casino and lost that week’s paycheck. Ah, progress.

The Delta Queen featured six decks, each one more lavish and opulent than the last. Even from this distance, I could see the gleam of polished wood, heavy brass, and delicate crystal through the wide windows that lined the upper levels. Tasteful bits of red and blue trim glistened in various spots on the riverboat’s white exterior finish, marking it as an all-American place to lose your life savings. Globe-shaped lights wrapped around the mahogany and brass railings and dipped from one deck to the next like the strings of an electrified cobweb. The third story formed an open U shape that jutted out past the other decks and formed the bow of the boat. Meanwhile, a giant paddlewheel that rose all the way up to the sixth deck anchored the back of the vessel.

I stared at the paddlewheel. Hmm. That had possibilities. Like me shoving Elliot Slater through it. But the riverboat wasn’t scheduled to leave the dock tonight. Even if a cruise had been planned, the boards were too wide to do the necessary amount of damage to the giant, and I doubted the fall alone would kill him. He’d probably scream a lot on the way down, though.

Too bad. I’d never killed anyone with a paddlewheel before. I might not officially be the Spider anymore, but I was always on the lookout for new experiences-and new skills to add to my deadly repertoire. Elliot Slater was going to die tonight, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a bit of fun helping him quit breathing.

Thanks to his position at his bank and the fact that so many of his wealthy clients would be in attendance tonight, Finn had been invited to the party. I was tagging along as his plus-one. Finn handed his engraved invitation to the man checking names on the shoreline, who ushered us on board with little fanfare.

"Hmph," Finn sniffed, sounding exactly like Sophia Deveraux. "He didn’t even tell me to enjoy myself this evening."

I patted Finn’s arm. "That’s because you’re not one of the important people who are coming tonight. He’s saving his fawning for them."

Finn sniffed his displeasure again.