"You should go check on your friend," I said. "She had a rough time of it at Mab's coffin."
"What do you mean?" Owen asked again.
Instead of answering him, I just smiled, my blue eyes as cold as his were. "She really is something. I look forward to getting to know Gin better in the future. It'll be here sooner than you think."
Owen's knuckles cracked as his fists tightened that much more. He took a step forward, but I turned my back on him, walked over to the car, and got inside. I'd just shut the passenger door behind me when Blanco hobbled into view, covered with blood. Owen glared at me a final time before hurrying over to her. I watched him put his arms around her, and I almost felt sorry for the poor bastard. He had no idea what was coming, but I did - and I was going to be ready for it.
"Phillip?" Antonio asked.
"Let's go," I said. "I'm done here."
My friend put the car in gear and drove out of the cemetery. I looked in the passenger-side mirror, getting a final glimpse of Owen and his new love before we rounded a curve and they disappeared from sight.
I sighed. Maybe Owen wasn't the only fool here. Maybe I was, too, for still caring about him, for still wanting to protect him from what was coming. I wondered if Gin felt the same way - and what she'd do when she learned the truth about me, Owen, and our checkered past together.
A past that was going to come to light soon - very, very soon.
Gin Blanco
I left the dwarves' bodies where they were and slid my bloody knife up my sleeve. Now that the funeral and fight were over, the black coffin seemed smaller than I remembered, its surface looking dull and tarnished.
Still, I couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation. The remains of my mortal enemy were in that coffin. I'd thought my battle with Mab was finally over with, but I'd just added three more bodies to the cemetery's count - and the Fire elemental hadn't even been buried yet. Maybe it was fitting that I'd had to fight for my life at Mab's grave site, just like I'd been battling her these last few months.
So I lowered my head once more, paying my last respects to the woman who had been such a big part of my life for so long.
"Good-bye, Mab," I said. "It was a hell of a fight while it lasted."
The sunburst rune on the side glimmered at me a final time, almost like it was blinking in agreement, before I turned away from the coffin.
I slowly hobbled through the cemetery, wincing every time I put my weight on my left foot, and trying to come to terms with my feelings. I guess part of me had foolishly hoped with Mab dead that I could just go back to my quiet life as Gin Blanco, restaurant owner. But after today, I knew that wasn't going to happen - not after everyone had gotten an eyeful of me at the funeral, chasing after the sniper and then getting him out of the tree. No, unless I'd missed my guess, I'd just brought myself a whole lot of unwanted attention. All that remained to be seen was how it played out, but I was willing to bet it was going to involve me fighting for my life.
Over and over again.
Finally, I made it back to the car. To my surprise, Owen wasn't alone: Phillip Kincaid was with him. Worry spiked through me. Why would Kincaid be talking to Owen? I quickened my steps, and I started to palm one of my knives when Kincaid turned and walked away from my lover.
Owen stared after him a moment, a troubled look on his face, but he must have spotted me out of the corner of his eye because he turned in my direction. Owen did a double take as he realized I was limping and just how bloody I was - again. He hurried over to me, meeting me in the grass.
"What was that about?" I asked. "Why were you talking to Phillip Kincaid?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. It doesn't matter. Are you okay? What happened?"
I shrugged. "Someone decided that sniper wasn't enough. The three dwarves who were supposed to dig Mab's grave wanted to put me in it with her. But I took care of them instead."
I told my lover what had happened at the grave site, leaving out the words I'd murmured to the Fire elemental's coffin. I figured those things were between Mab and me, just like they'd always been.
Owen's face tightened, and he looked around, almost as if he expected someone else to jump out from behind a tombstone and attack me. He was right to be cautious. I had a feeling it was just a matter of time.
"Who do you think it was?" he asked. "Who do you think sent the dwarves after you?"
I shrugged again. "If I had to guess, I'd say Jonah McAllister. This reeks of him."
Owen glanced over his shoulder, like he was looking for Kincaid's car, although the crime boss was already long gone. "That's what Phillip said too."
My eyebrows shot up in my face at the familiar tone in his voice. Phillip? Owen was on a first-name basis with Kincaid? When had that happened? And why didn't I know anything about it? I started to question my lover, but Owen wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
"I'm just glad you're okay," he murmured. "That's the most important thing."
I hesitated, wanting to ask him how he knew Kincaid, but another wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I decided that my questions about the crime boss could wait for some other time. Besides, I was still preoccupied with almost getting dead not once, but twice today.
I drew back from Owen. "Well, whether it was McAllister or someone else, you have to admit that it was a smart plan, hiring a sniper to lure me into a false sense of security while the real team waited for the perfect moment to take me out. What I don't understand is why he did it here, at the funeral."
"Why not?" Owen asked. "Like you said before, he probably guessed you'd be here. Today was probably the first chance he thought he could get to you, since we've all been spending so much time with you these last few weeks."
"I know," I said. "And that all makes sense. But it's so public. McAllister's like a snake in the grass: you never know when he's going to strike until you step on him. Usually, he prefers to take care of matters much more privately and quietly. But this was almost a . . . display of sorts. Like he wanted to lure me into showing everyone just how dangerous I really am."
Owen frowned. "You mean like he wanted everyone to realize you really are the Spider?"
I nodded. "Something like that. Think about it. Right now, there are a lot of rumors going around about me. What better way to confirm them than to have me take out a bunch of hitters at Mab's funeral?"
He let go of me and crossed his arms over his chest, thinking about it. "But what does that get McAllister in the end? Because you're still alive, and his men aren't. If anything, he just wasted the money he paid them to try to kill you."