We'd both been busy with work, but that wasn't really the problem. Ever since our dinner at Underwood's, there had been this distance between us. I kept waiting for him to open up about what was bothering him, to tell me about Salina and all the ghosts she'd brought back to Ashland with her, but Owen hadn't said a word about her. Now, that awkward talk had morphed into a necessity - for all sorts of reasons.
"Gin? Are you still there?"
"Yes, I'm still here." I drew in a breath. "I'm on the Delta Queen, and Eva's here with me. She's fine, but there was an . . . incident. Someone tried to kill Phillip Kincaid."
Silence. Then -
"I'll be there just as quick as I can," Owen said, his voice as cold, dark, and furious as I'd ever heard it. "Whatever you do, you keep Eva away from Phillip. The man is dangerous - more dangerous than you know. Promise me that you'll keep her safe from him - and keep yourself safe, too."
"Of course, I'll protect Eva. You don't have to worry about that, but what - "
I didn't get a chance to ask my question. My lover had already hung up on me.
While I waited for Owen to arrive, I made a few other calls. I dialed Finn and let him know what had happened, and I also phoned Jo-Jo Deveraux as well. I wasn't injured, so I wouldn't need the dwarf's Air magic to heal me, but I still wanted her in the loop. Because whatever was going on with Kincaid and the water elemental, I was smack-dab in the middle of it now - and I had a suspicion that Owen was too.
I'd just hung up with Jo-Jo when Kincaid led Eva over to where I was standing with Violet and Sophia. Violet hugged her friend, and the two girls started whispering. Kincaid turned his gaze to me.
"We need to talk," he said. "In private."
"Why, I thought you'd never ask, sugar," I drawled. "Sophia, would you please stay here and make sure Eva and Violet are okay?"
The dwarf grunted, letting me know she was there for me.
Kincaid jerked his head. "My office is this way."
I followed him through the doors and into the ballroom. The crimson curtains were drawn across the stage, and the lights on the balconies above our heads were dim, since there weren't any shows scheduled for tonight. Kincaid strode down the center aisle of the ballroom, then went over to a side door and punched in a code on a keypad. The door opened, and we walked down a flight of narrow stairs. The lower two decks of the riverboat were enclosed and housed the cages where the money and chips were counted on an hourly basis.
I let Kincaid go first and put my feet down exactly where he did, just in case there were any trip-wires or magical runes hidden on or underneath the stairs. I certainly would have rigged up a few, given how much cash came through this place every day.
We made it down to the second deck without any problems, and Kincaid led me to a thick wooden door at the end of a long hallway. I eyed the wide silverstone strips that crisscrossed the wood and surrounding walls. Not nearly as sturdy as the granite and silverstone door on Fletcher's house, but it would still be tough to try and pound your way through, even for a giant or a dwarf.
Kincaid punched in another code on the keypad on the wall, opened the door, and stepped inside. I followed him and shut the door behind me. No sense in leaving it open and my back exposed. Besides, Kincaid had said he wanted to talk in private, and so did I - because depending on what he said, the casino boss might not be leaving the room alive.
The office was exactly what I expected it to be - the inner sanctum of an underworld figure with a lot of money, power, and influence. The antique desk in the back of the room was expensive, but functional, while the laptops, monitors, and phones atop it were the best money could buy. Dark blue cushioned chairs crouched in front of a high-end flat-screen TV mounted on one wall, while a wet bar off to one side held every kind of pricey booze you could ever want to drink.
Yes, Kincaid's office was exactly what I expected - except for the toys.
Apparently, Kincaid was something of a movie buff. Lots of posters of classic and popular films decorated the walls, everything from Casablanca to Casino Royale. A couple of glass curio cabinets held action figures, both plastic ones and more costly stone molds of superheroes and other fantasy characters. Stacks of DVDs filled a bookcase, while popcorn and cotton-candy machines stood guard on either side of it.
Underworld figure. Casino boss. Geek.
Kincaid walked over to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey, which he threw back. I moved so that I was standing at the other end of the bar, close to him but still able to see the door at the same time.
"Care for a drink?" he asked, pouring himself another shot. "Because I plan on having several."
"Need a little liquid courage after Antonio?"
Kincaid shrugged. "Don't you?"
This time, I shrugged. He downed another shot, then grabbed a bottle of gin, along with some ice and a lime. His movements were quick and efficient, and a minute later, he plunked a gin and tonic down on the bar.
"Gin for Gin, right?" Kincaid said. "My sources tell me it's your drink of choice and that you even introduce yourself to people by comparing yourself to it. What is it you say? Gin, like the liquor. A bit cliche, don't you think?"
"Mmm." I made a noncommittal sound. "And what else do your sources say about me?"
He started working on his own gin and tonic. "Lots of things. Everyone in Ashland knows you as Gin Blanco, owner of the Pork Pit barbecue restaurant, but your real name is Genevieve Snow. Quite a tragic backstory you have. Mab Monroe murdered your mother, Eira, and your older sister, Annabella, when you were thirteen. Apparently, Mab and your mother had been enemies for years, which is one of the reasons why she decided to kill your whole family. Or tried to, anyway, since you somehow miraculously survived. Reports are sketchy as to exactly how you managed that, much less got your younger sister, Bria, away from Mab before she burned your family's mansion to the ground."
He didn't have all the details exactly right, but the broad strokes were correct. Looked like Kincaid had the same sort of sources Finn did. Worrisome, to say the least. I had enough people coming after me without Kincaid throwing his hat into the ring.
He finished mixing his drink, but instead of slugging it down like he had the others, he cradled it in his hands and stared at me. "Of course, we both know you're more than just a simple restaurant owner. Everyone in the underworld knows - or at least strongly suspects - that you're really the assassin the Spider, the woman who killed the mighty Mab. Why, you're a legend now. Everyone's still whispering about how you killed Mab with . . . what was it, exactly? Ice magic? Or did you use your Stone power as well?"