I’d thought that I would keep obsessing about Sebastian, but I quickly, easily lost myself in the rhythms of mixing and stirring, flipping and frying, blending and frappéing. More than that, I enjoyed the motions, knowing that the end result would be a hot, hearty, delicious meal for the people I loved. Who knew that cooking could be so cathartic?
I made more than enough for everyone and left big platters of food on the butcher’s-block table in the kitchen. I also grabbed a wooden tray out of one of the cabinets and piled it high with food, dishes, napkins, silverware, and two tall glasses filled with the orange smoothie, along with a cup of steaming chicory coffee for Fletcher. I took the tray up to the bedroom where he was sleeping and knocked on the door.
“Come on in, Gin.”
I twisted the knob, opened the door, and stepped into the room. “How did you know it was me?”
He grinned. “Because you’re the only one I know who can make pancakes and bacon smell that divine.”
I grinned back at him. “And you’re a shameless flatterer, just like your son.”
Fletcher’s grin widened. “Charm has its uses.”
I thought of Sebastian, and my smile slipped. “Yeah.”
Fletcher sat up in bed, and I put the tray on his lap before pulling a rocking chair from the corner of the room over to his side. We divvied up the food and dug in. I took the time to savor every single bite. The light, fluffy, fruity pancakes; the slightly smoky, salty bacon; the tart, tangy orange smoothie that washed everything down.
We finished eating. Fletcher put the tray on the nightstand beside his elbow, then leaned back against the headboard and let out a loud, contented sigh.
“That was a mighty fine breakfast.”
“I do try.”
He grinned again. “That you do.”
We fell silent again, although we kept staring at each other.
Finally, I raised my chin and squared my shoulders. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”
Fletcher shook his head. “I told you last night, and I’ll tell you again in the light of day. Don’t blame yourself, Gin. I didn’t see what Sebastian was really up to either, not until it was too late, and I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have.”
“True. But you’re not the one who fell so easily for his lies. That was all me.” I let out a bitter laugh. “You have to hand it to him, though. He definitely has skills. And his magic . . .” My voice trailed off. “He’s strong, Fletcher. Very strong.”
He reached over and squeezed my hand. “But not as strong as you are, Gin.”
I shook my head. “That’s where you’re wrong. He is stronger than I am. He’s a powerful elemental. Certainly the most powerful Stone elemental I’ve ever seen.”
“And you’re the best damn assassin I’ve ever seen,” Fletcher snapped right back. “Magic is all well and good, but you don’t need it to do what you do. That’s the difference between you and Sebastian. He does. Not only that, but he needs people to do his dirty work for him. That’s why he came to us instead of killing his father himself. He likes manipulating people, getting them to do what he wants without them even realizing that they’re playing right into his hands. Just like you, Finn, and I did. Sebastian might like to hurt people, but he likes to think that he’s above everything too, including folks like us.”
Everything he said was true, but it didn’t make me feel any better about things. Still, I knew what I had to do, so I drew in a breath and raised my gaze to his. “I have to do this by myself.”
Fletcher nodded. “I know. I know you do, Gin, and it’s what I’ve been training you for all these years. You were strong enough to get away from Sebastian last night. I trust that you’re strong enough to end him tonight.”
I picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “Even though I completely messed up? I let him get too close to me. I let him figure out who we were and what we do.”
I even let him into my heart, a sad, tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind.
“Everyone screws up from time to time,” Fletcher said. “Including me.”
“But even if I kill him, it still might not be over. I don’t know who else he might have told about me, about us. I don’t think he told Mab my name, but at the very least, Porter knows who I am. We could still be in danger. Even worse, someone could sell us out to our enemies. The Tin Man’s and the Spider’s. Who knows how many people might come after us then?”
Fletcher shrugged. “Then we’ll deal with those people if and when they decide to target us. There’s nothing else we can do.”
I wanted to scream in frustration, but he was right. There was nothing we could do but hope that Sebastian had kept his suspicions about our real identities and purposes to himself.
“When are you leaving?” Fletcher asked.
“In a few hours. After I get ready. I don’t want to give Sebastian time to think up a new plan or to realize that I’m still alive and coming for him.”
He nodded, then tossed back the covers and got to his feet, revealing a pair of worn blue flannel pajamas.
“What are you doing? You need to rest. You’re not coming with me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“No,” Fletcher said. “But you need someone to drive you over there and wait until you come out again, and that someone is going to be me.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he waved a hand, cutting me off.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to interfere or get in the way of what you need to do. I know better than that. But I want my spot of revenge too, and I’ll be more than happy to take it by delivering you to Sebastian’s door. Come on, Gin. Let an old man have his fun.” His voice took on the same wheedling note that I’d heard in Finn’s a hundred times before. Fletcher grinned at me, and I smiled back.
“Okay, okay, you can drive me,” I said. “Just let me get my things, and then I’ll get on with the business of killing Sebastian Vaughn.”
Several hours later, I crept through the woods at the edge of the Vaughn estate. Fletcher had dropped me off about a mile from the gate that led into the estate, and I’d spent the last thirty minutes hiking through the woods until I reached the back side of the property. It was after four now, and the sun still blazed overhead. Despite the sweltering heat, I was dressed the way I always was for one of my jobs: black cargo pants, long-sleeved black T-shirt, black boots, and a black vest lined with silverstone.