Part 28 (1/2)

Charlotte kept staring at me, blinking and blinking, as if she were trying to process everything. Yeah, I knew how that felt.

I gave her a wink and my best, most mysterious smile. ”See you around, Charlotte.”

Then I raised my gla.s.s to her in a toast, drained the rest of my gin, and left the library.

Like her father before her, Charlotte didn't employ any guards. Something that I'd have to speak to her about some other night. I wouldn't want just anyone to waltz in here on her.

I walked out the front door of the mansion, ambled down the long driveway, and headed for the iron gate at the front of the estate. It was closed, but I had no problems scaling the stone wall and dropping down on the far side. After all, it was the same way I'd come in a couple of hours ago.

And just like all those years before, a car was waiting for me on the other side.

A momentary pang of loss shot through me that it wasn't an old, battered white van but instead a flashy silver sports car, the latest Aston Martin. I opened the door and slid into the pa.s.senger's seat.

”How did it go?” Finn asked.

I looked at my foster brother, with his green eyes, his walnut-colored hair, and his features that were so much like Fletcher's. Once again, I felt that pang in my heart, but it was softer now, more sweet than bitter.

”Charlotte and I agreed to keep each other's secrets.”

He sighed, then rolled his eyes. ”Seriously, Gin, could you be any more cryptic?”

”'And no matter what, you should never, ever tell someone all of your secrets,'” I said. ”Do you remember that?”

Finn gave me a blank look. ”Not particularly. Should I?”

”Yeah. You said it to me ten years ago about Sebastian.”

His chest puffed up. ”Well, then, I was totally right.”

I rolled my eyes.

”Seriously, though, what happened?”

I shrugged again. ”Charlotte wanted to talk.”

”About Sebastian? Or her father?”

”Both. And a lot of other things too.” I hesitated. ”She figured out that I've been keeping tabs on her all these years. She knows about the money you set up in that trust fund for her.”

”Is she going to talk?” Finn asked, a worried look creasing his features.

”No. She's not going to talk. Not about any of it. She actually wanted to thank me.”

Finn nodded. ”I can understand that.”

He stared through the gates at the estate. ”All of this . . . it reminds me of that night with Dad, when Sebastian's giants busted into the house.”

”Yeah.”

Finn looked at me. ”He'd be so proud of you, Gin. He was always proud of you, but never more so than after what happened with Sebastian.”

”Do you really think so?”

He reached over and squeezed my hand. ”I know so.”

I stared into the dark of the night, thinking about Fletcher and all the lessons he'd taught me. ”Yeah,” I said. ”I think you're right.”

”Are you kidding?” Finn scoffed. ”I'm always right.”

I laughed at his never-ending confidence.

”Now, the night is still fairly young. You want to go get a drink at Northern Aggression?”

”Sure,” I said. ”I had plans to meet Owen there after . . . this.”

”Then allow me to be your chariot,” Finn said. ”And chauffeur service.”

He threw the car into gear and zoomed away from the curb.

I took one last look through the gate toward the Vaughn estate, my gaze settling on the lights that burned in the library. Despite everything, Charlotte had survived-and so had I.

Because that's what the Spider did.

Turn the page for a sneak peek at the next book in the Elemental a.s.sa.s.sin series.

POISON PROMISE.

by Jennifer Estep.

Coming soon from Pocket Books.

Even from across the parking lot, I could see the two vampires creep a little closer to Catalina, smiling wide and showing off their fangs. Troy's meaning was clear-get with the pill-pus.h.i.+ng program or get drained.

Catalina lifted her chin and glared at Troy. She wasn't backing down, no matter what. I admired her for it, really, I did, but it was also stupid of her. She just should have accepted the pills and flushed them later. Oh, I knew Catalina since she worked as a waitress at the Pork Pit, and she seemed like a good kid. She didn't want to get sucked in with Troy and his thugs, but it was too late for that. This was about to get very ugly for someone.