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And then there was Gin, whom I’d wounded the worst Because she’d saved us all froe scheme, and I’d turned my back on her like a fool I’d lashed out at Gin, when I should have been bla her and the others fro, the really pathetic thing, the truly unforgivable thing, was that I’d known exactly what kind of stupid ass I was being that night at the Dubois estate I’d known it the day I’d gone to see Gin at the Pork Pit and told her that I needed soain e’d talked in the ardens outside the Briartop museum, and she’d finally let me see how sick, weary, and hurt she was because of how I’d reacted to Salina’s death Gin had risked her life to rescue ain at Briartop, and all I had done ound her tiain

Gin didn’t like folks to know it, and she especially didn’t like the for the people she loved, including taking their ee And I’d heaped a ton of it onto her shoulders instead ofSalina myself

I loved Gin, but I’d known that she had some serious trust issues after Detective Donovan Caine had so coldly rejected her for being an assassin But I’d seen her, and I’d wanted her, so I’d pursued her And as I got to know Gin, as I fell in love with her, I had vowed to htlessly as Donovan had I would never judge or reject her for doing what she thought was right, for using her skills as the Spider to protect others

But I’d done it all anyway I loved Gin, but I’d still hurt her, and I didn’t know if I could ever forgivechoice in Blue Marsh Maybe she should have chosen Donovan instead of ht and forget I ever existed

Phillip was right I was a fucking idiot I’d had Gin’s love, and I had been stupid enough to throw it away It was all my fault, and I didn’t kno to fix it I didn’t kno to fixto shake off the guilt But that didn’t work, it never worked, so I growled and punched thea fist-shaped dent in the door I had an elemental talent for metal, could bend it and shape it any way that I wanted to Right now, I felt like ripping the door off its hinges and sending wave after wave of ic into it until the ers -

The bathrooed open, and the heavy tread of footsteps sounded

"Did you see that bitch brush rowled "I used all of my best lines on her, and she looked ather"

"Calm down, Stuart," another voice chiht not work"

"I can have any woman in this club that I want, and she turns me down? Oh, hell, no," Stuart snarled "If we hadn’t been hired to kill her already, I would do it h and hty when my hands rapped around her throat"

Hired to kill her? I had a sinking feeling that I knew exactly who they were talking about: Gin

Now that everyone in the underworld knew - or at least suspected - that she was the assassin the Spider, practically every crime boss in the city had tried to take Gin out and prove that they had the stones to be the new head of the Ashland crime scene Of course, no one had succeeded yet, but that didn’t keep the

"So the Spider brushed you off," the second man said in a much calmer and colder voice "It happens She’s a woman, just like any other Who knohat they’re really thinking? Most of them don’t even know, and I, for one, don’t care But like you said, ere hired to kill her Nothing else So we’ll just watch and wait until we see a chance to get her alone"

Well, not if I could help it I’d already hurt Gin so ht My hand curled into a fist again, but this time, I didn’t want to hit the door - I wanted to hit theh the crack between the stall door and the fraet a look at Gin’s would-be attackers One was the giant in the blue T-shirt who on her earlier He took a co sure that every blond strand was greased back into place Then he stared into thehis head to the side and arching first one eyebrow, then the other, in a suggestiveto seduce himself Did that laotistical pretty boy I was going to enjoy knocking his perfect teeth out of his uy was a dwarf, but his chest and shoulders were even wider and iant’s He wore a black button-up shirt, dark brown khakis, and black boots The dwarf’s black hair was shaved close to his skull,else A sroo hollow in the dwarf’s expression, and his lips were firmly curved up, like his sht brown eyes were even colder and eht be a loudmouthed hothead, but the dwarf - the das the real threat

"Fine, Richie," the giant, Stuart, snapped He finished fixing his hair and slid his coht to ot it?"

"Sure," Richie replied "No probleet her blood on your clothes anyway"

Stuart frowned and looked down at his blue T-shirt, then over at Richie, as if he wasn’t sure whether the das serious "Do you think that I should go change real quick? I have some extra clothes in the car This is my lucky T-shirt Nobody says no to s out the color of ave himself another sexy smirk in the mirror Richie rolled his eyes I would too, if I was saddled with an arrogant sch about how cute you are, we have work to do," Richie finally growled "So let’s get on with it"

Stuart opened his mouth, but he took one look at the other man’s narrowed eyes and shatever he’d been about to say "Sure, Richie No probleiant held out his hand in a placating gesture Richie glared at hi out of the bathroolance in theafter the other man

I waited a few seconds toback, then opened the stall door and followed them

Chapter 4

Back out in the main part of the club, the two men ambled over to one of the tables close to the dance floor and turned their chairs so that they could see Gin, still sitting with Bria at the Ice bar

I kept one eye on them as I hurried back over to Phillip’s and one, our waitress had returned and was now leaning over with her elbows propped on the table, giving Phillip a bird’s-eye view of all she had to offer, including the plu out of the top of her black leather bustier

I stepped up beside Sierra, but neither one of thelanced in my direction So I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my wallet, and put a hundred on the table

"Sorry, but o That should cover our drinks"