Only Fin, Esteban, and I stood in the cavernous ballroom which was even bigger now without the crowds.
I swallowed and met Fin’s eyes. He approached and placed his hand at the small of my back. We stared down Esteban, who smiled that wicked grin. Part of me wished I had some pithy remark prepared. After all, if I was going to die, I wanted to make my last words memorable.
My parents’ killer stood before me.
Esteban was the Black Mage.
Chapter Fifteen
Between my realization and a blink, Esteban disappeared along with Fin. I stood alone in the empty ballroom.
I rushed to the nearest door. Locked. I snagged a couple of pins from my hair to pick the lock, but my hands shook so badly I couldn’t line the pin with the tumblers. I threw them down and turned back toward the room. There had to be a way out of here.
“Fin,” I whispered, praying he could hear me through the earpiece.
No response.
“Fin,” I said, louder this time. “Please, answer me.”
Damn it. I crossed the room, my heels clicking on the floor, and I stopped by another door. Quickly, I unbuckled my heels and tossed them away. I couldn’t run if I kept them on, and if people wielding magic showed up, I needed to run.
“A knife or two would be excellent right about now, Fin,” I said. Even if he didn’t respond, I kept talking. Maybe he could hear me and needed my voice as much as I needed to hear him right now.
Of course, this door was locked as well. I knelt in the satin dress, pulled two more pins from my hair, and tried this lock. Once I steadied my breathing, I could focus on sliding the pins into the lock and turning the knob. It clicked, and I jumped up and pulled the handle. It didn’t budge. Must have something like a deadbolt on the other side.
“Who the hell puts a deadbolt lock on a ballroom door? Someone who is preparing to commit a mass murder, maybe,” I told Fin.
Still no answer.
I skirted the room and checked every single door. Then I began looking under artwork, behind sculptures, around the decorative curtains on the walls.
“Why does this dick have curtains on his walls?” I asked Fin. “You’re rich, you should know the answer to this, Fin. Come on, tell me I’m rude, crass, and an asshole so I know you’re alive.”
A pressure built in my chest at the thought of Fin dead. I still owed him a good beat down or two. No one could kill him. Not yet. Not ever.
I marched back toward the main doorway. As I reached it, the door opened and a swarm of men entered the ballroom.
I backed up only so I could keep them all in my sights. Most of them were dressed in tuxedos. A couple of them were wearing black fatigues like Fin’s men.
/>
“Oh hey, Fin,” I said, sizing them up. “Looks like the Black Mages harem used your same uniform man. Might need to rethink the black on black scheme for the next fashion update.”
One man stepped in front and I put my hands on my hips.
“Are you the guinea pig?” I asked. “Send you out first to get the beat down to see what you’re dealing with?”
I casually pulled a couple more pins from my hair, its length beginning to sag in the back without the support. The man didn’t answer, so I smiled at him and then put the pin ends into my mouth and ripped off the rubber nubs with my teeth.
Then I stretched behind my back and spread the pins across the undersides of my fingers, so the sharp points pressed out of my knuckles. It wouldn’t do as well as a knife would, but it would sting and leave a mark.
If I moved quick enough, I could get around them and out the open door. In the mansion there were more places to hide and regroup. Also, various household goods I could fashion into weapons.
The chief’s voice flashed in my head with a pang of regret. Use what you have, Zoey. Almost anything can hurt you if you mold it correctly.
I sauntered closer to the head henchman and met his eyes. He had at least fifty pounds and half a foot of height on me, but it wouldn’t matter in such close proximity.
“Are we going to do this? Or are you here to join my dance card? I’m sorry to say I think it’s full considering how many friends you brought me to disable.”