I looked to the left just in time to see Elliot Slater crest the top of the gangplank. The giant had one arm curled possessively around Roslyn Phillips's hourglass waist. For her part, the vamp hung limp at his side like she was seasick and five seconds away from throwing up whatever she'd eaten today. Couldn't blame Roslyn for that, after all she'd been through. I didn't know that I would have made it this far in her shoes.
Two giants also dressed in tuxes followed Slater on board, moved ahead of him a few feet, and stopped, scanning the glittering crowd before them. Must be Slater's de facto bodyguards for the evening.
Elliot Slater stepped to one side and turned, speaking to someone behind him. A moment later, two more figures stepped up and onto the riverboat-Jonah McAllister and Mab Monroe.
Chapter Fifteen
Finn saw my face tighten and my eyes darken with anger. "Something wrong?" he asked in a mild tone, even though he already knew the answer.
"I didn't think Mab would be here tonight, since this is Phillip Kincaid's casino," I muttered. "The two of them hate each other. I thought Slater would be here alone, since gambling is one of his pastimes, according to your file on him. "
"Kincaid had to invite her, just like he had to invite Elliot Slater. Leave Mab Monroe and her flunkies off your guest list? That's unthinkable in this town, even if Kincaid would be happy to dance on all their graves and take over Mab's operations. " Finn nodded his head in that direction. "And in addition to Jonah McAllister, looks like Mab brought two more bodyguards along with her. "
Sure enough, two giants stepped onto the riverboat behind Mab and Jonah. The rear guard, as it were.
"No wonder poor Roslyn looks faint," Finn murmured. "Besides Slater, who knows how long she's had to listen to Jonah McAllister this evening? His arrogance would be enough to drive anyone mad. And Mab isn't exactly a shrinking violet herself. "
We sat at the bar and watched the four of them. Elliot Slater led Roslyn Phillips out onto the deck, stopping every few feet to shake hands with someone he knew. The giant wore a black tuxedo that made his seven-foot physique seem even larger and more intimidating than usual. Tree trunks would look small in comparison to him.
So far, Roslyn seemed to be playing the role of the devoted date this evening. The first part of which was to look smashing. The vampire had donned a floor-length scarlet evening gown dotted here and there with matching sequins. Somehow, the slinky, tight-fitting gown managed to be tasteful and still show off Roslyn's perfect figure.
More than a few eyes turned in the vampire's direction, but a quick glower from Slater was enough to end the appreciative gazes. The giant's hazel eyes also followed the interlopers, as though he was committing their names and faces to memory so he could beat the stuffing out of them later. He crooked a finger at one of the two giants hovering near him and whispered something in the other man's ear. The giant nodded and moved off into the crowd. A few seconds later, one of the men who'd been staring at Roslyn was discreetly escorted off the riverboat. If I had to guess, I'd say he was going to get the same kind of treatment that I'd received the other night on the community college quad.
Elliot Slater stayed clos
e to Roslyn the entire time, only letting her out of arm's reach long enough to grab them both a glass of champagne. Once he was done holding court, Elliot pulled Roslyn over to one of the blackjack tables, where they both sat down. The giant picked up Roslyn's hand and cooed sweet nothings into her ear whenever he wasn't busy betting or looking at his cards.
Despite her makeup, the vamp's face looked pale and sweaty underneath the strings of lights. I had the sense Roslyn was very close to bolting. And though I couldn't blame her for it if she did, it would only make things worse in the end.
Jonah McAllister and Mab Monroe also worked the crowd. Or rather, they stood in the middle of the deck and let their admiring sycophants come by one by one and suck up.
Jonah also wore a tux, his silver hair a bright, gleaming contrast against the black fabric. Mab wore a black cocktail dress not too dissimilar from my own. The dark color made her hair look like burnished copper against her creamy shoulders. As usual, she sported her gold sunburst necklace. The ruby that made up the center of the ornate design gleamed like fresh blood against her skin. Even across the open deck, my Stone magic let me hear the gemstone's harsh, powerful murmur-one of fire, death, destruction. The awful sound made me grind my teeth together. The primal, elemental part of me wanted to smash that damn ruby and destroy its proud, horrid murmurs almost as much as I wanted to kill Mab.
"Now that you've had time to scope out the place, how do you want to do this?" Finn asked in a low voice. "Want me to cull Slater from the herd? Spill a drink on him so he has to take a convenient trip to the men's room?"
"No," I replied. "We both need to leave with plausible deniability. You spilling a drink on Elliot Slater, and then him disappearing adds up to the right conclusion real quick. Throw me into the mix, and they'll even think they have the right motive. Just keep an eye on them, especially Roslyn. She looks like she's about ten seconds away from screaming and trying to claw out Slater's eyes. "
"Wouldn't you be?" Finn asked in a quiet voice. "Xavier told me about Roslyn's so-called meetings with the giant. All the ways that he's been terrorizing her. About how he's been making her play house with him, as though they're a real couple. It's one of the sickest things I've ever heard. "
I thought about how calm Roslyn Phillips had been when she'd told me what Slater had been doing to her. How the bastard was controlling and scaring and hurting and abusing her. How he was playing with her before he finally raped her.
"I would have cut his heart out of his chest with one of my knives-or at least tried to," I replied.
"So why hasn't Roslyn done that?"
"Because Roslyn isn't a former assassin like me. She didn't have the benefit of Fletcher's training. But more importantly, she has her sister and niece to think about. Xavier too. Her dying doesn't help them one bit. "
Finn looked at me with his bright green eyes. "And you don't have people who love you too?"
I shrugged. "It's not the same. You, Jo-Jo, and Sophia know what I am, what I can do. And you've seen what other people have done to me. "
"You were a mess after Alexis James and Tobias Dawson got done with you," he agreed.
I continued on like he hadn't spoken. "The three of you know the risks by now. That one night, I might not come home. The three of you have each other to lean on. Roslyn's the rock in her family. Her sister and her niece depend on her. She was trying to protect them. "
Finn kept staring at me. "And you're our rock, Gin. You should think about that too. "
I didn't respond. Because the funny thing was, Finn, Jo-Jo, and Sophia were my rocks-and I'd kill anyone who even thought about hurting them. Even if it meant my own death.