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power, hard work.
    Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 34-35
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    “If you ever need anything, please, don’t hesitate to moved in the cold, quiet night, not even the rats and call, day or night,” he said.
    alley cats searching for garbage. Still, I brushed my finMy finger traced over the hammer rune, and I memgers against the hard brick of the restaurant, using my orized the number. Might not be a bad thing having elemental magic to listen to the stone.
    someone like owen Grayson owe me a favor. Besides, The brick’s slow murmur was one of muted, clogged Finnegan Lane, my foster brother and general partner in contentment—just the way the stomachs and arteries of crime, would kill me if I turned him down. “All right.”
    the Pork Pit’s customers felt after eating a hot, thick, juicy We locked gazes. Cool, calculating, and shrewd, on barbecue sandwich. over time, emotions, feelings, and both sides. Grayson tipped his head at me. I did the same, actions sink into the earth and especially stone, where and we had an agreement.
    they can linger indefinitely until something else, some owen turned to the two women. “Come on, girls. other action, comes along to add to, change, or overTime to go.”
    power them. My elemental Stone magic let me sense He held the door open for them, and they headed outthese vibrations, analyze, interpret, and even tap into side. owen Grayson paused, looking over his shoulder. them if I wanted to. But the brief bit of violence that The businessman stared at me a moment more before had happened earlier tonight hadn’t lasted long enough stepping out into the dark night.
    or been brutal enough for the brick to permanently pick up its vibrations. Good.
    I locked the front door behind the three of them and Still, I looked and listened a moment more, searchturned the sign over to Closed . It was barely after seven, ing for the telltale shape of a half giant or some sort of but we weren’t going to have any more customers tonight. fire flickering in the shadows. But Jake McAllister wasn’t This close to Southtown, people could sniff out violence waiting for me. Daddy was probably bailing him out of better than bloodhounds. Besides, I didn’t feel like mopjail right now. McAllister would be here sooner or later, ping up Jake McAllister’s blood just yet.
    though. I’d gotten the better of him, and he knew it. He I went into the back and said my good nights to Sowouldn’t be satisfied until he’d returned the favor. I hoped phia. The Goth dwarf grunted, gathered up her glass he tried. Might alleviate some of the boredom that had Mason jars full of baked beans, and headed out the back settled over me these last two months during my retiredoor to go home to her sister, Jo-Jo. After I made sure the ment. For a few minutes, anyway. Guys like Jake McAlstoves, french fryer, and lights were off, I followed her out lister always thought they were tougher than they actually into the alley that ran behind the restaurant. were.
    I stood in the ink-black shadows next to one of the Satisfied the Fire elemental wasn’t going to come gunDumpsters, looking, listening, searching. But nothing ning for me tonight, I dropped my hand from the cold Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 36-37
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    38 JENNIFER ESTEP
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    brick and headed home. I walked three blocks in the driztrash. Most of them lived in run-down row houses and zling rain, cut through twice as many alleys, and doubled public housing units that resembled fallout shelters. The back five times before I was positive no one was following Pork Pit lay close to the Southtown border. me. Sure, I was a retired assassin, but that didn’t mean While Southtown resembled the dregs in the bottom there weren’t people out there who didn’t want me dead. of a coffee cup, Northtown was the whipped meringue on As the Spider, I’d killed my share of powerful men and top of a chocolate pie. You had to have