Poison - (Elemental Assassin, #2.6) Page 0,1

one of his jobs tonight, killing people for money. As the assassin the Tin Man, it was something that he was exceptionally good at.

And now, he was determined to teach Gin everything that he knew.

He'd told me about his plan last night, even though I'd seen it coming way before then. A few weeks ago, a man named Douglas, one of Dad's disgruntled clients, had stormed into the restaurant and almost killed him. In fact, Douglas would have killed Dad and me too-if Gin hadn't stabbed him to death with the knife that she was using to chop onions with at the time.

For some reason, Dad thought that made Gin a prime candidate to become an assassin, just like him. Hell, he'd already given her a name-the Spider. Another fake, cheesy name to go along with her other one.

It should have been me that he was planning on training-I was his son, his flesh and blood. My mother had died when I was a kid, and it had always been just the two of us. I just didn't understand what Dad saw in Gin that he didn't see in me. What he thought that she had that I didn't. I was older than her, smarter, stronger, tougher. I was already as good a shot as Dad was with his guns. I wanted to learn the rest of the business too, but Dad didn't see it that way. He said that Gin would make the better assassin, that she had the patience for it, and I didn't.

That had hurt worse than anything else that he'd ever said to me.

The milkshake soured in my stomach, and I suddenly felt like I'd been drinking poison instead of melted chocolate. Maybe I had been. I'd seen what Gin had done to Douglas with that knife. She'd stabbed Douglas over and over like he was a pinata that she was whacking all the candy out of. I wouldn't put anything past her, not even offing me so she could have my dad all to herself.

I turned back around to the counter that ran down the back wall of the restaurant, sat my empty glass down, and pushed it away with one finger.

"You must have liked it," Gin said, still looking at me. "You drank all of it."

Instead of responding to her, I got to my feet, grabbed my leather jacket off the stool next to me, and put it on. It was the second jacket that I'd bought in as many weeks. Gin had given my first one away to some homeless kid, just plucked it off the coat rack in the restaurant like it was hers instead of mine. Something else that she'd done to piss me off. That poisonous feeling curled up in my stomach, burning like acid.

"Whatever," I said. "I'm out of here."

"Where?" Sophia rasped in her harsh, broken voice.

I shrugged. "I've been invited to a party. I plan on going and having a good time."

Gin frowned. "The one that Fletcher told you last week that you couldn't go to?"

I didn't say anything.

"Fletcher's not going to like that," Gin said in that soft voice again, the one that made me grind my teeth together. "Especially since it's over in Southtown. That's why he told you that you couldn't go in the first place. Because it's dangerous over there."

Next to Gin, Sophia grunted her agreement.

"I don't care what Dad does or doesn't like," I growled. "Because he certainly doesn't give a damn about what I do or don't like. For example, I didn't like it when he brought you in here. I still don't. But yet, here you are anyway."

Gin didn't flinch at my words, but for a moment, the faintest flicker of hurt filled her eyes. For some reason, it made me feel like shit.

"Finn," Sophia growled, clearly wanting me to apologize.

For a moment, I opened my mouth, intending to do just that-to force out a gruff Sorry. I knew that Gin had been through something horrible, something that had forced her to live on the streets. Hell, I'd seen the spider rune scars that had been branded into her palms-a small circle surrounded by eight thin rays, one on either hand. But I just didn't understand how or why her problems had become Dad's problems-and now, mine too.

"It's okay, Sophia," Gin said. "Let him go."

Then, she turned away, grabbed a knife, and started slicing a tomato. That was all that she did. She didn't yell or scream at me, and