Snared (Elemental Assassin #16)(64)

I stopped. No, not them, Bruce Porter. The dwarf was the one who mentioned that he’d set up Rivera’s “guest” in his bedroom. What if he’d been talking about Elissa? That meant that she’d been at Rivera’s mansion that night, and she might still be there right now.

“Forget about his other properties,” I said. “Let’s focus on the mansion.”

I told the others my theory.

“That’s kind of a slim thread to follow,” Ryan said. “Do you really think that Rivera would be stupid enough to keep all the women he kidnaps and murders in his main residence? That wouldn’t exactly fit in with how careful he’s been about not leaving any evidence behind.”

“Absolutely,” I said. “Think about it. Damian Rivera is a mean, arrogant drunk. He thinks that he can do whatever he wants and that no one can touch him just because he’s a member of the Circle. Besides, he’s gone to a lot of trouble to kidnap all these women, hold them hostage, and make them perform in whatever sadistic fantasy he’s dreamed up. He wouldn’t want to risk stashing them someplace where he couldn’t get to them in a hurry. He’ll have Elissa somewhere close by, just like he probably had all the others close by. The mansion’s our best bet.”

The others agreed, and we moved on to exactly how we were going to get close enough to slip inside the mansion. If it had been anywhere close to dark, I would have gone in by myself, just like I had two nights ago. But it was three in the afternoon, which meant that there was still plenty of daylight and no shadows to hide in. I started pacing again, turning the problem over and over in my mind.

“We need to get Rivera out of the mansion, along with as many guards as possible,” Bria said. “Fewer men means less security and less chance of something going wrong and Elissa getting hurt.”

“But how do we do that?” Owen asked. “It’s not like we can just call him up and ask him to leave so we can break in and search the place while he’s gone.”

An idea popped into my mind. The more I thought about it, the more certain I was that it would work. I went over, leaned down, grabbed Owen’s face, and gave him a long, deep kiss.

After the better part of a minute and a couple of wolf whistles from Finn, I drew back, smiling at him. “You, Owen Grayson, are officially a genius.”

Owen blinked a few times, trying to focus on my words. “I am?”

“You most certainly are.” I kissed him again, then straightened up and looked at Finn. “I need a number for one of your contacts.”

Finn sighed. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

“Probably not.”

I told him who I wanted to call. Finn was right. He definitely didn’t like it, but he realized that it was our best option, so he hit a button on the speed dial and handed the phone over to me.

A thick, congested voice answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

“Hello, Mr. Mosley. This is Gin Blanco. Remember that favor you offered me earlier today? Well, I’m ready to cash it in.”

? ? ?

Thirty minutes later, I was right back where I’d started two nights ago in the woods behind Damian Rivera’s massive estate. Only this time, Finn, Bria, and Owen hunkered down just inside the tree line with me, while Silvio, Jade, and Ryan were waiting in Silvio’s car down the street from the front of the mansion. Jade had wanted to come with us into the woods, but I’d finally convinced her that a small team was the best option for finding Elissa and getting her out of the mansion to safety.

As much as I wanted to confront Rivera, finding Elissa was our top priority. Once she was safe, though, all bets were off. I might be an assassin, but Fletcher had trained me to follow his code, one that didn’t include torturing people. But I figured that the old man would be okay with me making an exception for Rivera for all those women he’d tortured and murdered. Besides, I still needed information about the mysterious leader of the Circle. Whether Rivera gave it to me willingly or screamed out the answers after I’d cut him up like a chopped salad, well, that was up to him.

I was hoping for option number two, though.

I scanned the mansion and grounds again. A sprawling two-story structure of gray stone, surrounded by acres of lawn, with Bruce Porter’s caretaker cottage sitting off by itself at the very back of the property. Someone had finally gotten around to taking down all the holiday lights and removing all the snowflakes, white velvet bows, and other decorations.

According to Silvio, half a dozen dwarves were guarding the front of the mansion as usual, but no one was patrolling the grounds back here. I supposed that I shouldn’t have been surprised by that, since I’d killed Henry. I was just hoping that Rivera hadn’t noticed how long his men had been gone.

Bria and Owen peered through their binoculars at the back of the mansion, while Finn texted Silvio on his phone, letting him know that we were in position. I palmed one of my knives, focusing on the familiar, comforting weight and the spider runes in both the hilt and my hand pressing against each other. Someone had mockingly drawn my runes on the Dollmaker’s latest victim, calling me out and daring me to find him. I still wasn’t sure if it had been Rivera, but either way, he was going to be the one to regret it.

“Where do you think he’s keeping Elissa?” Owen asked. “The mansion doesn’t have a basement, so she has to be somewhere aboveground.”