A Longer Fall (Gunnie Rose #2)(32)

“They don’t have the slightest affinity that I can discern,” Eli said. “Which is a real pity. It’s an honorable profession.”

I thought of Paulina and her ability to kill people in exotic ways. I remembered the terrifying Klementina. That little old woman had bowed to no man, and she hadn’t suffered fools gladly. She had died like a hero. I could feel the corner of my mouth lift in a smile, remembering. Full of pepper and vinegar, she’d been.

“Your older brothers won’t take care of ’em?”

Eli’s two older brothers were also sons of the now-deceased Prince Vladimir Savarov, who had backed the wrong horse (Grand Prince something) when he believed Tsar Alexei would die of his bleeding disease without leaving an heir—or if he had a boy child and died, that child should not inherit the throne because Alexei’s wife (his second) was very unpopular.

“They have said they’ll be responsible for finding the girls suitable matches.” It was easy to see Eli didn’t trust his older brothers, at least not entirely. “Though how that’s to be done, since the girls are the daughters of a traitor, and I doubt my brothers would give them much money…” His voice trailed off.

“So their only hope is for you to be back in favor? That’s the way you see it?”

Eli nodded.

“What about Peter?” Peter had made an attempt to kill his father. Unfortunately, it had taken place at the exact same time I was trying to kill his father much more efficiently. I would not have gotten shot if Peter hadn’t stuck his oar in.

“My little brother is more in favor since he tracked my father to Texoma. Some say Peter killed him.” Eli rolled his eyes toward me and smiled. “He’s back in school, and has determined he has an affinity for air.” There was a list of elements or talents. Each grigori was better at spells involving one of them, Paulina had told me. “Peter is also in love,” Eli said, and looked at me like I should know what he was talking about.

“With who?” I felt like I was walking into a trap, but I had no idea where he was going.

“With a beautiful young black-haired woman who saved his life in a hotel in Segundo Mexia.”

I tried to remember such a person being present that day. Then I winced. “You can’t be serious,” I said.

“Peter has asked a hundred questions about the girl who got shot for him,” Eli said.

“He sure did his best to screw everything up.”

“He’s smitten,” Eli said. “When everything else in the family was going so wrong, I didn’t have the heart to tell him.”

“Tell him what?” I was blundering through this conversation.

“That you are spoken for.”

This was making me very nervous. “Eli, for God’s sake!” I threw up my hands, and a woman on the sidewalk glanced at us curiously.

Eli could tell I was all out of plumb. “After all,” he said teasingly, “we are married.”

Teasing, I could handle. “Yes, thanks for the fancy ring,” I said, making sure I sounded tart. More like my normal self. I held my hand in front of him like he’d never seen the thin gold band.

“Oh, you’d like a gemstone? What kind?”

I didn’t know anything about gemstones. “Now you’re talking silly,” I said. I was tired of sitting in this park, and tired of talking. “What do we need to do next? You’ve told me you’re looking for the chest, and there’s some man involved, and you have to get this right or your family is doomed. We better get cracking.”

“We might have to interrogate someone,” Eli said. He didn’t sound happy about it.

“Interrogate” didn’t mean ask questions. It meant torture.

“That’s not good,” I said. Gunnies did what they had to do to get the job done, but I had never heard of a job where that meant torture.

“Ritter or Seeley?” he asked. He wanted to know which one I thought would break first.

I pondered it. Didn’t like either choice. I said, “Rogelio. I think he knows something. He’ll cave faster than the Iron Hand people, specially if you offer to cut his face.”

Eli brightened. “Good idea.” He didn’t have the stomach for this any more than I did, but he had taken a dislike to Rogelio.

If that was the best idea I had—picking the person who’d break under pain the fastest—I really needed to think harder.

“Can’t you spell him to tell the truth?” I asked. Eli hadn’t stretched his magic muscles in a couple of days.

“I can try,” Eli said. “There’s a new…” He slapped his chest, feeling for the vest pocket that wasn’t there. “I’ll have to go back to the room,” he said. “People were staring at the vest and not listening to me, so I left it there.”

I stood. I had more questions, but they would wait. I was going to keep us moving while we were temporarily at peace with each other.





CHAPTER TWELVE


There was a lot of activity at the hotel. Not normal activity. There were people standing outside and in the lobby, all talking, all excited. There was a doctor running up the stairs, holding one of those black leather bags.

“I can only guess which room he’s running to,” I said, giving Eli a sideways look.