Bitter Bite (Elemental Assassin #14)(100)

another crisis-containment meeting with Mosley and the rest of the bank staff.

I decided to give him some time to get back to me, so I mopped the floor and

did several other chores, getting the restaurant ready to open up again in the

morning. Then I sat down on my stool behind the cash register, pulled out all

five of my knives, and set them out on some dish towels on the counter. The

knives could use a good cleaning, and I might as well be productive while I

waited to see if Finn would text me back or show up here.

I was about to get started when I realized that Catalina had forgotten to take

out the last of the trash before she’d left. I didn’t want it to stink up

the restaurant overnight, so I grabbed the bag and pushed through the double

doors. I cracked open the back door, looking and listening, just in case

someone was lying in wait to try to kill me, but the alley was empty. Still, I

was cautious as I stepped outside and heaved the trash into the closest

Dumpster. I looked around the alley again, but it was as deserted as before,

except for the snow, which was picking up speed.

I locked the back door behind me. My phone chimed, so I pulled it out,

thinking that Finn had texted me back, but it was Bria.

Found something BIG on Deirdre’s rune. Call me when you get home. Need to

come over and show you in person.

I frowned, wondering why Bria couldn’t just call and tell me right now. I hit

reply, then pushed through the double doors and stepped into the storefront. I

was so preoccupied with my phone that I didn’t hear the warning rumbles of

the bricks around me until it was too late.

Three giants were waiting for me inside.

They must have picked the front-door lock, because I hadn’t heard them slip

in, and they were clustered around the double doors, not giving me any room to

maneuver. Since I’d foolishly left my knives lying on the counter, I raised

my hands to blast them with my Ice magic, but they were quicker than I was.

A fist cracked into the side of my face, and the world went black.

*

Paul and his two vampire friends were going to rape me.

Out of all the bad things that had happened to me living on the streets, that

was one horror that I’d managed to avoid. But now it was going to happen,

ironically enough, at Fletcher’s house, the one place where I had always felt

safe.

I opened my mouth to scream, but Paul fell on top of me, covering my mouth

with his hot, sweaty hand. His breath washed over my face, bringing the stench

of pepperoni along with it. Smelled like he’d grabbed a slice from the pizzas

that some of the kids had brought over before he’d decided to rob the house.

Paul started fumbling with his pants. A scream rose in my throat, but I couldn

’t let it out, not with his hand clamped over my mouth. Fear surged through

me, paralyzing me, freezing me in place. But then he started fumbling with my

pants, and cold rage flooded me instead, overpowering my fear. I’d already

been through so many bad things. I wasn’t going to suffer through this too.

Not without a fight.

I jerked my head to the side, wrenching free of Paul’s disgusting hand. Then

I opened my mouth, snapped my teeth forward, and bit his fingers as hard as I

could. He howled with pain and managed to yank his hand free of my tearing

teeth. I reached for my Stone magic, making my skin as hard as a rock, then

head-butted the bastard. It was an awkward blow, and I saw just as many white

stars as he did, but it got him to scream, fall off me, and cradle his aching

head in his hands.

The other two vamps were still holding down my arms and legs, and one of them

clamped his hand over my mouth before I could scream. I tried to jerk my mouth

out from under his hand, but he dug his fingers into my face, leaned down, and

gave me an evil grin.

“Feisty, huh? We’re going to have some fun with you—”

Crack!

A baseball bat slammed into the side of the guy’s head. The hard blow knocked

him out cold, and he slumped over on top of me.

Mouth gaping, the second vamp turned to see who had attacked his friend.

Crack!

And he too got a bat upside the head.

I blinked away the white stars, and suddenly, Finn was there. He threw his

baseball bat down onto the porch, then knelt by my side, shoved the two vamps

off me, and helped me sit up against the porch railing.

“Gin! Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded, although I couldn’t stop the tears from streaking down my face. My

entire body started shaking harder than a leaf in the wind. I curled my hands

into fists to try to stop the tremors, but it didn’t work.

“Don’t cry,” Finn said, a stricken look on his face. “Please don’t cry. I

’m sorry I was such a jackass before, but I’m here now. Everything’s going

to be okay—”

“Losers,” a voice jeered. “You’re all a bunch of f*cking losers.”

The boards creaked, and Ella, the pretty blond girl Finn had been talking to