Bitter Bite (Elemental Assassin #14)(20)
tonight? My treat. After all, any friend of Finn’s is a friend of mine.”
I kept my voice smooth and my features schooled into a polite mask, but
Deirdre’s forehead wrinkled, as if she was wondering whether I knew who she
really was. Apparently, she wanted to find out, because a pleased smile
brightened her face. “Why, nothing would give me greater pleasure, honey,”
she cooed in a syrupy-sweet tone. “I’ve just been dying to meet all of
Finnegan’s wonderful friends.”
“Family,” I corrected. “Finn and I are family.”
“Mmm. Yes. Family.”
We stared at each other. My face remained smooth and blank, but Deirdre tilted
her head to the side, her gray-blue eyes sharpening with interest. She was
wondering what I really wanted with her. I didn’t quite know myself. All I
knew was that Deirdre Shaw was right f*cking here, and I wanted to know every
single thing about her—including what game she was playing with Finn.
“Well, then, that’s settled,” Finn chirped, either oblivious to or ignoring
the tension between us. “Let me just take a quick lap around the room to say
good-bye to some folks, and then we can head out—”
Crack!
Crack! Crack!
Crack!
The noises were faint and muffled, no louder than glasses breaking against the
floor, but I still recognized the sounds of gunfire. Owen, Finn, and Bria did
too, and the four of us whirled around, turning toward the front of the lobby.
The doors slammed open, and several men ran inside, each clutching a gun.
6
The gunmen stormed into the lobby, firing their weapons into the air.
Crack!
Crack! Crack!
Crack!
Bullets zinged skyward, punching into the chandeliers and shattering the
crystals. The lights flickered, sharp shards rained down, and screams,
shrieks, and shouts filled the air as people dived for cover under the tables
and chairs scattered around the lobby. The bartenders ducked down behind the
tellers’ counter, while the waiters hit the floor, dropping trays of food and
drinks and causing even more loud crashes and bangs to ring out. In an
instant, the elegant scene had disintegrated into complete chaos.
Finn grabbed Bria and forced her down to the floor, even though my sister was
cursing and trying to yank her gun out of her purse the whole time. Owen did
the same to me. Deirdre dropped to the floor beside me, with Tucker on her
other side.
The gunfire seemed to go on forever, although it couldn’t have lasted more
than thirty seconds. Finally, the crack-crack-cracks faded away. People
stopped screaming, and a tense, heavy silence descended over the lobby.
“This is a robbery!” the lead gunman yelled. “Nobody moves and nobody dies!
”
Everyone did as he demanded and stayed completely still as the other gunmen
spread out through the lobby. There were six of them, all wearing black
clothes and ski masks and all regular-sized men.
The lead gunman, however, was a giant, although his seven-foot frame was lean
and lanky instead of thick and bulky like most giants. He swiveled to the
side, turning toward me, and I realized that he had pushed up the sleeves of
his black shirt, revealing a rune tattoo on his left forearm. I was huddled on
my knees, so I raised my head and inched to my left, trying to get a better
view. His tattoo looked like . . . a snake wrapped around and biting into . .
. something. I squinted. Maybe a snake biting into a dollar sign? Classy.
Once the giant gunman was certain that he had control of the lobby, he glanced
down at his watch. I was no watch connoisseur, not like Finn was, but it was
obviously expensive, given the silverstone band and blue stones ringing the
face. Sapphires, maybe, or blue diamonds. My eyes narrowed. What kind of bank
robber wore a watch that flashy?
“Two minutes, gentlemen. Starting now.” The giant jerked his head at the
others.
Three of the robbers stepped forward, reached into their pockets, and pulled
out black garbage bags, which they snapped open. The other three robbers
remained spread out through the lobby, their guns sweeping back and forth over
the crowd, ready to cut down anyone who thought about playing hero.
“Now, be good little girls and boys, and hand over your jewelry, watches,
phones, and wallets,” the giant growled, “and we’ll be out of here before
your fancy snacks get too cold.”
He laughed, but it was a harsh, mocking sound. He paused, then raised his gun
and fired off another few shots into the ceiling, just because he could.
Almost everyone screamed and ducked down a little more, which made him laugh
even louder. The giant might claim that he didn’t want any trouble, but he
wouldn’t be upset by any either. We’d be lucky if he and his crew left
without killing anyone.
The giant was only about ten feet away from me, so I could easily use my Stone
magic to harden my skin, then leap to my feet, sprint forward, and tackle him.