Seeing her father brutally murdered by Mab right in front of her, being forced to fend for herself after that, trying to create a new life, a new family, threatening and killing anyone who did her wrong or got in her way. The irony was as sharp and pointed as one of my own knives twisting into my gut. Because in many ways, Salina and I were quite alike - right down to how ruthless we were with our enemies.

Those were the thoughts that occupied me through the lunch rush, but the day wasn't all doom and gloom, especially since Roslyn Phillips came in around two o'clock.

Roslyn was simply one of the most gorgeous women - inside and out - that I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. When the vampire stepped into the restaurant, every eye, male and female, turned in her direction. The men were lustful, the women envious. I had a little envy myself when it came to Roslyn. Her toffee-colored skin was as flawless as could be, and smoky black shadow rimmed her eyes, making them seem just a shade darker than her skin. Today, the vampire madam wore a black sundress with white polka dots, along with strappy black sandals with small kitten heels. The simple cut of the gown highlighted the perfection of her body and her generous curves. A glossy white headband held back her black hair, and her red lips formed a perfect heart in her face. Roslyn looked like she'd just stepped out of some old Hollywood movie - she was just that glamorous.

Roslyn smiled and headed in my direction. Putting her white clutch on the counter, she took the seat closest to the cash register that I was perched behind. She eyed the book in my hand.

"What are you reading now, Gin?"

I held up the cover where she could see it. "Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. For my next literature class."

"I approve. That's one of my favorites."

I arched an eyebrow. "I didn't know you liked to read, Roslyn. Why, we'll have to start ourselves a little book club."

The vampire chuckled, showing off her small, perfect fangs. "Oh, I doubt I could keep up with you when it comes to that."

I used one of the day's credit card receipts to mark my place in the book. "So what will it be?"

Roslyn ordered her usual grilled cheese and water. Despite her protests, I also gave her some of the chocolate chip cookies I'd baked fresh that morning. We talked back and forth over the counter while I helped Sophia fix her food. Roslyn sank her teeth into the grilled cheese with relish, and she even ate two of the cookies.

Finally, the vamp finished her food and pushed her empty plates away, then met my eyes. "Xavier told me what happened last night on the Delta Queen."

I nodded. I'd expected nothing less; she and Xavier had been a couple for some time now.

She stared off into space, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, it doesn't surprise me that Salina finally came back to town."

I frowned. "You know Salina Dubois?"

Roslyn hesitated. "No, not Salina. But I knew her father, Benedict. Once Xavier told me what happened and that you were involved, I thought I'd come by and tell you what I knew about him. Salina's mother died when she was young, and Benedict was often . . . eager for female company. I was one of his favorites for years, right up until I started Northern Aggression."

Before she'd opened her nightclub, Roslyn had spent years working as a hooker in Southtown, like so many other vampires in Ashland did. All vamps needed blood to live, but lots of them also got a high off having sex or even other people's emotions. For those folks, doing the deed gave them the same sort of enhanced senses, increased strength, and quickened reflexes that other vamps got from downing a pint of O-positive. Thus, the number of vampires involved in Ashland's skin trade. Why not get laid, paid, and powered up all at the same time? And since vamps could walk around in the sunlight just like the rest of us, you didn't even have to wait until dark to get your freak on. All you had to do was walk down the Southtown streets any time - day or night - and you'd find at least one vampire hooker looking for a client, and her pimp waiting in the wings to beat you to death if you didn't pay up promptly for services rendered.

"So what can you tell me about Benedict?"

Roslyn shrugged. "Other than his sexual preferences, not much. He was just another wiseguy who thought he was stronger than he really was. An Ice elemental."

"At least until Mab put him in his place for that mistake."

Roslyn nodded. "That she did."

I asked the vamp a few more questions about Benedict, but she didn't know anything else about the old mob boss. Still, I appreciated her coming by, and I gave her my thanks.

She nodded. "So what are you going to do now? About Salina?"

"It's . . . complicated."

She grinned. "Most things are when it comes to you, Gin. But I'm a good listener, if you need someone to talk to."

This was the second time today someone had offered me her ear, which was something of a new experience for me. Assassins aren't naturally in the habit of spilling their guts to just anyone, and Fletcher had always taught me to keep my emotions bottled up tight. Hell, I'd never even had a real girlfriend before, someone I could talk to about such things. Oh, I knew I could tell Jo-Jo anything, but she was more like a mother to me than anything else. Sophia would listen to what I had to say, but she wouldn't say much in return. Sure, Bria was my sister, but we were still getting to know each other, still working on our relationship. The truth was that Roslyn was the closest thing I had to a female confidant, so I told her about all the bombshells that had been dropped on me last night, including the fact that Salina had been Owen's fiancee.

When I finished, Roslyn let out a soft whistle.

I grimaced. "Now you sound like Finn. All he did was whistle last night. You'd have thought there was a train in the room - one that just kept running over me. Splat, splat, splat."

Roslyn let out a soft laugh before her face turned serious once more. "I don't know what to tell you to do about Owen, but you need to be careful with Salina. I know you've been up against a lot of dangerous folks, but she's something else, Gin."

First Kincaid, then Eva and Bria, and now Roslyn. It seemed like everyone was on the Salina-is-dangerous bandwagon but Owen.

"How so? Besides the fact that she uses her water magic to come up with new and creative ways to very painfully kill people?"

Roslyn raised her eyebrows. "Well, there's her history with Owen. Anybody would feel a little threatened by that. But don't let Salina get in your head. If she does that, she's halfway to getting what she wants."

I shrugged. I couldn't deny that I was worried about Owen's past with Salina, but Roslyn was right. I needed to be calm and in control of my emotions now more than ever.

The vamp hesitated. "As to why else I think you should be careful around her, well, it's hard to explain exactly. Just more of a feeling I had about her. From what I remember, Salina had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Benedict would have done anything for her, as would every other man around her."

I grinned. "I could say the same thing about you. You bat your eyes, and men get all weak-kneed and tonguetied. Women too. Crook your finger at them, and half of them keel over from shock and awe."

Roslyn smiled at my compliment, but she shook her head. "Maybe, but I don't use it like Salina did. She knew how beautiful she was, and she used it to get exactly what she wanted exactly when she wanted it. But on the rare occasions that didn't happen, she became . . . cruel. I remember seeing her out in the gardens at the Dubois estate one time. The gardener had been pruning the roses, and he accidentally cut one branch too many. Salina saw him, of course, and she went over to talk to him. She never raised her voice, and she never said anything that was unkind - on the surface, anyway - but by the time she was done, the poor man was in tears. He apologized to her over and over again, like it was all his fault that she was so disappointed in him. And all because he hadn't trimmed the roses back exactly the way she'd wanted. Like I said, just . . . cruel."

Cruel. It was such a simple word, but I thought it described Salina perfectly, given what I'd seen her do to Antonio. Elemental magic was never a fun way to die, but having all the water pulled out of your body and your eyes popped out of your skull for an extra thrill, well, that was a little extreme - even by Ashland standards, where elemental duels were common.

"Cruel," I said. "Got it."

Roslyn opened her mouth to say something else, but the bell over the front door chimed, indicating that I had a new customer.

And just like that, Salina Dubois herself strolled into the Pork Pit.

Chapter 18

Salina stood in the doorway, surveying my gin joint. And once again, I was struck by how lovely she was, but her beauty didn't inspire quite the same awe in me as it had before, especially since Roslyn was here.

Where Roslyn's beauty was soft, warm, and inviting, Salina's was hard, cold, and distant. The planes of her face were perfectly proportioned, but the angles were sharp, as though her porcelain skin had been chiseled from marble. Her lips were full and covered with a slick pink gloss, while her eyes were that shifting color somewhere between blue and green. But even they were cold, so cold they reminded me of the glass eyes I'd seen in some dolls not too long ago. Flat, empty, and completely emotionless.

Salina wore a power suit in a bright aquamarine that brought out the beauty of her sun-kissed skin. Matching stilettos covered her dainty feet, and I could see the gleam of her pink pedicure all the way across the restaurant. Her silverstone cuff bracelet - the one with her mermaid rune etched into it - adorned her right wrist. But the expensive clothes and flash of jewelry almost made her seem a little too polished, a little too perfect, like she was made of wax and would melt if you so much as touched her.

The only thing soft about Salina was her hair, which cascaded down her back in rippling blond waves, reminding me of the water she could so easily control. I'd never been one for long hair myself. Too much trouble to take care of and, in my line of work, too much chance of it getting pulled out during a fight to the death.

"Stay right where you are. Act casual, but whatever you do, don't turn around," I told Roslyn in a soft voice.

The vampire stiffened. "Salina just walked into the restaurant, didn't she?"

I nodded. "And since it seems like she's going around Ashland killing former associates, or at least trying to, I don't want her to see you and remember you used to visit her father. Okay?"

Roslyn nodded and kept facing the back wall, although she pulled a compact out of her purse, as though she needed to powder her nose. She angled the mirror so she could see behind her.

"Yep," she murmured. "That's Salina all right."

The vamp snapped her compact shut and stuck it back into her purse. "So now what are you going to do?"

I picked up a menu and a glass of water, and gave her a wink. "Why, I'm going to go see what she wants, of course. You know how much I pride myself on my stellar customer service."

Salina didn't wait for me or one of the waitstaff to seat her. Instead, she looked around the restaurant a second longer before walking over and sliding into an empty booth by the storefront windows. Then she turned her head in my direction and smiled, a clear invitation for me to come on over.

I looked over my shoulder at Sophia. Roslyn had leaned forward and was talking to the Goth dwarf, quietly filling her in on the situation. Sophia turned in my direction, a clear question in her black eyes, but I shook my head, telling her to stay put. Even if I'd wanted to, I couldn't kill Salina in the middle of the Pork Pit. My customers and staff might have thought I was the Spider, but it wasn't like I wanted to palm my knives and give them a demonstration of my deadly skills.

Sophia nodded at me and said something to Roslyn. The vampire slid off her stool and followed her to the back of the restaurant, probably so she could leave through the alley. Once Roslyn and Sophia were out of sight, I plastered my best, easiest, most unconcerned smile on my face and sidled up to Salina's booth. I put the glass of water down on the table, along with the menu.

"What can I getcha, sugar?"

"Sit down, Gin," Salina said, a clear command in her voice. "You don't have to keep up the charade for me. I find charades to be rather tiresome, don't you?"

I arched an eyebrow at her boldness, but if that was the way she wanted to play things, then that was fine by me. I'd never much liked making nice with or feeding my enemies, even when they were paying for the privilege.

So I slid into the opposite side of the booth from Salina. Up close, she was even more stunning, with a dazzling beauty you just couldn't look away from. I could see why Owen had been so drawn to her. Hell, I could see why any man would be. The fact that she'd been Owen's fiancee cut a little deep.

Salina's eyes flicked over my long-sleeved T-shirt and the blue work apron I always wore whenever I cooked at the Pit. Her pink lips curled up into a faint sneer.

"So you're Gin Blanco, the assassin known as the Spider," Salina finally said. "How . . . disappointing."

I leaned back in my booth, my easy smile still on my face. "And you're Salina Dubois, the woman who likes to use her water magic to pop people's eyes out of their skulls. I'd say the disappointment is mutual."

Bria was right - she was smooth. Salina didn't bat an eyelash at my words. Didn't blink, didn't suck in an indignant breath, didn't pucker her lips in displeasure or denial. It was like I hadn't even spoken for all the reaction she showed. Instead, she reached for the glass I'd put in front of her, took a delicate sip of the liquid, and then wrinkled her nose, as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.