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The men spread out and forun, but they were too focused on Bria to do the really s-like check and see if she had any backup Or perhaps Jenkins had already ruled out that possibility for thehtclub, instead of back here with Bria With the giant out of the picture, the s Fools They didn’t realize how tough she really was-or that her big sister, Genevieve, was here and would do anything to protect her Anything

Either way, it was easy enough for me to hopscotchlot, and slip up through the trees until I was right behind one of the SUVs I stopped there, hidden behind the massive vehicle, a silverstone knife in my hand, with another up my sleeve, two ainst the suys No proble quietly, detective?" one of the dwarves ru me that he was definitely not from around here "Because I’d really hate to have to shoot you in that pretty face of yours"

Bria stiffened at his tone, her face tight with anger "Who the hell are you and what do you want? You called me detective, so you obviously know that I’ as stupid as threaten h and looked at his friends, who all snickered in response For soh riot

I used their laughter and distraction to slide into the shadows next to the second SUV-the one that was closest to Bria I peered around the edge of the vehicle, studying the men who surrounded my sister

They reminded me of a set of Russian matryoshka dolls in that they were all more or less carbon copies of each other, with the short, stocky, muscular frames that dwarves always had None of them was taller than five feet, but their size definitely wasn’t relative to their ith They all had similar features-oily black hair that was slicked back over their foreheads, swarthy skin, and black eyes Brothers, maybe, or cousins And they were all dressed alike, in nylon Windbreakers in a variety of bright, neon colors, old chains around their necks They looked like pint-size extras frorated south for the winter The only thing that would have been worse was if there had been seven of theuns in their hands, the ones they had pointed at Bria Glocks for the uy, the one who’d spoken to Bria, had a snub-nosed revolver I didn’t knoho the men were, had never laid eyes on them before, but they still seemed familiar to me They radiated the sauests did I’d seen at Mab’s interrupted dinner party Which made me all the more curious as to why they’d decided to ambush my sister-and made them all the more likely to die when I found out the answer

The lead guy, the dwarven don of the group, as it were, gave Bria a grin that was as greasy as his unwashed hair "Honey, everybody in Ashland knows that you’re a cop That’s e’re all so interested in you"

Bria frowned at his words "What are you talking about? What’s the ain, as if they were all in on so in the world Real wise guys, this bunch

"Don" jerked his head at Jenkins, who’d crept back and joined the seon? After all, he’s the reason you caht"

Bria looked at Jenkins, but the inforaze "What’s going on, Lincoln? I thought that you had infor down in Ashland What the hell are you trying to pull?"

"I’," he said "Except earn ht to you"

I frowned The dwarvenwith Bria? Why? What for? What did they plan on doing with her?

Bria glared at him "You sold me out, you son of a bitch"

Jenkins’s lips pulled back in a wide grin, revealing the fake gold grill stuck on his teeth "Sorry, baby, but I got to get paid"

My fingers clenched around the hilt of ht was dead Anotherher attention to the leader once rand? I would have been happy to set up un, her knuckles white against the black barrel, telling everyone exactly how thatwould have ended Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn’t help the warm pride that filled me at her bravado Bria was no un wouldn’t do her iants, dwarves were strong enough to take a couple of bullets in the chest and keep co at you

"Well," Don said in his thick accent "It’s not exactly you that we’re after But we figured that you were the easiest way to get to the person that we really want, so here we are So quit talking and drop your gun, detective Or ine the horrible, brutal things that these men would do to Bria if she surrendered All of the froain, already salivating at the prospect of getting their hands on her My sister un She was too smart for that She kneell as I did what the men had in mind-and that they would swariving up, I felt the faintest trace of cold power trickle off her, like ice ic that she’d inherited fro for her power, getting ready to use it against the un in her hand-and one that was just as deadly I’d once stuic He’d looked like a huotten done with hi to the dwarves The only probleet only one of them before the rest overpowered her

Don ed Bria’s eyes because his expression hardened with resolve "I’ to put a few rounds in you And e have you down on the ground, well, trust me when I say that you won’t like what happens next"

Bria didn’t say anything, but she kept her gun up and level with Don’s chest

"One," Don said "Two-"

I didn’t wait for three I sprinted out frorabbed the man closest to me, buried my hand in his hair, yanked his thick neck back, and cut his throat Even a dasn’t tough enough to survive a severed carotid artery The led out a scream at the sudden, brutal wound, and everyone’s head snapped around to see what the noise was all about

For ahappened at once

Another one of the dwarves swung his gun towardbuddy

A soft puff-puff of air sounded, and the round a second later, already dead froht eye I shoved the dwarf that I’d stabbed away from me He slammed into the side of the SUV and slid to the pave violently as his body shut down from the massive trauma it had just received

"Take care of the bitch with the knife!" Don snapped "I’ll get the cop!"