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"Oh"

Bria didn’t ask me to elaborate on what I’d seen, and I didn’t offer to tell her It was one thing to know that your family had been murdered, to live your whole life with that pain, with that pulsing, hollow ache in your chest It was another to hear the play-by-play, color co sister, who hadn’t been able to do a da to save the rest of your faht slipped in through the lace curtains, slicing everything with its silver cracks That’s how I felt right now-cold and cracked and hollow and eo back to bed now I’ll be fine I usually never have o Try to get some rest"

I waited for her to turn around, close the door behind her, and leave I waited for the sound of her footsteps to fade away I waited for the ache of her absence and alienation to fill , Bria lifted up the covers and crawled into bed with me She hesitated, then scooted over next tothat we used to do ere little girls One of us would have a bad dreaet into bed with the other Soo back to sleep, with nothat I hadn’t thought about in years, but now I rehts, and I knew that Bria did too My baby sisterup and overme to her just the faintest bit

"It’s okay, Gin," Bria whispered against ether now Soether I promise you that"

Tears spilled down my cheeks at her soft, simple words, but I made no move to brush the I didn’t want her to see me like this Weak, e sister here Genevieve Snow, Gin Blanco, the Spider I should be taking care of her, not the other way around

But all that didn’t keep iving it a gentle squeeze Bria snuggled a little closer to -and ether, we lay there in bed until sleep claimed us onceNot surprising Beingdrained, as her mind tried to catch up to the fact that her body was suddenly well again, despite the beating she’d taken froht

I’d been injured and healed as well, so I felt a little sluggishin bed, since I still had appearances to keep up and a barbecue restaurant to run I woke Bria up long enough to get her to promise o to work

The day passed by like any other at the Pork Pit Sophia and I served up hot, stea with thick, juicy cheeseburgers, sweet-and-sour coleslaw, baked beans, and more All the while, a vat of Fletcher’s secret barbecue sauce si the air with its spicy cu three and four deep at the counter during the lunch rush Everyone wanted a warm meal on such a cold, blustery day, and Catalina Vasquez and the rest of the waitresses who’d made it to work today swiped the plates of food as fast as Sophia and I could dish them up

Still, despite the crush of bodies, I kept an eye on everyone who came and left the restaurant Now that I knew exactly who and what I was looking for, I spotted more than a few of the bounty hunters Men and women with hard, flat features and even harder eyes atched everyone and everything around the their faces with barbecue Real rough types, who’d turn on you in a heartbeat if they thought there was any money to be made from the effort In some ways, bounty hunters orse than assassins Assassins only wanted you dead, but bounty hunters were more than happy to deliver you into the hands of your worst ene with that, as long as they got paid in the end

I kept a close eye on the bounty hunters who came into the Pork Pit, but none of them paid me any attention that they shouldn’t They were here for the food and nothing else

I didn’t knohether to be flattered or worried

Finally, around three o’clock, after the daily lunch rush had coone, and the crowd had dwindled to only a few diners, the bell over the front door chimed, and Owen stepped inside

He wore a tailored, navy suit that could be found in the closet of any wealthy Ashland business coat But on Owen, the layers of fabric went fro over his shoulders just so and highlighting his tall, broad frame Still, all the worsted wool in the world couldn’t hide the strength of his body, the inherent toughness that radiated off hi candle The dark blue color brought out the paleness of his skin, although his cheeks were red and ruddy froered on his chiseled features-the scar that slashed across his chin, the crooked quirk of his nose, the intense violet of his eyes All things that

Owen stared at me, and I looked back at him Emotions sparked and shi

After a rin, and an answering rush of war after Mab by myself He wouldn’t have looked at me like that otherwise-not with such heat, not with such hope The knowledge loosened a thick knot of tension in ht now

Looked like Finn wasn’t the only one around here who had it bad for soht while Bria was in the shower and had told hiression, Lincoln Jenkins setting up Bria, the bounty hunters Once again, Owen had been co of my situation, the way that he alas I’d never had much in the way of luck, but I knew that I’d used up every single scrap of good that I had in finding hiuy as so at ease with my alternative career and lifestyle

I just wished that I had the courage to tell hi

But every time I tried to let Owen know exactly how crazy I was about hi put on Bria’s head My being the Spider and co home covered in blood Or simply my oisted e people, I wasn’t so good at letting theet close to me in any way that didn’t involve my silverstone knives

Oasn’t alone Finn strolled in behind hih Finn looked far more at ease and far smarmier in the expensive fabric

They walked over to the counter and took the two seats closest to the cash register Owen leaned over, and our lips met It was a brief, chaste kiss, the casual kind that lovers exchange all the time But just the faintest touch of his lips on mine filledthe waitresses to go ho Sophia mind the restaurant for half an hour or so while Owen and I went into the back and explored the sturdiness of various appliances Mrin widened, and he gave me a sly, sloink

Finn arched an eyebrow "Do I need to leave you two alone?"

"Maybe," Ithat Owen stirred in in joint "But since I know that you won’t, there’s no point in asking"

Finn huffed out his indignation, and I rolled hed So did Sophia, who stood behind the counter shredding lettuce for the rest of the day’s sandwiches

"So what are the two of you doing out and about together?" I asked "Or do I even want to know?"