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"You’re welco over to the sink, and washing her hands again

Vinnie sat up in his chair, his gaze flicking around the roo how he’d gotten from the park to Jo-Jo’s salon He froze when he spotted Xavier and Roslyn sitting together on a loveseat against the far wall After aon all the blood on iant bouncer

Vinnie opened his mouth, but I beat hi some lame-ass lie about what you’ve been up to these past few days, let me tell you e know," I said in a cold voice "We know that you’ve been spying on Roslyn for Mab Monroe We know that an assassin who goes by the naht and that it wasn’t the first time that you’ve talked to her We know that she told you to tell everyone about a ship in down at the docks, in hopes that the Spider would show up and LaFleur could take her out How a, but he sed once and nodded his head

"Good You’ve decided to be reasonable" I crossed ave hi that you’ve told LaFleur and Mab, and everything that they’ve said to you or threatened you with And, at the end of your story, if I like what I hear, I "

Vinnie just kept staring at me, his eyes wide in his face

"Now!" I barked

The Ice eleain, but Roslyn’s face was even harder and colder than mine So was Xavier’s After a ainst his chair

"I didn’t want to do it, Roslyn" Vinnie’s Russian accent was even more pronounced than before, probably froht now "You have to believe ood to me I never wanted to betray you like this"

"I know, Vinnie," Roslyn said in a soft voice "Now tell us what you know"

He drew in a shaky breath "A week ago, I’o outside to take out the trash, and this woman comes up toso she shouldn’t, you know? But she calls out toet off work every night, and where Natasha and I like to eat dinner Where Natasha goes to school"

Vinnie’s voice dropped to a whisper He sed again and forced himself to continue

"And then she tells me that her name is LaFleur and asks me if I’ve heard of her I say no And she says that after tonight I’ll never forget her She turns and calls out to souy, somebody that I’d never seen before She stares at hi And then she raises her hand up, and she-and she just-"

"Electrocuted hiht there in front of you"

Vinnie stared at rim smile "Because unlike you, I have heard of her Go on"

Vinnie nodded "Anyway, LaFleur tells n to help her do this At this point, I a out But I can’t exactly leave, not without her killing me too"

He shuddered at thehim Couldn’t blame him for that Not when LaFleur had thrown in a deht there on the spot

"So she approached you about working for her Then what happened?" I asked

Vinnie sed again "This woman, LaFleur, said that unless I wanted to end up like her friend, I was going to start watching Roslyn for her Going to see who Roslyn was hanging out with, who she talked to at the club every night She wanted me to make a list of every woman that I saw Roslyn with She said that one of the it down"

Well, he’d just confirmed what Brown, the vampire, had said in the park I didn’t know if LaFleur had been ordered to do all this by Mab or if the assassin had come up with the plan all on her own Either way, it wasn’t good news for me

"I told her that I was just a bartender, that I didn’t know about anything that had happened with Roslyn or Elliot Slater or the Spider or any of it But she wouldn’t take no for an answer LaFleur said that if I didn’t do exactly what she said, she’d kill Natasha and make me watch while she did it And then she’d kill me"

Vinnie’s voice dropped to a whisper and was so soft that I had to strain to hear him "I just-I didn’t have a choice You didn’t see what she did to that man You didn’t smell it or hear hi Roslyn And when LaFleur cao and toldshipment, I did that too"

"Why didn’t you come to me, Vinnie?" Roslyn asked "I would have believed you I would have helped you"

The Ice eleave her a wan smile "I know that you would have tried But Elliot Slater almost killed you, and this woman makes him look like Santa Claus And Natasha, she comes first with me She always has I couldn’t risk her I’m sorry, Roslyn So very sorry"

The vay "I know, Vinnie Believe ht?" I asked "When she came into the club?"

Vinnie looked back atlast night, which meant that I must not have done what she askedto dance for a few o over to my apartment, and kill Natasha and her babysitter I was just-desperate I didn’t knohat to do, so I left to go hohter before LaFleur did But she hadforlittle bits and pieces of theain taking in the blood onon?" he asked "Who are you? Why were you in the park tonight?"

The bartender had been pretty out of it when I’d shown myself to Mab’sdown Brown, the va hiray eyes really were, and made the introduction oncefor, Vinnie I’m the person LaFleur wanted you to find I’m the Spider"

Chapter 9