Daisy gave her a few more shallow cuts, numb to the violence but wanting this message to be crystal clear. Fuck with one of her people, and you fucked with her directly. She didn’t have compassion and she didn’t play games. Zorn had taught her well. This chick wouldn’t die, but she’d be laid up for a while. She’d haveplentyof time to think about what she’d done. Plenty of time for the fear to take on a life of its own.
“You’re going to send him an apology. Is that clear?” Daisy shook the woman. “You will send him an apology for being human garbage. After that, you will never speak to him again. You will never go around my family again. If you do, for any reason, I will finish this job I started. Get me?” She pressed the blade against the crying woman’s throat.
“Yes,” Ava whispered.
“What?” Daisy prompted.
“Yes!”
Daisy used the woman’s slinky dress to clean off her blade before stepping back.
“Out of curiosity”—she put the knife away—“do you still have the watch or car you took from him?”
Ava sank to the ground in a tapestry of blood and defeat. “I don’t have it. Randall took it and gave us cash. He’s got it. I don’t have it!”
Randall, hmm?Daisy might just look him up. He was the big fish of the operation. Actually, Zorn might want to handle him. She still had to go after the other six turds who had helped these dead guys take down Mordie.
The rage simmered.
Daisy turned her back on Ava, a signal that the woman was no threat. Doing that as a Chester was the gravest of insults to a magical person.
Zorn waited in the darkened hallway, no moonlight reaching this far.
“You left her alive?” he whispered.
“She needs to send an apology to Mordecai. You heard Jerry. He said Mordie feels betrayed. I don’t want him to lose faith in women or people in general. Besides, he’d flip out if I killed her. He’d take responsibility and feel guilty and it would be a whole thing. I don’t have the patience.”
“Careful. Your big heart is showing,” Zorn murmured.
She rolled her eyes at him.
He jerked his head at the closed bathroom door. The light was still on. No splashing came from inside.
“The shades are pulled on the window,” he said. “I couldn’t have a look. He must’ve heard the screaming. He didn’t get up to investigate.”
She hooked a finger over her shoulder. “They were utterly useless. Killed by your own acid? Give me a break. Mr. Bathtub is probably scared.”
“Probably.”
“He’s part of the organization, so he’s fair game, but we don’t know what kind of magic he has.”
“Correct.”
Daisy bit her lip. Zorn stared down at her, no expression. He’d take point if she wanted. He was silently asking if she was up for this.
Nervousness roiled in her belly, but she didn’t back down. This was her life. Sometimes, part of that life was walking into danger blind. With Zorn as backup, she should be able to handle it.
Shouldbeing the operative word.
“I’m on it,” she said, not allowing the nervousness to quiver her voice. She headed that way.
3
“Right, then.” Daisy pulled a paracord from one of her pockets and checked the placement of her weapons. She’d have to move fast and not get blasted by whatever magic that guy had going. “Let’s see how well you’ve trained me, hmm?”
Zorn’s lips quirked up at the corners, his version of a chuckle. He liked that she was ready to blame her failure on him. He’d always had an odd sense of humor. It was probably why they got along so well.
A dagger was secured to her hip in a sheath. She slipped the switchblade into her pocket and retrieved the dagger. She might need more reach.
