Quick as a blink, Tucker crossed the terrace, plucked the weapon out of Clyde’s hand, and shoved the other man away from me. Clyde staggered back, still trying to claw the snow off his face. He tripped over one of the dead giants and lurched forward—right into the open space where the stairs were.
For a split second, Clyde hung in midair, like a diver launching himself off a platform over a swimming pool. Then he plummeted downward, and his head hit one of the steps with a sharp, audiblecrack. Gravity pulled him down several more steps before he finally came to rest on his back. Blood pooled under his head, but his eyes were already fixed and still, and he was obviously dead.
Side by side, Tucker and I stood there, staring down at Clyde’s body.
“Neat trick,” Tucker said, breaking the silence. “I’ve never seen an elemental kill someone with a snowball before.”
“What can I say? I have many hidden talents.”
“Yes, you do,” he murmured. “Yes, you do.”
He stared at me, and I looked right back at him. That hum in my body grew even louder and stronger than before, and I swayed toward him, despite the fact that we were both covered in blood and snow—
“What happened out here?” a familiar voice snapped in a peevish tone.
Tucker and I whirled around. Silvio was standing on the terrace, his hands planted on his hips. Liam was lurking behind him, surveying the bodies with a curious gaze.
“Well?” Silvio demanded. “What do you two have to say for yourselves?”
I shrugged. “You asked me if I had anything nefarious going on. Well, this is whatnefariouslooks like.”
“I respectfully disagree,” Tucker chimed in. “There’s far too much blood and way too many bodies for this to be merely nefarious.Slaughterous, perhaps.”
“Slaughterousisn’t even a word,” I replied.
He grinned. “Well, maybe it should be.”
I grinned back at him.
“Well,unbelievableis most definitely a word, and it fits the two of you perfectly,” Silvio said, his voice even more peevish than before. “I can’t believe you two are flirting with each other at a time like this.”
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “You were the one who was saying how bored you were at the Pork Pit the other day. Why, the way you were talking, I would think you would welcome a little excitement.”
Silvio threw his hands up into the air. “I don’t mind dealing with dead bodies—duringnormalworking hours. When your boss is an assassin, it’s part of the job description. But this…” He gestured back and forth between himself and Liam. “This isdate night. You don’t leave blood and bodies strewn everywhere on date night!”
“Ah, now, don’t be too hard on them,” Liam said, slinging his arm around Silvio’s shoulders. “Maybe Lorelei and Tucker just have a different definition of date night from ours.”
Silvio sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest, as if he couldn’t even fathom such a thing.
Me? Maybe I’d been hanging out with Gin too long, but I kind of liked this version of date night.
“Come on,” Liam said, a wheedling note creeping into his voice. “Admit it. You live for this sort of stuff. It’s part of what makes you such a terrific assistant—and such a great friend.”
Silvio sniffed again, but he lowered his arms. “Fine. You’re right. I’ll admit that part of me is already thinking about the best way to get rid of these bodies.” He brightened. “Let me text Sophia. I’m sure she has room in the trunk of her car for them. And then that way, I don’t have to worry about messing up my van, especially since I just had it detailed.”
Liam grinned. Silvio grinned back at him, then pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket.
“Thank you, Silvio,” I said. “I owe you one.”
He waved his hand at me, already lost in his device. “No worries, Lorelei. That’s what friends are for.”
Since Silvio and Liam had things under control, I turned to Tucker. “I should get cleaned up and sneak back into the party before Mallory realizes what happened. I don’t want to ruin her big night. Especially since she held the party specifically while Gin was gone in hopes that this sort of thing wouldn’t happen.”
Tucker held his arm out to me. “May I escort you back inside, Ms. Parker?”
I threaded my arm through his. “Why, that would be absolutely delightful, Mr. Tucker.”
Together, the two of us strolled off the terrace, leaving the blood and bodies behind.
