Black Widow
Page 66
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I kept my cold, wintry gaze on the crowd until people started dropping their eyes from mine and lowering their heads. They wouldn’t do anything stupid, at least not right now, and they wouldn’t try to interfere. Not when they realized what I had in mind.
When I was sure that the ballroom was under our control, I crooked my finger at the closest waiter. He swallowed and stepped forward, clearly nervous, but all I did was place my champagne flute on his tray and give him a dazzling smile. I waited until he had scurried back into the crowd before I turned and faced Madeline again.
Her eyes darted around, no doubt her mind spinning and spinning as she tried to figure out what I was up to—and whether I was going to kill her now.
“So,” Madeline said, “you’ve stooped to taking me hostage in my own home. I’d think that something like that would be beneath you, Gin. After all, don’t you prefer to stay hidden in the shadows? Creeping around like that little spider you claim to be? Hmm? Rather cowardly, if you ask me.”
I chuckled. “You think that eliminating two dozen guards, taking over your mansion, and holding all of your guests hostage is cowardly? I think you need to study up on what that word actually means, Maddie. Then again, we all know what you’re doing. Trying to wiggle out of a sticky situation that you’ve suddenly found yourself trapped in. You’ve set up so many of your webs for other people, including me. Looks like the black widow doesn’t like to get caught up in the very thing she’s created. I’d say that’s the sort of thing that’s truly cowardly, wouldn’t you?”
That hot, angry blush spotlighted Madeline’s cheeks again. She didn’t like my mocking her, especially when she didn’t have a ready answer or plan of attack. Finally, she just gave up.
“What do you want?” she snapped. “What is the point of this . . . display?”
Instead of answering her, I slowly peeled one black satin glove off my arm, then the other one. I clutched them both in one hand, raising them high so that everyone could see them. Speculative murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“The point? The point is that I can get to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Even an elemental as powerful as you. I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone of that small fact. Just in case they’d forgotten, what with all those silly rumors going around about my death.”
Madeline ground her teeth together. “Well, then, you’ve made your point. Is there anything else?”
“There’s always something else. You’ve spent the last few weeks tormenting me and mine. Accusing us of things that we didn’t do, causing problems, and in general doing your best to fuck with us all on the sly.”
She didn’t respond.
“Now, I could have done what I usually do. Set up a sniper’s perch out in the woods, put a spray of bullets through your pretty face the next time you stepped outside, then come over and cut your throat just to make sure that you were good and dead.” I gave her a thin smile. “But I know how very fond of playing games you are, so I decided to give you a sporting chance.”
Unease flickered in Madeline’s eyes. “What are you saying?”
I paused a moment for dramatic effect, just like she always did, then stepped forward and threw my black gloves down onto the dance floor at her feet. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m challenging you to an elemental duel, you sadistic bitch.”
* * *
Madeline’s face paled again, and shocked gasps rang out through the crowd, louder than any others that I’d heard all night long. I didn’t know if it was because everyone had already seen how strong Madeline was in her magic or the black gloves I’d tossed onto the floor. They knew what the gloves meant, even if she didn’t.
“A duel?” Madeline scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Nobody fights duels anymore.”
“If you’re going to try to take over an entire city, then you really should read up on your local history,” I said. “Elemental duels have been fought in Ashland for more than a hundred and fifty years. They’ve always been a popular way to settle disputes, especially during the Civil War. A lot of the old family feuds started back then, since whole generations killed each other off one by one by one in various duels. I’ve always wondered if that was how our families, the Snows and Monroes, started their own blood feud. But I guess we’ll never know for sure.”
She scoffed again, not appreciating my history lesson. “But you can’t challenge me to a duel. I won’t allow it.”
I gestured at the black gloves. “I just did. And we all know what that means.”
All the underworld bosses started nodding their heads, realizing exactly what I was talking about, but confusion filled Madeline’s face.
“Hey, Jonah,” I called out. “Your boss doesn’t seem to understand how things work around here. Why don’t you explain it to her, since you’re such a legal expert?”
Everyone turned to stare at the lawyer, including Madeline.
Jonah winced. “Once a black glove is thrown down, and the challenge issued, the other person has no choice but to accept the demand for a duel.”
Madeline’s eyes narrowed. “Or what?”
Jonah cleared his throat. “Or that person immediately forfeits everything that she owns to the challenger—money, jewels, land, homes.”
I made a deliberate show of looking around the ballroom. “I always wanted a mansion. I’d have to do some serious redecorating, though. White’s not my color—red is.”
Madeline stared at me, her mouth gaping open, wearing the same look of horrified shock as I had when the cops shut down the Pork Pit. Like I’d told my friends, Madeline had tried to legalese me to death, so I’d decided to return the favor. That was the reason I’d gotten Silvio to dig up all those old Ashland Municipal Codexes. So I could see exactly what antiquated duel laws might be on the books and how I could tiptoe around them. To my surprise and cunning delight, I’d discovered that almost all of the old laws relating to duels still remained on the books in Ashland, even if they hadn’t been enforced in years. I’d been particularly happy about the forfeiture clause, knowing that one would upset Madeline the most. She hadn’t gone to all this trouble to take over the town just to have everything she owned ripped away from her now.
When I was sure that the ballroom was under our control, I crooked my finger at the closest waiter. He swallowed and stepped forward, clearly nervous, but all I did was place my champagne flute on his tray and give him a dazzling smile. I waited until he had scurried back into the crowd before I turned and faced Madeline again.
Her eyes darted around, no doubt her mind spinning and spinning as she tried to figure out what I was up to—and whether I was going to kill her now.
“So,” Madeline said, “you’ve stooped to taking me hostage in my own home. I’d think that something like that would be beneath you, Gin. After all, don’t you prefer to stay hidden in the shadows? Creeping around like that little spider you claim to be? Hmm? Rather cowardly, if you ask me.”
I chuckled. “You think that eliminating two dozen guards, taking over your mansion, and holding all of your guests hostage is cowardly? I think you need to study up on what that word actually means, Maddie. Then again, we all know what you’re doing. Trying to wiggle out of a sticky situation that you’ve suddenly found yourself trapped in. You’ve set up so many of your webs for other people, including me. Looks like the black widow doesn’t like to get caught up in the very thing she’s created. I’d say that’s the sort of thing that’s truly cowardly, wouldn’t you?”
That hot, angry blush spotlighted Madeline’s cheeks again. She didn’t like my mocking her, especially when she didn’t have a ready answer or plan of attack. Finally, she just gave up.
“What do you want?” she snapped. “What is the point of this . . . display?”
Instead of answering her, I slowly peeled one black satin glove off my arm, then the other one. I clutched them both in one hand, raising them high so that everyone could see them. Speculative murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“The point? The point is that I can get to anyone, anytime, anywhere. Even an elemental as powerful as you. I thought it would be a good idea to remind everyone of that small fact. Just in case they’d forgotten, what with all those silly rumors going around about my death.”
Madeline ground her teeth together. “Well, then, you’ve made your point. Is there anything else?”
“There’s always something else. You’ve spent the last few weeks tormenting me and mine. Accusing us of things that we didn’t do, causing problems, and in general doing your best to fuck with us all on the sly.”
She didn’t respond.
“Now, I could have done what I usually do. Set up a sniper’s perch out in the woods, put a spray of bullets through your pretty face the next time you stepped outside, then come over and cut your throat just to make sure that you were good and dead.” I gave her a thin smile. “But I know how very fond of playing games you are, so I decided to give you a sporting chance.”
Unease flickered in Madeline’s eyes. “What are you saying?”
I paused a moment for dramatic effect, just like she always did, then stepped forward and threw my black gloves down onto the dance floor at her feet. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m challenging you to an elemental duel, you sadistic bitch.”
* * *
Madeline’s face paled again, and shocked gasps rang out through the crowd, louder than any others that I’d heard all night long. I didn’t know if it was because everyone had already seen how strong Madeline was in her magic or the black gloves I’d tossed onto the floor. They knew what the gloves meant, even if she didn’t.
“A duel?” Madeline scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Nobody fights duels anymore.”
“If you’re going to try to take over an entire city, then you really should read up on your local history,” I said. “Elemental duels have been fought in Ashland for more than a hundred and fifty years. They’ve always been a popular way to settle disputes, especially during the Civil War. A lot of the old family feuds started back then, since whole generations killed each other off one by one by one in various duels. I’ve always wondered if that was how our families, the Snows and Monroes, started their own blood feud. But I guess we’ll never know for sure.”
She scoffed again, not appreciating my history lesson. “But you can’t challenge me to a duel. I won’t allow it.”
I gestured at the black gloves. “I just did. And we all know what that means.”
All the underworld bosses started nodding their heads, realizing exactly what I was talking about, but confusion filled Madeline’s face.
“Hey, Jonah,” I called out. “Your boss doesn’t seem to understand how things work around here. Why don’t you explain it to her, since you’re such a legal expert?”
Everyone turned to stare at the lawyer, including Madeline.
Jonah winced. “Once a black glove is thrown down, and the challenge issued, the other person has no choice but to accept the demand for a duel.”
Madeline’s eyes narrowed. “Or what?”
Jonah cleared his throat. “Or that person immediately forfeits everything that she owns to the challenger—money, jewels, land, homes.”
I made a deliberate show of looking around the ballroom. “I always wanted a mansion. I’d have to do some serious redecorating, though. White’s not my color—red is.”
Madeline stared at me, her mouth gaping open, wearing the same look of horrified shock as I had when the cops shut down the Pork Pit. Like I’d told my friends, Madeline had tried to legalese me to death, so I’d decided to return the favor. That was the reason I’d gotten Silvio to dig up all those old Ashland Municipal Codexes. So I could see exactly what antiquated duel laws might be on the books and how I could tiptoe around them. To my surprise and cunning delight, I’d discovered that almost all of the old laws relating to duels still remained on the books in Ashland, even if they hadn’t been enforced in years. I’d been particularly happy about the forfeiture clause, knowing that one would upset Madeline the most. She hadn’t gone to all this trouble to take over the town just to have everything she owned ripped away from her now.
