As he cupped the spider in his hands and stood, Aina leaned as far away from him as she could. “Don’t you dare stick that thing in my face, or I’ll put you in the hospital, Teo.”
Teo carried the spider to the door, placed it on the ground outside the bar, then came back to sit next to her. “I think I’d prefer getting eaten alive by a spider than going to one of Kosín’s clinics.”
“Good point,” she said, staring into the amber liquid of her firebrandy. The cheap liquor tasted like dish soap with rubbing alcohol thrown in.
“Dearest Aina,” Teo began, “why are you here drinking with me instead of your usual … I dunno, looking angry and lurking around alleys with diamonds in your pockets?”
“Shut up!” she hissed, glancing at the other patrons, who were still engrossed in their card game. The bartender had retreated to the back room. “Because I have an offer for you. Now keep drinking and we’ll come back to it once you’re nice and tipsy.”
Teo continued to drink, but she knew she’d get drunk much quicker than he would. At best, this was a futile attempt at stalling. Teo was his own boss, finding jobs and carrying them out by himself. He didn’t have the same protection and bribes in place that would keep him as safe as if he worked with Kohl or if he was in a gang, but he valued his independence more than he feared the risks. He didn’t even want to work for her once she opened her own tradehouse. He took on a wide range of work, from roughing people up for late payments, to theft, to murder. His kills might not be as clean as Aina’s were, as she was trained specifically to be a Blade, but he got the job done. He was always picky about what jobs he took, though, and what the risks were. Her offer would be … out of the ordinary.
But then again, he was the only person she could really trust in this whole forsaken city, and the only person who believed she was worth something more than her skill with a dagger. He might have girls lining up to date him, but none of them knew how good of a friend he was.
“Okay, I’ll tell you.” She leaned close and whispered, “I got a new job, and I need a partner. Are you interested?”
His eyes narrowed. “A job you can’t handle alone?”
Taking a deep breath, Aina knew there was no point in stalling anymore.
“Kouta Hirai,” she mouthed.
It was the first time she’d ever seen Teo balk. He straightened, swallowed hard, and stared down into his mug with a creased forehead. He glanced at her a few times, trying to find the right words and apparently failing when the silence stretched between them.
“That’s a death sentence, Aina,” he declared in a harsh whisper. “You don’t just get away with killing people like him. The Diamond Guards will hunt you for months if you take out a Steel that high up. What madness has that boss of yours put into your head?”
“I don’t really have a choice in the matter.”
“You always have a choice, even if he makes it seem like you don’t.”
She scoffed. “My job isn’t like yours, Teo. If the Blood King gives me a job, I do it, and I really want to do this one. He’ll let me open my own tradehouse after this.”
A frown tugged at his lips at those words. He knew this was what she’d always wanted. Maybe he’d reconsider helping.
“He knows I can handle this,” she continued, “but he’s not taking any risks. That’s why he told me to get a partner, and I agree.”
“Do you really?”
Her mouth opened and closed, and for once, she didn’t have a snappy response.
Just then, the door banged open. Aina turned to face the newcomer. A man stood in the doorway, practically snarling, with a gun in one hand.
“Aina goddess-forsaken Solís,” he spat. “You’d better run before I put a bullet through your eyes.”
Aina spun on her stool a little to the right and then a little to the left to catch Teo grinning at her.
“Looks like somebody’s mad at you.” He chuckled, waving over the bartender to get another drink.
The man still stood in the doorway. Weak sunlight streaming in lit up his hands as they shook around the gun.
“Well, before you shoot me, I’d like to congratulate you on finding me.” Aina leaned back against the counter, hoping there wasn’t another spider or else she would lose her composure and this man might actually press the trigger. The mere sight of the weapon placed a chill in her veins, but she was well-practiced at hiding her fear of guns. She felt the eyes of everyone in the bar on her back and straightened to show she had no fear. “I didn’t notice you following me around at all. Maybe you should look into being a spy.”
“I can connect you with the right people,” Teo said in a falsely sincere voice, spinning around to join the game. The man’s heavy breaths were the only sound as the whole bar watched to see what would happen next.
“Now, I can tell you’ve never held a gun in your life.” Aina tilted her head to one side. “Let me guess, that make is from Marin and only Rolland deals in those. What did you pay for it? One thousand kors? She ripped you off well, my friend. Next time go to the warehouse near—”
“Shut your mouth, or I swear I’ll blow it off!” the man snarled, fumbling the gun with sweaty hands. For a second, she feared he would locate the trigger by accident. Other patrons began mumbling and moving back, their chairs squeaking across the floor as they tried to put distance between themselves and the gunman.
“I thought that’s why you came here in the first place,” Teo reminded him. “But now you’re saying you’ll let her go if she’s quiet? That’s generous of you.”
“It is,” Aina agreed. “Let’s see. You must be mad because I killed someone. Not someone you care about, no one cares enough about anyone to spend a thousand kors avenging their death. Ah, someone owed you money?” She stood, stepping closer to the man until the cold barrel of the gun graced her shoulder. “Was it the baker? That man never paid his dues. Well, I collected mine from him yesterday. You must be … hmm, the baker loved gambling more than anything. You own that gaudy red-and-gold casino down Lyra Avenue, don’t you? The baker won’t be paying you, and that sounds like a you problem, not a me problem.”
The man gripped the gun tighter, his eyes so big they threatened to pop out. Teo had gone quiet, but she could almost hear him shaking with laughter.
“So, what are you going to do with that gun?” Aina leaned forward, hands on her hips. The man’s expression bounced between anger and doubt. “The trigger is that little part a few inches away from where your finger is shaking. All you have to do is press a button, and your problems are taken care of. What are you waiting for, permission?”
“Aina…” Teo began in a warning tone.
Good, she thought. He needs to remember I don’t scare so easily.
The man grimaced, his finger finally approaching the trigger, but Aina shifted before he had a chance to press it. In one swift movement, she knocked his wrist to the side. The gun fell and skidded across the floor.
The man reached back to punch her instead, fist flying toward her face. She sidestepped it, pushing him roughly so his gut slammed into the counter. When he turned back around, one of her daggers met his chest. She twisted the blade under his ribs and then yanked it out. Before he could do more than gasp and clutch at his chest, Aina lifted her blade and cut through a carotid artery. A few bar patrons gasped, but most turned away and went back to their conversations.