Jennifer Estep

“That’s hard core, Gin,” Finn replied. “Very hard core. Kind of kinky too.” A grim smile tightened my lips. “That’s me. Gin Blanco. Hard core and kinky to the bitter end.”

“Finn had finished his coffee run and was strolling back down the hallway, a mug of his steaming chicory brew in his left hand. He saw Vinnie heading toward him, sighed, and reached around behind his back with his right hand. Finn came up with a gun, which he leveled at Vinnie’s head.The Ice elemental froze in the doorway.“Why don’t you be a good boy, Vinnie, and go sit down,” Finn said in a pleasant voice before taking a sip of his coffee. His eyes never left the other man, and his gun never wavered. Finn could be a bad-ass when he had to, just like me.”

“Logan Quinn was the kind of guy who could stab me in the eye with a freaking Twizzler.”

“Did she just call me a bleeding toothpick? Kill her! Kill her now!”

“What did you expect? That he'd send you flowers and write you bad poetry? That dead Nemean prowler is pretty much as close to a stuffed animal as you're ever going to get from a Spartan like Logan Quinn.”

“Burn, baby, burn,” she muttered in a hard, satisfied voice.I cleared my throat. “As much as I hate to interrupt the supreme satisfaction you’re taking in watching the mansion blaze to the ground, I’d reallylike to get out of here before the whole house collapses on top of us.”

“Y’all might as well come on out,” I said. “I know you’re there. I can smell you.”“Smell me? But I just took a shower this morning!” an indignant voice drifted out of the shadows.There was a loud sound, like someone was getting smacked upside the head. Then another voice let out a low mutter.“Shut up, idiot.”

“I’ll give you this, Spartan. You sure can kiss. Feel free to lay one on me anytime you want to."“Well, I do aim to please,” he drawled. “You should see what I can do with my hands. And other parts of my body.”I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? You’ve been cut open like a fish, there’s a psycho-killer Reaper after us, and you’re still hitting me up for sex?”Logan shrugged, but the devilish light didn’t fade from his gaze. “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“Come on, Gypsy girl. I'm bleeding to death here, in case you haven't noticed. At least make it worth my while and kiss me before I die.”

“Can't believe she bloody dropped me again. . .," I heard him mutter.P 308”

“Jasmine smirke at the weapon in my hand. "That little toothpick won't save you, Gypsy.""Touthpick?" Vic muttered in an indignant voice. “Did she just call me a bleeding toothpick? Kill her! Kill her now!”

“She doesn't even know how to kill things properlike? What kind of girl have you given me to, goddess?" Vic protested, fixing his eye on Nike once more.Nike let out a laugh. " Vic is a little bloodthirsty. You'll get used to it.”

“I wouldn't say hate, exactly. You're kind of like fungus, Gwen. After a while, you just start growing on people.”

“There's nothing I can do that's going to drive you away, is there?" I murmured.Owen flashed me a sly grin. "Finally figuring that out, are you?I nodded.His grin deepened. "Well, it sure took you long enough.”

“Where the hell are you!?" Finn screamed in my ear. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"I winced at his voice blaring out at me. "I'm fine. I'm back at the train yard. LaFleur jumped me behind the Pork Pit and decided to take me for a little drive tonight.""Well, I hope that you had the good sense to kill her for interrupting your evening," Finn sniffed. "And for making us worry.”

“Why couldn't she pick a nice, dark, quiet, deserted spot to do her evil machinations in?""Because she's an arrogant bitch and her main goal in life is to frustrate you before she kills you," Finn quipped.”

“Keep the change, Gin," McCallister said in a smarmy, mocking voice. "Consider it an early Christmas present.""Aw," I drawled. "A whopping thirteen cents. You're too kind, Jonah. Why, you'd put Ebezener Scrooge to shame with your bighearted generosity.”

“Hope. An emotion that always kept suckering me in, time after time, despite my supposed retirement from the assassin business. Hope. The one thing that always seemed to get me into more trouble than just killing people for money ever had. Ah, hope. Sometimes, I really hated it.”

“Quite a crowd tonight, Gin. Usually, it's just you and Finn."I shrugged. "What can I say? I seem to attract minions wherever I go these days. Kind of like the Pied Piper."Behind me, Finn huffed out his displeasure. "Minion? I am most certainly not a mere minion. Head minion, perhaps. At the very least.”

“What was wrong with giving Gin a key?" he rumbled. "It's not like I could keep her out of the house, even if I wanted to. I thought a key would make things easier, make her feel like she was really welcome here. This is the first time that I've dated an assassin. I don't want to piss her off”

“Too bad the smile was on the face of the wrong man.”

“You're mine," "Not his. Mine. Only mine. Always mine.”

“...he was muttering my name over and over. Gin, Gin, Gin. Like it was some sort of prayer—or a curse. Sexiest damn thing I’d ever heard.”

“I might be old and cranky, but I'm not bloody stupid.”

“How had I ever thought he was cute? He so needed to be locked up in an insane asylum somewhere. Too bad Batman wasn't here to come and drag his ass off to Arkham.”

“It'll be okay, I promise. No matter what I see or feel. You'll still be Logan and I'll still be your Gypsy girl.”

“And that's when I snapped up my left hand and smashed him in the face with the hammer I'd grabbed.”

“Etiquette? What kind of etiquette was there in someone trying to murder me?”

“I'd be damned if I let him see the tears in my eyes.”

“It didn't take long for the anger to put the happiness in a headlock.”

“He realized something was going on between Logan and me. I wish he'd clue me in on exactly what it was, because I had no idea.”

“I didn't know if he really meant talk, make out, or something else completely, but I'd be happy with any of them.”

“I didn't know what would take my mind off the sexy Spartan, except for maybe a total lobotomy.”

“Since coming to Mythos, I'd almost been run through with a sword and mauled to death by a killer kitty cat. Dirty looks didn't faze me anymore.”

“I don't judge you for what you've done, Gin. Why are you judging me for another man's mistakes?”

“Yeah, well this Gypsy girl happens to have a grandma that can curse you so bad that your dick will turn black and fall off, so watch your step, Spartan.”

“Two students severely injured, you yourself covered in blood, a Reaper on the premises, a Fenrir wolf running around loose somewhere, and extensive property damage to the resort. Well?" Nickamedes snapped. "What do you have to say for yourself, Gwendolyn?"I thought for a second, then grinned at him. "I followed your directions exactly. I never set one foot outside the hotel.”

“This is an Aston Martin, Gin.You don't run over dead bodies in an Aston Matin.""Tell that to James Bond”

“What are you smiling at?’ - ‘Oh, nothing much. Just my hero”

“Fucking pro bono work. Going to get me killed one day.”

“You bruised my ego, you see, and there’s just not enough money in the world to soothe my ego when it gets bruised”

“This is really good,” Donovan Caine said, attacking his third strawberry pancake. “You sound surprised,” I said. He shrugged. “I just didn’t think an assassin would be able to cook like this.” “Well, I do get lots of practice with knives. You could say I’m multitasking.” The detective froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. “I’m kidding. I enjoy cooking. It relaxes me.”

“Finn raised his coffee öug to me. "That's my girl. A bitch to the bitter end."I saluted him with my sadwich. "Always”

“Jonah McAllister regarded me with cold eyes. "Oh, yes. That's her. The lovely Ms.Gin Blanco. The bitch who was giving my boy a hard time.A hard time? I supposed so, if you thought turning him in to the cops for attempted robbery, breaking a plate full of food in his face, and ultimately stabbing Jake McAllister to death was a hard time.”

“Donovan Caine wanted me, but he wasn’t strong enough to accept me. Not my past, not my strength, not the woman I was. Bitter disappointment filled me, replacing my rage, but I forced myself to ask the final question I wanted an answer to...”

“You could just run over him," I said. "He's already dead, and it's not like you haven't done it before.""Yeah, but I don't want bloody bits of dwarf stuck on my wheels for the next two weeks." Finn sniffed. "This is an Aston Martin, Gin. You don't run over dead bodies in an Aston Martin.""Tell that to James Bond."Finn shot me a dirty look as he pulled out onto the street.”

“All I'm saying is that I understand if the novelty's worn off and you want to get off the carousel ride now before it kills you.”

“Are you coming along peaceful-like, or am I going to have to hog-tie you and put you in the car?”

“The romantic reunion and thank-you-for-saving-my-life sex would have to wait until later.”

“Killing people was far easier than making polite chitchat.”