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  Elemental Assassin: Spider's Trap

  Jennifer Estep

  * * *

  The next thrilling book in Jennifer Estep’s New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Elemental Assassin series—“an extraordinary series. . . . One of the most intriguing heroines in the genre” (Romantic Times Book Reviews).

  Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.

  One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.

  My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death . . .

  * * *

  Jennifer Estep Estep is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, Spider’s Revenge, By a Thread, Widow’s Web, Deadly Sting, Heart of Venom, The Spider, Poison Promise, and Black Widow, along with the e-shorts Thread of Death, Parlor Tricks, and Kiss of Venom, are the other titles in her red-hot Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. Jennifer is also the author of the Black Blade and Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series and the Bigtime paranormal romance series. For more on Jennifer and her books, visit JenniferEstep.com and @Jennifer_Estep.

  Fiction ∙ Pocket ∙ August 2015

  978-1-5011-0517-3 ∙ $7.99 U.S./$9.99 Can. ∙ 384 pages

  Publicity contact: Tatiana Ruiz Cornejo ∙ 212-698-7625

  [email protected]

  “Engrossing!” —Publishers Weekly

  “Gritty!” —RT Book Reviews

  Praise for the Goodreads-nominated

  and Romantic Times award-winning

  Elemental Assassin series

  BLACK WIDOW

  “Everything that I adore about this series is right here and more so in Black Widow. There’s expertly crafted fights, banter, and suspense that continued to keep me on the edge of my seat. I can’t recommend this book enough and love being on the roller-coaster ride that is Gin Blanco’s life.”

  —All Things Urban Fantasy

  “Black Widow is crazy good and Gin Blanco is still one of the best written heroines in urban fantasy. I was riveted from beginning to end.”

  —Fiction Vixen

  POISON PROMISE

  “An extraordinary series. . . . One of the most intriguing heroines in the genre.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “A knockout. . . . Lots of vividly depicted battles, a high body-count, and high-octane escapes worthy of a James Bond movie keep the pages turning.”

  —Booklist

  “A quick-moving plot and characters that jump off the page. . . . Estep finely balances a confident tough-edged personality with an inner life filled with doubts and emotions, making Gin a surprisingly down-to-earth heroine whom readers will root for.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  THE SPIDER

  “By virtue of her enormous skill, Estep keeps this amazing series fresh and unputdownable!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Made me fall in love with Gin all over again.”

  —All Things Urban Fantasy

  HEART OF VENOM

  “Amazing. . . . Estep is one of those rare authors who excels at both action set pieces and layered character development.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Action-packed with tons of character-growth. . . . One of the best books in the series, which says a lot because Estep’s writing rarely, if ever, disappoints.”

  —Fall Into Books

  DEADLY STING

  “Classic Estep with breathtaking thrills, coolly executed fights, and a punch of humor, which all add up to unbeatable entertainment!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “I’ve been hooked on this series from the first word of the first book. I can’t get enough.”

  —Fiction Vixen

  WIDOW’S WEB

  “Estep has found the perfect recipe for combining kick-butt action and high-stakes danger with emotional resonance.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Filled with such emotional and physical intensity that it leaves you happily exhausted by the end.”

  —All Things Urban Fantasy

  BY A THREAD

  “Filled with butt-kicking action, insidious danger and a heroine with her own unique moral code, this thrilling story is top-notch. Brava!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Gin is stronger than ever, and this series shows no signs of losing steam.”

  —Fiction Vixen

  SPIDER’S REVENGE

  “Explosive. . . . Hang on, this is one smackdown you won’t want to miss!”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “A whirlwind of tension, intrigue, and mind-blowing action that leaves your heart pounding.”

  —Smexy Books

  TANGLED THREADS

  “Interesting storylines, alluring world, and fascinating characters. That is what I’ve come to expect from Estep’s series.”

  —Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks

  VENOM

  “Estep has really hit her stride with this gritty and compelling series. . . . Brisk pacing and knife-edged danger make this an exciting page-turner.”

  —RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!)

  “Gin is a compelling and complicated character whose story is only made better by the lovable band of merry misfits she calls her family.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  WEB OF LIES

  “Hard-edged and compelling. . . . Gin Blanco is a fascinatingly pragmatic character, whose intricate layers are just beginning to unravel.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  SPIDER’S BITE

  “The series [has] plenty of bite. . . . Kudos to Estep for the knife-edged suspense!”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Fast pace, clever dialogue, and an intriguing heroine.”

  —Library Journal

  Books in the

  Elemental Assassin Series

  by Jennifer Estep

  Spider’s Bite

  Web of Lies

  Venom

  Tangled Threads

  Spider’s Revenge

  By a Thread

  Widow’s Web

  Deadly Sting
<
br />   Heart of Venom

  The Spider

  Poison Promise

  Black Widow

  Spider’s Trap

  Novellas

  Thread of Death

  Parlor Tricks (from the Carniepunk anthology)

  Kiss of Venom

  Spider’s Trap

  An Elemental Assassin Book

  - cover type TK -

  POCKET BOOKS

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  Pocket Books

  A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Estep

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  First Pocket Books paperback edition August 2015

  POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  ISBN 978-1-5011-0517-3

  ISBN 978-1-5011-0518-0 (ebook)

  To my mom, my grandma, and Andre—

  for your love, patience, and everything else

  you’ve given me over the years

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Once again, my heartfelt thanks go out to all the folks who help turn my words into a book.

  Thanks go to my agent, Annelise Robey, and my editors, Adam Wilson and Lauren McKenna, for all their helpful advice, support, and encouragement. Thanks also to Trey Bidinger.

  Thanks to Tony Mauro for designing another terrific cover, and thanks to Louise Burke, Lisa Litwack, and everyone else at Pocket and Simon & Schuster for their work on the cover, the book, and the series.

  And finally, a big thanks to all the readers. Knowing that folks read and enjoy my books is truly humbling, and I’m glad that you are all enjoying Gin and her adventures.

  I appreciate you all more than you will ever know.

  Happy reading!

  1

  “I really want to stab someone right now.”

  Silvio Sanchez, my personal assistant, glanced at me. “I would advise against that,” he murmured. “It might send the wrong message.”

  “Yeah,” Phillip Kincaid chimed in. “Namely that you’ve reverted back to your deadly assassin ways and are going to start killing people again instead of hearing them out like you’re supposed to.”

  “I never really left those ways behind,” I replied. “Considering that I could kill everyone here and sleep like a baby tonight.”

  Phillip snickered, while Silvio rolled his eyes.

  The three of us were sitting at a conference table that had been dragged out onto the deck of the Delta Queen, the luxe riverboat casino that Phillip owned. Normally, slot machines, poker tables, and roulette wheels would have been set up on the deck in preparation for the night’s gambling, but today the riverboat was serving as a meeting spot for some of Ashland’s many underworld bosses.

  Supposedly, this meeting was to be a peaceful mediation of a dispute between Dimitri Barkov and Luiz Ramos, two of the city’s crime lords, who were disagreeing about who had the right to buy a series of coin laundries to, well, launder the money that they made from their gambling operations. Not that there was anything peaceful about the way Dimitri and Luiz had been standing nose-to-nose and screaming at each other for the last five minutes. Their respective guards stood behind them, fists clenched tightly and shooting dirty looks at each other, as though they would all love nothing more than to start brawling in the middle of the deck.

  Now, that would be entertaining. I grinned. Maybe I should let them have at each other, gladiator-style. Winner take all. That would be one way to settle things.

  Silvio nudged me with his elbow, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. “Pay attention. You’re supposed to be listening to the facts so you can be fair and impartial, remember?”

  “I could be fair and impartial in stabbing them both.”

  He gave me a chiding look.

  I sighed. “You always ruin my fun.”

  “That’s my job,” the vampire replied.

  I palmed the silverstone knife hidden up my sleeve—the only weapon I’d brought on board—and flashed it at my friends under the table, out of sight of the bosses and their men.

  “C’mon,” I whispered. “Just let me stab one of them. Surely that will shut the other one up too.”

  Phillip snickered again, while Silvio let out a small, sad sigh. He wasn’t crazy about my managerial style. Couldn’t imagine why.

  “I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t bring any knives on board,” Silvio murmured again. “So as not to send the wrong message.”

  “I left the other four in the car. So I’m only a fifth as deadly today. That’s progress, right?” I waggled my eyebrows.

  Silvio narrowed his gray eyes and held out his hand below the table. I reluctantly passed over the weapon, and he tucked it up his sleeve. I pouted a little, but he ignored me. He was getting good at that.

  My friends turned their attention back to Dimitri and Luiz, who were still yelling and pointing their fingers at each other, each man trying to shout the other one down. But instead of listening to them, I glanced at the third boss who had shown up: Lorelei Parker.

  Unlike Dimitri and Luiz, who were both dressed in business suits, Lorelei was sporting black stiletto boots, dark jeans, and a long-sleeved T-shirt, just like I was. The only real difference between us was that her leather jacket was a bright royal blue, and mine was a subdued midnight black. Her black hair was pulled back into a French braid, and her blue eyes were focused on her phone, since she was busy texting. The quick motions of her fingers made a silverstone rune ring glitter on her right hand—a rose wrapped in thorns dripping blood, all of it outlined in impressive diamonds.

  Of the three bosses, Lorelei was the most intriguing, since she was a smuggler known far and wide for her ability to get anything for anyone at any time. Cash, guns, precious jewels, pricey antiques, and exotic animals were just a few of the things she was rumored to dabble in.

  Only a single guard stood off to her side. Jack Corbin, her right-hand man. He too was dressed in boots, jeans, and a black leather jacket, but his blue eyes continuously scanned the deck and everyone and everything on it.

  Corbin realized that I was watching him and tipped his head at me, before smoothing back his dark brown hair. Then he sidled a little closer to his boss, ready to protect her from everyone on deck, including me. I nodded back at him. My deceased mentor, Fletcher Lane, had a thick file on Corbin in his office, so I knew that he was far more dangerous than he appeared to be.

  Then again, so was I.

  Lorelei was here because she owned the coin laundries in question and was more than willing to sell them—to the highest bidder, of course. I didn’t know if she’d approached Dimitri and Luiz about buying the front businesses or if they’d come to her, and I hadn’t had the chance to ask any questions, since the
gangsters had been screaming at each other the entire six minutes I’d been on the riverboat. Either way, the men just couldn’t agree on who was getting what, and things had escalated to the point where Dimitri and Luiz were about to declare war on each other. That would mean shootings, stabbings, kneecappings, and lots of other messy crimes.

  Don’t get me wrong. As the Spider, I’d made plenty of bloody messes in my time. It was sort of my specialty.

  But a few weeks ago, I’d taken down Madeline Magda Monroe, an acid elemental who’d declared herself the new queen of the Ashland underworld, following in the footsteps of her mother, Mab.

  Just as I had killed her mother several months earlier, I took out Madeline with my Ice and Stone magic, and with no more Monroes left to grapple for control of the underworld, the other bosses had made me their de facto leader. At least until they started plotting how they could murder me and one of them could seize the throne they all coveted so very much.

  I almost wished that one of them would succeed in putting me out of my misery.

  Contrary to popular belief, being the head of the Ashland underworld was not a bed of roses. It wasn’t even a bed of thorns. It was just a giant headache—like the one throbbing in my temples right now.

  I’d thought I’d been a popular target over the summer, but now the bosses sought me out more than ever before. And they actually wanted to talk to me. Incessantly. About business deals and treaties and who was letting their gang members spray-paint rune graffiti in someone else’s territory. As if I actually cared about any of those things. But as the big boss, it was apparently my job to listen. At least, according to Silvio.

  Lorelei was the one who’d requested this meeting, although she’d actually approached Phillip about settling the dispute instead of me. Apparently, Lorelei didn’t want to acknowledge my new authority or involve me in her affairs. That, or she just hated me for some reason. Didn’t much matter either way, since I cared as little about her as she did about me.

  But Phillip was my friend, and he’d told me about the get-together. So here I was, about to mediate my first big dispute as Gin Blanco, the Spider, new queen of the Ashland underworld. Yeah, me.