Devil's Bargain Read Online Free PDF Page B

were working for a Prince of Hell, and she really had no desire to tussle with this guy again. He might look like a bit of a wimp, but he was surprisingly wiry. And intriguingly hard. She’d hate to tell him the truth and then have to knock him upside the head and steal the book while he was unconscious. Not to mention that, given the demonstrations he’d offered earlier, she thought she’d do well not to underestimate his magical abilities. A power blast to the head would not improve her mood for the remainder of the evening.
    On the other hand, she was disinclined to lie. Telling the truth made her life easier, so Lilli always tried to stick to it where possible. It kept her from forgetting which lie she’d told earlier, and given the sort of company she tended to keep when she was on a job, a secret part of her had always assumed she had less wiggle room than the next guy when it came to keeping a pure soul. She also just flat-out revolted at the idea of lying for Samael, which was what this would feel like since he’d been the one who sent her here in the first place.
    Maybe, this time, omission was the better part of valor.
    Actually, the last thing she wanted was for there to
be
a next time. Her new mantra was “Get it over with!” She might even work it into a tattoo, one that featured an hourglass that seemed to run faster the closer she got to her goal.
    Time to lay the tarot cards on the table.
    â€œI was hired to retrieve the book by a client who claims that it was stolen from him.”
    Aaron barked out a laugh. “You’re trying to tell me that you think Uncle Alistair was a thief? Lady, I don’t know who your ‘client’ is, but you need to go back and explain to him that my uncle wasn’t the type to cheat on his taxes, let alone steal from someone. You’ve come to the wrong place.”
    Lilli watched his face as he spoke. He clearly believed what he said. In fact, his expression so clearly telegraphedhis thoughts, she had a fleeting hope that he never acquired a taste for gambling. He’d suck at poker.
    â€œActually, I don’t think I have,” she said steadily. “I’m not a take-his-word-for-it kind of girl. I did a little research before I came out here, and from what I hear, Alistair Carruthers was asking some pretty detailed questions in the last couple of weeks before he died. The kind that wouldn’t just tell him what the manuscript was and where to find it, but the kind that could help him decide what to do with it if he happened to have it in his possession.”
    Aaron shrugged, but a crease had appeared between his brows. It gave him an intent and worried sort of look. “So what? Asking questions about something has nothing to do with owning it. I can ask questions about the Book of Kells, but I think Trinity College and the Irish government would have something to say if I claimed to have it in my basement.”
    Hm, he had books on his mind, did he? Maybe that was a sign. “Oh, and did you visit Dublin just a few days before they noticed the book was missing?”
    He stilled. He hadn’t been moving, but stillness suddenly gripped him like a fist, tightening before her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
    Lilli hesitated only a second before she laid it all out. No guts, no glory. “My client claims that he has evidence that Alistair Carruthers was on his property a few weeks before his death. He would have had ample opportunity to find and take the codex and to conceal it before my client got around to noticing its absence.”
    â€œIf that’s true, then it’s likely any number of people would have also had access and opportunity in that same time frame. How does your ‘client’ intend to prove that my uncle was the one who actually stole it?”
    â€œUm, I’m not sure he’s really worried about offering proof . . .”
    â€œWell, he should be.