Spies in Stilettos [Book Two]

Chapter Nine: Because That's What Grimms Do

Whew hey! It's been a long week wow actually it went really fast, lies, I can't believe it's been a week since I've updated. That's insane. But yeah...so I'm sick right now but I knew I had to finish writing this so here you go, but I dunno if I'm gonna write soon cuz I'm exhausted. But next week's my birthday!! And we have no school on Valentine's Day and since I'm boy-free (should I cry or celebrate is the real question here) I should get loads of writing time then. Yay! Also, keep watch for a book called "No Heroes Allowed" that I want to start really, really soon - I'm trying to wait till I finish SiStilettos but we'll see what happens haha. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and please vote and comment loads!

Gracias! <3 vb123321

Chapter Nine

Because That's What Grimms Do

"Hello there," purred the man holding the gun, leering at me. He wore a neatly-pressed Italian suit, with shiny shoes on his feet and his black hair slicked back, and though I hadn't seen his face in the ballroom, there was no doubt in my mind as to his identity.

I tried to back into the secret passage again, my heart thumping wildly, but he reached around me, slamming the door shut. Swallowing hard, I put my hands in the air and forced my voice not to shake as I said, "What do you want?"

"Come," he said, sweeping back his gun-free arm to span the hallway, "join us."

My mouth dry, I looked past him, my heart sinking into my stomach as I saw the scene before me: Kieran was lying on the ground, a man kneeling on his back, and his head was bleeding again as he peered up at me dazedly; it must've taken one heck of a blow to get this big guy down. Zach was struggling with another heavily built man, who had him pushed up against the wall as easily as if he were a rag doll despite his kicking and clawing. Another man stood to my left, a gun in his hands.

"I believe we all know each other here," said Pazzini with a sickly sweet smile, "except for you, my dear. What's your name?"

Maybe I wasn't a spy, but I sure wasn't stupid enough to say I was the sister of Jer Grimm. "I'm not anyone," I said, trying to sound like a scared little kid; it wasn't hard with that gun still pointed at my face. "I don't even know what's going on, they just needed someone little for the passage –"

"She doesn't know anything," sputtered Zach around the man's hold on him. "Don't touch her, she's not one of us!"

"But how touching!" Pazzini's eyes widened. "Do you like this girl, Sullivan?"

Zach's eyes burned. "You'll find out if you hurt her."

Pazzini laughed cruelly, reaching up one hand to touch the side of my face. I jerked away from him, my hands shaking, and instead his hand landed on my shoulder, forcing me to sit on the ground with the other man standing over me. I looked up at Zach, who sent me what he tried to make an encouraging look but was too scared to assure me.

"Now, to business." Pazzini made a big show of examining his gun. "Where is the painting, my dear?"

I gulped. "P-Painting? I don't know – it went missing, didn't it?"

He crouched to my level, tapping the gun under my chin. "Don't play stupid with me," he said through that wide smile. "Where is it?"

"She doesn't know!" said Zach, fear and frustration evident in his voice as he kept pushing weakly against his captor. I was reminded strongly of the Alley Cat's interrogation back in October, how Zach had done the same thing. "I told you, she doesn't know anything!"

"He's right." Kieran's voice was calmer, though slightly dizzy, and his eyes were earnest as he looked up at Pazzini. "She really doesn't know anything, because I don't think she'd be feeling too sorry for this boy here if she knew that he took the painting."