“I’ve kept all his recipes. You don’t mess with the classics.”

“No, you don’t.” She fixed me with a steely look. “You know why I’m here.”

“Lorelei.”

She nodded. “I want you to reconsider my offer. Given everything that happened yesterday, we never did get a chance to finish our discussion.”

“You mean Pike setting off his bomb?” I snarked. “That did put a damper on the festivities.”

Mallory arched her thin white eyebrows. “I see you have the same bad sarcasm as Lorelei.”

I sighed. “Look, I appreciate your wanting to protect your granddaughter. I even admire you for it. But I’m not the person for the job. You do realize that Lorelei is one of the most feared underworld bosses in Ashland, right? She is more than capable of taking care of herself.”

“Of course, I realize that. I taught her everything she knows.” Mallory waved her hand, flashing her rings. “And I certainly didn’t get all these diamonds by playing nice.”

“So if Lorelei is so capable, then why ask me for help?”

She shrugged. “It never hurts to have a little extra insurance.”

I barked out a laugh. “Insurance? Is that what I am to you? Lady, you need to work on your sales pitch.”

Mallory gave me another stern look. “I think you’re the person who has the best chance of killing Raymond—after Lorelei, of course—and I always like to back a winner. Besides, you’re not thinking about the big picture and what I can do for you.”

“I don’t need or want your ten million smackeroos.”

She steepled her hands together. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m not talking about mere money.”

“So what are you talking about?”

She whipped out that sweet, sly, dangerous smile of hers. “Respectability.”

“What do you mean?”

Mallory leaned forward. “Do you really want to spend the rest of your life tiptoeing around the cops and everyone else in town? Clinging to the shadows, even though you know they can’t hide you anymore? Mab Monroe never did that. Instead, she let everyone—and I do mean everyone—know exactly how powerful she was. And they all welcomed her with open arms, whether it was the cops or the criminals or the crème de la crème of Ashland society. Admittedly, that last group was too stupid to realize that Mab would kill them just as soon as look at them. But they and everyone else were all too afraid of her not to do exactly what she wanted when she wanted something done.”

“So?”

“So you’re the big boss now. You should act like it.” Mallory clenched her tiny hand into a tight fist. “Take control, seize power, and hold on to it with an iron grip, instead of letting others dictate how much of it you have.”

She wasn’t wrong. In fact, she was far too right—about everything. Not that I would ever admit that to her, though. I might be the big boss now, but it was in name only, and my grasp on the crown was tenuous at best, just as Lorelei had said in the gardens.

“Well, Gin?” Mallory asked. “What do you say?”

“You really think you can do all that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back against the booth. “Just wave your hand and have people welcome me with open arms, no matter how hoity-toity they are.”

She gave me a thin smile. “Of course I can. It’s one of the privileges of being part of the rich old guard—deciding who gets invited to the party. Trust me. I can make it happen.”

I stifled a groan. So not only would I have the other bosses to contend with, but I’d be the belle of Ashland society too. Talk about something I had never, ever wanted for myself.

“Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, given your own criminal background. Not to mention your granddaughter’s current, less-than-legal endeavors.”

“Bah. I’ve been around so long that no one remembers how I got my start or where my money came from. Or, if they do remember, they’re smart enough to keep their mouths shut about my running guns, moonshine, and everything else I could make a cold red cent on,” she said, her hillbilly twang becoming more pronounced the longer she talked. “Besides, it’s not like any of their hands are cleaner than mine. Just think about it, Gin. You could be powerful, feared, and legitimate. In this town, I’d say that’s better than winning the lottery.”

She kept that sweet, serene smile on her face, thinking that I would see the wisdom of her offer . . . sooner or later. Yeah. That was going to be later—a whole lot later. Like the tenth of never.

“Your generous proposal aside, Lorelei has made it abundantly clear that she doesn’t want my help.” I shrugged. “That settles the matter, as far as I’m concerned. If she wants to go toe-to-toe with her brother, then more power to her.”

Mallory shook her head. “You don’t understand how dangerous Raymond is—”

“I understand perfectly,” I snapped. “A couple of nights ago, I watched him murder a man using nothing more than a spoon and a little bit of his metal magic, and he’s almost killed me twice now with his bombs. Believe me, I am well acquainted with how dangerous he is. And your dropping the danger card and asking me to risk myself for Lorelei still isn’t selling it to me.”

Mallory’s jaw clenched, and she leaned forward again. “And you’re also well acquainted with the fact that he’s targeting the wrong woman. Does that sell it to you, Ms. Blanco?”