by Ann Aguirre
“Pretty much. See what you can find out about hotels in Catemaco.” After she nodded and sat down with her laptop, I went down the hall to the half bath and knocked. “You ready for me?”
“Almost,” came his low response.
The noises from within indicated he was still washing up. Damn, what did he do, bathe in the shooter’s blood? I was sure I didn’t want to know the answer.
Eventually, he opened the door and I stepped inside. His shirt was off and it was wet where he’d scrubbed it. To his credit, there wasn’t a speck of blood anywhere in the place. After all, it wasn’t his first time cleaning up after himself.
In the hall, Shannon’s soft tread said she was coming down the hall to watch, so I closed the door. Outside, she muttered in annoyance, and I heard her retreating. Given Kel’s broad chest, powerful shoulders, artful tats, and incredible delts—along with a mass of old scars from fighting evil, or so he claimed—that seemed like a bad idea. I didn’t want her romanticizing him. As long as I remembered how scary I’d found him in that orange prison jumpsuit, my hormones wouldn’t overwhelm me, making me forget that he was, no matter how you spun it, first and foremost a killer.
He’d assembled the supplies on the edge of the sink, everything I needed to dig a bullet out of him. The knife was bigger than I felt comfortable using; nonetheless I picked it up, and my hands were steady. I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself for the coming ordeal. There was a reason I didn’t go into health care, after all.
“Brace yourself, Bridget.” He didn’t tense or otherwise react, so I went in.
Shit. His skin had already started to seal over the wound. No wonder he’d given me the big knife; I had to cut him. Dammit. I don’t know if I can—
“I’ll be fine,” he said with a touch of impatience. “Just do it.”
“How much will it hurt?”
“Would it make you feel better if I told you I feel no pain?”
God, could that be true? Maybe you could blast him down to bone and he’d never know the difference, just continue with his assigned task until the flesh repaired itself.
“Yeah.”
“Pity I can’t claim that, then.”
Yes, it certainly was. I wished he’d lied. But that wasn’t going to happen. God’s Hand was nothing if not scrupulously honest, even when the truth was weird, unwelcome, and terrifying.
The tattoos didn’t extend to his back, so there was no fear of the scars marring the designs. He had angelic script on his chest, arms, shoulders, and head. For a fleeting instant, I wondered what the writing said. Eva had said he had angel names on his skull, but she hadn’t seen the rest of him.
This isn’t helping. Each second I stand here, the wound heals a little more.
Another deep breath, and I sank the knife into his back. The blade was sharp and silvered; his flesh gave way with sickening ease. Rich red blood spilled from the wound, darker against his scarred skin. He braced an arm on the sink, muscles bunched. The other he wrapped around his midriff in a protective gesture. When I glanced around him, I saw agony on his tense features reflected in the mirror.
Hurry. You don’t want to make him mad.
By the time I finished, I felt nauseated and shaky, but I dropped a twisted lead pellet in the trash beside the toilet. Mechanically, I blotted away the blood and started to tape a bandage over it, but by the time I got the gauze and tape ready, the injury had already scabbed over. I stared at that for a moment, unblinking.
This was indisputable truth, as I’d first glimpsed in Laredo. He might be crazy, but he had unnatural powers. I didn’t want to contemplate where those abilities might come from. At least he possessed none of the aromatic tells to suggest he’d made some infernal pact.
“You’re all set,” I said quietly. “Feel any better?”
In answer, he rotated his shoulders, testing. “Yes. Thank you.”
He turned then, and I saw why he’d been covering his abdomen. There was an angry red scar there, a new one. While Shannon and I stood outside, wondering what he was doing, he had literally been holding his guts in and mopping up his own blood.
Sickened, I stared at the evidence of my own cruelty. Neither of us had wondered if he’d been hurt. We’d been confident he could handle whomever Montoya had sent to kill me—and so he had, but not without cost.
“Why didn’t you let me help you?”
He reacted as if I had proposed something shocking and inappropriate; his whole body stiffened, and he took a step back. “Because I could handle it myself. I cannot dig a bullet out of my back.”
“So you accept aid only if you can’t perform the task yourself?”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
I didn’t understand him at all, and now the bathroom seemed too small. I took a step back and flung the door open. “Then I’ll let you finish up in here. Shannon and I are ready to go anytime.”
Out in the living room, I made a call. This time Señor Alvarez didn’t seem surprised that I needed him to watch my shop for a while, but he sounded more resigned than pleased. In fact, I had to offer him a higher commission on daily sales to get him to agree.
By the time Kel came out, Shannon and I had our stuff lined up at the door, along with my purse, which contained a slightly unsettled Chihuahua. Shannon carried our dinner in one hand and a laptop bag in the other. Since her arrival, I’d sprung for wireless Internet—growing up in Kilmer had left her starved for the normal accoutrements of modern life.
“We can eat in the car,” she said. “And I washed up the dishes so we don’t get bugs. I also found a place for us to stay once we get there. I wrote down the address.”
She was a good kid. I knew better than to put it that way, however, because I could still see residual interest in him simmering in her eyes, no matter what she’d said about him not being her type. Kel was fascinating, whether I liked it or not.
“Thanks, that’s great. But you proved yourself in Kilmer, so I already knew you’re kick-ass in a crisis.”
Shannon flushed with pleasure at my comment, but she shrugged it off. “So we’re set?”
“Let’s move,” he said.
As we went down the stairs, I studied him. There were faint lines of weariness and pain about his eyes, though nothing I would’ve noticed before. He led the way to a vehicle parked on the street a few houses down. Kel had been smart enough not to cover their gate, which caused a lot of trouble here. It was so annoying to back out, only to find some asshole had blocked you in.
His ride wasn’t a macho SUV. Instead, it was a nondescript sedan in black or midnight blue—hard to tell in the dark. He loaded our bags into the trunk with an ease that belied the fact that he’d nearly been eviscerated; that injury suggested an opponent who had some skill with knives. I had a particular horror of blades. Over the years I’d handled a number of them, and they never told a happy tale.
“Shotgun,” Shannon said, and climbed into the passenger seat.
The back was fine with me. It had been a long-ass day, and I wouldn’t mind taking a nap. Butch whined, so I put him down to do his business. We’d given him dinner and a drink before leaving the apartment, so he should be good for a while yet. Afterward, I picked him up and tucked him back in my purse, where he snuggled in.
When I opened the right rear door, Kel put his hand on my arm to stop me from climbing in. “Why don’t you drive?”
I couldn’t have heard him correctly. “Really?”
He pitched his voice low, so Shannon—who was already in the car and fiddling with the radio—wouldn’t hear. “The healing takes a lot out of me. We need to get to Catemaco, but I don’t know how much longer I can stay alert.”
I remembered how he’d practically gone catatonic after the fight with the warlock. Yeah, it wouldn’t be good if that occurred with him behind the wheel of the car, especially one that contained Shannon, Butch, and me. While Kel might be able to recover from anything, the rest of us were all too human and fragile
.
“Okay,” I said. “Will you have something to eat before you pass out?” I glanced at Shannon’s dyed-dark hair. “She wanted to impress you.”
“That’s absurd.” In the half-light, I could almost swear his mouth pulled into the hint of a weary smile. “But yes, I’ll eat the spaghetti if it will make the girl happy.”
I smiled at him. “Thanks.”
“One more thing, Corine.”
Oh, I was sure I didn’t like where this was going.
“When he fell, I took his weapon, an expertly crafted dagger. I thought you might handle it once we’re in Catemaco.”
Lovely. Something to look forward to. He took my silence for assent and slid into the car. I made sure Butch was comfortable in the back with Kel before rounding the vehicle and hopping into the driver’s seat. The car had GPS, which would make our lives easier. Though I knew the general direction of Catemaco—and that it wasn’t too far from Veracruz—I had never been there.
After buckling my seat belt, I programmed the address Shannon provided into the device and drove into the dark.
Hard to Handle
Once we left the highway, the night turned dark as sin. There were no lights on the narrow road that led to Catemaco. My companions were both out, so I had to trust the GPS knew what it was doing. If it didn’t, there was no telling where we’d end up.
I drove past signs for cigars and giant lake shrimp, but none of the stalls was open at this hour. Though it wasn’t quite midnight, it was certainly late enough for everyone else to be off the road. I had seldom been more relieved than when I made the last turn, and the gizmo claimed that the hotel Shannon had chosen lay a mile and a half up ahead on the left. Surprisingly, it was a nice place.
Floodlights illuminated the careful landscaping, and tall trees shaded the parking lot. It was a big, bright blue building with the name spelled out in flowers. I pulled into a space near the lobby, and turned the key in the ignition. As I stepped out of the car, I could taste the soft, clean air, so different from the city.
Shannon stirred as I pulled my bag out of the car. I slung the duffel over my shoulder, and then opened up the rear door. Butch hopped down, sniffed a few things, and then trotted over to the nearest tree. It was dark, so I didn’t worry about what was he doing, or the mess he might leave behind. He was a small dog—how bad could it be?
My guardian was still unconscious. I hovered, unsure whether I ought to touch him, but I couldn’t leave him in the car, either. Though it seemed self-serving, we might need him, and he couldn’t defend us from the parking lot. At last I set my hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle shake. It took two tries to get him to open his eyes, and when he did, they looked oddly sunken.
But despite appearances, he came alert in an instant. “We’re here, I take it?”
I nodded. “I’m going to see about a room. It might be best if you stay outside while I do.”
Kel glanced down at his white, bloodstained shirt. “I think so too.”
“Do you have anything else to wear tomorrow?”
“Yes—my bag is in the trunk. I just didn’t think it was worth slowing us down.”
“Good call,” Shannon said. “Am I allowed to come in with you?”
“Of course.”
I whispered Butch’s name and he came trotting out of the shadows wagging his tail. He’d no doubt sniffed everything nearby, and if there were anything to fear in the vicinity, he would’ve communicated that. Which meant I strode into the lobby with all confidence, despite my wrinkled clothing and gummy eyes.
The foyer was small, but immaculate. Beyond a glass wall I could see the restaurant, now closed for the night, and beyond the interior dining room, more tables sat beside the pool. At the front desk, the man looked tired, but he perked up when I started the registration process.
Our business didn’t take long. I told him we needed a room with two double beds, and I wasn’t sure how long we were staying. Judging by the dearth of cars in the lot, that shouldn’t be a problem. And indeed, it wasn’t. I paid for a couple of nights, and he gave me a key.
“You have a room on the second floor,” he said in Spanish. “Lake view.”
I nodded, listening to the rest of the amenities. Butch knew to stay in my bag until we left the lobby. I praised him and scratched his ears as I slid behind the wheel. After moving the car, I led the way to the stairs, and then Kel took point. He checked the place out thoroughly before motioning us up.
The room surprised me in a good way. It was large with a balcony facing the lake. Perhaps it was sparsely furnished in contrast to American hotels, but I preferred the sense of space. And we still had a TV, a desk, and a bureau, along with a mirror outside the bathroom. Not that I imagined we’d be spending that much time in here.
“You want a shower?” I asked Kel.
“Please.”
I could wait until morning. When the water cut on, I set the chain and the dead bolt on the door and changed into my pajamas. Shannon was doing the same. She really was a remarkable girl.
“I’m thinking we take the bed by the inside wall,” she said. “If I was trying to break in here, I’d come through the balcony. The other door has a steel core, and those are good, heavy locks.”
I followed her train of thought. “So if someone does try to get in that way, it won’t be quiet, and Kel will have a chance to get between them and us.”
“Exactly.”
God, I was tired. I slid into bed and curled onto my side. The double bed was big enough—and Shannon was small enough—that we shouldn’t bother each other. My eyes closed.
I had the sense of being out of my body, light as air; I had to be dreaming. As I floated, the darkness melted away, coalescing into a combination of red-velvet brothel and roadhouse chic. This was Twilight, run by a woman named Twila, who ran San Antonio. Anybody with a gift who arrived in her demesne and planned to stay had better ask her permission. I’d been here before.
I’m dreaming.
The bar was nearly full, rowdy and loud. The music banging in the background I recognized as the Dropkick Murphys, an interesting choice for a joint in Texas. Jesse Saldana sat on a bar stool, nursing a beer. I recognized the bartender, a pretty woman in her forties who sported a ponytail. Jeannie. I’d met her myself. On this occasion, Saldana looked none too cheerful, thumb rimming his mug in slow circles.
“I don’t think she trusts me,” he said.
She served a draft and collected money from a guy I didn’t recognize and then answered, “From what you’ve told me about her, I’m not surprised.”
“She was hurt tonight.” He took a long pull from his beer. “Don’t know how bad. I was about to call her when she e-mailed me. No mention of the pain. Just ‘I’m taking an unexpected trip; don’t worry.’ Like I can help it.”
Jeannie gave him a kind look. “Sounds like she has issues with authority, hon, and like it or not, that’s you.”
Shit, they’re talking about me.
“So what do I do?”
“Show her you care, and you’re willing to do whatever you can. But trust takes time. You can’t demand it.”
“I know,” he said sadly. “I just have this feeling she’s in deep, and it’s going to get really bad before it gets better.”
She touched him lightly on the hand. “There’s nothing worse than seeing someone you care about suffer.”
The despair in his face astonished me. I didn’t know he felt this way, or maybe I only wanted him to. This was just a dream, after all. Not a true thing. Right? Nobody seemed to notice me; I might as well be a ghost. Wishing I could comfort him and explain why he couldn’t be involved further, I touched Jesse on the shoulder, and he spun around, dark eyes haunted.
Shannon nudged me awake. The sun shone brightly through the curtains, patterning the tile floor. “You okay? You were whining in your sleep.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” I swallowed a moan as I slid out of bed. No point in telling her what I’d dreamt.
I was pretty sure it was just a guilty conscience anyway.
A shower woke me up fully. I dressed in whorls of steam, so my clothes felt damp and sticky when I stepped out of the bathroom. I put down breakfast and a drink for Butch. The crunch of him enjoying his kibble sounded, but I didn’t have to worry about waking the other two; they were both up before I stumbled into the bathroom.
Shannon stood on the balcony, her eyes wide with awe. “Look at the pool!”
Sometimes I forgot how young she was. But in all fairness, it was impressive. From our vantage point, the waters gleamed azure; there was a pale blue waterslide and a stone waterfall. Flowers bloomed in the center, lending the impression that we’d awakened in some tropical paradise.
The lake itself caught my eye. It was so big I couldn’t see the opposite shore, and it lapped right up to the edge of the property; the land behind the hotel was a narrow slice. There was no pier, but I could see a place where the boats presumably pulled up. Down some distance, there was an earthen hut and a small swimming beach.
I considered before I made the offer, but it should be safe enough, and the waiters circulating among the guests looked fit and strong. “If you want to stay here and swim while we go looking for the island witch, it’s fine with me.” I did glance at Kel for confirmation. “That would be okay, right?”
He nodded. “I have no reason to believe they know where we are right now. Of course, that could change.”
Yeah. Whomever Montoya had found to hex my Eros saltshaker might be able to scry our location. That was a pretty powerful and specific spell, however, and so it wouldn’t be accomplished with a flick of the wrist. Such things took time and preparation; we couldn’t waste our head start.
“That’d be cool,” she said. “I’ve never really been on vacation.”
I didn’t let my emotional response to that show on my face. My mom had taken me camping. Maybe we’d never gone anywhere like this, but I had those memories, at least. I didn’t envy Shannon’s recollections of her own mother.
“You have a suit?”
“Duh.” She grinned. “I looked this place up, remember?”
