"I'm sure you can do so without Paige's assistance, Papa," Lucas said. "Witches apply for Cabal positions all the time. Human resources should be able to provide all the contact names you need."
"Perhaps, but if I have any questions, Paige, may I call you?"
I glanced at Lucas, who gave a soft sigh, then the barest nod.
"If it means getting a good witch nurse for Faye, you can call me," I said.
Benicio opened his mouth with what I was sure was another "request," but was diverted by the arrival of our coffee. We spent the next minute in silence, each fixing our drinks.
"So, Paige," Benicio said after his first sip of coffee. "How do you like Miami?"
A new topic. Thank God. I relaxed into my chair. "Can't say I've had much time for sightseeing, but I've certainly enjoyed the sunshine."
"Miami has its charms, though the pace isn't to everyone's taste. Nor the violence. Before you go, Lucas, you should take Paige for a drive, show her where you grew up." He turned to me. "It's a beautiful area. A fraction of Miami's crime rate, the safest streets in Florida, an excellent school system--"
"Any news regarding the case?" Lucas asked.
There wasn't. We told Benicio that we were pursuing a lead, but he didn't press for details, only offered us full use of the Cabal resources, should we need them. We spent the rest of breakfast discussing what the Cabals were doing to find Edward. The Nasts, as we'd expected, had been searching for him since Friday. Unfortunately, they hadn't found any clues...or any they cared to share.
As we neared the end of the meal, Benicio said, "As I was saying earlier, Lucas should take you on a tour of the area. Now, I know, I have a vested interest in wanting my son living closer than Oregon, but there is Savannah to consider. You've already had one bad experience keeping custody of her and, although you handled that very well, it was the second attempt, was it not?"
"Second attempt, but same person...who is not going to be making any more."
"Maybe so, but now the news of Savannah's desirability has spread across the supernatural world. You must consider that--"
"Both Paige and Savannah are quite happy with Portland," Lucas said.
"I understand, but before you put down permanent roots, you must give the matter serious thought. You don't want to buy a house in Portland only to realize six months from now that it's unsafe for Savannah."
"I know that," I said. "Which is why I'm not house-shopping until we've been there a year."
"Oh?" Benicio frowned. "I thought you had a house picked out. Lucas said..." His voice trailed off as he saw my look of confusion. "Oh, I see he hasn't mentioned it."
"No, I had not," Lucas said, his voice tight. "But thank you for doing so for me." He turned to me and lowered his voice. "I'll explain later."
We finished the meal in silence.
"What house?" I said before the hotel room door closed behind us.
"I believe I mentioned a potential arrangement with my last client, who, feeling indebted--"
"What house?" I said, throwing my purse onto the sofa. "The condensed version."
"You're understandably upset--"
"Hell, yes, I'm upset. You're making long-term plans for us and I have to hear it from your father?"
"It's not as it sounds. When he first called me in Chicago, he wanted to talk about our apartment. He didn't think it was right, me expecting you and Savannah to live there because I refuse to dip into my trust fund. I told him the apartment was short-term. He wouldn't listen, so I said that I had a lead on a house in Portland."
"Why didn't you tell me? We haven't discussed this, Lucas." I thumped down onto the couch and rubbed my temples. "If this was meant to be a surprise--"
"No, certainly not. I would never presume anything like that. Once this was over, I planned to show you the house and, if you liked it, then it would be yours to take at the offered price, whether you chose to share it with me or not."
"Whether I chose--? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
He sat on the couch beside me, close but not touching. "I would have mentioned it, but I wanted to get through this first. It seemed unfair to discuss long-term plans now, when you were getting your first glimpse of what a life with me might entail--the...familial issues."
"So, you think I'm going to turn tail and run?"
He managed a wry smile. "I'm surprised you haven't already."
"No, I'm serious. Is that really what you think? That I care so little for you that I'd--" I shifted down the couch, away from him. "I knew all about your 'familial issues' when we got together, Lucas."
"Yes, but you may have been unprepared for the impact it could have on our lives. I would completely understand--"
"Would you?" I said, springing to my feet. "You'd understand if I walked out the door? Said 'Sorry, not for me'? Just like you'd understand if you showed me this house and I said, 'I'll take it...now where are you going to live?'"
"I don't want to pressure you, Paige. Of course, I don't want you to leave, and, yes, I want to get this house with you, but if that's not what you want--" He reached for my arm, but I yanked it back.
"You have no idea how I feel about you, do you?"
When he hesitated, I strode to the door. Then I paused, hand on the knob. I couldn't do this. Not now.
"Come on," I said. "We have work to do."
The Cabal photos of Miami had given Lucas a half-dozen possible hotels, which we now needed to check. As for our spat, neither of us mentioned it, though the heavy silence in the car said we were both thinking about it. As much as I wanted to resolve the problem and get past it, I told myself it was better to ignore it for now. Plenty of time to fix things later.
On the fourth possibility, we found a match. A five-story mid-price hotel, with a southern view that matched Faye's description.
We were walking up the side alley, heading for the front of the building, when Lucas's cell phone rang.
"That was Oscar," he said when he hung up. "Faye's awake and very upset. All he can make out is that she wants to see me--immediately."
"Damn," I said.
"If she has new information on the case, it almost certainly relates to Edward's whereabouts, which we've probably found, rendering her information welcome but potentially unnecessary. At this point--" He looked up at the hotel. "I'm loath to walk away, however briefly, from the best lead we've had."
"I could go talk to Faye," I said. "But if Edward's in this hotel, I'd rather back you up."
"And I'd rather have you backing me up."
"What about sending Jaime? She's good with people, and it sounds like she's had some experience with Faye's type of condition, with her grandmother."
"Good idea."
Lucas called. Jaime was still in bed, but once she had woken up enough to understand what he was asking, she agreed to speak to Faye. If it was important, she'd call me back. So Lucas turned off his phone, I switched mine to vibrate, and we headed into the hotel.
"Sure, yeah," the young desk clerk said, head bobbing as he looked at the photo Lucas held. "Room three-seventeen. That's him."
"He's still checked in?"
"Right."
"Has he gone out yet this morning?"
"Not this way." He checked his watch. "And not this early. He usually heads out around noon, comes back after my shift."
Lucas wrote down a phone number. "If he comes down, wait until he's gone, then call this number. But only after he's left. Don't do anything to make him suspicious."
"Sure." The young man's head bobbed. "Okay. Sure."
Lucas strode through the front doors, face grim.
"Time to call the SWAT team?" I said.
"I'm afraid we have more immediate concerns. Right now that clerk is on the phone to Edward, warning him we're here."
"What?"
Lucas rounded the building corner, walking so fast I had to jog to keep up. "I introduced us as NSA, told him we needed to find this man immediately. The first thing he shou
ld think, given the current climate, is 'terrorist.' But he doesn't ask any questions, even after I tell him not to raise the man's suspicions, implying he's dangerous. He tells us what we want to know and gets us out of there fast so he can call Edward, collect whatever reward Edward offered for warning him."
"And once Edward gets that call, he'll grab his things and bail."
"Precisely. Now--" He stopped halfway between the front of the hotel and the side door. "I want you to stand here. Cast a cover spell. If he comes out, don't do anything. Let him go, but watch where he heads, then get me. I'll be around back watching that door."
I nodded, but Lucas had already broken into a jog, heading toward the rear. I stood against the wall opposite the hotel, and hid behind a cover spell.
Less than two minutes later, the side door opened. A man stepped out. He wore a baggy windbreaker, sweat-pants, sunglasses, and a ball cap pulled low, but none of that left any question that it was the man from the photograph: Edward.
Edward stepped out from behind the door and looked both ways. When his gaze passed over me, I resisted the urge to hold my breath, and concentrated instead on staying perfectly still. He eased the door shut. Then he lowered his backpack to the ground, bent, and opened it. As he crouched there, I couldn't help thinking how easy it would be to trap him in a binding spell. All I needed to do was break cover for a second and--
Edward pulled a gun from the knapsack and my idea died mid-thought.
He fiddled with the gun, then tucked it into the pocket of his windbreaker, hoisted his knapsack onto his back, and headed toward the rear of the building. Damn it! If only Lucas and I had practiced my long-range communication spell more, I could warn him. He'd be hiding, but not under a cover spell, since his cast wasn't reliable yet. I reassured myself that Lucas knew better than to pop out of hiding the moment he heard someone. Not that he'd even hear Edward. The man walked across the gravel like it was a foam cushion, not so much as rattling a stone underfoot. He stuck to the shadows, glancing over his shoulder with every few steps. Right before he reached the back of the building, he turned left and seemed to walk right through the wall I stood against.
I counted to three, then broke cover and leaned out to see an adjoining alley farther down. I took one slow step. The crunch of gravel under my feet resounded like thunder. I quickly recast my cover, but Edward didn't return. Again, I broke cover. Again, I took a single step. Again, the gravel crackled underfoot.
This wasn't working. After a moment's thought, I cast a light-ball and tossed it down the alley, praying Edward didn't pick that very moment to look behind him. When Lucas saw the ball, he peered around the corner. I gestured to the side alley. He nodded, darted across the alley, and pressed himself against the far wall. Then he inched to the opening and peeked down it. As he pulled back, he waved me forward.
When I got to the adjoining alley it was empty. Lucas motioned that Edward had slipped into a corridor farther down.
"He has a gun," I mouthed, pantomiming a pistol with my hand.
Lucas nodded and we set off in pursuit.
The Target
WE HURRIED ALONG THE PASSAGE, THEN PEEKED INTO the cross-alley Edward had taken. It ended at a street. Edward stepped onto the sidewalk and turned right. We hustled to the end of the alley and looked out. Edward was poised on the curb of a busy road, as if debating whether to dodge through traffic. Lucas motioned for me to get into a better viewing position and cast a cover spell. I did.
After a moment on the curb, Edward wheeled and headed left along the sidewalk. At the first stoplight, he joined a small crowd and waited, rocking on the balls of his feet. When the light changed, he wove through the other pedestrians, then darted into the first door on the other side.
I broke cover.
"He went into a coffee shop," I said. "Lying low?"
"Perhaps. I'll take a look. Once I verify he's there, I'll call for backup. Best not to try taking him in on our own, not when he's armed."
"But he's in a public place. He wouldn't dare shoot--"
"Are you sure?"
"You're right. In that case, though, I'm not sure I even want you peeking in the window. We need a spell. What about that glamor spell? The one you used with Savannah, to make me look like Eve."
"It only works if the viewer wants or expects to see someone else. I don't know how much information that desk clerk gave Edward, but I suspect he knows who he's watching out for. I believe we're down to the most obvious, and least satisfactory, choice. Arm myself with a good spell, slip in there, and hope for the best."
"Arm ourselves. I'll cover you."
Edward wasn't in the cafe. Lucas even popped into the men's washroom to be sure, but came out shaking his head. I did a visual sweep of the room. Next to the bathrooms was a short hall with three doors. Two were marked STAFF ONLY. The third had a push bar on it--a back exit.
We peeked out the rear door, then stepped into the alley. The empty corridor stretched a half-block in either direction.
"Damn," I muttered.
Lucas surveyed the ground. Water dripped from a leaky eaves-trough. During the cool night, a puddle had formed but now, in the heat of morning, it was drying fast. There were several footprints in the hardening mud, but only one still had water pooled between the tread marks. Lucas gestured in the direction the print pointed.
A dozen yards down, the alley branched off, heading farther away from the street. Lucas motioned for me to wait, then peered around the wall. A second later, he pulled back, brows knitting, and motioned for me to look.
I glanced around the corner. Edward was there, less than thirty feet away. I started to pull back fast, then noticed he'd stopped with his back to us. His knapsack lay at his feet and he was pulling out a map. Lucas tugged me back, then bent down to my ear.
"Go into the shop," he whispered. "Call my father."
I leaned over to his ear. "What if he leaves?"
"I'll follow and call you."
We'd let the cafe rear exit close behind us, so I had to walk all the way around the building. I was still in the alley when my phone vibrated. I glanced over my shoulder, but Lucas hadn't moved. I picked up the pace to get to the sidewalk, where I could answer without fear of my voice carrying to Edward. Before I was there, the phone stopped. I'd just set foot on the sidewalk when it vibrated again. I checked the number, but didn't recognize it.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?" Jaime's voice, words rushing out.
"We're--"
"Get over here now. Stop whatever you're doing, grab Lucas, and get over here."
"We can't. We're following Edward. We have him on the run--"
"Shit! No, leave him. Just back off and leave him alone. Where are you? I'll get the Cabal to send someone. Get back here--no, just get someplace--"
"Slow down, Jamie. What's--?"
The line buzzed, then Cassandra came on.
"Paige? Listen to me. We're with Faye. She knows who Edward's next target is. It's--"
I knew what she was going to say even before the name left her lips. I hit disconnect and fumbled to shove the phone back into my pocket, but it slipped and fell to the sidewalk. Ignoring it, I raced back into the alley.
Coup de Grace
WHEN I REACHED THE ALLEY BEHIND THE CAFE, LUCAS was gone. Edward was on the move. Of course he was. He knew who was chasing him. He wasn't running from Lucas; he was luring him in.
I raced down the adjoining alley, where we'd last seen Edward. I didn't worry about how much noise I made. If Lucas heard me, he'd come running, away from Edward, which was exactly what I wanted.
When I rounded the first junction, I saw Lucas. He was walking carefully, looking from side to side, his back to me. I opened my mouth to shout to him, then stopped. If Edward was lying in wait around the next corner, any disruption could spook him. I wasn't about to spook a vampire with a gun.
I jogged down the alley. A few yards from Lucas, as I ran under a fire escape, a shadow moved overhead. I wh
irled and looked up to see Edward, crouched on the fire escape.
"Lucas!" I yelled.
As I raced toward Lucas, I realized that we were in a blind alley, with only an alcove adjoining at the end. I wheeled just as Edward leapt to the ground. He raised his gun. I side-lunged into his firing path, and started casting a binding spell. Edward trained the gun on my chest.
"I'll fire before you finish," he said. His sunglasses were gone, and his eyes were as flat and emotionless as his voice. He looked over my shoulder at Lucas, who'd also frozen mid-incantation. "You, too. Cast and I'll shoot her."
"Paige," Lucas said. "Step aside. Please."
"So he can shoot you? You're the one he's after. That was the message Faye was trying to give us. You're the target."
"Do you really think I won't shoot because you're in the way?" Edward said.
Yet he didn't. He lifted the gun, as if considering firing over my shoulder at Lucas, then lowered it back to my chest, clearly not comfortable enough with his marksmanship to try for anything but a torso shot. He might not care about adding me to his body count, but he wouldn't take the chance that, in the time it took to shoot me, Lucas could cast a spell and escape.
"Do you know what Benicio will do to you if you kill Lucas?" I said.
"Same thing everyone else wants to do. Hunt me down and kill me. Do you think I care? I stopped caring the day I came back to my hotel room and found those Cabal assassins had finished their job."
"We--"
"I walked into that room, and do you know what I saw?" His gaze skewered mine. "Her head on the bedpost. My wife's head on the bedpost!"
I tried to summon up some sympathy, but all I could think about were the dozens of bodies buried behind that cabin.
A soft breeze fluttered down the alley, coming from behind us. Though I didn't dare peek over my shoulder, I knew there was a three-story wall behind Lucas. No breeze could come through that. Was I casting without knowing it? I'd done that once before, under stress. Could I do it again? But no, I couldn't rely on magic. Not now. I plowed ahead.
"So you took what was dearest to them," I said. "But when Benicio finds out--"