Protector (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 5) Read online

  That wasn’t the worst, though. She looked down and saw the dark blonde hair that fell over her chest, nearly obscuring her breasts — but not nearly enough. A pair of brown hands cupped those same breasts, and she could feel a man’s body against her, holding her, his breath hot on her neck.

  But even that wasn’t the worst. That was raising her head and looking into the face of another man, not the one holding her, and realizing he was above her, and in her, thrusting inward as she wrapped her legs around him, moaning in ecstasy while the first man continued to fondle her breasts.

  “Oh, Goddess, Roslyn, wake up!” The words came out of Caitlin’s mouth before she realized she was even saying them, and the shopping bag fell from her fingers.

  “Caitlin!” Alex’s voice, very close, urgent. “What are you seeing?”

  “No,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “No, please, no.”

  Hands settled on her shoulders, shaking her, but gently. “Caitlin. You have to tell me what you’re seeing.”

  Her breaths leaving her in short, panicked gusts, she somehow managed to open her eyes and stare up into Alex’s worried face. “It’s Roslyn.”

  “You saw her? Where is she?”

  “I don’t know.” A blink, and the last vestiges of the vision had disappeared. A woman walking past gave the two of them a curious look, but then shook her head and kept on going.

  Alex gathered up Caitlin’s discarded shopping bag and stuffed it into the cargo compartment of the Pathfinder. “Let’s get you in the car, okay?”

  She nodded and allowed him to guide her over to the passenger-side door, which he opened so she could climb in. That was something she just barely managed to do, her limbs were trembling so violently. But at least she was in the seat and he was buckling the seatbelt for her, since she clearly couldn’t manage to do it herself.

  Without saying anything else, Alex got in on the driver’s side and started up the SUV. He backed out, then said, “Can you talk about it?”

  Could she? Caitlin didn’t know for sure. All she knew was that, while the vision with Matías had been bad enough, this was far, far worse. She hadn’t been able to see the face of the man holding Roslyn, but it had to be Jorge, since the one — her brain stumbled on the concept, then kept going — the one fucking her had clearly been Tomas. Roslyn, with two guys? She was admittedly a flirt, and sort of flitted from boyfriend to boyfriend without much sign of slowing down, but a threesome? That was not her style. Especially with two men like Jorge and Tomas.

  “It was bad.” Alex’s words were a statement, not a question.

  “Yes.” She let the syllable hang there in the air for a minute, not sure how she should follow it up. Was she even capable of describing that scene to Alex? She’d have to at some point, but not here. She couldn’t imagine having that conversation while riding around in a Nissan Pathfinder. “Can we — can we talk about it after we get to your place?”

  “Sure,” he replied, and went silent after that, guiding them back to his house. If it seemed like he was going a little too fast, cutting it a little too close on a couple of yellow lights, well, she couldn’t really blame him for that.

  About ten minutes later, they were pulling into the garage. By then, Caitlin’s shakes had subsided enough that she was able to get out of the car herself. Still quiet, Alex went around to the back and retrieved her shopping bag, then went to unlock the door and let them into the house.

  “Why don’t you go sit down, and I’ll get you some water?” he asked.

  She sort of doubted water would fix any of this, but she realized they had to start somewhere. Besides, maybe it would help to settle her stomach, which was churning so badly she was afraid she might throw up. “O-okay.”

  So she went into the family room and took a seat on the couch, trying not to think about how Alex had kissed her right here in almost this very spot. Actually, she was trying very hard not to think about much of anything at all. She’d have to tell Alex what she’d just seen, but in the meantime, she was going to do what she could to keep her mind blank.

  A minute later, he came into the room, a glass of water in either hand. He set one down in front of her on the coffee table, then settled himself next to her. Because he’d brought her the water, she knew she should drink some of it. The glass felt far heaver than it should as she lifted it to her lips, but at least her hand wasn’t shaking anymore.

  Alex sat waiting, dark eyes full of questions. He didn’t speak, though, seemed willing to remain quiet until she could find the words to express what she’d seen. The problem was, she didn’t know if there were words. That is, if three people wanted to get together, fine. She had the vague impression that one of the artists in Jerome had that sort of arrangement with his girlfriend and his best friend, although no one really talked about it. But all three of them had gone into that pact willingly and with their eyes open. You couldn’t say the same thing about Roslyn.

  “Is she — ” Alex finally ventured.

  “No.” Caitlin set down her water and shifted on the couch so she was facing him. As hard as this was, it would’ve been even more difficult if she’d been with someone less sympathetic, instead of someone she knew would give her a comforting hug as soon as she showed that she needed it. “She’s — she’s alive. But…they’ve been hurting her.”

  He didn’t say anything, only waited, full lips slightly compressed as he processed what she was telling him.

  “Cutting her, I mean. Whatever magic they’re using, whatever spells they’re casting, it’s obvious they’re still doing it. She had bandages all over her arms, and in between, scabs where the cuts have started to heal — ” Caitlin broke off as the horror of it came back to her all over again. “How could someone do that to another person?”

  “She’s not a person to them. She’s a means to an end,” Alex said. Then he drew in a breath. “Shit, that sounded terrible. But you know what I mean. If they’re firmly set on this path, then a few cuts and some spilled blood aren’t much to them. And also…although I don’t know much about the mechanics of the whole thing, from what I’ve heard, it sounded like you don’t need huge amounts of blood for those rituals. They might be able to keep at it for some time.” Pausing, he seemed to study Caitlin’s face. “There’s more, though, isn’t there?”

  “Yes.” Oh, Goddess, would she really have to tell him everything she’d seen? Even as she asked herself that question, she knew the answer. He had to have all the facts so he could pass them on to people who were more knowledgeable about these sorts of things. Trying to cover it up wouldn’t do anyone any good, least of all Roslyn and Danica. Once again, Caitlin prayed that her friends would have no memory of what had happened to them, that once they were rescued, their time with Matías and Jorge and Tomas would only be a bad dream.

  But that was the future. She had to focus on now.

  “She was…with Jorge and Tomas. The way Danica was with Matías,” she added, just in case Alex didn’t make the connection. “One was holding her, and the other was — ”

  Looking shaken, he held up a hand. “I get it. Jesus.” For a few seconds, he was silent as he attempted to absorb what she’d just told him. “I’ve never — I’ve never heard of anything like this. I mean, the blood rituals are one thing, but….”

  The words trailed off, and the horror in his expression told her everything she needed to know about his opinion on the subject. There were a few guys she’d known who probably would have tried to laugh off the matter with a flippant remark about consenting adults, but there was certainly no consent in either Danica’s or Roslyn’s situation.

  “We have to get them out of there,” Caitlin said, anger at her herself, at her limited abilities, rising up again. What was the point in seeing these terrible things if they couldn’t give her any concrete details, any information she could actually use?

  “I know that, but since we don’t know where they are — ”

  “Then we have to go to someone who might.�
�� An idea began to form in her mind, one so audacious, so completely out of left field, that she knew Alex would be sure to protest. “These guys are obviously good at covering their tracks, but if they really did come from Simón Santiago’s territory, then the logical thing is to go directly to him and make him tell us where his warlocks are holed up.”

  “You’re not serious.” But the way Alex was looking at her told Caitlin that he did realize she was serious, even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself.

  “I’m totally serious.”

  “But — even if we did do such a crazy thing, how do you know he’d have any information? I sort of doubt Matías and his buddies filed a flight plan with their prima’s consort.”

  Well, that was possible, but even if he didn’t have the exact information, Simón might be able to give them a better idea of where to look. People they knew in the Tucson area…something. Anything. Surely their clan leader would have access to knowledge she and Alex wouldn’t even know to look for. It had to be better than stumbling around in the dark while her friends were tortured.

  “Isn’t it worth a try?” she asked at last. “Do you have any better ideas?”

  His troubled silence told her that he didn’t. Since he didn’t seem to be offering any protests, she went on,

  “Do you know where he lives?’

  “In Pasadena, I think. I’d have to get the address from my mother.” Then he gave Caitlin a penetrating look, those dark eyes suddenly far too piercing. “And what am I supposed to say to her? She’s got her hands full with Maya, and now I have to tell her that we’re going to be running off to California to interrogate Simón Santiago, and could I please have his address?”

  Put that way, her suggestion did sound pretty terrible. But there was that feeling in her gut again, the one telling her this was the right thing to be doing. On the surface, it seemed like a crazy plan. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t work.

  “And that’s exactly why we should be doing this. I suppose technically she should be the one to contact Simón, since your grandmother isn’t well and she’s the prima-in-waiting. But she doesn’t have the time or the energy…and I think it would be best if Simón didn’t know we were coming. Just a feeling. He’d wonder why Maya wasn’t contacting him, and start asking questions….”

  Alex still looked pretty grim, but at last he nodded. “All right. Obviously, these ‘feelings’ of yours are a little more than just that. I’ll let my mother know.”

  “Thanks, Alex.”

  To Caitlin’s surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. Gently, but even so, that delicious warmth curled low in her belly again.

  She’d definitely been right when she said he was distracting. Too, too distracting.

  * * *

  Just as Alex had expected, his mother’s reaction was not exactly encouraging

  “You want to do what?”

  “Go and talk to Simón Santiago. If these are his warlocks — and I think they must be, because they’re sure not any of ours — then he should know something that would help us find them. We need to, mamita,” he added, trying not to sound too desperate. “What they’re doing to those girls…it’s bad. Very bad.” And please, God, let her not ask me for any details….

  Whether she’d picked up on his urgent desire to avoid discussing exactly what Matías & Co. were doing to Danica and Roslyn, or whether she was preoccupied enough with her own troubles that she didn’t have the energy to go into any more details, Alex didn’t know for certain. But his mother sighed, then said, sounding very tired, “All right. I’ll get his address from your grandmother’s book and email it to you.”

  “Thanks so much, Mom.”

  Her tone sharpened as she replied, “You be respectful, Alex. Simón has perhaps let things get out of hand the past few years, but he is still the consort of the Santiagos’ prima. What has happened to Caitlin’s friends is terrible, yes. However, their current situation is none of his doing. Keep that in mind.”

  Alex wasn’t sure he entirely agreed with that. All right, it wasn’t as if Simón had told the rogue warlocks to come to de la Paz territory and wreak as much havoc as possible. Even so, if Simón had been more vigilant, he might have seen the cancer growing within his own clan and taken steps to counteract it. If he even could, that is. He’d been more or less running things for years, ever since his wife became an invalid, but Alex was a bit fuzzy on how that exactly worked. Simón wasn’t a primus, but a consort, and so didn’t have access to his wife’s powers. Not precisely, anyway.

  “I will,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about us. We’ll be extremely diplomatic.”

  “Oh, I worry,” his mother told him. “I worry a lot. But I can’t leave Maya’s side, and if there’s even the slightest chance that Simón might have information that could be helpful, then it’s best you should go. I have to hope that he’ll see you, the grandson of our prima, going to him in person as a sign of respect. This is not the sort of thing that can be handled by a phone call.”

  That angle hadn’t occurred to him. But his mother knew far more about inter-clan politics than he did. She had to, as the prima-in-waiting.

  He just worried that she might not be waiting for much longer.

  But he didn’t give voice to his worries. Instead, he thanked her again, said that he and Caitlin planned to head out very soon, and hung up before his mother could throw any roadblocks their way. Maybe it was crazy to be leaving for such a drive with the day half over, but Caitlin kept insisting there wasn’t a moment to lose. They’d get into Pasadena at almost ten o’clock, far too late to go see Simón. No, that visit would have to take place in the morning. If it was fruitful, though, they could get back on the road immediately afterward and be in Tucson by dinnertime.

  That was assuming everything went according to plan. A pretty big assumption, he knew, but they had to start somewhere.

  His phone chirped, indicating he had a new email. He opened up the message and saw that it was from his mother. Simón’s address. Perfect.

  Caitlin had been waiting in the family room, pretending to watch TV. As soon as he entered, however, she turned off the television and looked up at him expectantly.

  “I’ve got it,” he said. “I’ll program the route into Siri, but it would probably be easier if I went hotel-hunting on my laptop. Come on.”

  She followed him into his office, where his MacBook sat on the desk. He opened it up, went to a booking website, then found a few prospects not too far from where Simón’s house was located. Since Alex had never been to California, all the streets and districts were unfamiliar to him. As far as he could tell, though, it was only a mile or so from Pasadena’s downtown section to the Santiago house.

  The hotel room — he flicked a glance over his shoulder at Caitlin, who stood a few feet away. “Two rooms?” he asked. Just because they’d kissed once, it didn’t seem as if he should presume as to their sleeping arrangements.

  She shook her head. “No, that’s just wasting money. Um…a room with two beds?”

  Well, it would have been nice to hope for more, but he’d take that. Anyway, this was a quick fact-finding trip, not a romantic getaway. “Sounds good.” He selected the room, entered his information, and pushed the button to finalize the transaction. “We’re probably lucky we were able to find someplace at such late notice.” A glance at his watch told him it was almost three o’clock. Since the room was guaranteed on his credit card, a late check-in wouldn’t be a problem, but they still needed to get going. “How soon can you be packed?”

  “I’m already packed,” she replied, and seemed amused by his surprise at her answer. “I mean, I’ve been living out of suitcases anyway. I just went and got a few things together, and then closed everything up while you were on the phone with your mother. Took me just a couple of minutes.”

  Maybe he should have said something about presuming too much, but really, her efficiency was only a benefit here. “Well, I don’t know if I’ll
be that fast, but I’ll do what I can. Why don’t you go back out to the family room while I get my own stuff packed?”

  “Sure.” Her entire aspect seemed brighter now, less weighed down by those troubling visions. Alex guessed it was simply knowing that they were taking the next step in finding her friends, rather than sitting around and waiting for another vision to come to her.

  It did feel good to be doing something. Whether it would end up being constructive, well…they’d just have to see what happened. A lot of things could be waiting for them in California, and he had to hope they could handle whatever they might encounter out there.

  13

  They drove west into the bright afternoon sun. Caitlin squinted and wished she’d thought to pick up a pair of sunglasses at Nordstrom Rack. She had her new purse with her new wallet and I.D. tucked into it, and she supposed if it got really bad, they could pull off at a gas station where she could buy some cheap glasses.

  In the meantime, though, it just felt good to be on the road, to watch the desert landscape flash past as they left Tucson and headed toward Phoenix. She’d known in her heart that this was the right thing to be doing, and yet she’d still had the thought in the back of her mind that Luz would try to dissuade them, tell them that going to California was a terrible idea. According to Alex, though, she had caved pretty quickly.

  They hit the Phoenix sprawl just as rush hour was starting, but for the first part of it, the traffic wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t until they got to the other side of downtown and were caught with everyone else trying to get to the western suburbs, to Goodyear and Glendale and Avondale, that Alex had to slow to a crawl.