Defender (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 11) Read online

  “Yes, but — ”

  She reached over and laid a hand on his leg. Crazy that even the most comforting of touches should send such a thrill through him. He didn’t want to be going to Scottsdale. He wanted to head back to the house in Tubac and make love to her again. Insane? Maybe. Or maybe not really, considering that one of the most human reactions to death was the desire to have sex, to prove you were still alive.

  But it wasn’t happening this afternoon. After they got back to the house? Well, he’d have to see how Kate felt. Right now he didn’t see any desire in her expression, except the need to offer him what comfort she could.

  “It’s okay, Jack,” she said quietly. “This is — it’s all awful. There’s no other word for it. But if I have to go through all this, I’m so very, very glad that I’m able to go through it at your side. Anyway,” she continued, her tone somewhat more brisk, “shouldn’t I be comforting you? You’re the one who just lost a relative.”

  True enough, although he wasn’t what you could call close with Consuelo. She was part of the Tucson branch of the family, and so their paths didn’t cross very often, especially in later years, where she hadn’t shown much inclination to leave the house, not even for the clan get-togethers they usually held sometime in the spring. “It’s…well, I can’t say it’s all right, because of course it isn’t, but I’m also not the sort of person to pretend to mourn someone I didn’t know very well. If it had been either of my parents, or one of my brothers….” He stopped himself there, because he really didn’t want to think what his reaction might have been if he’d lost someone that close to him.

  Kate seemed to take the hint, because she asked, “Can you tell me about your family? I mean, your immediate family, not the de la Paz clan itself.”

  “What’s to tell? My parents live in Phoenix, in the same house where all of us were born.”

  “You were born at home?” She seemed surprised by that revelation.

  “When you’ve got healers in the family, it’s not as big a deal. No hospitals for most of us de la Pazes, unless it’s something really serious that a healer can’t handle. I’m the youngest of five — usually we witch-folk keep our families a little smaller, just because witch blood tends to breed true, and it’s hard to keep a low profile if you’re multiplying at a rate to take over the earth.” Kate chuckled at that remark, and he allowed himself a small smile. It felt good to be talking about subjects like this, rather than all the doom and gloom of the past few days. “But my mother wanted a girl, so they kept trying…and then when I came along, that’s when she gave up and said it must be God’s will.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re not a girl.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, me, too. My oldest brother is married to Luz’s sister, so we’re connected a little more closely than most. Luis is a lawyer. The rest of my brothers are kind of all over the place — one’s a landscape architect, another a chemist, and Tomás is a librarian, of all things.”

  “What made you want to be a cop?”

  “A couple of things. I like to work at puzzles until I solve them. Also, we try to have a couple of us on the various police forces in the area — it helps in case something happens that’s witch-related and needs to be swept under the rug, so to speak.”

  That comment didn’t seem to win Kate’s approval. Her brows drew together, and she shot him a troubled look from under her eyelashes. “What, you’ll cover things up if it looks bad for the witch community? That doesn’t sound right.”

  “That’s not really what we do,” he responded, his tone as gentle as he could make it. Kate might understand something of his people’s need to keep things quiet, but since she wasn’t a witch herself, she couldn’t possibly understand it at gut level the way he and everyone else in his family did. “I mean, look at Matías Escobar. Of course I helped to make sure he’d be locked up for the rest of his life, because he’s a bad guy. But a very important part of what I did was to ensure that the supernatural elements of the case were downplayed, or shown to be part of his own particular obsessions, nothing to do with reality. That’s how we make it work. We don’t want the bad guys to win. But we also can’t have them expose us for what we are.”

  This explanation elicited a nod, albeit a somewhat troubled one. “I suppose I understand. I can tell you have far different problems to deal with down here than the McAllisters do in Jerome.”

  There was an understatement. For the most part, the smaller clan got to exist in their little bubble and not worry nearly as much about hiding their true selves. Hell, even the civilians who lived in the little mountain town were carefully vetted so they could be let in on the secret. But here, rubbing elbows with non-magical people on every side? You could never let go. Not really.

  “Yes, we do.” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “The real reason I became a cop, though, is that I wanted to make sure the bad guys would be brought to justice. And that’s why I’m not going to let this thing go.” As she watched him, her expression troubled, he added, “No matter what.”

  Jack parked his Jeep in front of Luz’s elegant hacienda-style home. This time, Kate noted the perfectly groomed desert-style landscaping out front, the cactus studded with blooms in fuchsia and yellow. They went through the courtyard, past a tiled fountain that splashed into the quiet afternoon air, and up to the tall door of dark carved wood. Once again, Kate had to fight back a wave of uneasiness. Yes, she hadn’t faced any disapproval from Consuelo, but that was because the unfortunate woman had been attacked and on death’s door when Kate and Jack arrived at her house.

  Here, though…inside was Luz Trujillo, the prima of the entire de la Paz clan, along with Angela and Connor Wilcox. Never mind that, according to Jenny, Angela was a year or so younger than Kate herself, and therefore shouldn’t be all that intimidating. She was still a prima, and her husband a primus, and therefore both forces to be reckoned with.

  Jack rang the doorbell, and a moment later Luz opened the door. Just like the last time Kate had seen her, Luz wore a dead-simple but probably very expensive dress, her dark hair pulled back into a low chignon. Although her expression appeared tense, she smiled when she saw Kate and Jack, and said, “You made good time.” Her focus shifted to Kate, and she added, “It’s good to see you again, Kate.”

  Was there a subtext to those words? Had Luz somehow managed to detect the shift in Kate’s relationship with Jack? She managed an awkward smile and said, “Hello, Luz.”

  Seeming to sense the awkwardness of the moment, Luz said, “Come on inside. We’re all in the living room.”

  Kate trailed along behind Luz and Jack, trying not to be too obvious about looking from side to side and taking it all in. Yes, she’d been here before, but that time she and Caitlin and Alex had hurried in so quickly that she hadn’t been able to note much about her surroundings. Her second impressions only reinforced those first glimpses she’d caught, telling her that this house was very different from the witch-owned homes she’d seen in Jerome. The de la Paz prima’s home could have been lifted from the Spanish countryside somewhere, with its red-tiled floors, white plaster walls, and wrought-iron fixtures. Everything here looked as if it had been in the family for years, and well-loved during that time. Not shabby, just not model-home perfect, either.

  On the leather couch in the living room sat a dark-haired couple, both of them very attractive, the woman with striking green eyes and long wavy hair, the man tall and movie-star handsome. They stood as soon as Kate and Jack entered the room, although neither of them smiled. “I’m Connor,” the man said. “And this is Angela.”

  Angela held out her hand to Kate, and she took it. “Very nice to meet you,” Kate said.

  The other woman’s mouth quirked. “Well, I’m not sure about ‘nice,’ considering the circumstances, but I’m glad for the chance to meet you. Jenny speaks very highly of you.”

  A flush heated Kate’s cheeks. She had no idea that her sister-in-law had ever discussed her with the clan’s pr
ima. “Jenny’s awesome.”

  “So she is.” Angela looked over at Jack. “I’m sorry, Jack. Luz told me what just happened to your cousin.”

  He nodded. His face wore the tight, blank expression Kate had come to recognize as the one he put on when he wanted to make sure he didn’t betray his emotions. “I’m positive it’s the same person who murdered Jeff Nichols, and who sabotaged Kate’s car. My best guess is that he was after something in Consuelo’s collection.”

  “Right, her collection,” Connor said. “Luz was telling us something about that. Were you able to figure out what was taken?”

  Jack’s lips pressed together. Kate guessed that subject was a sore spot with him. “No. The house was trashed. I think that Ana — Consuelo’s sister — will have some of her closer relatives out there to put the house back together as best they can. But I don’t know if that will help us. Consuelo had her own system for keeping track of everything, and we may never be able to determine what’s missing.”

  That response made Connor frown slightly. He looked like he was about to speak, but Luz forestalled him by saying, “Please, everyone, sit down. We have much to discuss, and hovering like this won’t help.”

  Connor and Angela exchanged a glance, then settled themselves back on the couch. Jack inclined his head toward the end of the sofa nearest a matching leather armchair. Clearly, he thought that Kate should sit there. She followed his silent request and took that position, while he sat down in the armchair next to her, and Luz took the one across the coffee table.

  “How long had Consuelo been collecting these items?” Angela asked then.

  “Most of her life, I think,” Luz replied. “She inherited her great-aunt’s collection, then built on it. But I don’t think that Adelina — she was Consuelo’s great-aunt — kept any better records than Consuelo did.”

  “Do you really think that was wise?” Connor put in. “I mean, if she had books and artifacts of such power, then it would have been a lot safer to catalogue them all.”

  In the chair beside Kate, Jack stirred, as if in annoyance. However, Luz didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Perhaps. But you must realize, Connor, that the sort of conflict the McAllisters and the Wilcoxes experienced over the last century or so was quite unique to your clans. We de la Pazes have lived here in peace for generations. There was no one to challenge us. We had no reason to expect that anyone would seek to harm us. So while you might think it was irresponsible of Consuelo not to safeguard her collection, in her eyes, she had no real reason to do so, other than a good set of warding spells, just to be safe. Clearly, they were not sufficient, and now we must all suffer the consequences of that lack.”

  “And this warlock — whoever he is — is very powerful,” Jack said. “Consuelo would have tried to protect herself, but it’s obvious her own gifts weren’t enough to save her. We can’t blame her too much.”

  Angela nodded, her big green eyes worried and sad. “We’re not here to blame anyone. We’re just trying to figure out the best way to protect our own people…and those connected to them. Kate, Luz said you were targeted as well?”

  “The warlock hexed my car,” Kate replied. She tried to ignore the little wrench in her midsection that seemed to occur whenever she thought of her poor wrecked Jetta. “I survived, but only because Jack had his clan’s healer take care of me right away. So yes, it seems like I’m on the list, for whatever reason. Jack thinks it’s because, as a civilian who’s connected to a witch clan, I’m an easier target.”

  “So…revenge against the McAllisters?” Connor said. “And your cousin Consuelo was collateral damage because she had something this warlock wanted?”

  “It sounds that way,” Luz said. “But with the Wilcoxes and the McAllisters on such good terms these days, one has to look farther afield to discover who would bear such hatred for your clan.”

  “Well,” Angela ventured, speaking slowly, as though she was still trying to work her way through the tangle of evidence, “I’d say the Santiagos have reason to be angry, because of what happened to Tomas and Jorge Aguirre. Not so much Matías, because he was never truly one of theirs, but taken in on sufferance because of his mother’s healing skills. But maybe there are some in the clan who think we were too harsh with the cousins, that they shouldn’t be counted as guilty because Matías forced them to go along with his schemes.”

  “Those two weren’t innocent,” Jack said. His dark eyes were narrowed, angry. “They knew exactly what they were doing, were only too happy to go along with Matías’ schemes.”

  “Yes, Jack,” Luz said. “We all know that. But this is a question of what the Santiagos might believe.”

  “But are the Santiagos in a position to be doing much of anything right now?” Kate put in. “I mean, because of what happened to their prima and her consort….” She let the words trail off, not wanting to go into any more detail. Not that she needed to; from the way everyone’s expressions grew even grimmer, she could tell they knew exactly what she meant.

  “That’s the really scary thing,” Angela said. She clasped her hands on her knees and leaned forward slightly, delicate features taut with worry. “We have this — this null out there, doing Goddess knows what. I have to guess that he’s running things, but is he really in charge of the warlock who’s running amok here in southern Arizona, or are these two unrelated issues?”

  “I don’t believe in coincidence,” Jack said flatly. “Not one bit. I don’t know why they’re working together, but they have to be. There’s no other real explanation for all this blowing up at the same time. What we have to do is try to connect the dots.”

  “Difficult, when we don’t have much to work with,” Luz responded. She tapped her manicured nails on her knee; looking at her, at her elegant chignon and the simple dress of pale peach she wore, Kate would have said Luz must be one of Scottsdale’s ladies who lunch, trying to work out a problem with a charity banquet, and not a series of gruesome murders. “We know this man’s name. Joaquin. Caitlin gave us a description, but that same description could match a number of my cousins here in the Phoenix area. We know he possesses very strong powers. It is possible he is the same one who murdered Kate’s estranged husband and my cousin Consuelo, but that doesn’t seem likely. Especially Consuelo’s murder. One would think that this Joaquin would have to stay in California and continue to consolidate his power. He would not take the risk of coming here.”

  “No, probably not,” Angela said, and gave a small sigh. She ran a hand through her wavy dark hair, mussing it. “Which means we have to be on the lookout for someone with no description, who works in darkness or at least in isolation, where he can’t be seen.”

  “And leaves no real trail behind, either,” Jack said. “Faint traces, gone quickly. There’s no way of tracking him down.”

  “So we just have to play defense rather than offense,” Connor said. He reached over and took his wife’s right hand in his left before continuing. “We’ve already gotten the word out amongst our clans. The McAllister elders have strengthened the wards protecting Jerome, and the Wilcoxes are shoring up their defenses, too. People have been told not to be alone, especially at night.”

  “Much the same here,” Luz added. “Everyone is on their guard.” Her gaze shifted to Jack. “I am not sure your hideaway is the best place for the two of you.”

  Kate could feel herself stiffen. Through all of this, one thing that had heartened her was the knowledge that they’d be able to go back to the house outside Tubac, find solace in one another’s arms. She hoped Luz wasn’t going to suggest that she go and stay with her parents, or maybe head up to Clarkdale to hide out with Jenny and Colin. That was the last thing Jenny probably needed, what with the baby due to show up in the very near future. If she’d been able to give any real assistance to the new mother, that was different, but Kate didn’t know the first thing about taking care of babies, whereas there were plenty of seasoned pros in Jerome just waiting for the chance to help out.


  “It’s fine,” Jack replied, his tone once again flat, inviting no further arguments. “I’ve got that place warded within an inch of its life. Nothing’s getting to us there. Its safety is that no one knows it’s mine.”

  “You could say the same thing for a hotel room.”

  His expression didn’t change. “Maybe. Maybe not. They’re pretty strict about checking I.D.s these days, and I don’t have the powers of illusion to make mine look like something they’re not.”

  “But I do,” Luz said mildly. “I can see that your mind is made up, however. You have more expertise in these sorts of things than I do, so I won’t argue with you.”

  Thank God. If Kate had been sitting right next to Jack, she might have sagged gratefully against his shoulder. As it was, all she could do was shoot him a quick smile, and hope that he could see how relieved she was.

  One corner of his mouth lifted slightly, but that was his only response. He turned his attention to Luz and said, “One thing Consuelo said when I met with her a few days ago stuck with me. She said that Jeff Nichols’ murder had taken place during the night of the full moon so the person who cast those spells would get the maximum benefit from them. She then said there was an equal strength in the dark of the moon. Since that’s still more than a week off, maybe we have some breathing space to try to regroup, to plan our next steps.”

  “If the warlock waits that long,” Connor said. “If I were in his position, I probably wouldn’t.”

  “Spoken like a true Wilcox,” Jack returned with a faint curl of his lip.

  Luz sent him a reproving look. “Jack, that is not helpful at all. We all know that Connor is nothing like his brother. So.” She stopped there, appearing to gather her thoughts. “While we can all hope that this warlock does wait until the dark of the moon, we can’t place all our faith in such a thing happening. What we should do is attempt to figure out what his next target will be.”