Protector(16)

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea to have her staying in a condo by herself after what happened,” Adam began, his tone dubious, and Luz broke in, saying,

“Of course not. It would probably be best if she stayed with you.”

Caitlin felt her eyes widen. Had Alex’s mother seriously just suggested that she stay with her son?

He didn’t look all that enthused by the prospect. Not making eye contact with either of them, he said, “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

“You are the best suited to protect her,” his mother said, her tone so matter-of-fact that it didn’t leave much room for argument. She glanced over at Caitlin. “Unless you would prefer that we send you home to Jerome so your family can watch over you?”

No, that didn’t sound good at all. Never mind that she didn’t actually live in Jerome anymore, but in the apartment she shared with Danica in Flagstaff. That sounded even less secure than going back to her old room in her parents’ big Victorian house on Paradise Lane. Yes, she supposed the Wilcoxes would make sure she was looked after…if her parents would even agree to her going back up to Flagstaff after what had happened…but that was the coward’s way out. Hide up in northern Arizona while those bastards still had Danica and Roslyn with them? No way.

“No,” Caitlin said, her tone firm. All right, it would be beyond awkward to go and stay with Alex Trujillo, but at least she’d still be here in Tucson. “I don’t want to go to Jerome.”

“Well, then,” Luz said. “I think we should be on our way to Scottsdale.”



* * *



After leaving the house the warlocks had so briefly occupied, Alex and his mother took Caitlin back to the store. Just for a few minutes, enough so he could tell Manuela that family business had come up and that she’d have to keep an eye on things for him, and so he could trade the shirt he wore, the one with Caitlin’s bloody handprints on the sleeve, for the fresh one he kept hanging in the office, just in case he spilled something on himself during the workday.

Manuela nodded and said it was no problem, but he could tell from the inquisitive gleam in her eyes that she really wanted to know what was going on, and would probably be on the phone the second they left, trying to ferret out what she could from the family grapevine.

Good luck with that, he thought, because no one else knows anything about all this. Except Valentina, and she knows how to keep secrets.

His mother had already asked him to drive, so they all got into his shiny black Pathfinder, Caitlin in the passenger seat, and his mother in the back directly behind her. As they pulled out of the parking lot, his mother said, “Caitlin, I can cast a small illusion to hide the stains on your clothing. Or would you rather we stopped at the mall on our way out of town, so you can buy something new?”

In the seat next to him, Caitlin brushed at the bloodstains on her jeans. “Couldn’t you just take me back to the condo? All my luggage is there.”

Luz hesitated, then said, “I suppose that would work as well. But we will need to be on our guard, just in case the warlocks who took your friends have gone there for some reason.”

From the way Caitlin paled, Alex guessed she hadn’t considered that particular angle. But she lifted her chin and replied, “I hope they have. Then we can catch them and put an end to all this.”

“Perhaps,” Luz allowed.

Alex doubted it would be that simple. Still, he cast the spell of protection around the three of them once again as they got out of his SUV and followed Caitlin to her rented condo. It was a nice one, not some cramped studio, but a regular one-bedroom with a full kitchen and a shaded patio. Scattered around the main living space were various bits of luggage; it looked as if the three girls had just dumped their suitcases and gone out looking for a good time, figuring they could always unpack later.

For some reason, looking at that abandoned luggage upset him, since it seemed to bring home the reality of the situation, that two of the girls who’d brought those suitcases here to Tucson might not ever need them again.

You don’t know that, he told himself. What those warlocks were doing was terrible, but from what Caitlin said, it didn’t sound as if they intended to kill those girls.

Yet, anyway.

Looking pale and grim, as if a similar thought had crossed her mind, Caitlin gathered up two of the suitcases and disappeared into the bedroom. She shut the door quietly behind her.

Alex glanced over at his mother. “Are you going to tell her about abuelita?”

Jaw tight, she shook her head. “She will see for herself soon enough. Perhaps we shouldn’t have kept so quiet about this, but….”