The signal on his phone kicked back in as they entered the town limits of Blythe, so Alex handed it over to Caitlin. “Can you find us someplace to eat?”
“You like barbecue?” she asked.
“Sure.”
“Then how about this place?” She angled the screen toward him so he could see some images from the restaurant she’d selected. The pictures various Yelpers had added to the site showed barbecued ribs and brisket sandwiches and an assortment of other dishes, all of which looked pretty damn good to him, considering he’d only had a couple of meager street tacos to keep him going for a good chunk of the day.
“Sounds good. Can you get the navigation started?”
She pushed the screen to start them on their route. Her fingers just barely brushed against his as she gave him back the phone. Even that light touch made his heart start to pound, but he did his best to ignore the way she’d gotten his body to react. No, that wasn’t even fair. He was getting himself all hot and bothered. Caitlin probably had no idea that even her lightest touch was enough to make his blood seem to boil.
The restaurant was just off the freeway, and he pulled into the last remaining parking space before shoving the phone into his jeans pocket. Thank God the bulge had subsided. “Did you bring a jacket?” he asked, looking at the thin knit top Caitlin was wearing. It might have been fine for a bright, sunny day in Tucson, but now that the sun was down, it would be much cooler here.
“Yes,” she said, then pulled on the handle to open the door. “It’s in my suitcase, though, so you’ll need to pop the back so I can get to it.”
“No problem.”
They both headed to where their luggage was stowed, and he watched as she opened up the larger of her two suitcases and got out the jacket. After shrugging into it, she said, “What about you?”
The air was cool, but he thought he could manage. “I’m fine. Let’s go eat.”
She raised her shoulders, as if to say, your funeral, and then followed him into the restaurant. Well, diner. It was the sort of place where you ordered at the counter and then had someone bring you your food. Not fancy, but it definitely smelled good in there.
From the way Caitlin took an appreciative sniff, it seemed she felt the same way. And although she had to be even more apprehensive about what they were going to find in California than he was, it didn’t seem to have affected her appetite. She ordered a pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac and cheese, while he opted for sliced tri-tip with steak fries.
“Obviously you’re not one of those girls who only eats salads in front of guys,” he joked as they sat down.
She rolled her eyes. “Nope. I like to eat.”
Alex couldn’t help wondering where she put it, since she was fairly slender, except for her chest. Built like a swimsuit model, he thought, wondering what she’d look like in a bikini. He had a feeling he wouldn’t find out anytime soon, even if they were headed to California. No beach trips in their future, that was for sure. But if this had a happy ending, maybe he could convince her to stay a few days more at his place, swim in his pool, before she went home. Or would that even work? She was on break from school right now, but he didn’t know for sure when she had to go back.
His phone rang then. Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket, then looked at the number on the display. He didn’t recognize it, although the number did have a Phoenix area code. “I’d better get this,” he said apologetically, and Caitlin nodded.
“It’s fine.”
He accepted the call before putting the phone to his ear. “Hello?”
“Alex, it’s Miguel.”
“Oh, hey, Miguel,” Alex replied. Across the table from him, Caitlin lifted an inquiring eyebrow, and he shrugged. “What’s up?”
“I have a little more information. I don’t know how much of it’s going to help, but I figured I’d pass it along.”
“Anything would be great. We haven’t been able to get much more on these guys.”
Caitlin seemed to tense, and she leaned forward slightly, as if she expected by doing so that she’d be able to overhear what Miguel was saying. Alex wasn’t sure it really worked that way, but maybe she’d be able to pick up a little bit.
His cousin said, “Well, I went back to the neighborhood where the McAllister girl says her friends were taken. I did some asking around, and it turns out that someone down the next street did actually see them as they were leaving. Thought the girls must be high or something because of the way they were wobbling around.”
Not high…just under some really nasty mind control. But it was better that the neighbors thought Danica and Roslyn were on drugs. A couple of loaded college girls was a lot easier to explain away than dark spells and darker talents.