Ann Aguirre - Blue Diablo

I exchanged a glance with Chance. Should we tell them the whole story? He slowly shook his head.

Eva recovered first. “Sure. It’s just down the hall. Towels are in the closet to the right.”

“Let me show you.” Bone tired, I pushed away from the table and led the way to the bathroom after getting him a clean blue towel from the linen closet. “Do you need some help? I can bind up your wounds afterward if you want.”

In answer he pulled his filthy shirt off and presented me a back crisscrossed with scars. Some must be old and puckered the pale skin, but the wounds he’d taken today, just hours ago, showed livid purple. Already healed.

Seeking proof, I reached out and almost touched my fingertips to his skin before remembering who and what he was. I pulled back. “How is this possible?”

“God takes cares of His own,” he told me, and shut the door in my face.

As the water hissed on, I returned to the kitchen in time to hear Eva say, “Well, he’s a weird one. You know he has angel names tattooed all over his head?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to miss,” I said.

Eva fussed over me and then Chance, daubing at us with various medical supplies and antibiotics. My jaw practically cracked on a yawn. The bean soup wouldn’t be done for hours, and I wanted sleep.

“Get some rest,” Chuch ordered. “We’ll do some of the legwork this afternoon. I hope we’ll be ready to pay some personal calls tonight.”

That reminded me: I needed to get in touch with Booke. It was a testament to his self-control that the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook.

“Thanks.” As he stood, Chance swayed and had to catch himself on the back of his chair. “Come on, Corine. Let’s take a nap.”

Well, he looked too busted to try anything, not that I felt inclined to argue over sharing a bed with anyone right now. I remembered how he had taxed his luck, blood pouring out his nose.

“In a minute,” I said, heading for the office.

Chance followed me, looking puzzled. He got it when I sat down at the computer and went looking for Chuch’s IM icon. “Glad you remembered, much as he helped us.”

I nodded as I typed with my awesome hunt-and-peck skill. Booke? This is Corine. We’re fine. We got the warlock.

His immediate response made me think he’d been sitting by the computer all this time. Did you save the prisoners?

The question hit me like a fist in the chest, and I had to take a minute before I could answer. God, it hurt to think of girls we didn’t save.

No. I think the hangar was booby-trapped somehow.

After reading over my shoulder, Chance curled his palm around the nape of my neck, soothing me. I remembered how he used to do that, first delving beneath my hair with an impossibly delicate touch. Shivers stole over me.

Long pause on Booke’s end as he processed our failure. I’m sorry. But thank you for letting me know you’re all right.

No problem, I typed. The place burned down, so we don’t have anything to send for your collection. I’m sorry.

We were a sorry lot, weren’t we?

I didn’t say yes for the possible reward, he returned eventually. This is the first time anyone’s ever asked for my help, the first time I didn’t feel like an incompetent, ineffectual fool. Thank you for that.

Wow. I had no idea what to say. So Chance leaned forward and keyed, Welcome. We’ll keep you posted, but now I need sleep.

It was less personal than what I might’ve said if Chance hadn’t been there, given that I’d shared dream space with Booke. There was such an aching loneliness about him. The Englishman took it as a farewell, however, and signed off. I let it go, standing with a tired sigh.

“What’s his deal?” I wondered aloud as we headed for the spare room.

Chance shrugged. “One problem at a time, Corine.”

There would never be a better time to indulge my curiosity about something else. As we stepped into the bedroom together, I asked softly, “What were you focused on, back at the compound?”

Silence answered me, so I lay down, too tired to pursue the matter. Just before I drifted off, I wondered whether I imagined his whisper:

“You making it out of there, no matter what.”

Eva woke me at dusk.

My eyes felt gummy as I peered up at her. She gave me a shit-eating grin, and I realized Chance and I had twined together in our sleep. He always wrapped around me like a second skin. I used to sleep so well that way, and I had again this afternoon.

I crawled out from under him and slid off the bed. “Did you find something out?”

She led the way to the living room, where I encountered the unlikely sight of Chuch watching TV Azteca with Kel. Butch lay curled up on Kel’s lap. I’d been too tired to fret about whether he’d keep his promise about not harming us or ours, but the last kernel of worry dissolved.

“Well,” Eva began. “We found a place to start, at least.”

“You’re amazing!” I sat down on the edge of the couch. Butch leaped into my lap, and I stroked him absently. Before she could go on, Chance padded out and joined us, dark hair standing on end.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” he said with a sleepy smile.

She clearly wanted to share the minutiae of her search, so we let her. Truthfully Eva’s thoroughness impressed me—she’d make a hell of a private eye—but I wanted her to get to the meat of the matter. I restrained my impatience.

“So,” she concluded, “we need to hit La Rosa Negra. According to Chuch’s contacts, it’s a hangout for—” Eva dropped her voice so low, I didn’t catch the name.

Chuch filled in the blanks. “Mercs, ex-Army Special Forces. They used to work for the cartel, but word on the street is they’re independent now. They don’t like people poking around in their business, but they might be interested in selling information on Montoya, if we catch someone at the right time.”

“Sounds dangerous,” I said.

By Chuch’s expression, I’d earned a promotion from Captain to Colonel Obvious. “No shit. They won’t even talk to you and Chance if I’m not there. People still remember me from Nicaragua.” His dark gaze went to Kel watching TV with Butch on his lap. “Cue ball should probably stay here with Eva.”

“You think I need a guard dog?” His wife bristled.

I grinned despite myself. “Butch or Kel?”

“Shhh,” Chuch said. “You know I don’t want you coming with us because you’re too beautiful, nena . Some pendejo would hit on you, and then I’d have to hurt him. Pretty soon the place’d be busted up and crawling with uniforms before we learned anything.”

“You’re full of shit, you know that, right?” But I saw he’d talked her out of going with us by her soft little smile.

I probably could’ve taken offense that nobody thought I was so hot I’d distract the mercs from conversation, but I decided to let it go. I did okay, after all. Some guys dug the long hair and hippie chic.

Eva’s bean soup had been simmering for hours, so we ate supper before getting ready to go out. I had a feeling La Rosa Negra would be a dive, so I dressed accordingly: worn jeans, peasant blouse, sweater in my bag just in case. I was glad I’d managed to squeeze in some laundry.

“We set?” Chuch asked when we’d dropped the last bowl in the sink. I felt a little bad about sticking Eva with the dishes, but not enough to put off our errand.

“Yeah.” I answered for Chance and me.

The mechanic fixed a narrow stare on Kel, who’d gone back to watching TV Azteca after the meal. “Anything happens to her, I hold you personally responsible, primo .”