I smiled as Dottie came in. The ice in the pitcher of lemonade she was carrying on the tray of her walker clinked against the glass with every step she took. I stepped forward, intending to help, and she gave me a look.

Uh-oh, she was in one of her I-can-do-it-myself moods. Definitely time to change the subject. “I saw Mickey as I was driving in. Where was he headed off to?”

Fred looked pained and I knew I’d stepped into it again. Apparently this was just going to be one of those days when tact abandoned me.

Dottie smiled up at her husband. “Fred, could you go get us some glasses from the kitchen? I couldn’t manage them and the pitcher both.”

“Of course, dear.” Fred made his escape. Dottie gestured me into a seat. As I passed, she whispered to me, “Please don’t bring up Mickey today, dear. He and Fred got into another argument about those people he’s been hanging around with, down at that pool hall—and how he’s been getting the money he’s been spending since he lost his job.” She sighed.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if Fred wasn’t a telepath. He knows that Mickey’s lying, even if he’s too ethical to dig for more.” She might have continued, but Fred appeared with the glasses just then so Dottie busied herself playing hostess, pouring drinks and making small talk. Only when everybody was settled did she bring up the subject that had brought me here.

“I didn’t use my gift to see this.” She said it like it was a warning. Almost like the “Don’t try this at home” warning you see on television. Then again, perhaps that’s how she felt. If she couldn’t peek at the future, she couldn’t know whether or not a particular idea would work out. She’d just be taking her chances like the rest of us.

She continued. “You need a safe house for the client—and an out-of-the-way place to get away from things. Fred needs to rent out the house at the lake.”

Fred had a life estate in the house, but it was technically Mickey’s, left to him by Fred’s first wife.

“If it’s producing income, Mickey won’t have any excuse to keep nagging me to sell.” Fred’s voice held a combination of sadness and bitterness I recognized all too well—from dealing with my mother. “I thought if you had some time this afternoon, maybe I could drive you out there and we could look at the place. I’ll cut you a good deal on it.”

I thought about it. I didn’t really have any firm plans for the day, and they were right that this might just be the answer to the problem of where to stow Michelle.

Edwards Lake is a man-made lake in a valley forty miles northeast of Santa Maria de Luna. It was created in the nineties to provide a secluded little getaway spot for Silicon Valley types and successful dot-com investors.

The fact that the lake house was secluded meant it wouldn’t easy to get to—which would be perfect for my purposes. Even better, there wouldn’t be a lot of nosy neighbors around. “Sure, why not.” I smiled at them and was rewarded with twin looks of such relief I wanted to throttle Mickey just on principle. How badly had he been hounding these people?

“I’ve got some groceries out in the car I need to take by the house, and I’ll need to grab something to eat.”

“Why don’t I follow you to your place, then we can drive out to the lake in my truck?” Fred suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed.

* * *

Secluded was an understatement. Isolated would be more accurate. The only way to reach the lake house was via the dam road, a little two-lane highway with no shoulder. All that stood between a vehicle and a sheer drop was a simple guardrail. Oh, it was probably spelled, but who knew how often they renewed the mage work out here? Fred’s truck was a big old GM that took up most of the road. I felt my stomach flutter more than once as we snaked along that narrow stretch of highway.

By the time he turned into the house’s gravel driveway, I was more than ready to be out of a vehicle. It had been a long, mostly silent drive. Fred was lost in his own thoughts, and I could tell they were not happy ones. I was tired. Vampire healing was great—injuries disappeared quickly and usually without scarring, but I’d had a couple of truly hellish days. I was emotionally drained. I was glad to climb out of the truck and into the fresh air to use the key Fred gave me to unlock the old-fashioned padlock on the chain that held the gate closed.

What the place lacked in security it more than made up for with visibility. The house sat on a peninsula that jutted out into the big, open lake. We’d come in on the only road and it was clearly visible. No one would be able to sneak up on this place.

Michelle might be hiding, but at least she’d be doing it in style. The home was long and low, just one story, with lots of windows facing all that water. When Fred entered the security code and opened the door, I found out that the interior was even better.

I roamed around at will while Fred called Dottie to let her know we’d arrived in one piece. The place was freaking gorgeous. Every room was bright and airy and designed so well that it was comfortably cool despite all the sunlight. The rooms were mostly painted off-white, with bright rugs scattered on the hardwood floors and matching pillows on the Arts and Crafts–style furniture. The bathroom was actually a minispa, with towels big enough to use as bedsheets and a walk-in tub fitted with whirlpool jets. One wall of the bathroom was made of glass blocks that let in light while preserving privacy. Every other room had lots and lots of large picture windows.

Sighing, I returned to the living room and pulled the vertical blinds partially closed, shutting off a clear view of a private dock with an aluminum canoe stowed beneath it. I wanted warning of approaching cars, but this much sunlight was not good for me.

As Fred hung up the phone, I turned to him, preparing to dicker. “How much are you going to want for this?

“I’m willing to be reasonable.” He smiled, but there was a twinkle in his eye that let me know that he would relish negotiating for the best possible price. He’d been a high-powered businessman for a lot of years before his heart problems forced him into retirement. I wondered if he missed it or was glad to be out from under the stress.

Before I could ask him, or even make an initial offer, my cell phone rang.

“Graves here.”

“It’s Bubba,” said a wonderfully familiar voice. “I’m calling from the hospital. We’ve got a problem.”

21

“You’re sure it was him?” I wasn’t doubting him. If Bubba said he’d spotted one of the guys from the pictures Dawna had given him of the men who’d attacked me, he’d spotted him. I was stalling for time. I needed to come up with a plan—fast.

“Positive.”

“All right. Who’s with you?”

“Talia. Kevin went off duty at six.”

I thought furiously. I’d have preferred Kevin, if for no other reason than that I know him better—probably not fair to Talia, but it was the truth. Still, having a mage handy might just be an advantage—if I could just think of the right way to use her.

“Do you think he knows you spotted him?”

“No.”

“How long ago was this?”

“As long as it took me to hit speed dial.”

Good. “Okay, is Michelle still hooked up to any machinery?”

“Nah, they disconnected everything after the last round of spells. They’re going to release her tomorrow morning.”

I took a deep breath. Moving Michelle would be chancy, but as it was, she was a sitting duck. Now that they knew where she was and that she was under guard, they’d plan accordingly. Which meant it was more risky—to her and to my people—leaving her in place.

“All right. Ask Talia if she’s capable of doing an illusion of you sitting in the chair outside the door.”

I heart muffled sounds as Bubba covered the phone and did what I’d asked. A second later he was back. “She said yes, but she won’t be able to hold it long.”

“All right. Does Michelle have any street clothes?”

“Yeah, since she was due to check out tomorrow, Kevin had Talia bring her some sweats.”

Way to go, Kevin, thinking ahead! “Good. Have Michelle get dressed. When the nurse is distracted, you take Michelle down to the cafeteria. There’s an exit right there that leads into a staff parking lot. Once you’re out of view, Talia should put the spell on the chair, then talk to it, say something about going to get herself a snack, that she’ll bring you back a sandwich. Tell her to make sure that the nurse hears her. Then she leaves, gets the car, drives around to the cafeteria exit, and picks you up there.”

“Right,” he agreed. “I’ll call you back when we’re on the road.”

He hung up and I started pacing. Damn it, damn it, damn it. I should be there. I knew Bubba was good. I was pretty sure Talia was. But damn it.

“Something’s gone wrong.” Fred didn’t have to read my mind to know that. He’d heard me talking on the phone.

“Yeah. The bad guys are at the hospital.”

My phone rang again. Before I could even say hello, Bubba said, “They hit the room with magic just after we left. I’m thinking it was a fire spell.”

I could hear the alarm sounding in the background, along with a calm voice announcing the code for the evacuation protocol.

If he wasn’t in the room, I wondered how he knew it had been a direct hit, but I didn’t ask. Maybe Talia had felt it and said something. She might have done the wards when she came on duty. It really didn’t matter. “Where are you now?”

He started to answer, but the cell signal cut out. I wasn’t surprised. There was a lot of magic flying around, and some of the regular equipment at a hospital could interfere with cell transmission. But damn it! What I wouldn’t give to have my siren ring back from Bruno. My telepathy just wasn’t strong enough to connect clearly with Bubba without it.

“I didn’t hear that. Repeat,” I said.