Personal Demon (Otherworld 8)

"Because you're close to your brothers. If Lucas was the dead one, Hector and William sure as hell wouldn't go looking for his killer. Unless it was to thank him."

"If Lucas thinks the gang is involved, then he needs my help and I'm going to give it. While he'd appreciate your nose, I can convince him you're otherwise engaged. So catch that plane to Philly, check the condos, take the keys for my place if you want to crash there..."

His look was enough.

"One day, Karl. Give me that, and if you want to help, I'd love that."

"Twenty-four hours. There's a flight leaving at ten tomorrow, and I'm buying tickets."

In other words, he'd expected this, and was just registering his protest.

"Thank you, Karl."

"Credits. I'm stockpiling 'em."

I OPENED PAIGE'S second message and braced for the photo. A young Hispanic man with shaggy hair and a tiny scar through his eyebrow seemed to sleep peacefully on a carpet. Rodriguez.

Jaz had said Rodriguez lived with his older sister in Miami, the one who'd called with the college news. Rodriguez was a half-demon, so his family didn't know about his supernatural life. Presumably his death was being handled by the Cabal. How could they let his sister know of his death, but deny her details or access to his body? Would they find a way...or just let him disappear?

When I called Paige, she sounded so exhausted I was sure she hadn't gotten to bed. Instead of her inviting me to breakfast, I offered to bring her one. But she brushed me off with thanks.

I aimed a glower at Karl, who could overhear Paige and had the grace to look mildly chagrined.

I told Paige who her victim was, and that I could only give a surname and sketchy bio.

"The tech guy, huh?" she murmured. "That makes sense. He had a lot of gear on him."

"Did the Cabal shoot him?" I tried to keep the accusation out of my voice. Wasn't sure I succeeded.

"I don't think so. We caught him in an alley and we were just about to get information from him. Obviously someone didn't want to take that chance."

"Someone from the gang?"

"We presume so."

I doubted it. Guy would trust Rodriguez to keep his mouth shut at least long enough for a rescue attempt.

More likely it had been a Cabal sniper who didn't dare admit his mistake to Lucas. If it had been the gang, they'd been aiming for whoever was holding Rodriguez.

I didn't argue, though. The truth would come out. The Cabals might kill one of their own to keep him from talking, but I was sure the gang wouldn't.

"There's something else we were hoping you could help with," Paige said. "You may have heard the gang mention an off-site place where they keep supplies and such?"

"Yes, but I don't have any idea where it is."

"The Cabal has the address. It's a warehouse unit. We've had a team staking it out since three. At around four, two young men went inside. They haven't come out. We presume it's a rendezvous point and the others were already in there."

Others? With Rodriguez dead, there were only three members left.

"What about Jaz and Sonny? Have you found out anything? Is the Cabal still claiming they aren't responsible?"

A pause.

My heart hammered. "You've found them? Their bodies?"

"No, but Lucas is certain the Cabal isn't behind this. With everything that's happened, Benic

io would come clean, if only because it could help solve the case. Lucas is--" A buzz of the phone, as if she was moving. "He's beginning to suspect they were never abducted."