Ride the Storm (Cassandra Palmer 8)

I sighed. “Look, I know his attitude could use an overhaul—”

“It’s not just his attitude,” Rico said. “He took the girl, didn’t he?”

I frowned. “What girl?”

“The one who drugged you yesterday.”

“What?”

“He took Lizzie,” Marco confirmed.

“What?”

He nodded. “Turns out, you couldn’t have traded her if you’d wanted to. The Circle’s guys took her before we were awake to stop them—”

“Took her where?”

“Nobody knows,” Rico said. “Jonas called a few hours ago, to check on Rhea—who is his daughter, I understand?”

I nodded, frowning.

“But it was a short call and the only information we gained is that he’s back in Britain. Where the girl is . . .” Rico shook his head.

“She’s probably with him,” Marco said. “You know damn well that’s why he left his men here last night. And why they didn’t object to Rhea going out this morning. They probably saw it as a golden opportunity to make off with Lizzie before Cassie got back.”

I didn’t say anything to that. How could I? It was probably the truth.

I’d helped to put Jonas back in power, foolishly thinking we’d be allies. So far, his definition of that term seemed a little different from mine. And now he had Lizzie, and I didn’t know where, but I needed to.

Because I wasn’t the only one looking for her.

“Why did Rhea go out?” I asked, trying to get this straight in a head that was still half-asleep. “And what witches?”

“They were with us in Augustine’s,” Rico said. “Don’t you remember?”

“Sort of.” I vaguely recalled some women pouring into the ruined shop along with the vamps.

“You were pretty out of it, so no wonder,” Marco said. “But if they hadn’t shown up, we wouldn’t have had a way past the wards on that safe, since the guys supposedly manning the front desk had already fled. . . .” His jaw tightened. “It could have been bad.”

“But what were they doing here?”

“They were worried about Rhea,” Rico said.

“That’s how the dark mage fuckwads got her,” Marco added. “She gets a call—while we’re still out of it, mind—and the damn Circle just lets her leave! They didn’t even volunteer to go with her. They sent an untrained nineteen-year-old acolyte off on her own—”

“To go where?” I asked. “Why would she go anywhere?”

“Oh, that’s the best part,” Marco said. “That’s the part I’m going to bring up the next time Jonas, or any of those Circle bastards, says a goddamn thing about us guarding the Pythia—”

“She received a phone call from someone claiming to be with one of the covens,” Rico explained, glancing at his friend. “Saying they were upset that there weren’t any coven girls in your court other than her, and they felt slighted.”

I frowned. “But that’s their choice. The covens don’t usually send—”

“They didn’t send ’em this time!” Marco said, loudly enough that Rhea stirred uneasily.

“Careful,” Rico said, glancing back at her.

“Sorry.” Marco looked at him sardonically. “Didn’t mean to step on any toes.”