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As I knew better than to interrupt, I stood quiet and let hiled in the air all around hi hi side of painful

The Ortizes acknowledged me with eye contact, but they too found theazed atI suppose he had wanted to talk about things this , but if I wouldn’t with Chance, it didn’t seee the rules for Saldana

I leaned in for a better look and found what looked like a roster of properties owned by Montoya Go, Esteban! Chance went down the list, striking off five more locations with the pen in his left hand The thirteenth, however--

"This is it," he said, tapping the page "He’s taken her there I’m sure of it"

We finally had a location With his pet warlock dead, Montoya would have lost all ability to block Chance’s talent

"I need to make some calls," Chuch said "Lay hands on stuff I don’t have in stock I should be set within a few hours, though"

Saldana didn’t say a word He’d either silenced the cop part of hier cared about the law that had let him down so profoundly with his partner I couldn’t worry about anyone but Min right now

As part of htly, and then pinned the braids up I couldn’t do anything about the color on such short notice, not that I wanted to I liked being a redhead With a sigh, I peered into my jumbled laundry and decided on black: black jeans, black hoodie, sturdy black shoes It was the best I could do

By ht we had all the cards in play Chuch had rounded up the last of his supplies and Booke agreed to scout for us It was time

I freshened Butch’s water, let him out in the yard, and then pushed hi, mournful eyes, but I didn’t think he’d be an asset to the ht not be either

"Sorry, bud," I said "Not this time Wish us luck?"

He yapped once

Good thing--we’d need it

Montoya’s Mountain

We crossed the border in Jesse’s Forester It ear I huddled down in the back since I didn’t have a passport If I lived through this, I’d have Eva cooka cop meant they didn’t look too hard at any of us Once we passed the second checkpoint, I sat up, uncovered

Nobody spoke s could go wrong out here Montoya iant pile and nobody would ever know the difference My nerves vibrated like violin strings

The dashboard clock showed nearly two a in Great Britain I rang Booke

The er when he answered "I’ve had a chance to check out the location I neutralized a few th of arms and ht on your hands when you get in there There’s only one way up or down the mountain, unless you fly out"

"What else can you tell me about the way up?"

"Five kilometers on, there’s a plateau where you’ll have to leave the vehicle and proceed on foot"

That did it When I got back to Mexico City, I was joining a gym

Booke paused "You will be careful, won’t you, Corine?"

"As ed

"That’s all I could ask then"

"Anything else you can tell me about the place?"

"Yes, actually"

Dutifully I relayed Booke’s suated entry, two sentries, more in the courtyard Montoya’s hideaway resembled a Spanish-style hacienda with breezeways and open courtyards Regular patrols in the corridors

When I’d finished, he murmured, "Call me when it’s over?"

That too depended on the outcome, but it didn’t hurt to accede I disconnected and put my phone away, rose up on my knees to peer out the backOut here there were no lights, just an endlessly dark sky and the shadow of the mountains in the distance

The Forester shuddered as we left the highway and took the dirt road We slowed because it was rough, and we didn’t want to break an axle Hiking would take us all night Jesse drove with both hands on the wheel, his expression gri him What was he to me? Mentor? Friend?

"Glad we did some recon," Chuch muttered