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Because I wished soaled hih I don’t think he believedthe dive I told him about my first visit there, Esteban, whose sister’s body I helped to find, and the killer we brought to light years later through the tattoos on his knuckles Withoutwith Chance--the first ti-held reserve with me In that mo behind, I ached

When I paused, Booke said gently, "You love him so"

There were no words, so I just nodded The conversation stalled after that Just as well I needed full attention to navigate the busier streets of San Antonio Laredo wasn’t a Podunk town, but there wasturns, I located the right street In daytime, the area was on the seedy side Darkness cloaked the peeling paint on the surrounding houses, the sun-faded pave its way up through the ce on cars half a block up, likely lookouts for whoever ran the business in the neighborhood I ignored the they wouldn’t pay any attention to the Pinto A ht dead in this ride

La Rosa Negra was a li stucco It needed a coat of paint; hell, it could’ve used one the first time I visited Inside, the bar was quiet, no waitress, just the guy behind the bar He had long dark hair pulled into a sleek ponytail, and he chin-checked , as I came out of the sun into the shady interior Behind the counter, the picture of thein its place of honor The ceilings were low, bea the place a rustic air reinforced by the mismatched furniture and the scarred dance floor, empty at the moment Ranchera nized, though I scanned the room for potential troublemakers, but there were only a couple of drinkersand onethe straboy hat

"That’s our guy," I told Booke, who followed me to the old-tilish, then repeated in Spanish to be polite

Beto offered a s teeth His sclera were faintly yellowed, his nose red, but he seeesture, he indicated the seats opposite "Not at all"

Booke and I settled Then I said, "I heard you used to do some border work"

"I’m no coyote" He narrowed his eyes "And even if I did help some people out back in the day, I’," Booke put in His accent surprised the old nation

Beto cut an uncertain look at me "What then?"

"I need to find soue idea where to start A friend said you ht be able to identify a sketch of a rock formation"

"Maybe Buy me a drink, tell me a story, and I’ll have a look" He waved the ’tender over without awaitingmy shot"

I nodded; as I put my money on the table, Booke said, "I’ll have a bourbon, neat Please"

At the bar"

And trying to find a chained Nephiliht’ve heard weirder stories in his day He served us quickly, then returned to his seave a condensed version of the situation: ed to describe what he’d seen before ere cut off That version of events had the benefit of notme sound like a total headcase, even to a drunk

Beto knocked his booze back without waiting for salt or lime He swiped the back of his hand across his mouth, and then said, "Shohat you have"

I pushed the sketch across to him "It’s not much, I know"

He perused it with a faint frown "I feel like I should know this place, but I can’t place it The forht too" Booke killed his bourbon with a pleased expression

The cool thing about rolling with Booke was that for hiest tiy trickled into his prison via dees until you saw them with your own eyes Harder still to accept that you’d never see anything firsthand; instead you’d live out your unnaturally long life alone Macleish had planned his punish shot that this forlance My luck just didn’t run that way

"Hire a witch to dowse?" Beto offered

"That won’t work," I murmured "We already tried Well, thanks anyway"

As I pushed to ers "Must be your lucky day, señorita I just remembered where I’ve seen that place Back in the bad old days, it was used as a teirls--"

"Who had been kidnapped and enslaved?" I’d stu to locate Chance’s o Ambivalence stirred in reaction to Beto’s revelation On one hand, I was glad the op had been shut down for good e took out their chief warlockbut soout to a remote hidey-hole associated with cartel business? It didn’t see I’d ever done But what the hell

"Can you give me directions?"

"I think so Let me make a call I was only out that way once, and I wasn’t driving" He gazed at me expectantly, so I handed him my phone

The subsequent conversation passed in rapid-fire Spanish; I caught bits and pieces, but so up, Beto looked pasty, and when he flattened his hands on the table, they were tre it anyuy ent out there recently, buthe never ca Kel Makes sense

"You feel like battling some demons?" I whispered to Booke

He flashed me a wide smile "I feel as if I’ve waited my whole life for someone to ask me that"

"Two lives, even Brush up on soonna be much use out there"

"Don’t sell yourself short"