vegetables in small stands on the sidewalk.
The wounds on her arm stitched together. Shay ran a finger over the pink flesh, marveling at her healing ability.
Kelly gave a wan smile. “Stupid of me to remove the triskele.”
He knelt beside her. “But not the reason you did it. For me,” he whispered. Shay kissed her hand. “Thank you, Kel. I needed to hear that.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “You hungry?”
“Ravenous.”
Shay spotted an open-air restaurant and motioned her toward it. He seated her at a table covered with a tablecloth embroidered with tiny pink flowers.
Anxiety shone in her eyes. He took her hand and squeezed it in reassurance.
A young waitress came with a pad to take their order. She had large brown eyes, a hesitant smile and rounded cheeks.
He almost missed the shine of terror in those dark eyes.
Shay set down the menu and leaned back, smiling with the air of a man intent on flirting. “What do you recommend?” he asked conversationally in Spanish. “My sister brags her
The pad shook in the girl’s hands. She nodded.
“Two, and lemonade cut with soda.”
When the waitress scurried away, Kelly raised her eyebrows. “Flirt much?”
“I need information,” he said in a clipped tone. “Let me do my job.”
He’d gathered intel before. He was good, chatting up the friendlies, assessing the area and enemy movement. Sometimes he did it in the local bar, offering drinks and making contacts, using his charm with the ladies. It amazed him how women liked to spill secrets after sex. No need for magick, just good, solid insight into human and paranormal nature.
Unfortunately in this village, he sensed he couldn’t pry out information with a crowbar and the Jaws of Life. The pall of fear layered the air, threading through the delicious smell of grilled meat and fried peppers. And the idea of using seduction to gain intel turned his stomach.
Especially when the only woman he really wanted in his bed sat two feet away.
“Look around.” He lowered his voice. “I need your eyes and ears. Tell me what you see.”
Scanning the area, she shook her head. “Everyone’s too cheerful, too fake. They’re sweating, nervous. I don’t see any little ones. There are always children, no matter where you go.”
“No kids, even in the streets.” He dipped a tortilla in the mixture of beans and cheese the waitress brought to the table and ate it. “Odd for a country where the average age is below thirty.”
It was as if the villagers kept their children hidden, out of fear of someone stealing them....
They ate quickly. Shay excused himself and headed for the restroom, using the opportunity to scan the cafe.
In a corner table, a man sat alone, a glass of yellow foaming beer in front of him. The man glanced up with dead, cold eyes.
A chill snaked down Shay’s spine. But he detected no dark aura. Just a nasty-tempered villager?
Someone to keep eyes on.
When he returned, Kelly’s attention was riveted to a child in the street. Shay’s heart skipped a beat.
From this distance, the towheaded boy in a rumpled blue shirt and navy trousers could have been his little brother trudging home from school. Pete. The name hovered on his tongue.
Pete was dead.
Shay shook free the memory and focused. This child carried a red backpack, hurrying along the sidewalk and glancing over one thin shoulder with a frightened look. Kelly stood as if entranced.
“Oliver,” she breathed. “One of the missing Phantoms.”
Shay tossed a few lemps on the table. “Hold on. We follow, but from a distance.”
Tailing the child, Shay kept Kelly behind him. The narrow cobblestone street ran straight for a few blocks and then curved to the left. Garbage littered the gutter. Inside an open door, two men played dominoes.
The boy vanished around a corner.
Shay’s instincts tingled. As they turned the corner, he motioned for Kelly to stop at a lamppost.
“What?”
“Not sure. Something.”
The child ran into an open doorway.
The street was deserted, not even a stray dog sniffing at the garbage-riddled gutters. Shay hesitated. Every cell screamed to leave Kelly there.
“Glue yourself to this lamppost. Don’t move. I’ll be back.”
He removed his sidearm and cupped it, holding it low.
“I need to see, make sure it’s him,” she protested.
“I’ll bring him out to you.”
Kelly lurched forward. “Sam, don’t stop me from doing my job.”
Shay gave her a gentle push back against the lamppost. “Don’t stop me from doing mine. Now, stay here, or do I get out the cuffs again?”
Slumping against the post, she gave him a sullen look.
The open doorway was an invitation. Too easy. He checked right and left and ran across the street. No noise, no sounds inside. For the first time, Shay cursed the bond he’d put between himself and Kelly. If he got into trouble, she couldn’t run for it.
Culling his magick, he prepared to fire, bullets or energy.
His senses tingled as he crept inside. Light from a small lamp burned from a back room. Making no noise, he stole through the room and saw an abandoned red backpack on the floor.
Soft, snuffling sounds, like crying. Shay’s guts kicked. Couldn’t stand hearing a child in distress. Poor kid. He advanced slowly.
Checking the corner, he saw the little boy sitting at a table. Cradling his head in his arms, he sobbed loudly. Shay’s throat closed tight. The kid had the same vulnerable air as his little brother.
Then he raised his head, tears streaking his grimy face.
“It’s okay,” Shay soothed, lowering his sidearm. “Who are you?”
“I’m Oliver. I escaped when they weren’t looking. I’m so scared. Please don’t shoot me!” the boy beseeched. “The bad men pointed a gun at me.”
Shay checked the room and sensed no danger. He set the gun on the floor and stepped inside.
Heavy chains fell upon him. Burning pain like acid. This wasn’t a Phantom child in trouble, and he’d walked directly into a trap.
The silver stung his eyes and ate into his clothing, searing his flesh. Shay instinctively put his hands in front of his face to shield his eyes, holding the chains away.
“It hurts,” the little boy said in a singsongy voice. “But the hurt goes away after a minute. I know because I tested it on myself.”
The pain eased and Shay opened his eyes. The child shape-shifted in an eye blink. Into himself.
With all his might, Shay fought the chains.
“It’s about time you arrived. For a navy SEAL, you sure are slow.” His twin gave a cocky grin.
Shay aimed a bolt of energy at the bonds but emitted only a few sparks. His powers were bound, as well. Dammit.
“We used your DNA, figured out what could hold you. Works good, huh?” His twin gave a mocking grin. “I set others at the cafe to keep an eye on you. Nice touch, flirting with the waitress. She’s a pretty piece of ass. I’m
