Spell Bound - Kelley Armstrong [48]
The hotel stairwell proved empty, so we went down to the basement. That’s where the gym was located, meaning that part was open to the public. Definitely not the place where you’d take a person to kill her.
There were several off-limits areas, too. We checked doors. The third one was open. We snuck through to find ourselves in the beast of the building: the mechanical room. Despite the chug and hiss of the air-conditioning units, the place was hot enough to broil a pig.
We stuck together, snaking along the aisles. When my pant-leg caught, I whirled to see a hand holding it and my fingers flew up, ready to cast. Adam knocked the hand from my leg.
“I-it’s me. Roni.”
She’d wedged herself under some kind of fan unit. The floor was slick with blood.
“Shit,” Adam said. He reached for her, but I caught his arm.
“Is anyone else here?” I said.
“N-no. Chrissy left. She thought I got away.”
We helped Roni out. Knives were apparently the witch-hunters’ weapon of choice when they chose something less discreet than a needle or noose. Roni had been stabbed several times. We offered to drop her off at a hospital, but she freaked out, saying her family would know if she used her health insurance. I said I’d pay. She wouldn’t listen. We were her shield against her enemies, and now that she had us, she was holding on with both hands, even if it killed her.
So Adam got us a room and we snuck Roni up there. I retrieved our bags from the car. We still had bandages and a kit from fixing me up earlier. Though Roni’s cuts were deep, the bleeding eventually stopped and she didn’t seem to be in imminent danger of death. That was all she cared about.
I called Paige and told her about Roni, which meant telling her the whole sordid tale of my battle with the witch-hunters. She was furious, of course. She blasted Adam for not telling her. Lucas would be next in line. I was happy to lie and say he hadn’t known, but he’d tell her anyway. So I kept my mouth shut and let her give me royal hell, knowing I deserved it.
When she was done, she told me how to take care of Roni, which started with a call to housekeeping for a mini sewing kit. Yep, I had to sew Roni up. We dosed her with booze from the bar fridge, but I don’t think she was accustomed to alcohol, and it only made things worse. On seeing the needle piercing her skin, she puked, which set a cut on her torso bleeding again, and, well, it was fun.
When I called Paige back after that ordeal, she said they’d send someone to take Roni to a safe house. Roni didn’t hear any of that conversation. She was passed-out drunk, which I figured was the best thing for her.
Adam and I ordered room service and ran some leads on our laptops, but the vibe wasn’t the same. No tossing our findings back and forth as we searched. No teasing and joking. No fighting over the last piece of pizza. Adam just let me have it. He’d agreed to stay, but wasn’t happy about it. I needed to get my ass to Miami or we were in serious trouble.
Roni roused shortly after that. I ordered some food for her, but she only picked at it. She was dozing again when Jaime called.
At the sound of voices in the background, I said, “You’re with Hope?”
“And Elena. We’re going for cocktails. Well, two of us are. One is on a strict diet of mock-tails. Karl’s with us, too, but he’s promised to follow at twenty paces and sit on the other side of the bar.”
“Uh-huh. And I didn’t think he could get any more protective.”
Overhearing, Hope said, “Neither did I,” and Jaime laughed.
“He’s setting new records,” Jaime said. “We wouldn’t be going out at all if Hope hadn’t threatened to help Elena tie him to a chair.”
I asked her about Leah’s escape.
“Yes, we’re sure she had help,” Jaime said. “Your mom was investigating, but your, um, magical situation has taken precedence.”
“The two might not be unconnected.” I told her