Page 118 of Twilight Destiny

“We’re gonna have to take Rhinehart to some deserted island,” Kincaid said. “Some place where there’s no one else for hundreds of miles.”

“There’s a stretch of desert in Chile that’s pretty much uninhabitable,” Saintcrow suggested. “It should fill the bill.”

Kincaid grunted softly. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I am if you were wondering how the hell we got mixed up in this mess? I should have killed Rhinehart the first day he wandered into Morgan Creek.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“For the same reason you didn’t.”

“Because the women we love wouldn’t have approved?”

“Right the first time,” Saintcrow said with a wry grin. “Sometimes they’re a lot of trouble, aren’t they?”

“Yeah. But mostly worth it.”

Saintcrow slapped him on the back. “On that, we can agree.”

“All we have to do now is decide when we’re going to put this little black box to the test.”

“The sooner the better,” Saintcrow said, all humor gone from his voice.

“Tomorrow night?”

Saintcrow nodded. “Tomorrow night.”

Rosa was waiting for Kincaid when he got home, her eyes filled with curiosity when he carefully placed a box on the mantel in the living room.

“What’s that?”

“A soul catcher.”

“A what?”

“It’s some kind of spirit trap. We need to get Luca’s spirit in there.”

“How on earth will you do that?”

“We haven’t quite figured that part out yet.” Kincaid hadn’t yet discussed his idea with anyone, partly because he doubted if it would work, and partly because he had no backup plan if it failed. He wondered if Saintcrow had come up with any alternative ideas.

Rosa wrinkled her nose when Jake took her in his arms. “What’s that smell?”

“Dark magic. Izabela was in full black witch mode when we got there.”

Rosa shivered. “Do you trust her?”

“I always have.”

Taking his hand, she led him to the big chair by the fireplace, pushed him down, and climbed onto his lap. “How did you ever meet a black witch?”

He tapped the gold band on his wrist. He had taken to wearing it again soon after they apprehended Rhinehart. “I was looking for a witch who could fashion some sort of protection against Luca. New Orleans seemed like the place to go. Back then, the place was crawling with witches and warlocks and vampires. It wasn’t safe for mortals to be on the streets after dark.

“I was in a sleazy bar when a woman approached me. She was a tiny thing with lots of golden hair and brown eyes with weird little yellow specks. She said she’d heard I was looking for a black witch. I said I was and told her what I wanted and she told me what the price would be. I hadn’t felt her power until then. I’ve never felt anything like it before or since, although Saintcrow’s power is probably just as strong but in a different way. Anyway, I agreed to her terms and she said she would get in touch with me.

“About a week later, a crow showed up on the window sill of the place I was using as a lair. When I opened the window, the bird dropped a note on the floor and flew away. It was the address to her house.”

“What was it like, her house? Does she still live in the same place?”