[Southern Arcana 3.0] Deadlock (24 page)

“She shouldn’t.” Julio glowered. “It’s low and cowardly, and I hate that Miguel still looks up to the bastard. But he wasn’t even born yet when Dad left. He won’t ever really understand.”

Maybe Alec had more in common with Julio than he’d thought. “Not too flattering, being the favored son because they want you to grow up into a bigoted asshole, just like them.”

“No, it pretty much sucks ass.”

Carmen stepped into the doorway, still clutching the cordless phone in her hand. “Miguel won’t see me.”

She looked so upset that Alec didn’t care about dancing around Julio’s likely disapproval. He held out an arm to her, and she slid onto his lap and buried her face against his shoulder.

Julio didn’t look happy, but he appeared to be more focused on Carmen than anything. “I’m sorry, Car. If it’s worth anything, he seemed fine when I saw him. Physically, anyway.”

She lifted her head. “Even so, from what Mahalia and Michelle told us, that could change. Any minute, he could have an adverse reaction to the spell.”

“The only thing we can do is get someone to look at him,” Alec said. “Mahalia might be willing to come down. Maybe she knows a way to minimize the risk.” Or maybe the kid would always be a ticking bomb, waiting to explode.

Julio gathered his keys and his cell phone. “I have to head over to your office,” he told Alec. “Jackson’s been helping me out with something. Are you—?” He broke off, then cursed. “Fuck it, Carmen can be mad at me if she wants. Are you going to stay here with her?”

It wasn’t about brothers and sisters, or acknowledging that Carmen was older than Julio and fully capable of taking care of herself. It was a question from one shapeshifter to another, a tacit understanding that humans and psychics needed protection.

Not just protection. They needed a protector. Julio would have been that protector, whether he knew it on a conscious level or not. It had nothing to do with human chauvinism or gender. Jackson belonged to Mackenzie as sure as Derek and Nicole belonged to each other.

As sure as Carmen belonged to him.

Alec curled his hand around her hip and nodded once, the gesture for Julio even though his words were for Carmen. “Wherever she needs to go, I’ll take her.”

“Okay.” Some of the tightness around his eyes relaxed.

“Go, Julio,” Carmen said softly. “Alec is here.”

“Yeah, Alec is here.” Her brother said it with finality, and he smiled as he tucked his phone in his pocket. “Don’t worry about Miguel. He’ll figure out soon enough how Dad and Uncle Cesar operate, and then he’ll come around.”

Carmen returned his smile, though Alec could feel her sadness. “Shouldn’t take long.”

Julio left, and Alec turned Carmen until he could meet her eyes. “We’ll take care of your brother. I promise.”

“If he lets us,” she corrected.

“Mmm.” A nice, noncommittal response, because Carmen didn’t need to know the truth. Not yet.

Miguel, though… Well, if the kid wanted to be a shapeshifter, he could learn the first rule of being a shifter in New Orleans.

No one got to refuse to see Alec Jacobson.

Alec finally tracked Miguel back to his apartment, where he knocked hard enough to rattle the door. “You’ve got five minutes to let me in, kid, before I kick in the lock.”

After nearly a minute, the door opened a crack, with the security chain still engaged. “What do you want?”

Miguel’s power vibrated in the air. Steady and strong, but not dominant. Not like his brother. Not like Alec himself. “You’re a new wolf in my town, Mendoza. So open the damn door.”

It shut, and the chain clinked. When the door reopened, Miguel backed away, his gaze lowered. “Come in, I guess.”

Alec stepped inside, breathing a silent sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to kick Carmen’s brother around the apartment to clarify their respective places in shapeshifter hierarchy.

Once the door was closed behind him, Alec crossed his arms over his chest and studied the boy. He looked tense, a little twitchy.

He snorted as he reached for an open bottle of beer on the coffee table. “Carmen didn’t come with you?”

“No, because you—” Alec froze. Inhaled. Miguel’s scent permeated the apartment, but it wasn’t the only one. Hazelnut, vanilla and cinnamon, mixed with the distinct something that screamed—

“Kat.” The name came out as a growl. “Why the hell has Kat been here enough for this place to smell like her?”

Miguel shrugged. “Why do
you
smell like my sister’s been riding you like a pony?”

Blind rage made the room swim. Alec uncurled his fists, just to have something to do other than knock Miguel’s teeth down his throat. “If you want to stay in this town, you will damn well show your sister more respect than that. And if you want to lay a hand on Kat and not lose it, you’ll show her more respect too.”

“So the truth is disrespectful?”

“You’re not an idiot. Don’t act like one.”

“Neither are you, so don’t ask me why Kat’s been here so much the place smells like her. She’s been here because she wanted to be.”

Alec closed his eyes and counted. To five, because he was Carmen’s brother, and a new wolf who’d probably been through hell. “Fine. Kat’s not my business. Your sister is, though, and if I hear you talking about her like that again, I will beat some manners into you.”

Oddly, the kid smiled. “Yeah, okay. I apologize.”

“Good.” Slightly mollified, Alec leaned against the kitchen table. “Just so you know, the reason I’m worried about Kat is because new wolves can have trouble adjusting. Instincts, unpredictable strength… You can hurt someone without meaning to. Especially if they’re human.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I’m not going to hurt anyone.” His smile turned rueful. “I’m not new, not completely. I’ve always been half wolf, right?”

Which was part of the problem. “Did your father tell you how much more dangerous that makes it?”

“He didn’t have to, Alec.” He tapped his temple. “I’m psychic, remember? He told me what he wanted me to hear, but he couldn’t hide what he didn’t, and neither could the witch. Not from me.”

Julio and Carmen hadn’t mentioned the possibility, but maybe they hadn’t considered it. “So you know this spell could take a nasty turn now or in five years?”

“I was willing to risk it.” He sobered, his expression turning stormy. “I didn’t know they were going after Carmen, with or without her permission. I would have stopped them.”

He would have tried and possibly ended up in worse shape than his sister. “I took care of her. And as long as you’re in New Orleans, I’ll take care of you too. That’s how this works. But it comes with a price. I’m the law in this town, and you don’t get to flout that.”

Miguel finished his beer. “You’re not the law in New Orleans. Trust me, I’ve heard that from my Uncle Cesar enough times over the last week to have it drilled into my head. After he got tired of yelling at my dad for pulling this stunt with the witch, he was happy to expound. At length.”

Tension made it hard to sound casual. “Oh, he was, was he? And what did he have to say?”

“The gist if it? That one day you were going to overstep your bounds just enough for him to nail your ass to the wall.”

It sounded about right, like the blustering bravado of a man who was sure Alec would never force that confrontation. “I’ve crossed that line a dozen times this month, kid. Your uncle hasn’t shown up with the hammer yet.”

“He’s glad you don’t want what he has,” Miguel said matter-of-factly.

Maybe having a psychic shapeshifter around could be useful. “I don’t want what he has. But if he brings trouble to this town, I’m going to be the one who ends it.”

“Only one way to do that. You’re sure he never wants you to challenge him? Well, he’s sure you don’t want to.” Miguel fixed a pointed look on Alec. “And you already
have
one psychic shapeshifter. Go talk to Julio and leave me out of your shit.”

Shit.
“It’s rude to snoop.”

“Yeah, about that. Number one, this is my apartment. Number two, you think pretty damn loud. It’s hard to ignore.”

“You are going to be a pain in my ass, kid.” Alec straightened and let his power off the leash. Barely, enough to give the boy a taste of real magic. “And that’s fine. But I’m not going to let you break your sister’s heart. She’s been through hell. Your father and uncle damn near got her killed. What is she going to do that’s so bad you won’t even see her?”

Remorse darkened Miguel’s eyes, though determination steeled them. “I could tell her I’m okay, and that I knew, one hundred percent, what I was getting myself into. But telling her that is only going to remind her that she can’t protect me, not the way she’s always wanted to. Things like that hurt her, worse than thinking I’m being an immature jackass who doesn’t want a lecture.”

They were both caught in a trap with no good way out. Nothing new, except for the pathological need growing inside him. The need to protect Carmen from the world, from pain, from everything. Even her own family.

It was a need he’d have to get a chokehold on—fast. “You can’t avoid her forever.”

“I’m not planning on it. Just…a little more time.”

“Fine. But I want you to do something for me.”

“What’s that?”

“See a spell caster I know. Couple times a month, make sure nothing unusual’s going on. For your sake
and
your sister’s.”

He wanted to say no, that much was clear. But when he finally answered, he said, “Sure. I could use a new poker buddy.”

Alec released the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He set his empty bottle on the coffee table. “Julio said Carmen’s fine. Is she?”

“Yeah. She’s fine, and she’s going to stay fine.” Might as well get one thing out there. “No matter what your father and uncle try next. I’m not in the habit of asking people to pick sides against their own family, but you’re in a hell of a spot right now. If things get worse…”

“I’m with Carmen,” Miguel said, not a shade of doubt coloring his voice. “Julio and I both, we’re with her.”

“Good.” Alec straightened, then hesitated. “If you’ve got questions or problems with the wolf shit—and you don’t feel like asking your brother—Kat has my number.”

“Thanks, but I’ll make it.”

Maybe. There was one more thing the kid deserved to know. “Watch your step with Kat. I’m the least of your worries if you hurt her.”

“Andrew Callaghan. She told me.”

Kat had her own skewed perspective of Andrew’s supposed indifference to her, one she seemed stubbornly unwilling to relinquish. “Kat’s smart and empathic, but she doesn’t get instinct, not really. Try to remember that.”

Miguel nodded. “I’m keeping it in mind.”

“All I can ask.” Of Miguel, anyway. Alec made it out the door and into the parking lot before he allowed himself a frustrated growl. Kat had a lot of talking to do.

Carmen faced Franklin across a cup of coffee and the mounds of paperwork on his desk. “I’ll even do administrative tasks if you let me come back. I’m going to go nuts at home.”

“You want to do paperwork?” Franklin smiled at her, though the tension in the room didn’t dissipate. “Did Mahalia hex you?”

She had to tread carefully. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here right now? More trouble with my uncle?”

Franklin’s shallow smile vanished. “He took advantage of Alec’s absence to make his presence felt. He’s not happy that I won’t tell him who pays the bills, and we’ve escalated from threats to legal attacks.”

“Damn it. What the hell is he trying to accomplish?”

“Beats me. Maybe it’s about the money, or maybe it’s about putting me in my place. Wolves don’t tend to think much of the rest of us shifters.”

“Will John Peyton intercede if he knows Cesar is harassing you for no reason?”

“John Peyton doesn’t have that luxury. He’s taken all the chances he can afford, right now. Going against one of the old wolf families on behalf of a coyote? He can’t do a damn thing unless Cesar crosses a line that puts the rest of the wolves in danger.”

Carmen hated the feeling of helplessness that assailed her. Franklin—and by extension the clinic—had no ready recourse. “I’ll fix it.”

Franklin shook his head. “It’s bigger than you. And it’s not the first time something like this has happened. The old leader of the Southeast council used to mouth half-hearted threats once a month or so. They can smell the money.” He sat back and tilted his head, regarding Carmen thoughtfully. “You’ve seen the equipment we have. Haven’t you ever wondered?”

“Of course I have. But I figured you’re a stand-up guy with decent funding and a good head for money management.”

“Not quite.” He checked his watch. “Do you want to know?”

As far as she knew, no one at the clinic but Franklin himself was privy to that information. “Only if you want to tell me.”

“You’re the closest thing I have to a second-in-command, Mendoza. I’ve been thinking about making it official for a while. Your relatives aren’t going to change that.”

“Even if they’re causing serious problems for the clinic?”

“Rule number one of the supernatural community in this town? We don’t hold each other’s families against one another.”

“That seems fair.” Carmen held out both hands. “Lay it on me. What is it, the Conclave making secret donations? A cabal of wizards?”

Franklin shook his head. “Sit here another five minutes and you’ll get to meet our benefactor.”

Surely he didn’t mean that the way it sounded. “You say that as if there’s only one.”

“Mysterious, isn’t it?”

He was enjoying himself. “Franklin…”

But Franklin didn’t budge, instead engaging her with small talk about what had gone on in her absence, until a rattling knock set his door dancing on its hinges.

He raised his voice. “Come on in, Wesley.”

The man who walked in had been in a recent altercation. Contusions and scratches marred his face, along with a nice-sized laceration over his right eyebrow. His leather jacket was worn and had a very distinct grass stain on the shoulder.

Carmen forgot about Franklin’s words as she rose and stepped away from her chair. “Jesus, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” The newcomer waved her off and peered at Franklin. “Finally, I get to meet her.”