“You="18"an>, and gove thought about this more than a bit.”

“Yes.” He’d been thinking about it for days.

“Only seven people?”

“The less the better, in this case. There are too many political implications. We wouldn’t want to alert the Mexican cartel of our movements. My guess is they don’t know what Ivan is doing. We don’t want to start a war, we just want to take care of a problem. I’d go down with the equivalent of a special forces team.”

“Why the humans?”

“Whoever is coming is going to be expecting them. Maybe they’re already mad with bloodlust when they get there—they certainly seemed that way from what I saw—but you still need some humans there. If they don’t catch the scent, they’ll know something is wrong.”

“So you definitely need a few humans,” Carwyn muttered.

“I’d stake out the hunt and remove the drugged women after they’ve been dropped off. Tulio said they left them for an hour. More than enough time to hide them somewhere. That’s only one of the reasons I’d need an earth vampire. After the elixired girls are gone, I’d put my own human security in place, then wait for the ambush. As long as you had the element of surprise, it would work with minimal risk. Not none, of course, no operation is risk free, but it would be manageable.”

“And no one would be the wiser.”

“We’d make a very quiet statement. Everyone would know what had happened, but no one could prove anything. It would be a good show of power on Ernesto’s part—others would know not to cause trouble along his borders—but we wouldn’t make a public statement, so the cartel could ignore it and not be forced to retaliate.”

“That’s a well-thought-out plan.”

Of course it was. “Thank you.”

“Ernesto was foolish to have fired you.”

His heart beat. “I am the one who asked to leave his aegis. He refused to listen to my warnings and…” He glanced over at Carwyn once. The vampire was staring at him intently. “He wanted Natalie. I would not allow it.”

Carwyn said nothing as they took the exit that would lead them to the small church only a few blocks from the lively tourist district. The night was lit up. Humans filled the streets, and music blared from the clubs. A cruise ship must have been in port.

The former priest scanned the sidewalks as they drove. Then he said softly, “You must love her very much.”

Baojia stared into the traffic as he thought about what the priest had said. Love Natalie?

Well… of course he did.

Father Andrade seemed to have been expecting them. The gray-haired priest shook hands with Carwyn and led both vampires back to the kitchen in the small house behind the church. It was a modest home, decorated with pictures of saints and a few children’s drawings. The father was obviously loved by the people he ministered to. He put a kettle of water on to heat and joined them at the scarred table.

“I have been expecting one of you people, but I didn’t know if it would be to help me or kill me.”

Carwyn said, “Why would anyone kill you, Father?”

The priest shrugged. “I see many things I’m not supposed to see. No one pays attention to old men.”

“What have you seen lately?” Baojia asked. “Anything unusual?”

“I’ve seen more girls going than coming,” he said. “G he who askeirls who have disappeared. There’s always some of that—most of them go back to their families or move along when they realize the city isn’t all they want—but there’s more now. More missing girls. And some of the regular girls… the ones who know about your sort, they look worried.”

He was hiding something. The old man was telling them part of the story, but not all. Carwyn must have sensed it, too.

“Father Andrade, I hope you know that many of our kind have no quarrel with you or your work. In fact, Arturo Leon gave me your name if I ever needed help in this area.”

Baojia didn’t recognize the name, but Father Andrade must have, because the priest’s face suddenly relaxed and his shoulders slumped.

“I have no idea what do to for her,” he said. “She came to me months ago. Begged me not to take her to the hospital. She says it won’t help anyway. I’ve called doctors to the house. Prayed for guidance…”

Baojia leaned forward. “Who? Who are you talking about?”

Father Andrade said, “Constantina Rosales. Ivan’s former mistress.”

Baojia stopped breathing. He’d thought the man harbored some affection for the human. He’d been wrong.

Where’s Constantina?

Some ridiculous illness. Not sure. You know how they complain.

Constantina wasn’t sick. Ivan had given his own mistress the Elixir.

“Where is she?”

She was lying on a narrow bed in the basement. No cords or monitors were hooked up to her, though she obviously needed to be in a hospital. The stunning woman who had dazzled all of Ivan’s associates lay wasting away, the formerly lush curves of her body nowhere in evidence.

“Constantina,” Baojia said softly, kneeling down next to her as her eyes flickered open. “Do you remember me?”

“Ernesto’s man, Baojia.” She smiled weakly and put a hand up to his lips. He could smell the sickness radiating off her skin. “All the girls loved having you visit. I heard rumors about that mouth for years. Sorry you have to see me like this.”