Sizzle and Burn

Raine widened her eyes, amazed. “Good heavens, why?”

  “Gordon and I have been concerned about you lately.”

  “You knew I was feeling a little low.”

  “You weren’t just a little down,” Andrew said meaningfully. “We were starting to wonder if you were flirting with full-on depression.”

  “Hey, I wasn’t that bad off.” She stopped, thinking about it. “Was I?”

  Andrew smiled. “It wasn’t as if you didn’t have some legitimate reasons. In recent weeks you’ve lost your only known blood relative, the woman who was the closest thing you had to a parent. Then Mitchell dumped you. On top of that, you had to deal with Vella’s estate. Last but not least, you stumbled into another crime scene yesterday.”

  “At least that last situation had a more or less happy ending. Could have been a lot worse.”

  “True. But yesterday evening when we talked on the phone, I could tell that even though you found that young woman alive, you were bracing for the usual nightmares. I could hear it in your voice.”

  She shrugged. “The nightmares are part of it.”

  “You always say that. Tonight, though, when you walked through the front door with Zack Jones, you looked different.”

  “I did?”

  “It was as though you had bounced back and were ready to take on the world again.”

  Raine tossed the whisk into the sink. “Zack told me that Aunt Vella’s depressive episodes were not related to her psychic talents.”

  Andrew took a moment to absorb that information. Then understanding lit his face.

  “I’ll be damned,” he said softly. “So that’s why you’re feeling so much better. Jones reassured you that your little eccentricities aren’t going to land you in an institution.”

  “He seemed very certain. He said that psychological problems related to psychic talents manifest themselves much earlier in life. Late teens or early twenties. Evidently the Arcane Society studies that sort of thing.” She hesitated. “He also said that if Aunt Vella had contacted the Society, their experts might have been able to help her.”

  “You know, I once suggested to Vella that she do just that,” Andrew said.

  “Really? What did she say?”

  He swirled the wine in his glass, looking troubled. “She just cried and said that wasn’t possible. Something about it being too late. She feared the Society and J&J. Didn’t trust anyone connected to either organization. She’d have been horrified if she knew about Zack Jones.”

  “I know.”

  He exhaled deeply. “I think there’s something you should know. When you told me that a man from J&J had contacted you, Gordon and I both went cold to the bone. We were afraid that history was about to repeat itself.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Hardly. It’s not like I’m engaged in any illicit drug research.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Wilder Jones didn’t just show up out of the blue one night and burn down your father’s lab. He and Vella had an affair.”

  Shock rendered her speechless for a couple of beats.

  “They were lovers?” she finally got out.

  “For almost two months. Wilder Jones seduced Vella, lied to her and used her to find your father and the lab.”

  She sagged back against the counter, utterly floored. “Why don’t I remember him? The first and only time I recall seeing Wilder Jones was the night he and his men stormed into the lab.”

  “Vella was afraid that if you knew she was dating you would become anxious about the possibility that she might leave you. She would never have done that, of course. She would have found a way to keep you with her, even if she had married. She would not have left you with your father. But until she was certain that the relationship with Wilder was going somewhere, she thought it best to shield you from it.”

  She shook her head. “I’m stunned. I had no idea.”

  “Vella fell for him hard. She told us she was in love for the first time in her life. Gordon and I used to take care of you on the nights when she and Wilder wanted to be alone.”

  “No wonder she went hysterical the night Jones and his men destroyed the lab. She was betrayed by the man she loved. She blamed herself for everything: my father’s death and the destruction of his work.”

  “Yes.”

  “That certainly explains a lot,” Raine said quietly. “She was never really herself again after that night.”

  “No,” Andrew said, “she wasn’t.”

  “What happened to Wilder Jones? Did he ever come around again?”

  “No. He disappeared.”

  “Poor Aunt Vella,” Raine whispered. “At least I now know just why you’re so worried about my relationship with a man from Jones & Jones.”

  “Yes.”

  “But this time around things are different,” she said quickly.

  “Because you think that Zack has been honest with you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe he’s just using a different approach to manipulate you.”

  “I may resemble Aunt Vella, but I’m not her. My eyes are wide open, Andrew.”

  “I know, but—”

  Raine walked to him, put her arms around him and hugged him.

  “Now there’s something I want to tell you,” she said.

  Andrew smiled wryly. “Is this going to be another shock to my system? Because if so, I think I’d better have a second glass of wine first.”

  “Remember what you said a few minutes ago? About how when I lost Aunt Vella I lost the person who was the closest thing I had to a parent?”

  “I understand.” Andrew patted her shoulder gently.

  “You were wrong,” Raine said.

  Andrew’s hand stilled on her shoulder.

  “I loved Aunt Vella with all my heart and I know she loved me,” Raine said. “She did her best to take care of me. But you and Gordon are my real parents. Everything I need to know about life I learned from you.”

  “Oh, Raine.”

  Tears glittered in Andrew’s eyes. He put his arms around her.

  They stood together in the kitchen for a long time, holding each other very tightly.

  Eighteen

  Mitchell is a complete bastard as far as I’m concerned,” Gordon said. “He took advantage of Raine, used her to make himself look like a brilliant detective. Allowed her to think he cared about her. She started to fall in love with him. When she made her feelings clear, he humiliated her.”

  “I know,” Zack said. “I got the whole story in Shelbyville.”

  He and Gordon were in the living room sitting in deep leather chairs in front of the fire, drinks in hand. The sounds and smells of dinner emanated from the kitchen along with the low murmur of voices. If it weren’t for the interrogation he was undergoing he would have been able to settle back and enjoy a cozy, comfortable evening and a home-cooked meal. Instead, he was running the gauntlet.

  He knew it was no accident that he and Raine had been separated almost immediately after they walked through the door. Smart, street-wise cops always split up the suspects for interrogation purposes.

  Gordon was silver-haired and solid-looking. Something about his eyes, his haircut and the way he carried himself shouted ex-military.

  “So you’re from J&J?” Gordon said.

  “Yes,” Zack said.

  “You know there’s some evil history between Raine and J&J.”

  “Heard that.”

  “She was in her father’s lab the night those SOBs stormed in and smashed everything in sight. She was just a little kid. I remember she had nightmares for months afterward. Between that and losing her father, she was badly traumatized.”

  “I’m aware that J&J didn’t handle the situation well,” Zack said.

  “Vella always maintained that Wilder Jones was responsible for Judson Tallentyre’s death.”

  “I’m almost certain that’s not true.”

  Gordon cocked a brow. “Almost?”

  “There’s nothing in the files
that indicates that Tallentyre’s death was anything other than a car crash.” He tasted the excellent wine and lowered the glass. “Besides, J&J doesn’t operate that way. It’s not some secret mafia-style organization or a firm that supplies hit men. It’s an investigation agency. It investigates.”

  Gordon snorted indignantly. “It did more than investigate Raine’s father. Vella told us the men from J&J destroyed his life’s work.”

  “That was an extreme case,” Zack said.

  Gordon settled into his chair. “You know, there’s something we never did understand. Why the hell did J&J go after him so aggressively in the first place? Vella was never clear about that. We got the impression that he had stolen a formula for some kind of proprietary drug from the Arcane Society. Is that true?”

  “I’m not at liberty to give you the details,” Zack said. “But yeah, that’s the bottom line. The Society has very strict rules governing research. Tallentyre violated those rules. He knew damn well what he was doing and he knew that if J&J found him, it would do whatever it had to do to shut down his lab.”

  Gordon frowned. “If Judson Tallentyre was operating an illicit drug lab, the Society should have informed the police and let the authorities handle the problem. It had no right to send a bunch of vigilantes after a man.”

  Zack examined the wine in his glass while he decided what to say next. As a matter of policy, J&J, like the Arcane Society community, kept a low profile where the general public was concerned. But Gordon was not a member of the general public. He and his partner had accomplished an amazing feat. Between the two of them they had somehow managed to accept Raine and her wild, disturbing talent. They had given her a family and a reasonably normal life instead of institutionalizing her. Gordon had a right to some answers.

  “In most cases involving criminal actions, J&J operates as a regular investigative agency, calling in the cops when necessary,” he said quietly. “But there are some internal affairs that it handles on its own.”

  “I don’t care if the Arcane crowd is some kind of secret society,” Gordon said. “No group is above the law. And I’ll tell you something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You break Raine’s heart, Andrew and I will break both your legs.”

  Zack nodded. “Fair enough.” He contemplated the fire. “What happens if she breaks my heart?”

  “Not our problem. You’re on your own.”

  Nineteen

  Cassidy Cutler stared at Bradley Mitchell, unable to believe her bad luck.

  “What do you mean, Raine turned you down?” she said. “You told me there wouldn’t be any problem convincing her to help you with the Dellingham case.”

  It was after nine o’clock. They were sitting in Bradley’s big black SUV. She had been waiting anxiously to talk to him all day but after he returned from Shelbyville he was immediately called out to deal with a shooting. By the time he finally showed up at the hotel where she and her assistant, Niki Plumer, were staying, she was seething with impatience.

  The news that he had failed to get Raine Tallentyre on board with the writing project was the final straw. It had never dawned on her that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Raine to work with him again for the sake of the book. Who didn’t want fifteen minutes of fame?

  Bradley turned in the seat to face her. He gripped the wheel tightly with his left hand. “It’s not my fault, damn it. When I found Raine in Shelbyville, some guy opened the door of her room.”

  “She was with another man?” Cassidy pondered that complication briefly. “But I thought she went to Shelbyville to deal with a house her aunt left her.”

  “That’s right.”

  “How in hell did she find time to shack up with some stranger?” Cassidy frowned. “Or was it a man she already knew?”

  “She said he was an old friend of the family but that’s hard to believe.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “With her aunt gone, Raine hasn’t got any family left. I have a hunch she picked him up just to get some revenge against me. I think she got a kick out of throwing him in my face.”

  “But she didn’t even know you were on your way up there to see her.”

  Bradley rubbed his jaw with his right hand. “Coincidence, then.”

  “I’m an author. I don’t believe in coincidences. Editors won’t buy them.”

  “I’m a cop. I’m not big on them, either.”

  Cassidy drummed her fingers on the seat. “This is a disaster. The psychic angle is absolutely perfect. My editor loves the idea. Niki has already started the background research.”

  “The thing is, Raine doesn’t want any publicity,” Bradley said. “She’s afraid people will think she’s crazy if it gets out that she hears voices.”

  She studied him in silence for a moment. He really was nice to look at. The light from the streetlamp revealed the exceedingly well-chiseled planes and angles of his face. His picture, alone, on the front of the book would sell out the entire first printing, she thought. The talk shows would love him. Damn, damn, damn. There had to be a way to salvage the deal.

  “I’ll give her a fake name,” she said.

  “I suggested that to Raine. She still wasn’t interested. She hasn’t ever wanted any of the credit for closing those cases. I told you, she doesn’t want people to wonder if she’s a wack job.”

  “Great. Just great. A seven-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar advance and a potential TV series in the toilet all because Raine Tallentyre is pissed at you.”

  Bradley went very still. “You never said anything about a TV series.”

  “My agent mentioned it today. I didn’t want to tell you about it until it’s a sure thing.”

  “Damn,” he muttered. “A TV series.”

  Cassidy thought about the problem some more. “All right, Raine doesn’t want the publicity. How does she feel about money?”

  “Huh?”

  “She’s a businesswoman. An entrepreneur. She must be interested in money. Did you ever pay her for the work she did with you?”

  “How the hell was I supposed to pay her? Not like I got any bonuses for closing those cold cases. Besides, she never asked for money.”

  “There’s a lot riding on this book,” Cassidy said. “Maybe I should point out the financial advantages to her.”

  Twenty

  The drive back to Raine’s condominium complex took about five short minutes. Zack didn’t try to break the silence in the car until he pulled into a parking space and shut down the engine. He folded his arms on the wheel and contemplated the lobby entrance.

  “All in all, I thought that went well,” he said. Might as well go for a positive spin.

  “Gordon threatened to break both your legs,” she said without inflection.

  He grinned. “You heard that?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s just looking out for your best interests. That’s what family does. Sometimes they screw up the job royally, but it isn’t for lack of trying to do the right thing.”

  She shot him a speculative look. “Has your family ever screwed up that way?”

  “Let’s just say they’re applying a lot of pressure at the moment. They want me to pursue a different career path.”

  “You mean, they don’t approve of you working for J&J? I can understand that. Sounds like it’s risky work at times.”

  “It’s not that so much, although Mom has never been happy with that aspect of my work. The thing is they all want me to go into the family business.”

  “Ah, got it. The old tradition of following in your father’s footsteps.”

  “My grandfather’s, in this case. Dad escaped. He’s a high-grade sensitive with a talent for strategy. He owns a law firm.”

  “What’s the family business?” she asked.

  “It’s a mid-sized corporation. A holding company with a lot of diversified interests.”

  “No offense, but it sounds boring.”

  “No,” he said, not takin
g his eyes off the entrance. “It isn’t. Until a year ago I thought I wanted to run the business when the time came. I’d planned on taking Granddad’s place ever since I was a kid. You could say I was trained for it from the cradle.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  He shrugged and unbuckled his seat belt. “I finally realized a year ago that I wasn’t cut out for the job.”

  He opened the door and climbed out before she could ask any more questions.

  By the time he got around to her side of the car she seemed to have understood that he no longer wanted to discuss his future career prospects. That was a very good thing. He’d come damn close to telling her about Jenna. He never talked about Jenna. Not with anyone.

  They walked toward the building entrance.

  “What did you tell Andrew about your reasons for working with me?” he asked when she paused to dig out her key.

  “I explained that there’s a chance I might find out what really happened to Vella. He and Gordon know I was never satisfied with the natural-causes verdict.”

  “So you didn’t mention the hot, sweaty sex angle?”

  She gave him a severe glare as she unlocked the security door.

  “It isn’t a sexual thing,” she said crisply. “Not anymore. I told you, it’s not smart to mix business with pleasure.”

  “Who said anything about me being smart? I could be a lot dumber than I look.”

  She laughed. “Not a chance.”

  He pushed the door open for her. “But it was a hot, sweaty sex thing for a while,” he said as she went past him. “Right?”

  “One night, that’s all,” she said gruffly. She started toward the stairs to the second floor. “Tell me, where does Wilder Jones fit on the Jones family tree?”

  An ominous sense of impending disaster swept over him.

  “Wilder was one of my uncles,” he said, cautious now. “I’ve got several.”

  “Were you aware that your uncle and my aunt had a red-hot affair? Andrew told me that Wilder Jones seduced Vella in order to find out the location of my father’s lab.”

  I’m doomed. Mom was right about you, Uncle Wilder. You were a real pain in the ass.