Page 11

Serenity

I closed the door and leaned against it to catch my breath. I was in so much trouble. Part of me had wanted to run my hands all over his perfect chest. The sane, rational part was yelling to run as far away as I could.

Letting out a sigh, I quickly made the bed and tried to figure out what to wear today. I wasn’t so sure I could handle wearing pants over my burn, but I didn’t have a skirt or dress that would work.

Needing to take a look at it, I slipped off my shirt and tugged my undies down. The burn was on my right side, high enough that I wouldn’t sit on it if I sat on the edge of my seat.

I twisted and turned, but couldn’t see it at all. If not for the mirror in the bathroom, I never would have been able to bandage it last night. I gingerly pulled the tape away on one side, but the gauze wasn’t coming off .

I tugged at it, and gasped at the sharp pain. Was it stuck to the wound? “Dammit!” I should have waited until I was in the bathroom across the hall to look at it. Now what was I going to do?

Maybe if I got it wet it would come off? But I couldn’t go across the hall half naked. I heaved a sigh and got dressed, pulling my pants to just below the wound and leaving them undone. I slipped on my bra and a t-shirt, pulling it down to cover me up. The shirt wasn’t big enough to do the job, so I put my sleep shirt back on.

I really didn’t want Stone to see me with my pants undone. Hopefully I could make it to the bathroom before he noticed. I hurried to the door, just as he knocked.

“Is everything okay in there?”

Damn! What lousy timing. I pulled the door open a crack. Stone stood in the hall holding a cup of coffee. “Coffee’s ready.”

It smelled amazing, and I realized there was nothing for it. I needed his help. “I’m having trouble with my burn. I think the gauze is stuck, and I can’t see what’s going on.”

“Oh… that’s too bad.” He glanced down at my unbuttoned pants and nodded. “That’s gotta hurt. Let’s go in the bathroom, and I’ll take a look at it.” Instead of waiting, he stepped to the bathroom.

Heaving out a breath, I followed, holding my pants up with one hand, and letting my t-shirt hang down. I waited while he got the crate with the supplies out of the cupboard and set everything on the counter. After washing his hands, he turned my way. “Okay. I’m ready. Let me take a look at that ring of fire burn.”

My brows rose. “You’re really calling it that?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Shaking my head, I turned to face the sink and pulled my shirt up with one hand, holding my pants up with the other. He had to squat down to see it, and I squeezed my eyes shut, my face impossibly hot.

“Yeah… it looks like a blister broke. That’s why the gauze is stuck. Let me get it wet and see if it’ll come off.” He wet down a washcloth and gently placed it over the gauze. While he held it there, I dropped my head, letting my hair cover my face.

Sexy Stone was holding a wet washcloth to my butt. He was probably examining every inch of bare skin while he did it, and all I wanted to do was hide. “I think it’s probably wet enough now.”

“Okay. I’ll try pulling it off.”

The bandage came off, and I let out a sigh. He took out the ointment and began to slather it on before setting the tube back down. He looked through the crate for a bandage, and my patience was getting the best of me. “It’s right there.” I pointed. I knew, because I’d gotten it out last night. “Or are you just being slow to see if I’ll die of embarrassment?”

He huffed a laugh. “No, I’m almost done. I was looking for a different pad. And, just so you know, the worst of the burn is only a little bigger than a nickel.”

“Oh, that’s good.” It felt a lot bigger than that, so it was nice to know it probably wouldn’t take too long to heal. “How blistered is it?”

“It’s mostly just red, though there are a few small blisters. And here is the non-stick pad I was looking for. It’s a lot better than the gauze you put on it last night.”

“Get blown up often?” I asked. He really knew his medical supplies.

He stiffened, but instead of answering, he tore a couple of strips of medical tape and set it on the counter before laying the pad over my wound. Grabbing the tape, he gently placed them over the pad onto my skin. I couldn’t get a look at his face.

“Stone?” Had I said something wrong?

“There. All done. That wasn’t so bad, right?” He gave me a tight smile.

I straightened and yanked my shirt down. “I guess not.”

He concentrated on putting the supplies back in the crate.

“Are you… okay?”

“I’m fine.” He tried to smile again, but his face held a gravity that hadn’t been there before.

My stomach twisted, and I almost pushed him to tell me what I’d done wrong. Instead, I hurried back to my bedroom to finish dressing, and shut my door. I’d only been joking about getting blown up… why had that struck a nerve?

He’d talked about it yesterday like it was nothing. So what was it? I couldn’t have made him feel bad. Maybe it was having him so close that was unsettling. Maybe our fun last night was a fluke? I’d just have to keep my distance, concentrate on doing my job, and forget about how much I wanted to touch him.

Sighing, I managed to pull up my pants and fasten them with hardly any pain. Taking off my night shirt, I rummaged through my suitcase for a cute top, and found a white tee with a colorful sunflower on the front. I loved this shirt, since sunflowers were my favorite, and I hoped wearing it would put me in a sunny mood.

Needing to put on my shoes and socks, I sat on the edge of the chair. Leaning over, I felt only a twinge of pain, and relief washed over me. I could do this. I quickly slipped on my shoes and opened the door to head into the bathroom.

After combing my hair and applying a touch of makeup, I grabbed my purse, leather jacket, and gloves, and hurried into the kitchen for some of that coffee.

Stone stood beside the dishwasher, putting his empty plate inside. “Help yourself to whatever you want for breakfast. I’m leaving to check in with Vanetti. Why don’t you join us in his office after you’ve had something to eat?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

He nodded and hurried out the door. Was he happy to get away from me? My shoulders sagged, and I set my things on the table, put a piece of bread in the toaster, and poured a cup of coffee. Maybe it was for the best. Straightening, I decided to be totally professional today. Minus the sunflower t-shirt.

Sleep had eluded me last night, mostly because my mind kept taking me back to the moment I turned the doorknob on the trailer and knew there was a bomb ready to go off.

I glanced at my palm, still surprised that the heat I’d felt was just part of the vision and not real. I’d never felt actual pain from a vision before, and it worried me. If I got shot in a vision, would I physically feel it? There was so much I needed to learn about my ability. Too bad there wasn’t someone to teach me.

Finished with my toast, I cleaned up and hurried out the door. Stepping out of the apartment and into the middle of a large corporate office seemed strange, but I shook it off and headed down the hall.

I got to Julia’s desk, before anyone noticed me, and paused. “Hey, Julia. Stone told me to meet him in Mr. Vanetti’s office. Is that okay?”

She glanced my way before nodding. “Yes. They’re in there. Since you’re headed that way, would you give Mr. Vanetti this envelope? He wanted it as soon as it came in.”

“Sure. I’d be happy to.”

“Thanks.” She held it out for me and I took it, totally forgetting that I’d left my gloves on the kitchen table. Unfortunately, it triggered a vision, and I blinked a few times to see Julia and Mr. Vanetti in a heated embrace, kissing each other passionately.

It only lasted a couple of seconds, and luckily, Julia hadn’t been watching me. Sighing, I ignored the flutter in my stomach and stepped down the hallway.

So… Julia and Vanetti were lovers? Who would have thought? At least she wasn’t twenty years younger than him, so that was good. I’d bet anything their relationship wasn’t common knowledge. I shook my head and pushed it to the back of my mind. It was better to act like I didn’t know. Still… what the freak?

Not wanting another vision, I rapped on Vanetti’s door with my knuckles and used the bottom of my shirt around the knob to open it.

“Serenity,” Vanetti said. “Come in. Stone was just filling me in on what happened last night. Sounds like you barely made it out of there alive.”

“Yeah, it was close. Uh… Julia asked me to give this to you.” I held out the envelope to him. Taking it, he looked it over while I sat in the empty chair beside Stone, easing diagonally onto the edge of the seat. It probably looked a little weird, but it was better than sitting on my burn. “I guess Stone filled you in on everything ?”

Vanetti glanced up from the envelope, and his brows drew together. He stretched his neck to look at my chair, but was too polite to ask why I was sitting on it sideways. “Yeah, he did. I’d like to know your take on things, especially if you picked up anything at the club that would be important for me to know.”

I raised my brows, totally surprised.

His lips twisted. “Just start with what happened when you got there.”

“Oh. Sure.” That surprised me, but I quickly went over what happened from my perspective, glossing over how much fun I’d had on the dance floor. I only hesitated when it came to Brandon. He didn’t need to know about him, right? Unless Stone had already told him. Now I had to bring it up. “Uh… did Stone tell you about meeting my ex?”

“Yes.” His lips flattened. “That was unfortunate, but it didn’t seem to stop you from doing your job.”

“No, it didn’t.” I hadn’t thought of that. He was right, I hadn’t let Brandon derail me at all. In fact, I’d saved Stone’s life last night. Go me!

“Good.” He met my gaze and raised his brows. “And there was nothing you picked up about the club that I should know?”

I squirmed. “Um… not really. I was concentrating on Stone, and I kept my gloves on most of the time.” He narrowed his gaze, so I continued. “I may have accidentally picked up a few personal things about people, but it’s nothing that concerns your business.”

He rubbed his chin and twisted his lips. “What about here at the office?”

My eyes widened. “Nope.” I said that pretty quick, but I wasn’t about to tell him that I knew about his affair with Julia. I didn’t know if he had a wife, and I wasn’t about to ask. Besides, if he wanted me to snoop around his club and office, he was going to have to pay me for it.

“Hmm. Okay. Good to know.” He wrote on a notepad before glancing back at me. “At the beginning, you mentioned that you sometimes see visions of future events. So I’m wondering if you’ve ever been able to prevent one of your visions from happening.”

I relaxed and nodded. “Good question. I’ve tried to intervene at times, but I honestly don’t know if it helps. I mean… sometimes it does, but not always.”

“Can you give me an example?”

“Uh… sure.” I paused to think. Why was he questioning me? It felt like I was being interviewed all over again. “Last week, there was this guy at my lawyer’s office. On my way in, I dropped my notebook, and he picked it up. When he handed it to me, his fingers brushed my hand, and I saw him trip and fall over a step on the sidewalk outside. After thanking him, I told him to be careful outside on the steps. He gave me a weird look and walked away.”

My lips twisted. “So, I sort of followed him, to see if it would happen, and… it didn’t turn out the way I thought.”

“Why not?”

“Because he started down the steps and glanced back to see me watching him and…” I heaved out a breath. “That’s when he fell.”

Stone snorted and shook his head. “So, you made him fall.”

My eyes widened. “No, I didn’t! He might have glanced back and fallen anyway. Even if I hadn’t been watching. If he would have just paid attention to the steps like I told him to, he would have been fine.”

Vanetti nodded. “I see what you mean, but would he have fallen if he hadn’t interacted with you in the first place?”

“Maybe? I don’t know.” Ugh.

Stone’s eyes sparkled. “So maybe things happen to people because Serenity’s involved.”

Was he teasing me? I glared at him. “Come on, you’re making it too black and white. Sure, there’s cause and effect, but don’t forget that most of these things are based on our choices. That guy chose to look back instead of paying attention to the steps. I didn’t make him look at me.”

“True.” Stone’s lips twisted. “But what about this? Would he have fallen if he hadn’t picked up your notes in the first place? ”

I glanced at the ceiling before meeting his gaze. “Who knows? It could have happened anyway. And since I saw a vision of him falling, I was able to warn him.” I shook my head. “Of course, it didn’t change anything. But it could have.”

Vanetti shook his head, and his lips quirked up. “That’s true, but don’t underestimate yourself. I think if someone told me I was going to be stabbed in the back, I’d take it seriously. Even if I didn’t believe them, I’d still be extra cautious.” He glanced at Stone and narrowed his eyes.

“I’m taking this seriously.” Stone raised his eyebrows. “But—” He turned to me. “This is still pretty new to me… and to you.”

My stomach plunged. Was he throwing me under the bus? Before Vanetti could fire me, I turned to him. “You know how good I am. I figured out where your document disappeared to, right? And everyone has to start somewhere.” I glared at Stone. Why was he doing this?

Vanetti met my gaze, eyebrows quirking. “Yes, you did.” He glanced between me and Stone. “When you say ‘new to this,’ do you mean to being a PI or a psychic?”

Oh, hell. “You know I’m a fairly new PI.”

He nodded. “And how new are you at being a psychic?”

I blew out a breath. “About a year.”

“I see.” Vanetti narrowed his eyes at me. “And would you mind telling me how your powers came to be?”

I didn’t have to explain, but I wanted both Vanetti and Stone to trust me, so I went ahead with the story. “Sure. I was in a car accident. It happened after that. I don’t know exactly what triggered this psychic ability, but I think it’s because I died while they were trying to stabilize me. Obviously, they brought me back, and now I have psychometry. ”

I glanced at Stone. Had he told Vanetti about Brandon leaving me over that, too? I shrugged. “It was weird at first, but now I’m trying to use it to help people.”

“Remarkable.” Vanetti nodded. “So, you never had a sixth sense about things like that before the accident?”

“You mean like… premonitions?” He nodded, and I shook my head. “No. I mean… I guess I’ve always been intuitive, but since I married a guy who turned out to be a total jerk, maybe I’m just kidding myself.”

“So the reason you became a PI was because of your new psychic abilities?”

I cleared my throat, glancing at Stone. “Well… not really. I mean… it was something I was already working on, and gaining this ability kind of sealed the deal… if you know what I mean.” I’d told Stone about my childhood dream and my passion for detective books, but that was meant only for him. I wasn’t about to tell Vanetti.

Vanetti’s lips tilted up. “Excellent. I like your attitude. It takes initiative and courage to start your own business, and I applaud you for it, especially since you’ve helped me out already.”

“Uh… thanks.” I perked up a little. That was more like it.

He nodded. “And… if you need a good lawyer, I’m happy to lend you mine. He’s not a divorce lawyer, but his firm handles them.” He opened his top drawer and pulled out a card. “His name is Christopher Nichols.”

“Oh… thanks, but I’ve got someone.”

Vanetti’s brows dipped. “Sure… sure. But with your connection to me, I guarantee that he’ll give you a nice discount. Think about it.”

“Of course.” I slipped the card into my bag. “Thanks.”

He smiled, pleased with himself, like he’d done me a big favor. “Now let’s get back to business, shall we?” He raised his brows at Stone. “Do you have any other leads? ”

“Yes.” Stone glanced my way. “Since talking to Cash is no longer an option, I’ve thought of a couple more people we can check out.”

Vanetti nodded. “Good. Let’s hope one of them is who we’re looking for.” Vanetti turned to me. “I’m confident you’ll be able to figure it out.”

“Thanks. I won’t let you down.” Warmth blossomed in my chest. It was nice that Vanetti believed in me, even if Stone didn’t. Giving him a quick smile, I stood, only wincing a little at the pain in my butt. Stone, the other pain in my butt, stood as well and followed me to the door.