Page 12

Serenity

S tone held the door open for me, and we walked to his office in silence. Was he ever going to tell me what I’d said to make him mad? He ushered me inside before taking his chair behind the desk. While he turned on his computer, still more stoic than he’d been this morning. I folded my arms and leaned against his desk.

He glanced up at me and raised a brow. “If you want to sit down, I could get you a pillow.”

“No, I’m fine.” I tried for a haughty expression.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “I think I’ve got one in here, somewhere.” He pushed his chair back to stand, but I held up a hand.

“Don’t bother. It’s not that big of a deal, I just want to stand for a minute. So what have you got on these new guys?”

I wanted to tell him that it might have been helpful if he’d done this research earlier, but now wasn’t the time to complain. Too bad Cash was dead, but wasn’t there another angle we could check out? Something to do with Razor and his gang?

Stone scooted his chair back to his desk and logged into his account. “I remembered someone who might be behind this. I helped put him in jail, so I need to find out if he’s still there.”

My eyebrows shot up. “You did? Really? I’m impressed.” For some reason, I didn’t think of Stone as a guy who got the good guys involved. It was reassuring to hear.

“Yeah, I told you I’m good at this stuff.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay. So what happened? I mean… you put him in jail, so now that he’s out, he wants you dead? That doesn’t seem bomb-worthy.”

Stone sat back in his chair and folded his arms. “It’s a little more complicated than that. Needles ran a gang that went rogue. It was my job to bring them back into the fold, but things got out of hand and—” He shrugged. “I had to protect myself. His brother was killed, and most of the gang went to jail with him.”

My brows rose. “Oh… so… you’re the reason his brother is dead?”

“It was self-defense.”

“Oh… okay. Yeah… I can see why he’d come after you.”

He logged onto a paid search engine and typed in the guy’s name. “Yeah… in fact, after they dispersed, Razor and the Shadow Serpents took over his territory.”

“Would his real name happen to be Johnny?”

Stone’s mouth quirked up. “No. His name’s Nico Navarro.” He tapped on his keyboard, and sighed. “It looks like he’s still in jail, so it can’t be him.” He glanced my way. “That leaves Anna and the South Side Gang.”

“Anna?” My stomach twinged. “It couldn’t be a woman. The person I saw had a beard. ”

He rubbed his face. “She could be working with someone.”

“I guess.” Was she a jealous ex? Why would she want to kill Stone?

“We’ll have to find her to make sure, but I have a good idea where she is. She used to work at the Tiki Tabu Bar and still has friends there. Do you know the place?”

“No. But why do you think it could be her?”

“I had a run-in with her boyfriend, and he ended up in prison.”

“Oh.” Relief rushed over me. “Wow… you sure send a lot of people to prison. Are you sure you’re not working for the cops?”

His lips twisted. “I don’t mind helping them when it helps Vanetti.”

“Right. So why do you think she’s bomb-worthy?”

“I guess she thinks I ruined her life, and she swore she’d get back at me.” He shrugged. “It’s worth checking out. But the bar won’t be open for a few hours. In the meantime, we could head to the game store and talk to the leader of the South Side Gang.” He motioned in the direction of my butt. “Do you think you could ride the bike?”

“Yes.” I nodded before really thinking about it. Even if it wasn’t the most comfortable place to sit, I couldn’t pass up a ride. It made me realize that riding with him could become an addiction. But there were worse things to be addicted to, right?

With a slow smile, he nodded. “Great. Let’s go.”

“Sure… but I left my gloves in the kitchen.”

“That’s fine. I need to get a couple of things from the apartment myself.”

I followed him down the hall and waited while he unlocked the door. Inside, I went straight to the table and grabbed my purse and gloves .

Stone hurried to his room and came out wearing his shoulder holster and gun. He slipped his leather jacket over it and grabbed his keys. “Let’s go out the back way.”

“Hey… I have a gun. Should I bring it?”

“You do?”

“Yeah. It’s in my luggage, but it fits in my shoulder bag.”

His brow crinkled. “You have a concealed carry permit?”

“Of course.”

“And you know how to use it? I mean… I don’t mind having backup, but I don’t want to get shot by accident.”

I huffed out a breath. “Jeez. I would never… I know what I’m doing.”

“Have you ever shot at anything that’s alive?”

My lips drew in. “No. But I’ve still gone through all the training.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Then go get it.”

Scowling, I hurried to my room and pulled the gun case from my luggage. After taking it out, I slid the loaded clip into the grip, flipped the safety on, put it in a holster that I could wear if I needed to, and stashed it in my shoulder-bag.

I hurried back into the kitchen, finding Stone drinking another cup of coffee. He raised his mug. “You want some?”

“No, I’m good.”

My phone began to ring, and I pulled it out of my purse. Glancing at Stone, I raised my brows. “It’s my sister. Do you mind if I take it?”

“No, go ahead.”

I swiped to answer. “Hi, Felicity. Sorry I didn’t call you yesterday.”

“That’s okay. I figured you got the job.”

“Yeah. I did.”

“So how’s it going? ”

“It’s good.” I swallowed, not about to tell her I barely escaped death last night. “Not quite what I expected, but the pay’s a lot better than I thought… which is a good thing since I found out that Brandon’s suing me.”

“What? I thought it was all settled. What does he want now?”

“I guess he wants more money, because he’s suing me for mental cruelty that occurred after the accident. He’s claiming the divorce is my fault because I changed. It just makes me so angry I could scream.”

“That asshole.”

“Yeah.” I contemplated telling her about bumping into Brandon last night, but decided I didn’t have time to go into it. I glanced at Stone, and found him eating a bagel, so I hoped he didn’t mind if I kept talking.

“Well… hang in there. I know you’re busy, but I just wanted to make sure you’re bringing the chips and dip to Gracie’s birthday party tomorrow.”

My heart dropped. I’d totally spaced it. “Oh… yeah… uh… I’m not sure I can make it. This is one of those jobs where I can’t leave my client… alone. But… maybe I’ll have the case solved by then.” I winced, knowing that was a lame excuse.

“What are you talking about? You can’t miss Gracie’s seventh birthday party. She’s expecting you. I get that you’re busy, but… can’t you take a couple of hours off?”

I squirmed. “Well… I’m a little stuck since I agreed to being on the case twenty-four seven. With the way things are going, I don’t think I’ll have a choice.”

Felicity huffed out a breath. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Sen… you have to come. Think about Gracie. You’ll break her heart.”

I closed my eyes. “I know… you’re right, but this job is not like the others. It’s a lot more intense. But listen… I’ll try and get away for a half hour or so. I know that’s not much, but it’s better than nothing, right? When this case is over, I’ll do something fun with Gracie. I promise.”

I glanced at Stone and found him leaning against the counter, his brows dipped. Was he mad that I was still on the phone?

“Uh… I’ve got to go. Why don’t I call you tonight when we can talk. I’ll explain everything then.”

“Fine. But you have to come tomorrow. No excuses, so figure it out, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll do my best.”

She sighed. “Okay. Bye.”

“Bye.” I disconnected and let out a breath. Damn. Why did everything always have to happen at the same time? I finally get a good-paying job, and now I have to let down my niece because of it. Life just wasn’t fair.

“Sounded like your sister wasn’t happy with you.” Stone’s low voice sent a shiver down my spine. “What’s going on?”

I huffed out a breath. “It’s my niece’s seventh birthday tomorrow, and they’re having a party for her. But don’t worry about it. I’ll just make it up to her on another day.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine without you for a couple of hours. You should go.”

I shook my head. “No. We have to stick together. It’s in my contract. I’ll just have to figure something else out.”

Stone shook his head. Then his eyes lit up. “Hey… I could come with you.”

“What? No.”

He flinched, and his brows dipped. “Why not?”

Oops. Had I hurt his feelings… again? Backtracking, I shrugged. “Oh… well, sure you can come if you really want to. Let’s just hope we solve the case by tonight. Then it won’t matter, right? ”

His right brow rose, and his lips turned down like I was full of crap. “With the way things are going, I wouldn’t count on it.”

I huffed. “Yeah. Maybe not.”

He gave me a half-smile full of sarcasm. “If you’re worried about me, I usually get along fine with most people.”

I blinked. “So, you really want to come? Why?”

He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… I don’t think you should let your niece down because of me. Family is important. And it’s only an hour or two.”

“Oh… well… yeah. Of course.” I bit my lips. “Hey, I’m sorry if I made you mad, earlier.”

“You didn’t.” He smiled tightly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Okay.” I hesitated, but decided that it was best to move on. “So, I guess it’s settled?”

“Yup. Tomorrow at five, right?” At my nod, he set his coffee mug in the sink. “Then let’s plan on it.”

I heaved out a breath and shook my head. “Okay.” Sexy Stone was officially coming with me to a family gathering. What had I gotten myself into?

“You ready to go?”

“Uh… yeah.”

“Good.” He stepped down the hall to the laundry room, and I quickly followed. We slipped out the door into the hall, and I waited while he locked up. After that, we trailed down the staircase to the lower floor before getting on the elevator and taking it down to the parking level.

It was on the tip of my tongue to question his sanity about going to the party with me. He said he didn’t want me to disappoint my niece, but it seemed like there was more to it than that. But what? He certainly couldn’t be interested in meeting my family, right? Damn! This was going to be the worst. Awkward didn’t even come close. Now I really needed to figure this out before then. How would I even explain who he was?

We made it to the bike, and I slipped my gloves on before taking the helmet. It wasn’t any easier to get the strap snapped together this time, and it took me a couple of tries before I got it done.

As I climbed on the bike behind Stone, butterflies rose in my stomach. I wrapped my arms around him and closed my eyes to savor the moment, grateful he couldn’t see my face. Why did I like this so much? It wasn’t just the bike. I liked wrapping my arms around him because it felt amazing. It was the one time I could touch him without needing an excuse.

Of course, it also distracted me from the discomfort of the burn on my butt, so why not enjoy it? Oh, crap. A physical pain gnawed in my chest to realize that once we figured out who was after him, my riding days would be over. Pushing that depressing thought away, I squeezed Stone a little tighter.

We exited the parking garage, and the butterflies began to dance through my chest. Yup… I was totally addicted, so no matter what the future held, I’d take this moment and enjoy it.

Several minutes later, we pulled off the street into a strip mall on the south end of town. We parked in front of a game store with all kinds of video game posters in the windows.

Before heading into the store, Stone caught my gaze. “Just a heads up… they won’t be happy to see me, so watch my back, okay?”

My eyes widened. “Really? What do you think they’ll do?”

“Depends on who’s there. Just don’t shoot me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you teasing me? ”

His lips twisted. “Maybe a little.” With a lopsided grin that did funny things to my stomach, he pulled the door open and motioned me to go in first.

I rolled my eyes and hurried inside the store. A chime sounded, and the man at the counter glanced up. His smile faltered as he caught Stone coming in behind me.

“Uh… hey, Stone. Didn’t think I’d see you for a while. What can I do for you?”

Stone stalked to the counter, a friendly smile on his face. It seemed to scare the guy even more. “We came to find a game for Sen.”

He motioned toward me and winked. My mouth dropped open. Not only had he remembered my nickname, but I loved how it sounded when he said it. Oh jeez, could it get any worse?

“She’s real interested in the…” He glanced my way. “What game was it again?”

Since I had no idea, I glanced at the games on display. “It was this one.” I picked one of them up and smiled at him, surprised by how expensive it was. I turned to the manager. “Stone’s buying it for me. Isn’t that sweet?” Before he could answer, I held out my hand to shake his. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh…” He quickly shook my hand. “I’m Grady.”

“Nice to meet you, Grady.” Touching him had given me a quick flash of a video game cover. I had no idea what that meant, so I glanced around the store, hoping to find it.

With shaky fingers, he grabbed the video game I’d pointed to and began to ring it up. “Is there anything else you need?”

I swallowed. “Well, I’m not sure that’s the only one I want, but I can’t remember what the other one is called.” I chewed on my bottom lip and continued to glance at the games. “Is there one that has a man fighting on the front? ”

Grady looked at me like I was nuts. “Can you be more specific? I mean… look around… most of them have someone fighting on the cover.”

“Oh! Right.” I chuckled. “This one is for my… nephew, um…” I closed my eyes, trying to picture the game I saw in my vision. “I think it’s actually got a tank on it.”

Grady’s eyes widened. “Uh… sure. We might have a few like that.” He motioned toward the back wall. “They’re back there.”

Stone glanced my way, narrowing his gaze before turning to Grady. “That reminds me. Is Tank around? Someone’s messing with me, and I’d like to talk to him.”

Grady blew out a breath. “Look… we don’t want any trouble with Vanetti. My guys are sticking to the agreement.”

Stone shook his head. “Even Tank?”

“Especially Tank.”

A shuffling noise came from the back room, followed by the banging of a door. Stone rushed around the counter and into the back. Grady ran after him, and I chased after them both.

I followed Grady out the back door and to the left, where we found Stone holding a man by the throat against the wall. The guy was shorter than Stone, but larger around the middle, so it made sense that he was Tank. In the tussle, Tank’s phone fell out of his pocket, and I cringed to hear it crack.

“Let him go!” Grady ran toward Stone and tried to pull him off Tank.

Grady’s puny efforts didn’t make a difference, but Stone let Tank go anyway. Tank slumped and leaned over, heaving in big gulps of air. Grady patted him on the back. “Why did you run, man? I had it handled. ”

Tank couldn’t answer, so while we waited for him to catch his breath, I picked up his phone to see if I could get anything from it. I closed my eyes and concentrated, but nothing happened, and I knew he wasn’t our guy.

Finally, he straightened. “I didn’t do nothing… I just panicked… okay? I didn’t plan anything. It’s not me. Okay?”

Stone raised a brow. “Then who? Who’s behind it?”

“Who’s behind what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You said it wasn’t you. What did you mean by that?”

He huffed out a big breath. “How the hell do I know? You’re the one who came after me. I figured something must have happened, and that’s why you’re here. I’m just telling you that whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”

Stone closed his eyes before glancing at me with a raised brow. “You have anything to add?”

They all glanced my way, so I sent them a small smile to put them at ease. “Do either of you know how to make a bomb?”

Grady jerked. “What the hell? No way.”

“Hell, no.” Tank’s brows drew together.

I glanced at Stone. “I don’t think it’s them.” I held up the phone and handed it back to Tank. “You dropped this.”

“Thanks.” He took it, glancing between Stone and me.

Stone heaved a sigh. “Fine.” He shook his head and stared daggers at both of the men. “But if either of you get in my way, it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

“You got it,” Grady agreed. “Like I said before, we know better. What the hell’s going on, anyway? Why come after us?” Stone turned the full force of his intensity on Grady. He flinched, but held his ground.

“Someone’s targeting me, and I don’t like it. They’re going to pay, so if you know anything about it, now’s the time to speak up, because if you don’t, you’ll pay, too. ”

“Shit, man, I don’t know a thing.” He turned to Tank. “You hear anything about this?”

“No. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Stone stared them down before giving in. “I believe you. But be sure to let me know if you do hear anything.”

They both nodded, and Stone motioned me back inside. As we all marched in, Grady stopped us at the register. “Wait. Don’t forget your game.”

Stone gave him a menacing stare, but Grady didn’t back down. “You wouldn’t want to let your girl down, right?”

I couldn’t stop the grin that spread across my face. While Stone paid for the game, I ran my fingers over the counter and a few of the other games, but nothing came to me. As far as I could tell, these guys had nothing to do with Stone’s problem.

“Here you go.” Grady handed me the game, and I slipped it into my purse. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks so much.”

We hurried out of the shop to the motorcycle. I slipped my leather gloves on before grabbing my helmet, and met Stone’s gaze. “If you didn’t guess it already, I’m sure they have nothing to do with your stalker.”

“Yeah. I got that.” His brows dipped. “What did you see when you shook hands with Grady, anyway?”

“A video game with a tank on it. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but when you asked about Tank, it made sense.”

“Does that happen often? Where you see something but you don’t know what it means?”

Shrugging, I nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s like a puzzle that I have to put together.”

“So you don’t always know what your visions mean?”

“Not exactly. Most of the time, what I see is fairly obvious. But with this case, I feel like I’m missing something. It would help if we had more to go on. ”

Stone huffed out a breath. “Yeah. It’s frustrating.” He checked his watch. “It’s still too early to head to the bar, but I don’t know what else to do. Do you have any ideas?”

I met his gaze. “Actually, yes. There’s one place I haven’t been yet, and that’s your house. Since this is about you, I might pick up something there. The apartment really doesn’t give off your personal vibe so much, but your house should be full of it.”

His brows rose. “Really?” He shrugged. “Well, if it helps find our guy, I’m willing to give it a shot. Let’s go.”

It surprised me that he was so nonchalant about me invading his personal space. Didn’t he realize I might pick up something he’d be embarrassed that I knew?

On the other hand… maybe he didn’t care because he didn’t get that same thrill I did when I touched him. So why care if I saw something personal about him? As long as it didn’t include a vision of him sleeping with a woman. Yikes. I sure didn’t want to see that.

We rode the bike back into the city and continued up toward the better, pricier side of town. Here, the houses were older and packed more tightly together, with stately trees and long driveways.

He took us through the neighborhood and along a street filled with older, craftsman-style homes. They were mid-size and cozy, with low-pitched roofs, protruding gables, and overhanging eaves.

I didn’t picture him living in an area like this. I thought he’d be more of a condo person. A minute later, he pulled into the driveway of a beautiful, stately house, with a wide, open front porch held up by two thick, tapered columns, covered in beautiful stonework. This was his place? It was gorgeous.

A heavy, wooden front door, framed by two large windows on either side, looked inviting, and the wood siding, painted in earthy green tones with cream colored accents, complimented the design.

Softly rounded shrubs with colorful perennials and a stone paver walkway to the front door tied it all together, totally impressing me and making me a little jealous.

Stone drove down the driveway to the garage and parked in front. We got off, and I followed him through the gate into his backyard. A tall fence surrounding the space gave him privacy, and the garden landscape held trees and a water feature that made it cozy and secluded.

My mouth dropped open. What a great place to unwind. It was almost magical. There were even plenty of things I could photograph. I closed my mouth, totally enamored and wishing I could stay for a while.

He stepped to the back door and hesitated. “You want to touch the knob before I open the door?”

“Oh! Yes. Of course.”

Pulling off my glove, I placed my hand on the knob. Nothing came through, and I nodded. “It seems fine.”

Stone unlocked the door, and I followed him inside. After closing the door, he entered a security code into a panel beside the door and reset the alarm.

I stepped into his kitchen and dining room area, finding that it continued to the front of the house, leaving it open and airy. The kitchen sported a farmhouse sink, light wood cabinets, a stone tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, and white countertops.

Standing still, I soaked it all in. It was amazing, and somehow it fit Stone perfectly.

He came to my side and raised his brows. “You want to start in here… or my bedroom?”

The way he said it sounded like an invitation, immediately sending tingles down my spine. I quickly stepped away, hoping he didn’t see how his closeness rattled me.

Not only that, but this house and his yard made me view him in a totally different light. I needed to get the stars out of my eyes before I made a fool out of myself.

Our gazes met, and I saw a hint of mischief in his eyes. Narrowing my own, I played along. “That sounds like a good idea. Where is it?”

“At the end of the hall. I’ll show you.”

He took a step in that direction, but I put my hand on his chest to stop him. “That’s okay. I can find it. You should stay out here. It’s better if I do this alone.” Smiling, I patted his chest and hurried to the hallway, hoping he’d stay where he was.

“Chicken.”

I ignored him and stepped to the last door in the hallway. The door was partially closed, and I slipped my glove back on, wanting to make sure I only touched what was necessary, and hoping to avoid seeing him with some woman.

Inside, his bedroom held a king-sized bed covered in a plush, black comforter. The wooden headboard and dresser had a rustic, outdoorsy finish, and the walls were painted a dark forest green. It was earthy and masculine, completely different from the contemporary look of his apartment.

Finding his closet door ajar, I hurried over and pulled it open. The large walk-in closet had clothes and shoes neatly organized on one side. The other side was empty, except for a sexy, ice blue lingerie set with a matching bathrobe. Hmm… I was not touching that, I didn’t want or need to know who those belonged to.

Closing the door, I wandered over to his dresser. Loose change and a tube of lip-balm sat on top, along with a framed photo of a much younger Stone standing beside a beautiful woman. From their similarities, it was easy to tell the woman was Stone’s mother.

A round, polished stone sat next to the photo. It was black, with white veins running through it, and would easily fit in the palm of your hand. From the shine, it looked like Stone had handled it a lot, maybe even running a thumb or finger over the smooth surface.

Should I touch it? It had to be something personal, and definitely important to Stone. Maybe it had something to do with his name? It might be just what I was looking for. Pulling off my glove, I held my breath and reached out to pick it up.

The moment it touched my palm, my vision went dark. The room disappeared, replaced by hot desert sand and blinding sun. Shouting sent my pulse racing, right before a huge explosion rocked the ground.

Screaming filled the air, and gunfire erupted. Stone emerged from the smoke, wearing military gear and dragging a wounded soldier to safety. More shots sounded and he hit the ground, instinctively covering the fallen soldier with his body.

The gunfire stopped and he jumped to his feet, rushing to pull the soldier toward a gate and the compound on the other side. Another explosion rocked the ground, and shots sounded again, but he didn’t stop. Ducking into a crouch, he moved faster, continuing to pull the soldier behind him. The gate swung open and he—

“Hey! Give me that!” Stone grabbed the rock from my hand.

The vision disappeared, jerking me back to his room. Gasping, I staggered back and collided with the edge of the bed. Off balance, I fell backwards, landing right on my wound. With a yelp, I tried to get up, only to have my feet slide out from under me. Right before my butt met the hardwood floor, Stone grabbed me under the arms and pulled me to my feet.

I shoved away from him, fury tightening my chest. “What did you do that for?”

“I… I didn’t want you to see—” He shook his head. “This doesn’t have anything to do with the current situation.”

My brows shot up. “How do you know? There were explosions. It could have everything to do with it.”

His jaw tightened, and his gaze hardened. “It doesn’t. It’s in the past. It’s over.”

I studied him, seeing the way his whole body had tensed up. That had been a bad time in his life. I let out a breath and softened my voice. “You knew I was here to touch things. If you didn’t want me to touch it, you should have said something.”

Swallowing, he shook his head. “I came in as soon as I remembered it, but you already had it in your hand. I just reacted.” He absently rubbed the rock with his thumb, like it was something he’d done many times before. Realizing what he was doing, he hastily set it back on his dresser. “Look, let’s just forget it, okay?”

“It could be important.” I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, but I got my visions for a reason.

His mouth pulled into a frown, and he shook his head again as if fighting back strong emotions.

I softened my voice. “I saw a battle. It looked like you were in the middle of a war zone. There was an explosion, and guns were shooting, with bullets flying everywhere. You were helping someone—dragging them to safety—”

“Stop.” Stone tensed, the muscles in his arms tightening. “You don’t need to tell me the rest.”

I paused. “You were a soldier?”

“Yeah.” He glanced away. “The… rock was kind of a… good luck charm.”

“Oh.”

He shook his head. “But I’m sure it has nothing to do with what’s happening now.”

I raised a brow. “But what if it does? Where were you when this happened? It looked like the Middle East. I’m guessing you were in the army?”

He took a deep breath. “It happened a long time ago.”

“Sure. But at least tell me what happened to the other soldier. It looked like you were trying to help him.”

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Unsure if he would tell me, I pushed a little harder. “You were dragging him toward a gated compound. The soldier looked pretty bad. I lost what happened after that because you pulled me out of the vision. I know you made it out, but… what about the other guy? Did he make it?”

Shaking his head, Stone let out a sigh. “I was in the service for six years. My specialty was security—kind of what I do now.” He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was good at what I did, but that doesn’t matter when all your intel is wrong.” He swallowed, a haunted look in his eyes. “Everything went tits-up— it went all wrong, and a lot of good guys died.”

Stone dropped his arm and met my gaze. “So, to answer your question—no, he didn’t make it.” Glancing away, he let out a long breath. “I got out as soon as my time was up.”

I raised my brows. “I see.” It didn’t take a psychic to know it bothered him. A lot. He could probably use some counseling. Still, even knowing that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was linked to his current predicament. “So, you’re sure your service there isn’t related to what’s going on now?”

His steely-eyed gaze met mine. “Positive.”

Rubbing my forehead, I licked my lips. “Okay. But I think you might be making a mistake. ”

“I’m not. Unless you saw something else?”

“No.” I closed my eyes. “It’s just a feeling I have that it’s related. That’s all.”

“Well, I have a feeling that it’s not.” He huffed and took a calming breath. “You’ve been wrong before, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.” He glanced around the room. “Is that your ‘vision-quota’ for the day, or was there something else you wanted to touch?”

I followed his gaze to the bed.

A smile twisted his lips. “How about my pillow or the comforter? You might get something from that.”

Naturally, he was goading me. Probably payback for pushing him so hard on the rock. I opened my mouth to tell him no, but the smirk on his face sent me over the edge. With a show of bravado, I reached down and grabbed his pillow.

“Sure. Let’s see what other secrets you’re hiding.” I closed my eyes, ready to make up an embarrassing story, but my vision went dark.