Page 2

Serenity

I took the soda Mr. Vanetti offered me and sat down to wait in his office, while he left to check on Stone, which was the name Mr. Vanetti told me he prefers. After he left, I couldn’t help imagining Stone in the shower, naked and dripping wet. Ugh. What was I thinking? I needed to keep my head in the game. Besides, getting involved with a man was the last thing on my to-do list, or any list for that matter.

Letting out a breath, I cracked the soda and took a sip, finally relaxing for the first time since coming here. Taking this job was probably the stupidest thing I’d ever done, but what choice did I have? The pay was too good to pass up, and with my lawyer’s fees stacking up, I had to do something.

And now I had to explain my psychic abilities to someone like Nathan Stone? Human-man-God and personification of all things sexy? It would be like trying to convince him that Santa Claus was real. He’d never believe me, and working with him would be pure hell.

Well… maybe not quite pure hell, I’d still get to look at him. Oh, boy. I was in trouble. The moment he’d stepped into the office replayed in my head. He’d come inside like he owned the place, and when his gaze landed on me… a palpable shock hit me in the chest. Tingles had spread through my whole body, and I’d wanted to throw myself at him, and taste those full lips.

I’d never had a reaction that strong in my life, even when I met Brandon. In fact, I hadn’t thought something like that was possible… until now. If Stone hadn’t been such a jerk, I might not have been able to resist the pull, so maybe it was better this way. He might not necessarily be the enemy, but he certainly wasn’t a potential lover, in spite of my reaction to him... or maybe even because of it.

If only I didn’t have to convince him that my psychic powers were real. Once I proved what I could do, he’d look at me differently. Instead of seeing a normal person, he’d think I was a freak on the crazy side. That heat in his eyes would change to disdain, and a little part of me would die inside. No. I couldn’t think that way. His opinion didn’t matter. And besides, I didn’t want a man in my life.

At least Vanetti didn’t seem to mind my abilities. He’d hired me for a simple job a week ago, and I’d come through with flying colors. He was fascinated with my gift, and his acceptance had meant the world to me. That’s why I hadn’t hesitated to come back for another job.

But he hadn’t mentioned that Stone was… well… a living, breathing fulfillment of every woman’s deepest desire. Just thinking about him sent heat into my core.

But what if Stone refused to work with me? He hadn’t been too happy that I was a psychic. Even proving it to him might not change his mind. Would Vanetti insist on the plan anyway?

Dammit. Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner? Now it was too late.

The door opened, and my heart jumped as Vanetti stepped inside, followed by Sexy Stone. Yeah, that’s what I was calling him, now.

My insides turned to mush at the sight of him, and I had to hold back a groan. Talk about tall, dark, and handsome. When I’d first seen him, he had dirt and blood on his face, and his hair was a mess. Even then, it had given him a dangerous, but oh-so-sexy vibe that took my breath away.

But now? Holy hell! I could barely swallow. With the distraction of the blood and dirt gone, his dark eyes had depths to them I’d never imagined. His strong jaw seemed even more defined, and his dark hair brushed his forehead in a way that made me want to push it out of his eyes… ugh!

He met my gaze, and I caught a touch of heat in his eyes before a shadow crossed over them, quickly shifting into disdain. Yup… this was not going to go well.

“Let’s sit at the table.” Vanetti motioned toward the round table in the corner of his elegant office.

Stepping to it, I automatically pulled my pink dust-cloth from my purse so my bare skin wouldn’t come in contact with the chair. After pulling it out, I sat down, keeping the cloth in my lap in case I needed it again.

Stone’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward to peek at the cloth in my hands. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the hankie?”

His low voice sent a shiver down my spine. I tried to ignore it as I fought back a sarcastic reply. I was a professional, and this was a great opening to explain my ‘ psychic powers,’ so I might as well take it. I cleared my throat and straightened my shoulders.

“My… ability manifests through extrasensory perception. It’s something called psychometry.” I shot him a challenging glance. “Ever heard of it?”

Stone smirked. “I like to know what tricks scam artists use, but this one’s new.”

Mouth twisting, I glared back but didn’t take the bait. “Most people are uneducated when it comes to things like this.”

“Why don’t you educate me, then?” His voice hardened, but he motioned with his hand to continue.

“Fine.” Oh, I wanted to educate him all right… in bed. Focus. “It’s simple. When I touch an object, or sometimes, a person, I get some kind of insight about them.”

“Such as?”

“Like their history… or something about the person who last came into contact with the object… that sort of thing. Depending on the circumstances, I can get a vision of the past or the future, and how it relates to the object.” I kept my tone firm and professional, ignoring the little voice in my head that reminded me how crazy that explanation sounded.

Stone raised his brows. “And… what’s the hankie for?”

I grimaced. “Well… I don’t like to touch every little thing, so I use it to protect me from sensory overload.”

“Right.” He nodded, but his lips twisted. “So, touching things tells you something about the object.” Huffing, he glanced between Mr. Vanetti and me. “No offense, but how’s that supposed to help me? I’m pretty sure touching that bomb today wouldn’t have stopped it from going off.”

“A bomb? ” My eyes widened. I cleared my throat and tried to school my face. “Well, no, but I may have gotten something warning me away from it.” I didn’t add, without my gloves on . “But I bet if I went back there now and touched a remnant of it, I’d get something from that.” Well, that explained the dirt and blood.

“Really?” Stone leaned forward, dark gaze intense. “Like what?”

“Hopefully, an impression of the person who made it. I might get a vision of them and I’d know what they looked like.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “It could be any number of things that would lead us to them, like their initials, or an address… something like that.”

I almost added that my visions weren’t always clear, but that wouldn’t help my case. Though now that I knew he’d almost been blown up, I wasn’t sure I wanted the job.

Dammit; too bad I needed that money. “I’m a licensed private investigator. I have a concealed carry permit, and I know some martial arts, so I can take care of myself.”

Stone stared at me for several long moments before shaking his head and turning to Vanetti. “You can’t be serious. You want her to help me figure out who’s after me? And the major qualification is that she’s a psychic? How do you know she’s not lying?”

That jerk. Glaring, I opened my mouth to retort, but Mr. Vanetti held up a hand.

“Stone… remember that missing contract from about a week ago?”

His brows puckered. “You mean the one the courier lost? You told me you found it.”

“That’s right, but it was Serenity who found it. Since you were busy at the time, I hired her for the job. She tracked it down in a couple of hours. It was amazing.”

“Okay, fine.” Stone glanced my way, his eyes tightening. “But this is a lot more complicated than finding a missing document. ”

Vanetti shrugged. “The principle is the same. Besides, you haven’t made much progress on your own.”

Mouth tightening, Stone sat back in his chair. “I haven’t had enough time to figure it out.”

Vanetti’s lips thinned. “And the longer it takes, the more likely this guy is to succeed. Like it or not, the clock is ticking. Work with Serenity, and she’ll figure it out in no time.”

Stone huffed out a breath and crossed his muscular arms across an equally muscular chest. “I don’t need a… psychic to figure it out.” He practically spit out the word.

Vanetti pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “But look what happened today. I’m certain she’ll find the bastard. She might just save your life.”

“No—”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, glancing between the two men and settling on Vanetti. “I thought I was just helping you figure out who had a grudge against—” I motioned to Stone “—him.” I licked my lips. “I know we agreed that I’d be working with him twenty-four seven, but—”

“Twenty-four seven?” Stone cut me off, rising to his feet. “Absolutely not.”

Vanetti slowly stood, his gaze hard and flinty. My heart froze in my chest, and I shot a wide-eyed glance at Stone. After a couple of tense seconds, he wisely sat back down.

Vanetti’s quiet voice cut through the silence. “This isn’t negotiable. She’s helping you, whether you want it or not.”

Stone didn’t reply, and I was honestly too scared to say anything either.

“My mind’s made up.” Vanetti shifted his gaze to me. “You’ll be staying with him twenty-four seven like we agreed. Your job is to figure out who’s after him, like we agreed . Hopefully, you’ll manage to keep him from getting killed while you’re at it. ”

I gulped. “But… this is a lot more dangerous than I thought.”

Nodding, Vanetti sat back down. “I’m aware. It’s more dangerous than I realized as well. And I’m sure, since you’ve met Stone, you might want to back out, but I’ll make it worth your while.”

I glanced at Stone, who was sitting completely still as if every feature on his face was chiseled from granite. Huh, maybe that’s why his name was Stone. His gaze locked on mine, and I knew he’d make my life a living hell if I accepted. Could any amount of money be worth that? Probably not. But I didn’t want to get on Vanetti’s bad side, either.

“A hundred and fifty grand. That’s how much I’ll pay you.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’ll give you half right now, and the rest when it’s over.”

I could barely breathe, let alone speak. Licking my lips, I knew I couldn’t pass up that much money. Not when it would solve all my problems. “Okay… but what if Stone gets killed? Will I still get paid?”

“Depends on who kills him.” Vanetti’s mouth twitched. “If it’s you, no. If it’s someone else… it depends on the circumstances.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

Again, a corner of Mr. Vanetti’s mouth twitched. “Look, Ms. Jones, I’ve invested a lot into Nathan here, and if I didn’t firmly believe you could help, I wouldn’t have hired you.”

“And… the whole keep-him-from-getting-killed thing?”

Stone glared at me again.

“Find the culprit, and Nate’s safe.”

I let out a breath. A hundred and fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.” I’d better not regret this.

“Good.”

Vanetti stepped to his desk to write me a check for seventy-five grand. As he wrote it out, I tried to ignore Stone’s murderous glare. He jumped from his seat and began prowling back and forth like a caged panther. Was he trying to intimidate me? No way was I going to let that work.

Heat came off him in waves, and I swallowed. This was definitely a mistake. But I could handle it. A few days and I’d be done. All I had to do was find the person who wanted him dead. With my psychometry, that shouldn’t take long. In fact, I could figure it out by tomorrow, right?

Vanetti handed me the check, and I examined all those zeros before stuffing it in my purse. I stood and gave him a fist bump instead of shaking his hand. “Thanks Mr. Vanetti, I won’t let you down.”

“I know. Did you bring everything you need?”

I nodded. “I have a bag in my car.”

Vanetti glanced at Stone, and his lips flattened. Stepping to his side, he put his hand on Stone’s shoulder. “I have a few things I need you to do, but I want you to spend most of your time finding the son-of-a-bitch who’s after you. Why don’t you take Serenity to your office and give her the rundown of what you know?”

Stone’s jaw was so tight, I worried that his teeth would crack. It surprised me that he didn’t start yelling and complaining, but after our chat at the table, he held it all in, only giving Vanetti a curt nod before striding to the door.

I figured he’d just march right out, leaving me in the dust, but, after pulling the door open, he glanced my way. “Coming? ”

The danger in his tone sent shivers down my spine. Knowing this wasn’t the time to back down, I rose to the challenge and sent him a regal nod. “Of course.”

Holding my head high, I followed him out.