Page 5

Serenity

W e arrived at a trailer park on the west end of town. Stone pulled inside and drove through the park until coming to the correct trailer on the end of the street. There was n0 car parked in front, so it didn’t look like Cash was home, but that didn’t stop Stone from stepping to the door and knocking. He even peeked inside the window before admitting Cash wasn’t there.

I’d remained by the bike, and Stone came back with a scowl on his face. “Do you want to try the rag again? Maybe you’ll see where he went?”

“Oh… I left it at the car shop… but I don’t usually get more than one vision from an object, so it’s no big deal.” I shrugged.

“No big deal?” His jaw tightened. “If you’d touched it back when we were standing in front of Cash, we wouldn’t have to be here. ”

“I realize that.” I bit back. “But I don’t like using my ability in front of people… especially guys like that.”

“They wouldn’t have cared. Besides, you said you knew what you were doing.” He glared.

“I do!” My heart raced and heat flushed my cheeks. “And you don’t know what would’ve happened, so back off.”

“Fine.” He crossed his muscular arms over his chest and threw an angry look at the trailer. “I guess we’re back to square one, then.”

“Not necessarily,” I countered. “I might get something from the trailer. I can try touching the doorknob at least.”

Stone’s brow relaxed. “Okay.”

He followed me to the door, where I touched the knob and waited for a vision, but nothing happened. Frustrated, I twisted the knob and the door popped open. My eyes widened. “I guess he didn’t lock it.”

Stone’s brows rose. Without any hesitation, he pushed the door open and stepped past me into the trailer. Taking a breath, I slipped my glove back on and followed him inside, locking the door behind me. I turned to find the place neat and tidy, which surprised me.

While Stone shuffled through stacks of mail, I wandered into the bedroom, impressed by how clean and uncluttered it was for a guy living alone. It sure made it easier to start touching things, even when I didn’t want to.

I knew touching other people’s stuff was what I’d signed up for, but that didn’t make it easy. Mostly because I always felt a little guilty that I was invading their privacy. Plus, there were some things I just didn’t want to see.

But this was my job, so I might as well get used to it. I found some photos on the wall and took a moment to examine them. A young Cash stood with another guy who seemed slightly familiar. Was that our guy? His baby face, without a hint of beard, made it hard to know .

I picked up the picture frame and carried it to Stone. “Does this guy look familiar to you?”

Stone took it from me and his brows dipped. “That’s Cash… but I don’t know who the other guy is.” He glanced my way. “Is this the guy from your vision?”

“No. That’s why I asked.” I took off my glove and touched the frame, but didn’t get any vibes. “Not getting anything.” I set the frame down on the kitchen counter and looked around. “I need to touch the right object. Something connected to Cash and this person he was talking on the phone with.”

“If the guy came here, would you pick that up?”

“Yeah… I might.”

I stepped into the living area and began touching the furniture. Feeling nothing from the couch, I ran my fingers across the pillows, then continued through the room, touching a lamp, the light switch, and the big screen TV. Nothing happened, and I worried that Stone would lose faith in my ability.

I spotted the remote and hurried to pick it up. As soon as I touched it, a vision swam into view. Standing in this exact spot, Cash was holding a phone to his ear and talking. “Hey Johnny. It’s been a while. Sure, a drink would be nice. See you then.”

The vision faded and I jerked back to myself.

Stone stepped closer. “Did you see something?”

I nodded. “Yes, but I don’t know if it’s going to help. Cash was talking on his phone to a guy named Johnny. They planned to meet somewhere for drinks. It could have been yesterday, or a while ago. So it’s probably already happened. Do you know anyone named Johnny?”

Stone shook his head. “Not that I can think of. I guess we’ll have to track Cash down for a talk before we’ll know for sure. ”

“Yeah.” I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t touch the rag to begin with. I messed up.”

He huffed out a breath and nodded, then his brows dipped. “Tell me about your vision from the rag again. What exactly did Cash say?”

“He was telling someone to pay up before you got wind of it. Doesn’t that sound like Cash set you up for money, and the guy hasn’t paid him yet?”

Stone blinked. “Maybe. But it could be something else.”

“Like what?”

He shook his head. “There’s a weekly poker game that Cash has a penchant for, but he doesn’t always have the funds. I told him that he couldn’t play without settling his debts first.”

“Really?” I shook my head. “You know… I did pick up that one of the other guys lost everything at a poker game. So I guess that could be it, but what if it isn’t?”

“We won’t know until we talk to Cash.”

“So it might not be him at all?” I closed my eyes. “I feel like such an idiot.”

Stone sighed. “You know what? It’s probably okay that you didn’t touch the rag right away. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d been right in front of me. So, don’t be too hard on yourself.” He shrugged. “Like you said, it could still be him.” But his tone remained skeptical. He sighed again. “I know you think it’s connected to me, but maybe you just need more practice to know what’s what.”

That just made me feel worse. If I couldn’t figure out how my ability worked, what the hell was I doing? I wanted to make a name for myself, but this could totally ruin my reputation. Could I be that far off? “No. I’m sure I’m not wrong.”

Stone’s mouth twisted and his jaw tightened. Since I didn’t want him to think I was unreasonable, I continued. “ But, like you said… we won’t know for sure until we talk to him. Maybe we can come back later?”

“You mean like after we go back to the building with the bomb?” He heaved a sigh and stalked to the door. “We might as well head back to the office.”

He stepped out of the trailer house, holding the door for me, and it was easy to feel his impatience. Did he think I was useless? That this whole thing was a joke? I had to prove that he could trust my abilities. I trusted them… right? But what if I was wrong?

We got to the bike, and I managed to get my helmet on and the strap fastened all on my own. Go me. Stone seemed withdrawn, and I couldn’t blame him. I just needed to convince him that I knew what I was doing.

After pulling into the garage at Vitality Ventures, we got on the elevator and I glanced his way, my stomach squirming, but I had to say something. “Look, I know you’re probably having doubts about me, but I didn’t pick those things up by accident. I think there’s a connection between you, Cash, and your stalker.”

He shrugged. “If you say so.”

A surge of frustration pulsed through me, and I opened my mouth to argue, but snapped it shut before I said anything. To be fair to him, the evidence wasn’t on my side, and, aside from seeing Stone’s near miss on his bike, nothing else had panned out. So where did that leave me?

Stone glanced sideways at me. “Let’s be realistic, Serenity. I don’t think this is going to work out.” My gaze jumped to his, but he glanced away, his lips thinning. “I’m sure it’s not your fault, but I don’t want to waste time with this. How about we make a deal? Since Vanetti’s convinced that I need your help, you can act the part while I figure this out on my own .

“You can stay in my apartment, or my office, and do whatever you want. Once I know who it is, you can collect your money, and we’ll go our separate ways. Sound good?”

My breath caught. Did he really think I was that useless? “No. That does not sound good. I can’t believe you’d even suggest it. Vanetti trusts me, and even if you don’t, it doesn’t mean I can’t figure it out.”

“Sure, but finding a missing letter is a lot easier than tracking down a murderer. Touching things isn’t getting us very far. In fact.” He finally faced me. “Concentrating on that is probably taking us away from making real progress. Face it, I can do this a lot easier on my own.”

Anger burned through my chest. “No way. I made a deal with Vanetti, and I’m earning every bit of that money. If that means I’m sticking by your side every minute of the day, then you’ll just have to get used to it.”

“If that’s the way you want it, then fine.” He sneered. “Go ahead and touch all the things you want, but I’m going to focus on actual detective work.”

I shook my head and glared at him. Jerk. “Oh, so you get to do your job, but I don’t get to do mine? How the hell am I supposed to help you if you won’t let me?”

His lips twisted. “That’s not really my problem. I can see that you’re trying really hard, and that’s great, but I don’t see the point in continuing to do something that’s not working.”

“Not working? We’ve barely begun. It’s been what? Two hours? And now you’re giving up? I didn’t think you were such a quitter.”

His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know me, lady. I’m perfectly capable of handling this on my own. I don’t know what the hell Vanetti was thinking, but I don’t need your help. If anything, you’re a distraction, and it’s making this—” He cut off, rubbing the back of his neck .

“A distraction? What’s that supposed to mean? I’m just as dedicated to finding this guy as you are.”

He stepped closer to me, and his nostrils flared. “I work better alone.” Pausing, his gaze raked over me, and my heart sped up. His voice rumbled. “You’re just too damn—”

The doors slid open, and we glanced up to find Vanetti standing there. Stone stepped away from me, and I straightened, automatically putting a pleasant smile on my face. “Hey there.”

Vanetti’s brows rose. “You two getting along, okay?”

“Of course. Going down?”

“I was, but since you’re both here, I need to talk to you first. Let’s go to my office.”

Stone motioned for me to go first, and I followed Vanetti through the reception area and down the hall to his office. What was Stone about to say? I’m too damn… what? I wanted to think it was stupid so I could keep arguing with him, but the way his voice had gone all rumbly… and how he’d looked at me. That’s not the way you look at someone you think is stupid. Unless it is? No, definitely not.

Vanetti sat behind his desk, and we took the chairs in front. Clasping his hands on his desktop, he gazed between us. “So… are you two having any luck?”

“No,” Stone said.

“Yes,” I said.

Vanetti’s brows rose. “So which is it?”

“We didn’t find much at the office where the explosion took place,” I spoke up before Stone could answer. “But we found a lead with Razor and his gang. One of the gang members knows something, but he took off before we could question him.” I shrugged, leaving out the part where I’d messed up. “But I picked up a name at his trailer house, so we’re going to look into that. ”

Stone glowered at me, but I ignored him. My job wasn’t his problem? We’d see about that.

“What’s the name?”

“Johnny. Do you know someone with that name who might want to kill Stone?” I raised a brow at Stone. “Because he can’t think of anyone.”

Again, he glared back, but didn’t try to stop me.

Vanetti’s brows rose and he shook his head, so I went on. “Also, tonight we’re supposed to meet with some of the newest gang members, and the bad guy could be one of them. If he is, we’ll wrap it up tonight.”

“Hmm. You think it will be that easy?” Vanetti glanced at Stone for confirmation, but Stone just shrugged, his lips flat.

“Anything is possible.” I shrugged. “But we won’t know until tonight.”

Vanetti studied Stone for a long moment before turning back to me and nodding. “Good. I’m glad you’re making progress. If it won’t be a problem, I need Stone to pay a visit to the club. After that, you’re free to go back to your investigation.”

Stone raised a brow, his expression clearing a little. “You have a delivery for me?”

“Yes. It shouldn’t take long.” Vanetti glanced at me. “Could you excuse us for a moment?”

“Oh, sure.” I slipped out of the room, leaving the door ajar to wait in the hall. Behind me, I heard chairs shifting before a beep sounded from the safe.

“Here you go. Wes knows you’re coming,” Vanetti said.

A moment later, Stone strode out the door, walking passed me as if I wasn’t there. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to ditch me. Peeking back inside, I sent a quick wave to Mr. Vanetti. “Uh… see ya.”

I followed Stone back to the elevators, but kept my mouth shut. He may want to ditch me, but I wasn’t going to let him, no matter what his reasons were. After all, it was his life I was trying to save, and I’d do my job. If he ended up dead, it wouldn’t be my fault. And, as long as I didn’t kill him, I’d still get paid, right?