Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
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.