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straightened a little in her chair. “What do you want, Zack Jones? And please don’t try to tell me that the Arcane Society suddenly gives a damn about me. If anyone cared they would have been in touch a long time ago.”
    His eyes narrowed faintly. She knew she had scored a point.
    “I’m an agent for Jones & Jones,” he said. “Ever heard of it?”
    Shock lanced through her. So much for the aura of intense intimacy. She called on every ounce of self-control she possessed and gave him her very best screw you smile.
    “Oh, yes,” she said very softly. “I’ve heard of J&J.”
    He nodded as if he had suspected as much. “So you do remember. I thought so.”
    “I remember very well that it was a J&J agent named Wilder Jones who destroyed my father’s life’s work and burned his lab to the ground. I also think there is a very high probability that Aunt Vella was right in her theory that the man from J&J arranged for my father to die in that car accident. If you’re with Jones & Jones, you’ve wasted your time tracking me down. I can’t imagine any reason in the world why I would lift a finger to help you.”

Eight
    “W e have a deal,” he reminded her.
    Get a grip, woman , she thought. He was no longer the only other person she had ever met who truly comprehended what it felt like to live with her strange psychic talent. He was the man from J&J. She must not forget that.
    “No, we do not have a deal,” she said. Damn it, she could be just as cool and emotionless as him. “You entered my room a few minutes ago waving that envelope and I accepted it. But I made no promises in exchange.”
    “By taking the envelope, you gave me an implied promise.”
    “So sue me.”
    He smiled that easy, confident smile again. “Don’t worry, when you hear the story, you’re going to want to cooperate with my investigation.”
    “Give me one good reason why I would want to help anyone from J&J.”
    “Only one reason?” He shrugged. “My investigation is going to involve your family history. Will that do?”
    “ What ?”
    “I think you’re a lot like me when it comes to control. You like it and you’re good at it. I can guarantee you that the only way for you to exert some control in this situation is by cooperating with me. You’re smart and you’ll figure that out real quick. Once you do, we become a team.”
    “You’re investigating my family?” She was beyond dumbfounded, she decided. She was baffled.
    “Indirectly.” He glanced at the black steel watch on his wrist. “I’ll tell you about it over dinner, assuming we can find a quiet place to talk in this burg.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Using a level-ten talent takes an energy toll on the body. I’m always ready to eat after I’ve been jacked up.”
    He was right. She suddenly realized she was ravenous.
    “I really don’t think dinner is a good idea,” she said.
    “Shows how much you know. Eating dinner is one of the best ideas I’ve had all day.”
    There was no point fighting this. Now that he had dropped the first shoe she would not be able to rest until she heard the second. Besides, she was hungry.
    “Think of going out to dinner with me as a medical decision,” Zack said.
    “How does it get to be medicinal?”
    “You really need a glass of red wine, don’t you?”
    She thought about that. “You know, you’re right. This is very close to being a medical emergency.”
    “Let’s go.”
    With a deceptively easy movement he uncoiled from the chair, scooped the envelope off the low table, and went toward the door. He didn’t glance back at her. He knew she couldn’t resist going with him, knew she had to get the answers that only he could give her.
    For some bizarre reason she was almost overcome by the urge to laugh.
    “Damn,” she said instead. She pushed herself to her feet. “You’re good.”
    He took her long black raincoat off the hook beside the door and held it for her.
    “I know,” he said. “It’s a