Chapter One
Cat and mouse
I could practically smell the immaturity in the room even though I probably wasn’t much older than some of the girls dancing the crease out of those boys’ jeans.
I’ve always been an old soul though.
After ordering a beer, I casually hung by the bar until a pair of familiar eyes caught my attention.
Shit.
I saw him before he saw me. I would recognize that long face and those big, blue eyes anywhere.
His energy bounced off me like the unpleasant sting of a rogue rubber band.
My skin reacted with ripples of raised flesh all over, and I shivered.
I felt his urgency to find me.
He moved.
I moved.
A sly smile curved his sculpted mouth.
Cat and mouse was a game he and I both knew well.
He zeroed in on me.
I turned into the crowd fast, slamming into a man trying to squeeze past me, his fruity, red drink spilled onto my shoulder.
All my life I’ve been like a bloodhound. I could smell things miles away without much effort…or explanation.
The scent of the tainted drink slithered into my system like a poisonous serpent.
As a “touch” clairvoyant, I have felt the vile effects of a date-rape drug more times than I care to remember.
“Excuse me,” I said pulling him down to my level.
“What the fuck?” He barked in annoyance.
“Let me buy you another.” I offered.
He shook his head, as his dark eyes proceeded to undress me.
“No. Forget it, but I could think of something you could do to make it up to me.”
I smiled as I dug my stiletto nails into his arm.
One great thing about my gift was having the ability to project my feelings onto others.
He squirmed in my grip, but I held on to him and let that power inside of me spill into him.
His eyes widened in horror.
I knew he was feeling it.
The loss of control.
The spinning of the room.
The darkness that threatened your peace and stole your trust in humanity.
“Unless you want to know what it feels like to be fucked against your will, I suggest you get the hell out of here and think twice before poisoning another girl with that shit.”
His breath became heavy near my ear as he tried to pull himself from my grasp.
I let him go, and he stumbled.
“What did you do to me?” He squealed.
A petite blonde joined us and touched his arm. He flinched like a frightened animal.
“Liam?” She looked at him puzzled.
“I have to go,” he said, quickly.
The blonde looked at me and then back at him. “Why?” She was lustful. I could taste it on my tongue like sweet nectar.
“I’m his girlfriend,” I said loud enough for her to hear me.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said drifting back to her friends.
He still stood there, drugged and confused.
“Bye, Liam.” I waved.
He staggered away.
I could only hope that my brief intrusion into his mind had permanently crippled his pathetic tactics.
I wanted to head back to the bar, but when I turned around, I came head to chest with him.
He pleasantly smiled down at me. “Sinclair,”
“Faust.” I acknowledged.
“You look good.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?”
His smile faded around the edges. “Come on, now. We are friends aren’t we?”
I shook my head. “I don’t call it friendship.”
“What do you call it?” He chortled.
“A nuisance, maybe?”
He laughed.
“What do you want, Faust?”
“Can we talk?” His tone was much more serious now, and his eyes lost their playfulness.
The worry I felt from him earlier was clawing its way back toward the surface.
I sighed.
“Please?” He requested.
“Two minutes,” I said and began walking toward the door.
“Celeste?” I spoke into my hidden headset to call into my assistant.
She and I were working on an infidelity case tonight.
As a private investigator, I took on a lot of cases.
Throughout the years, I’ve covered everything from missing people to cheating lovers to cold cases.
My unique ability was coveted by the local police department. Not only because I can project what I feel, but because I can make a crime scene play out like a movie in the room, like a human projector. I have worked with the police on and off since I was fifteen years old.
All I needed to do was walk into it and place my hands on a solid object. This didn’t only apply to crimes. I’ve used it for other purposes before too.
Imagine the shock and surprise in a courtroom when I walked in to testify during a human trial or a monster one.
Needless to say, I have received an abundant amount of death threats for putting so many people behind bars and creatures to death. Trust me, the monsters don’t take lightly to losing their mates.
“Yeah?” she answered.
“Keep your post. Don’t lose sight of loverboy.”
“Sure thing,” she said.
I turned off my headset and headed outside with Faust on my tail.
The cutting, spring wind was unapologetic as we stepped outside and began walking. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm as I was wearing nothing but black skinny jeans, a blue top, and tan knee-high boots.
Faust took off his dark coat and draped it over my shoulders.
“Two minutes, Faust,” I said.
Patience is not a trait of mine.
“Fine,” he said and ran a hand through his short, chestnut hair. “I need your help.”
“The fact that you are here tonight proves that.” I bit my lip and started shaking my head.
“You didn’t even let me get started.”
“I don’t do that anymore, Faust. You know that.”
“I do and I respect that, but just one more time. Please, Jade. For me…for Ellie,” he said, hesitantly.
“No,” I answered through my clenched teeth. “And don’t you dare use Ellie as a bartering mechanism.”
He nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry. But…” He fished into his shirt pocket for something and pulled out a few wallet-sized photos. “How ‘bout for these missing girls?” he asked, putting the pictures in my face.
I didn’t want to look, but I could feel the innocence of the girls before even touching the photographs.
I glanced at the pictures and looked into their youthful eyes.
They were young. High school students, maybe.
Dammit.
“Alexia Tate, Olivia Coleman, and Jenna Matthias. Three innocent girls. Three, Jade. Please.” Faust pleaded. “How many more do you think will vanish if we don’t do something?”
Missing people hold a spot in my heart because my father’s face is on one of those posters too. My search continues to this day, but despite my abilities, I always come across the same empty room when I tap into his energy.
“Their families are devastated.”
I sighed and nodded. “What do you need from me?”
He put the pictures back in his pocket, and we started walking back toward the club.
“Carlisle Cross.” He mentioned as we walked. “He was seen with each of the girls at one point or another before they vanished. Local bad boy with a reputation. I’ve questioned him, but I can’t hold him. I have nothing but circumstantial evidence. The son of a bitch is a smooth-talker and he has alibis.”
“Which are?”
“He was on a cruise to the Bahamas.”
“Each time?” I asked, my curiosity piquing.
Faust stopped walking and looked at me. “The girls all went missing the same week, Jade.”
“What? How did I not hear about this?”
“We are trying to keep it out of the media, but we won’t be successful for much longer. They’re hungry for a story and three missing teens in our little town will feed them.”
“How did he manage to take them all in one week?”
He nodded. “Good question, isn’t it? It’s puzzling. All well-behaved and respected girls too. Makes you wonder what they would see in a scumbag like him.”
“We all fantasize about bad boys, Faust.”
“I’ll never understand women. We need to find them, Jade.”
For the first time, I noticed the bags under his pale blue eyes and the growing stubble on his chin.
“So where can I find this Carlisle Cross?” I asked as we headed back inside and stopped at the security podium first.
The brawny bouncer dressed in all black and wearing dark sunglasses uncrossed his arms and lowered his head to hear me over the music.
“I need my property, Hank.” I told him.
He looked at me with knitted brows. “Jade…” He hesitated.
“Shall I call your boss and tell him you’re being difficult?” I asked with a wry smile.
His boss, Stephan Brooks, would never deny me. We have been on a best friend status since the sixth grade.
Hank knew that.
Good boy.
He scoffed, reached under the podium and handed me my silver 9mm Smith &Wesson.
“Thank you.” I sarcastically offered my gratitude.
“Jade, don’t break anything.” Hank implored.
I concealed my gun in my waistband.
“The only thing I break are hearts, baby.” I assured him with a wink.
He shook his head and went back to scanning the crowd.
“Where is Cross?” I asked Faust.
Faust grinned and then tipped his chin toward the bar. “Big guy, blond hair, leather jacket, and sunglasses.”
I caught sight of him immediately. He was holding a beer in one hand and his other hand was wrapped around a woman’s waist. The boy may as well have had trouble tattooed on his forehead.
“I need you to get into his head, Jade.”
“And do you want to be there when I do?” I questioned.
He shrugged. “If it’s possible, yes. But I don’t have to be.”
I nodded and turned on my headset. “Celeste?”
“Yeah?”
“Johnny Bravo by the bar.”
“Yeah?”
“I need him alone,” I said.
“What about our target?” Her velvet voice quizzed.
“Some things take precedence over a failing marriage.”
“Copy,” she answered.
“Let’s go to work.” I told her.
“You got it, boss,” she answered.
I watched her leave her post and make her way over to him.
“Thank you, Jade,” Faust said.
I shook my head. “Don’t thank me yet. I’ll have Celeste call you once we get him,” I said and merged back into the crowd.