Chapter Ten

Nate Wilson believed life had been very unfair to him. He’d started out twenty-five years ago in the army, full of piss and vinegar. In short order his commanding officer had discovered Nate’s aptitude with explosives and made good use of him. He blew up bridges, roads, enemy strongholds—whatever was required of him.

Then he got careless, waiting too long to haul ass from some charges he set up. A blown knee and a back injury earned him a medical discharge and a lot of pain.

Unwilling to sit around, feeling sorry for himself, and despite his injuries, he’d talked himself into a job with the San Antonio Police Department bomb squad. He didn’t have to be agile, just clever with his hands.

Then Fate stepped in again. A bomb with a hair trigger went off as he was disarming it and blew off two fingers of one hand and blinded him in one eye. That ended his police career and his marriage. It also increased his pain quotient, and he quickly became addicted to Vicodin and oxycodone. Needing to feed his habit, he put out the word here and there, and soon a third career was born. If you wanted someone or something blown up, Nate was the man for it.

He’d been making himself a nice little living and keeping up his supply of drugs when the job for Mia Fleming came down. And everything came to a screeching halt.

“You told me to make her disappear.” He snapped the words off angrily. “Well, nothing makes a person disappear more than a bomb, right?”

“Disappear as in take her away. Kill her someplace else so people would think she’d left on her own. Are you an idiot?” The caller’s rage vibrated through the connection.

“Let’s not start with the name-calling. You needed a job done in a hurry, and it seemed to me you weren’t too fussy about how it got done. I did it. I want my money.”

“You do realize that you killed a man from the Phoenix Agency, right? Dan Romeo won’t take very kindly to that.”

“Fuck Dan Romeo,” he nearly shouted. “How the hell was I supposed to know someone else would be driving her car?” He held the receiver away from his head to tone down the voice shouting into his ear.

“That’s what you got paid for.” The caller was nearly incoherent with fury. “It would have been bad enough if she’d been in the car. Maybe we could have tried to pass it off as one of those nuts always stalking her. But now, besides the cops who were all over the place last night, Phoenix will be on your ass until hell freezes over.”

“Fine.” Nate pulled a soiled handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This was not going well at all. “Then I want the rest of my money, and I’ll get out of town. But now I need more than the original amount. Give me enough to stay gone so they’ll never find me and I won’t need to look for more work.”

There was a long pause. “And exactly how much are we talking about?”

“Half a million.”

“Are you crazy?” the caller exploded. “No way. You fucked up what should have been a simple job, and now you want to hold us up like this? No way in hell.”

“Don’t give me grief,” he ordered. “I know you can get your hands on that kind of money. I know all about your secret stash. So pay up, or I’ll be talking to the cops instead.”

He waited out the silence while his caller mulled over all the possibilities.

“Fine,” the answer came back. “Tell me where to send it and I’ll wire it.”

Nate snorted. “You think I’d fall for that? Then I really would be an idiot. I want cold hard cash. And I want it right now.”

The caller sighed. “All right. I’ll get it ready.”

“Good. Give me your address. I’ll come by and get it.”

“Are you crazy?” The rage rolled through the phone connection again. “I don’t want you anywhere near here. Let me think a minute.”

“Yeah, well, think fast. I wanna get going.”

Another pause. “All right. Let me think.”

“Meet me at the airport,” he said. “You know where the cell phone lot is, right?”

“You don’t think that’s a little public? The idea is for us not to be seen together.”

“There are cars coming through there all the time, so no one will pay any attention to us. You can get in and out before anyone even knows you’re there. Then I can hit the interstate or get on a plane and go wherever I want to.”

“All right. Fine. But I don’t ever want to see you or hear from you or about you again. Otherwise you really will disappear.”

“Thirty minutes,” Nate said and disconnected the call.

* * * * *

Joe Harmon had been working at San Antonio International Airport for ten years. When an on-the-job injury had sidelined him from the Kendall County Sheriff’s Department, a friend had referred him to airport security, and he’d settled very comfortably into a position as a guard. The hours were much better than when he was a sheriff’s deputy, the work was much easier, and since his wife had died, it had proven to be a good way to fill up his nights. People thought he was crazy, but everyone was always happy to let him have all the night shifts he wanted.

He wondered frequently who all the people were coming and going at the airport at three o’clock in the morning. The crowds simply amazed him. Why would anyone want to travel at that ungodly hour? His shift started at midnight, and things seemed to get progressively busier rather than slower.

In his airport-issued golf cart Joe patrolled the open places around the terminal. That included the drive-up areas and the parking garages. His job was to make sure there was no mischief afoot and that people didn’t keep their cars past the allotted time at the passenger-pickup areas. The cell phone lot was one of the many areas he was responsible for. Here people could wait for passengers who would then call on their cell phones when they arrived. It was very unusual for a car to be in that lot for more than fifteen or twenty minutes. People usually timed their arrival so they’d have a short wait. It was a good system and for the most part worked pretty well. Joe usually just had to do a quick drive-through and move along.

So when he realized the banged-up Toyota Corolla was still parked in the same place more than an hour after he first spotted it, he became suspicious. Normally he wouldn’t even have noticed. He basically just counted cars and went on his way. But when he pulled up behind the car, he noticed the man inside appeared to be asleep. In the best of circumstances, which this was not, a parking lot wasn’t a great place to take a nap.

Unsnapping the flap on his airport-issued sidearm, he climbed out of the golf cart, walked easily over to the car, and rapped on the driver’s side window.

“Hey, buddy. You okay?” When he received no response, he banged harder on the glass. “Buddy? You all right in there? Time to wake up.”

He turned on his flashlight and shone it into the interior. That’s when he saw the blood.

“Holy Mother of God.”

He backed away, grabbed his radio, and called the main security office.

“Hey, Sheila,” he told the dispatcher. “Get the boss down to the cell phone lot pronto. And tell him to call the cops. I got a dead guy here.”

* * * * *

Mia felt as if she were swimming up from the bottom of a deep pool of water. She needed to wake up or she would drown. She swam and swam, but she couldn’t reach the surface. Just as the last of her breath disappeared an explosion rocked the water, and a gun came tumbling down to her.

She sat up in bed, dragging air into her lungs, perspiration covering her body. She closed her eyes, trying to bring the image back, and there it was. The gun tumbling out of the ball of fire into the water.

She flailed at the air with her arms, screaming when something clamped down on them.

“No! No! Let me go.”

“Mia?” A deep, slow voice rolled into the dream. “Honey. It’s all right.”

“No!” Desperation clawed at her.

“Mia. You’re dreaming. It’s okay.”

Warm hands stroked her, soothed her. Eased her. The same voice coaxed her out of the nightmare. She forced her eyes open, consciousness coming slowly.

“What is it, Mia?” He smoothed his hand down her arm and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She realized he had pulled her against the hard wall of his chest, protecting her from whatever demon was chasing her.

“Someone’s been shot.” She wiped her forehead with the sheet. “I don’t know who, but it’s someone connected with the explosion. Oh, Dan. God!” She leaned into him, shivering.

“All right.” He continued to stroke her as one might a wild animal. And truly, that was almost what she felt like. “Tell me exactly what you saw.”

He pulled her upright and plumped the pillows behind them, leaning her back with him against the headboard. His arms circled protectively around her. “Would you like a cold drink? Some hot tea?”

“No.” She shook her head vehemently. The after-image was still burned into her brain, and she needed to get the details out. “Okay.” She pulled in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Here’s what I saw, everything I can remember.” She described it all to him—the water, the feeling of drowning, the explosion, and the gun.

“Could you get any sense of who was doing the shooting?” he prodded gently. “Or who was being shot?”

She shook her head again. “No. I didn’t even see a hand to tell if it was male or female. But I know it’s somehow connected to the bomb in my car. Whoever planted it is going to try a gun next. On me or someone connected to the project.” She smacked a hand against her forehead in frustration. “Or maybe that person will be shot.”

“Okay, honey.” Dan’s voice was low and soothing. “Let’s first make sure all our principals are covered. We need to find out where they are right now and check if anyone’s in trouble.”

He reached over for his cell phone and flipped it open. In rapid succession he called Chase’s penthouse, Lucas’s home, Paul Harrison’s townhouse, Ladd Tolbert’s condo, and Stan Forbush’s bungalow. From Dan’s end of the conversation she guessed they all bitched and cursed at being awakened, but at least she knew they were all alive and well.

Next Dan began contacting his team and making assignments, still keeping one arm around her, holding her firmly against her.

“No one,” he kept repeating as he connected on each call, “is to be left unguarded. “They can raise as much stink as they want to, but that’s an order. If anyone gives you too much of a problem, call me. And I want everyone in the Carpenter Techtronics conference room at nine o’clock.”

His last call was to Rick Latrobe, back in the Phoenix office after some downtime following his high-security mission in Morocco. He held the phone so Mia could hear both sides of the conversation.

“You were going to get with Andy and do some research on Carpenter Techtronics and the key players,” he reminded him. “Get anything I need to know?”

“This and that,” Rick told him. “If I’d known you were going to call me in the middle of the night about it I’d have brought the stuff home with me.”

“Never mind. Pack it all up and bring it with you to Texas. I need you here. This case is taking some unusual twists. Mark’s on board for several reasons, and I need you here, too. How’s everything at the office?”

“Surprisingly quiet for the moment. Nothing going on that requires any senior attention. Justine can handle things. God must be smiling on us.”

“No,” Dan contradicted, “he saved all his wrath for this gig. Just get your ass here five minutes ago.”

“No problem. I’ll wake Ed and tell him to get the plane ready. It’s a good thing you sent it back.”

“I’ll call Mark and ask him to pick you up at the private hangar,” Dan told him. “We’ll worry about getting you a vehicle later. I want him to bring you directly to the meeting at Carpenter Techtronics. It’s set for nine this morning, so get Ed’s rear end moving. You need wheels up ASAP. Oh, and have Mike bring the chopper and sit on it at the hangar.”

“That’s a lot of air power,” Rick pointed out. “Troy’s around. You want him, too?”

“No. He can mind the store with Justine. But I need you ASAP.”

“Yeah, I know. I just have a funny feeling we may need it.” He snapped the phone shut and dropped it onto the small table.

“Now,” he said to Mia, giving her a brief kiss, “everything’s in place, so you don’t have to worry. So let’s go over this in detail once more, okay?”

* * * * *

The cell phone lot of the airport had been roped off with crime-scene tape. The head of the night security shift had taken a look in the car and put in another call to the San Antonio Police Department. This would require more than a cruiser and two patrol cops. Shortly the patrol car that had originally been dispatched arrived along with two detectives in an unmarked car and the crime-scene unit. Now the driver’s door of the Toyota had been popped open, pictures taken from every angle, and the body removed.

Detective Steve Aragon took a good look at the man with the two bullet holes in his head. “I know this guy.” He turned to his partner. “So do you.”

His partner walked around the body that was being zipped into a body bag and stopped the zipper as it reached the man’s neck. “Hold it a minute.” He had them pull the zipper back down and reached for one of the man’s hands. “You’re right.”

“It’s Nate Wilson, isn’t it?” Aragon asked.

“Sure is. Who the hell shot him? And why here?”

“You got me. But he must have really pissed someone off. This is an execution-style hit.” He nodded to the men from the medical examiner’s officer. “Okay. You can take him away now.”

He turned around as a van pulled up with the call letters of one of the television stations on it. “Mud suckers,” he commented under his breath.

“They must sit on a police scanner,” Aragon muttered.

“So who gets to talk to them, you or me?”

“I’ll do it. How much do you think they’d want to know about an asshole like Williams?”

“Enough to give them a hot sound byte. Go on.” He nodded at the reporter holding a microphone and talking to her cameraman. “Miss Twinkle Toes is waiting.”

* * * * *

Dan watched Mia choke down part of the breakfast he’d ordered for her before finally moving her plate away. She’d have stuck with coffee and dry toast if he’d let her, but she already looked as if she’d pass out any minute. The strain was taking a heavy physical toll on her body, and he wanted to get as much sustenance into her as possible.

“Okay, I think we’ve stoked the furnace.” He refilled her coffee cup. “I just wanted to get enough protein into you before we start out today. We’ve got a full schedule, and you need your strength. How’s your hand?” He’d rebandaged it as soon as she got out of the shower.

“Much better. You saw that it’s healing nicely. As long as the aspirin doesn’t run out I’ll be fine.”

“You probably should take one of the pills the doc gave you.” Dan reached for the little vial he’d set on his nightstand.

“No, please. I have a high tolerance for pain, and I don’t want to be fuzzy-headed today.”

Dan frowned. “I wonder if we should have the doctor take another look at it.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Really. This is the last thing you need to worry about.”

He studied her face, her posture, her gestures, and it hit him as if he’d been struck by a thunderbolt. It wasn’t just the injury to her hand or the way her car had been blown up. It wasn’t even the strain of dealing with her latest visions. She was nervous. Uncertain, even. Although last night had been better for him than with any other woman—and he was ashamed to admit that was saying something—she wasn’t experienced at something like this. It struck him that she thought last night had been nothing more than physical exercise for him, and she was having a hard time being comfortable with the situation.

He reached across the table and took her good hand in one of his. “Mia, listen to what I’m going to say. Put it in your memory bank. Last night was very special to me, way beyond anything else in my life.”

She looked up at him, and his heart pinched at the uncertainty in her eyes.

She probably thinks my last name describes my love life. Romeo.

And it had—up until yesterday.

“You’ve gone from being an interesting addition to this case to someone very special to me in a tiny amount of time. Last night was more than a physical exercise, and I am not just saying that. I didn’t expect it, but I embrace it. I want it. More of it. More of you. A lot more. And the fact we’ve known each other less than twenty-four hours doesn’t make what I’m going to say a lie or a line. When this is over I’m not walking out of your life. Period.”

She stared at him for a long moment, and he could almost see unease slipping from her body.

“I worry about the people I . . . care about,” he went on. “So deal with it, all right? And let me take care of you.”

She bit her lower lip, a little gesture that made him hard as a spike.

Good going, Romeo.

He smiled at her. “I want to do this, Mia. Okay?”

She gave him a tiny smile. “All right.”

He swallowed a sigh of relief and silently cursed all the men who had treated her poorly. He took a long look at her, taking in every inch of her. Since she wasn’t going into work, she was dressed more casually in navy slacks and a light-green cotton sweater. A matching scarf held her hair in a ponytail, and diamond studs winked at her ears. In the early morning light and without her professional camouflage, Dan thought she looked very young and vulnerable.

Damn it. For a man who could maintain rigid discipline in the most horrific and tense situations, he hadn’t done very well at keeping a lid on his feelings for the intriguing Dr. Fleming. In less than twenty-four hours he was in water up to his neck, but he had no intention of trying to swim out of it. He couldn’t help wondering about this unusual connection that he’d never had with any other woman. Maybe tonight he’d get up the guts to ask her.

After he made slow, erotic love to her again, of course.

He didn’t intend to neglect what was a case with escalating danger, but he also intended to give his full attention to Dr. Mia Fleming and whatever this was that had exploded between them.

They were finishing their coffee when Dan flicked on the television and turned to a local news channel. Before they left the hotel he wanted to know what kind of media feeding frenzy they might run into. It was highly unlikely that anyone had ferreted out where he was staying and that Mia was with him, but he wanted to be prepared if he had to sneak her out some way.

The car bombing was a major story, as much because it happened at the museum as because of whose car it was. Just as they feared, someone had dug up Mia’s history and plastered it all over the screen for everyone to hear.

“The newspapers probably have it, too,” Mia told him, looking even paler if possible. “I don’t care how much magic you think your partner can work, Dr. Hunter and the board will have a cow over this. I can probably kiss my job good-bye.”

“A sizable contribution can make a lot of things go away, you know,” Dan reminded her.

Mia shook her head. “I wouldn’t let you spend the kind of money that would take.” She sighed. “Who knows? Maybe this is a sign for me that it’s time to make a change.”

“I’d say when this all blows over, Hunter won’t want to part with you. You have a very impressive history.”

“You checked me out.” She grinned at him.

“Of course. Would you have expected less?” He filled his water glass. “At least the vultures have no idea where you’re staying. I’ve got a man staking out your house. He’ll get rid of everyone who shows up there.”

Dan had picked up his cell phone again and was getting ready to call Faith about the arrangements to pick up Mia when something the television reporter was saying caught his ear.

“. . . story is a sad case of a man who took a wrong turn with his life. A former demolitions expert with the army and at one time a member of the SAPD bomb squad, in recent years Nate Wilson had become a bomber for hire. Last night one of his customers paid him off, not in cash but with two bullets to the brain. Police report . . .”

Dan grabbed his cell phone and hit the speed dial for the Hallorans.

“Have you got your television on?” he asked when Mark answered.

“Yeah, we just saw the report, too,” Mark told him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That it’s too much of a coincidence to have a bomber for hire knocked off the day after Mia’s car is blown up?”

Dan was watching Mia as he spoke. The dream, she mouthed at him, and he nodded his head.

“The kill looked professional,” Mark went on, “according to the news report. But I’d say it was idiotic to leave the body where it could be found so easily.”

“Maybe their plans were interrupted.”

“I’ll call my contact at the SAPD,” Mark told him, “and find out what I can before I have to leave to fetch Rick.”

“When I see you I’ll tell you about Mia’s latest vision. I’m damn sure that’s what it was about. That means everything’s tied together, because I don’t think she’d be having unrelated episodes, do you?”

“Doesn’t sound like it, but that’s not really my territory. Aunt Vivi could give you a better answer.”

“What about getting Mia over there? I sure don’t want the media on her tail.” He was watching Mia as he spoke. Her hand still worried him. She sat quietly but had the injured hand cradled unconsciously in the other one. If she wouldn’t take the pain pills, he’d at least keep a supply of aspirin handy. And make sure she kept taking the antibiotics.

“Faith’s leaving here in a few minutes to pick Mia up,” Mark told him. “I checked with all our guys, and as far as we can tell, no one knows she’s staying there with you. Let’s not take any chances, though.”

They mapped out a brief plan for the handoff, and Dan clicked the phone shut and turned back to Mia.

“I saw it,” she told him.

He nodded. “You heard me mention it to Mark. The image was too coincidental with what happened not to be some kind of clue. When you meet with Faith’s aunt and the other Lotus Circle members at her house this morning, I want you to give them every single detail and see if they can help you define it more. Also, ask them if precogs ever have unrelated episodes. Let’s make sure we’re only dealing with one disaster here.”

“All right.” She gave him a tiny smile. “I’m okay, Dan. Truly. The flashes take something out of me physically and it’s been an exhausting twenty-four hours, but I’m really fine.”

“You’ve got a lot of guts,” he said, admiring her strength.

“Sometimes that’s the only choice we have,” she told him.

“All right, Faith’s on her way to fetch you. Mark says we’re still under the radar, but here’s what we’ll do anyway.”

* * * * *

“Well, you certainly disposed of him. But don’t you think it was pretty stupid to leave him like that to be found?”

“I see. Did you want me to call a cab at that hour? And leave a record of it? You were supposed to meet me, remember?”

“I told you, I got tied up. Why didn’t you pick a better place to meet him, where the body could be concealed? Jesus. Can’t you do anything right?”

“Next time you can do the deed, and I can do the bitching. How does that sound?”

“No matter. It had to be done. He was collateral damage. We couldn’t allow him to go to the police. What did you do with the gun?”

“Ditched it where no one will ever find it. Don’t worry.”

“I am worried. You left a body in plain sight. You know Romeo has to be pissed as hell that his man got killed. Now security around Oscar will be tighter than ever.” There was a sound of disgust. “And God, what a stupid name that is for a sophisticated piece of equipment.”

“Well, there’s nothing for it now but to move forward with Plan B. And we do have one, remember?”

“All right. Let’s put it in motion. And still find a way to get rid of that interfering bitch.”

“Trust me. It’ll happen.”

“The police are probably going to link the murder to the car bomb.”

“So what? There’s nothing that leads back to us. Relax. By the weekend it will all be over.”

“I think this morning would be the most feasible time to put our plan in action.”

“Someone will see you go in.”

“Maybe. But they won’t know it’s me.”

“They’ll panic and reprogram the security around the robot right away.”

“Yes, but by that time it won’t matter. We’ll have what we want.”

* * * * *

Rick Latrobe shook hands with Mark and climbed into the big SUV. He tossed his duffel bag in the back seat but kept his briefcase with him. As Mark wheeled out of the airport, Rick opened the leather case and pulled out a file.

“Profiles of the key players in this little drama,” he said.

“Why are we just now checking out our clients?” Mark asked. “I thought that was always a requirement before taking on a case.”

Rick shuffled the papers, putting them in the order he wanted. “Dan was initially only coming here as an observer because he and Chase are friends. Then the call came about the threat, and he just hot-footed it over here.” He shook his head. “But you’re right. Protocol always demands a full background check so we don’t get into something we can’t get out of. Even if it’s someone’s mother. So. Let’s start with the star of the show.”

“You checked out Chase?”

“Just because he’s a client and a friend of Dan’s doesn’t mean he gets a pass. Okay, here’s what we got. He started the company in a business incubator. You know, one of those things where they provide office space, secretarial help, shared equipment, etc. Until you get the business off the ground.”

“So how did he make the jump?” Mark wanted to know. “He had to be among hordes of people doing the same thing.”

“Designed some kind of revolutionary GPS unit, got lucky when someone introduced him to the right government people, and that first contract was his springboard. He met Lucas, the man with the smooth mouth, at a seminar, and after that it was a fast ride on a roller coaster.”

“Lucky. Otherwise he’d still be sitting at his workbench, tinkering on his next project, I guess. How about a rundown on his sweet little fiancée. She sure looks like an angel, but I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”

They were out of the airport now and heading west on Interstate 10.

“My, my.” Rick chuckled. “Feeling a little edgy about her?”

Mark shrugged. “My wife says I have a natural antagonism toward all women except her. Maybe she’s right.”

Rick slid him a curious glance. “Does that include our little psychic?”

“No, strangely enough. But maybe because Faith gets good vibes from her.”

“Well, okay.” Rick pulled out a sheet of paper. “You’ve got good instincts, so let’s see what’s what with her.”

Joy Rivers’ background gave them little to work with. Born in Colorado. Went to George Washington University where she majored in political science. Good grades, no blemishes on her record, academic or personal. Worked in DC at a number of jobs, none of them remarkable.

“I told Andy to keep digging,” he told Mark.

“Something bothering you?”

Rick shrugged. “Maybe. It just seems too bland, as if it’s been whitewashed.”

“For what reason?”

“Don’t know. We’ll see what the Dragon has to say. If there’s nothing there, then there’s nothing there.”

“How did Chase meet her?” Mark wanted to know.

“She was a senator’s aide. Lucas introduced them at a party in DC. He’d just joined Carpenter Techtronics as a partner, and it was his job to hustle government and corporate contracts. He insisted Chase had to make a few appearances in the capital.”

“You said she was a senator’s aide. What’s she doing now?”

“Living off Chase, as far as we can tell.” Rick’s voice had a slightly disapproving tone. “According to Dan, where women are concerned Chase knows more about engineering, but I guess it’s his choice. She’s supposed to be looking into opportunities in Texas since she and Chase got engaged and she moved here.” He shrugged. “Who knows? The rap on her in Washington is she’s as tough as nails and can be a real bitch but knows her job. I think she’s helped a lot with the contacts on this project. Getting the right people to Friday’s festivities.”

Mark grinned. “Nice to know my instincts are correct. However, she seems to be completely dedicated to Chase and committed to helping him make Oscar succeed. So her personality is immaterial to me.”

Lucas Grant, Rick went on, was a University of Alabama graduate who’d worked for a number of public relations firms before hooking up with Chase. “Our boy has great technology ideas and a great head for business but no skills when it comes to schmoozing and soliciting. Chase met Lucas through mutual friends and offered him a small piece of the Carpenter Technology pie to come on board.”

“Personal life?”

“A lot of it. Hot-and-cold- running women. But I guess as long as he does his job no one cares.”

Ladd Tolbert, according to the report, was the poster child for dull—Harvard Law graduate, stick-to-the-letter-of-the-law kind of guy. But he was a demon when it came to writing contracts and enforcing them.

Paul Harrison, the numbers man who they hadn’t met yet, was an unknown quantity. “He’s received both a business management and an accounting degree from Stanford University and lives for his numbers. No personal life that we’ve been able to find except for the very occasional date. He’s the one who balances risk with revenue, and he’s very good at it.”

“How come we haven’t seen him yet?”

“He stays in his office and counts the money,” Rick said, a tiny grin on his face. “Apparently his social skills leave a lot to be desired.”

“I guess as long as he’s got his hand on the pulse of the bank account, that’s all that matters.”

“And finally, Stan Forbush, the head of the geek squad.” Two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan. A loner. Parents still lived in Idaho, and he saw them twice a year. No social life to speak of.

“The guy lives with his computers,” Rick said, shoving the papers back in the folder. “Some people say he never even goes home. His designs are his children.”

“Well, he produced Oscar, which will make Carpenter Techtronics king of the heap after this Friday. So I guess we can’t complain too much about his personal habits. They just seem to grow antisocial types around here.”

They exited the interstate onto the access road, and a minute later Mark turned into the entrance to the tall building that housed their client’s offices. Ignoring the visitors’ parking, Mark pulled around back to the employees’ parking garage.

“We already have what we need on Chase,” Rick reminded him. “We can discuss anything a bout him with Dan.

“No problem,” Mark agreed. “It’s his friend.”

“Do I get to meet Mia Fleming now?”

“After the meeting with the main players. She’s . . . on an errand with Faith first. Meanwhile, I have some very interesting news about a body that was found at the airport this morning.”

* * * * *

Dan was sure the media had not ferreted out where he was staying, or the fact that Mia was with him, but he wasn’t taking any chance. Per his instructions, Mia had ridden in the elevator to the second floor and taken the bridge over to the parking garage. He’d picked her up and driven to the third floor, circling twice to make sure no one was tagging them. When he was sure they were clear and no media were sniffing them out, he backed into a fortunately vacant space and waited until Faith pulled up in front of him.

“This feels like real cloak-and-dagger stuff,” Mia tried to joke, unbuckling her seat belt and grabbing her purse.

“Honey, we just don’t want to take any chances,” Dan reminded her. “I’m not so much worried about anyone attacking you here as I am the media descending on you. Those reporters can ferret out anything. I didn’t want to tell you and get you upset but the man I have stationed at your house called and said it’s crazy over there. I had to send him some help.”

Mia stared at him. “I hate that you’re wasting resources on me when you have killers to catch.”

“And I want to make sure you don’t become one of their victims.” He looked for a moment as if he might be going to kiss her. Instead he backed away a little and settled for simply grazing her cheek softly with the knuckles of his hand. “Go on, now. Get into Faith’s car. I’ll see you later.”

When Mia had made the switch and was settled in the passenger seat next to Faith, she locked her fingers together so the other woman wouldn’t see them tremble.

Faith glanced at her as she headed down the exit ramp. “Are you hanging in there okay? Last night was pretty freaky.”

“Dan’s just worried about the media getting onto me.” She gave a short, bitter laugh. “They never leave me alone, you know. I’m San Antonio’s resident freak. I’m just so sorry it’s making all this trouble for everyone else.”

Faith dismissed Mia’s concerns with a wave of her hand. “Phoenix will take care of it. This is just nuisance stuff to them. Most of the things they do require absolute secrecy, or at least a good cover story, so they’re used to it. They do it all the time. By the way, how’s the hand this morning?”

“Much better. Thank you. The doctor said the stitches would dissolve, and Dan dressed and bandaged the cut again after I showered. I’ll be fine.” She sighed. “Just one more problem I’m throwing into the mix.”

“Forget about that. Phoenix lives for challenges.” She looked over at Mia again. “I’m guessing your gift has made a lot of problems for you personally.”

“Part of it is not knowing how to harness it, how to fully interpret the images and visions. I flounder around a lot.” She gnawed at her lower lip. “I should have learned my lesson the first time I went to the police. If I’d known then what I know now, I’d have kept my mouth shut.”

“It can be a challenge,” Faith agreed. She turned onto a pleasant, tree-lined street of bungalow-style houses. “But I don’t think you’d have done anything differently. Like me, I think you’re driven by your gift.”

“Oh, but I understood that you only communicated with Mark.”

“That’s true. But think what an advantage it is when he’s in a hot spot and using any normal type of communications could put his life in danger.” She pulled up to the curb in front of a well-kept house with a wide porch and colorful flower beds. “We’re here. Ready?”

Mia didn’t move. “Faith, I appreciate all you’re doing, but I’m not so sure about this.”

Faith turned to look at Mia. “No one bites, Mia. I promise. The Lotus Circle is a very nonthreatening situation. You take what you want. And you’ll get the kind of guidance you need to settle your mind.”

Mia looked at her, then smiled. “You’re right. And I really appreciate this. I apologize for not thanking you for setting this up.”

“No problem. Come on, now. Aunt Vivi’s probably peeking out the window at us.”

Mia thought she must have been, indeed, because the front door opened as soon as the two of them stepped onto the porch. She was instantly enveloped in a warm hug.

“You’re Mia. I’m so glad to meet you. Come in, come in. Oh, Faith, sweetheart, you’re looking better than ever. How’s the new book coming?”

“Fine, Aunt Vivi.” Faith was laughing.

Vivi Alderson passed out hugs like cookies, then shooed them both into the kitchen. Two women were already seated at the round table, smiling expectantly. The kitchen was filled with bright colors and mystical items like sun catchers. A fanciful row of ceramic cats lined the windowsill.

Although the room had a welcoming environment that felt almost alive, Mia hung back at the sight of the other women. But Vivi put her arm around her and gently urged her forward.

“Mia, this is Ellie and Susannah. They’re members of The Lotus Circle and good friends of mine, and both have precognitive powers. They’ve struggled with them just like you have. When we met at various workshops and discovered we all had some type of psychic gift, we formed our own little group to help one another harness and refine and understand our abilities.”

“We link ourselves to others throughout the world via the Internet,” Ellie told her, “We exchange information and broaden our base of assistance.

In the flurry of conversation, Mia found herself seated at the table, a hot cup of lotus tea in front of her. She couldn’t help smiling. Vivi made the atmosphere so warm and pleasant. They might have been a group of women discussing the latest bestseller.

“Now,” Vivi began when they were all settled, “why don’t you just give us a history of the visions, describe what form they take, and estimate what your accuracy rating is. We’ll go from there.”

Sipping at the wonderful tea and nibbling on poppy-seed cookies, Mia felt herself relax for the first time since this whole circus had begun. More at ease than she’d expected to be, she gave them her entire history. It was hard for her to tell them about her family’s reaction, and the many disasters with the police. And, of course, dealing with the press was a nightmare.

“All right.” Susannah took one of her hands. “Defining the images is very difficult, and often you can receive mixed signals. We’re very well aware of that. But we’re going to give you some hints to help you figure them out.”

“Precognitive information comes in many forms.” Ellie picked up the thread. “Dreams at night, daydreams, flashes. Even hunches and so-called gut feelings. Sometimes in foreseeing an event, all the different forms are at work. First you have to be aware that there are these various forms. Then, rather than just wait for them to happen, be on the lookout for them.”

“Usage sharpens the talent,” Susannah said. “The key is not to be afraid of it.”

“Like I am,” Mia said shyly.

Ellie reached over and touched her hand. “Like we all were in the beginning.”

“The main point,” Susannah continued, “is to use it, not try to block it.” Her face sobered. “Even if it’s predicting unhappy or unpleasant events.”

“There’s no quick fix for this, but we’re going to show you how to do certain mental exercises. You can’t actually control the power, but you can learn to rewind the image. Meditate. Empty your mind. Then try to bring the vision back to you in greater detail. Clearing the mind of all extraneous thoughts is very important. Once you’ve accomplished that, something will act as a trigger for retrieving the image.

“So it takes a little extra work, Mia. But you can learn to do it. Learn to pick out surface patterns and discard the rest. Concentrate on your other senses, and they will help you to connect the visions.”

By the time they’d talked her through two meditation sessions, to clear her mind and to focus on one of the visions she’d had, Mia was exhausted, emotionally and mentally.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Vivi said at last, noting Mia’s pale face. “Just remember it’s important to keep your mind as clear as possible so when the visions come to you they’ll be sharper and more defined. And we’re here whenever you need help.” She pressed a folded piece of paper in Mia’s hand. “Our telephone numbers. Call us any time. We’re also in contact with people all over the world who have special gifts.” She grinned. “Computers are a wonderful thing.”

“So if we don’t have the answer,” Ellie added, “someone else might.”

“We need to get going,” Faith told them, pushing back from the table. “I have to deliver Mia to the meeting at Carpenter Techtronics and somehow manage to avoid the media while we’re doing it.”

“Do you think we can do that?” Mia’s forehead creased in a worried frown.

“If we follow Mark’s instructions, I think we’ll be fine.”

“Remember, Mia,” Aunt Vivi told her. “We’re here if you need us. Call any time.” She hugged both Mia and Faith.

“Thank you,” Mia said softly. “Thank you more than you know.”