Chapter Six

Six pairs of eyes studied Dan Romeo as he walked into the conference room. He noticed that Joy Rivers, although not a member of the executive team, had been included and was sitting next to Chase, a proprietary look on her face. Maybe it was just as well Chase had invited her, Dan thought. She had a sharp mind and a flair for analyzing situations. And everyone was aware of the amount of influence she had over Chase.

Dan introduced Mark to everyone, and the two men poured coffee for themselves from the setup on the sideboard. Carrying their mugs, they took their places at the table.

“Thank you all for meeting with me,” he started.

“I’m guessing you’ve discovered who sent the email,” Chase said, fingers drumming nervously on the table.

“Have you called the police?” Ladd Tolbert, Mister Practical Follow-the-Rules, was flipping a pen back and forth in his usual edgy manner, lines tightening around his mouth.

“Not yet. We really have nothing specific to give them at this point.”

“Wait a minute,” Lucas interrupted. “Chase tells me we got a threatening email and two calls. Isn’t that enough to get the cops involved?”

Dan shook his head. “I think everyone needs to sit back for a minute and let me tell you exactly what I found. Then we can make some decisions.”

“Who sent the emails?” Lucas Grant demanded. He looked at Mark and Dan. “One of these people?”

“Why don’t we hear what Dan has to say,” Paul interrupted in a reasonable tone of voice. “I’m sure he didn’t ask to meet with us for no good reason.”

Watching their faces carefully, fully prepared for the disbelief, Dan related the details of the trace on the email, how he located Mia Fleming, and her story. For a long moment no one said a word. Then Chase, running on nervous energy, jumped up and began to pace.

“That’s a load of crap,” he spat out. “I think she—and whoever—are planning something, and this is just to get you running in circles. Psychic messages? Please. Gimme a break, Dan. I’d have thought better of you.”

“And that’s exactly why I brought Mark with me. You all know he just joined Phoenix as our fifth partner after a long stint in Delta Force. I think you need to hear what he has to say before you trash this idea.”

In measured tones, his voice carefully uninflected, Mark told them about meeting Faith Wilding in grade school. About how in high school they discovered they could communicate telepathically. About how their careers kept them apart physically but they were always connected mentally. Most of all, however, he told them about his capture by terrorists in Peru when his only link to the outside world was Faith.

“She was like a pit bull,” Dan grinned. “She wouldn‘t give up until she figured out how to rescue him. Through her telepathic messages with Mark she learned about Joey Latrobe, my partner Rick’s brother. And a member of Mark’s mission team. He was nearly dead but managed to conceal himself, get to the extraction point, and was picked up by the extraction team. Finding him led her to Phoenix.”

“She convinced Phoenix to agree to rescue me,” Mark continued. “Joey marked the map to show them where we’d been ambushed, and they were able to pinpoint my exact position through the messages Faith and I managed to exchange. It was a struggle, because the terrorists also had a telepath, a strong one who did his best to block our communication.”

“So you see,” Dan wrapped up, “psychic phenomena does exist. It’s not just some imaginary black magic. The military is continually experimenting with its uses to give them a better edge in covert operations. And there are several instances where the police have relied on psychics to help them solve cases where they were at a dead end.”

“I asked Faith what she knew about precognition,” Mark said, “and I’ll give you the very short course she gave me.”

For a long moment after he finished no one spoke. Finally Ladd said, “Aren’t we reaching a little here? Someone sees a vision that isn’t even exactly Oscar, thinks someone’s going to steal him, and sends us an anonymous email?”

“When I met Mia today I was very impressed,” Dan told them. “This isn’t some outrageous person with bizarre ideas. She’s a college graduate with a doctorate in her field and is a well-respected, recognized art expert. I believe exactly what she said. Especially after talking with Mark. That she had a precognitive vision . . . actually more than one . . . involving Oscar. She sent the emails and made the calls to give you a heads-up that something might happen. And I don’t think we can afford to discount anything here.”

Chase listened closely to everything Dan said. “As you know, we did another test with Oscar the other day. What she’s describing could very easily be shots from that operation. But those pictures have been locked up where no one can get at them except me. Either she’s getting inside information from someone or . . .”

“Or she’s the real thing?” Dan allowed himself a rare, tiny smile.

“Which I’m reserving judgment on.” Chase doodled on the pad in front of him. “I hear everything you’re saying, but I want to meet her. Question her myself. Hear with my own ears what she has to say.”

Dan nodded. “I can understand that. As long as you don’t attack her. She’s trying to help you, so don’t treat her like the enemy.”

Lucas cleared his throat. “You sound like you’re her advocate, Dan. I thought you were working for us.”

“I am.” Dan could feel a thin thread of anger rising through him and tamped it down. “That’s why I want to make sure we get whatever information we can out of this woman without scaring her off.”

“Well.” Joy Rivers sat forward, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder. “I for one don’t trust her. I’ll listen to what she has to say, but I’m going to do my own checking, too. I’m no slouch with a computer, you know. I want to know more about her.” She looked at Chase, and her face softened just a touch. “My first concern is for Chase and this project. We can’t afford to be led off on any false trails.”

“Fine.” Dan rose from his chair, and Mark stood with him. “I’m taking her to lunch first, and I’ve asked Mark to join us. This may all turn out to be a scam, so I want someone who has personal knowledge of psychic abilities to help me evaluate her.”

“I want to listen to her story,” Mark told them. “Ask her questions myself. Find out if she’s for real. It won’t be hard to discover.”

Dan pulled out his BlackBerry and made some notes. “I called the office on the way over here and asked them to run a detailed check on her.”

“Can you do it that fast?” asked Lucas.

“The Dragon can do anything. And what I got back didn’t make me discount anything she said. Yeah, she’s had some naysayers, and sometimes things haven’t turned out quite the way she predicted. But hell, follow any police investigation and see how many red herrings you chase.”

“Fine.” Ladd threw his pen down on the table. “Hold her hand, do whatever you have to. But we’ll judge for ourselves whether she’d hiding something that’s putting this company at risk. If this is some kind of trick on her part, I’ll have her in jail so fast her head will spin.”

“Meanwhile,” Dan told him, “an additional security team should be arriving in the lobby,” he looked at his watch, “right about now. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll meet them and give them their assignments. Chase, why don’t you come with me. Then you can fill everyone else in.”

He supposed he could have included them all, but for whatever reason, Chase was the only one at the table he really trusted. The vibes he got from the others were probably nothing more than personal dislike, something he could get past as he had many times before. Meanwhile, he’d play things as close to the vest as he could.

* * * * *

Three times Mia lifted the phone to cancel her lunch date, each time replacing the receiver and cursing to herself that she hadn’t gotten a cell phone number from him. Dan Romeo. How stupid was that? She’d been so mesmerized by him she’d just taken him at face value. What if he was trying to trap her in some way? Ridicule her? Make her the sacrificial lamb in whatever happened?

No. Not possible. That’s why she’d made him shake hands with her, to see what images the contact created. And those images, those feelings, had projected safety and security. So the reason she was so nervous had to be the unbelievable attraction that had erupted between them. He was very good at concealing his feelings, but she saw it in his eyes. He’d felt it, too.

She hadn’t been able to banish the memory of that vision from her brain, or the embarrassing masturbation session in her office. So completely out of character for her. Just looking at him had fed the wellspring of latent attraction that still smoldered within her. Even now she could feel the throbbing in her sex, the tenderness of her clit, and the overwhelming dampness of her panties. She could hardly stand to feel the brush of the fabric of her blouse against her breasts, they were still so sensitized. How on earth was she going to sit through lunch with this man? And another complete stranger on top of that?

Retreating from an active social life had its drawbacks. She hadn’t had sex in so long she didn’t even know whether she’d remember what to do anymore. Maybe that was why she’d had that strange out-of-body experience the night before. But this was business. It had to be. It was important to concentrate on getting not just Dan Romeo but also his clients to believe her, then figuring out who the person was she kept getting flash images of. And most of all, who the stabbing victim was.

And hope she didn’t hear that commanding voice in her head again, saying, I want to fuck you.

At twelve fifteen she shut down her computer, placed markers in the books she’d been using, and headed for the ladies room to make herself presentable. Quickly changing into her spare outfit, she stared at herself in the mirror under the harsh fluorescent lights and wished that her face wasn’t quite so unremarkable. That she knew how to dress with a little more style and flair. But years of trying to make herself invisible had accomplished the job.

From her childhood when her parents had berated her for making up stories to call attention to herself, to her teenage years when schoolmates teased her unkindly about “Crazy Mia’s images,” to adulthood and her battles to get police to listen to her, regretting all the times she’d been wrong, she learned to blend into the environment. Well, she’d certainly succeeded.

Now, suddenly, she wanted to turn from an ugly duckling into a swan. If previous relationships had traumatized her, why was she suddenly preening like a peacock for a man she’d just met, knowing what a mistake it would be to try to make something out of this?

I can’t let my emotions get in the way. Not just for myself but also because they can color the images I receive. Dan Romeo is my link to stop whatever’s being planned, and that’s all. That’s it. Nothing else. I have to get it right this time, I just have to.

Still, her hand shook slightly as she brushed out her hair and applied a pale lipstick. She was ready.

* * * * *

The two people called each other on disposable phones, then slipped out of their offices and met at an innocuous coffee shop they’d used before. They found a corner booth that concealed them from most of the restaurant traffic, ordered their drinks, and waved the waitress away.

“So. We know what’s happening this afternoon,” one of them said.

“Good to have access to that information,” the other person agreed. “All right. “This woman who supposedly has ‘visions’ will be at the Carpenter Techtronics office. So what?”

A chuckle drifted in the air. “I can just imagine how that will go.”

“This certainly came out of left field. Do you think she really knows anything?”

“Impossible.” A shake of the head punctuated the word. “Besides, as far as I know, psychics have a bad track record in situations like this. She’ll be laughed out of the building, and Chase Carpenter will chew Dan Romeo a new one.”

“I say it’s a good thing for us they’re doing this. She can’t possibly know anything. The more they focus on her, the better for us. They won’t pay attention to anything else.”

“Let’s hope you’re right. If you’re not, this could be a disaster. We’ve had things like this pop up at the last minute before, you know.”

“Listen, she hasn’t even met with them yet. We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here, don’t you think?”

“If we’re not, this could be a disaster. Could she really know something?”

A sharp laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been extremely careful. Anyway, no one puts much stock in this kind of mumbo jumbo. Meanwhile, they’ll be chasing their tails, trying to decode her so-called visions and not looking in our direction at all. We have a foolproof plan. And this could almost be a welcome diversion.”

“Don’t be so sure. Everyone in the industry says Chase is so nervous about this whole thing he’d take the advice of a witch doctor.”

“This isn’t like you. Everything’s in place, just the way we planned. Why are you so edgy?”

A shrug. “I don’t know. What if this female somehow manages to throw a monkey wrench in things? What if Chase decides to change things around because of something she says?”

A dismissive wave of a hand cut the air. “Then we’ll get rid of her. It’s that simple.”

An icy smile punctuated the next words. “I never realized how bloodthirsty you are. Killing someone means nothing to you, does it?”

Another shrug. “I see it as just waste disposal. I know what I want, and I intend to have it. There’s too much money involved here to let some little kook screw it up for us.”

“And you don’t think a dead body would cause some chaos? If you don’t want to validate what she says, then don’t make her a target.”

“We won’t leave a body. If she just disappears, we can start a rumor that she was lying all along and couldn’t face the mess she was creating. Let them think she was afraid of being wrong again and went off some place to hide.”

“Maybe we’re rushing this. This afternoon could be a bust, and she’ll be out of the picture.”

“But if not, we have to act. We’re down to the wire on this thing. There’s no wiggle room at all.”

“We’d have to do that very carefully. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“If it does, I’ll take care of it. Your hands will be clean. They’ll never look at me.”

“God, let’s hope not.”

The man watched his partner slide out of the booth and walk away, trying to still the slight edge of anxiety he felt. They’d done this many times before, always under the radar, always without leaving a trace. The spoils had given them a good life and full offshore bank accounts.

He thought about all the years of scrounging, clawing, wheeling and dealing. Climbing the ladder of social and financial success, one painful rung at a time. All the crap they’d put up with. The roles they’d had to play.

And now this! This was the big score. After this one they could retire and never have to put up with the bullshit again. A lot was riding on this.

God, he hoped this woman, whoever she was, didn’t somehow manage to fuck things up. Maybe his partner was right and she’d be a diversion. A red herring. That would be great, because as far as he could see, their plan was foolproof.

He finished the dregs of coffee in his cup and made a face. What he really needed was a shot of good bourbon.

He scrolled through the contact list on his cell and pressed one of the names. He might as well tell the buyers there may be a little hitch, just in case. Better to be bitched at than to be killed for screwing up.

“Khalid?” he said when the name answered. “I believe we may have a tiny problem.”

* * * * *

Dan was standing at the curb in front of the museum when Mia walked out. He was leaning against an SUV, another man equally as large and tough-looking standing next to him. Both had the same hard look on their faces. Power radiated from them in almost visible waves. For a moment her step faltered, and she was ready to bolt back inside.

Then Dan stepped forward, smiled, and took her elbow to lead her to the vehicle. “Remember the friend I mentioned to you? This is Mark Halloran, the telepath I told you about.”

Mia relaxed fractionally and shook Mark’s hand. At the contact she relaxed even more. As with Dan, the feeling she got was warm and pleasant. No threatening images interfered or invaded her brain. She let Dan help her into the passenger’s seat and buckled herself in. He raised his eyebrows at her change of outfit but made no comment, just grinned.

“We’re not that far from downtown,” he commented as he drove, “and I wanted to take you someplace nice. How does Ruth’s Chris Steak House sound?”

“Expensive,” she answered.

“No problem,” he grinned. “This is on me, not Chase’s expense account. And I wanted someplace that was quiet where you’d feel comfortable.”

Quiet and comfortable definitely described the restaurant. Noted as much for its ambiance as its high prices, here thick carpets reduced footsteps to whispers, and the wait staff took orders in hushed tones, all in an atmosphere softened by low-power, recessed lighting.

The hostess settled them in a high-backed booth, and a waiter immediately handed them menus and took their drink orders. None of them ordered anything alcoholic.

“I never drink during work hours,” Dan told her. He inclined his head at Mark. “And since I roped him into this, he’s on the clock, too.”

“I usually don’t drink anything stronger than wine,” Mia told him. “But right now I don’t want anything to interfere with any impressions I might get.”

She was so nervous at lunch she dropped her fork three times, her face flaming with embarrassment. She had this itchy feeling that Dan Romeo could actually see into her mind and know about her vision of him. Stupid, but she couldn’t wipe it away. What was the matter with her? They’d think she was some kind of ninny if she didn’t pull herself together. If that happened, there was no way they’d take her seriously.

They were halfway through unch when Mark threw the first question at her. “Have you always had precognition? I mean, since you were a child?”

“Yes. I guess since I was about ten years old.” She made a face. “My parents thought I was making up stories to call attention to myself. They were both very busy with their lives. My father’s an attorney, and my mother is a successful real estate agent. They didn’t understand a child who was ‘different.’ Besides, I was wrong a lot of the time, and they punished me for creating problems where there were none.”

“What about when you were older?” This from Dan.

“I began to learn how to interpret the messages a little better, but many of them confused me. So again, I was wrong more than I was right. It got so nobody wanted to trust anything I had to say. Even after the times I was proven right.”

“Tell me a little bit about how you get these images or whatever they are,” Dan prompted.

As long as I can keep away from the image of you naked and the sound of your voice in my head.

Mia explained about the flashes that could hit her at any time. Sometimes sharp images, sometimes just flashes of color. They were seldom clear enough to interpret, so she had to do a great deal of research to identify what she was seeing.

“And it’s so easy to be wrong.” She pushed her plate away, no longer hungry. Managing with her bandaged hand was difficult anyway, even though the injury was to her left one and she was right-handed.

So yet again she described everything, beginning with the first image of the bouncing rock. What she was doing when the flashes of images hit her. What they looked like. And again, without quite knowing why, she held back the image of the dripping knife.

She was conscious of Dan watching her, trying to keep the atmosphere relaxed. He waited until the waiter had brought their coffee before he spoke again. When he did it was in a careful, measured tone.

“I have a sense that there might be an image you’re reluctant to share with us.” He made his voice as low and controlled as possible. “Am I right?”

Mia started, almost dropping her coffee cup and banging her bad hand against the table. Did he know? Impossible. She bit her lip against the pain, then paled as she saw blood seeping through the bandage.

Dan gently took her hand in his. “I think you might have reinjured yourself pretty badly. This doesn’t look good. I want to have a doctor look at this for you.”

“It’s all right.” She blinked back tears. “I’ll be fine.”

“It has to do with what you’re holding back, doesn’t it?” Dan guessed.

“Mia.” Mark leaned across the table. “Whatever it is, we’ll help you with it.”

She clenched her right fist, forcing a calm she didn’t feel and pushing the image of a naked Dan Romeo from her mind with deliberation. After all, it would be normal not to want to share visions of violence with two strangers. “I picked up a knife to cut something in my kitchen, and I had an image of someone being stabbed.”

“And you dropped the knife you were holding on your hand,” Mark said.

Mia nodded.

“Any clue as to who was being stabbed? Or doing the stabbing?”

She shook her head, blinking back tears again as pain shot through her hand. Jesus, Mia, get a grip here. “No, none at all. That’s what has me worried. And that’s why I didn’t want to say anything, maybe point you in the wrong direction. But Dan, a voice said ‘Someone’s going to be killed.’ I don’t usually hear voices. Someone’s going to be killed, and I can’t even tell you who.”

“Right now we don’t have any direction,” Mark told her, “so whatever we get from you will be a starting point.”

“Okay.” Dan signaled for the check. “The first thing we need to do is get out of here and get that hand looked at. No objections,” he insisted, when Mia tried to protest again. “Then, when that’s taken care, we’ll go meet with Chase Carpenter and his people. They’ll want to talk to you themselves.”

Mia fiddled with her napkin. “I’ve been through this before. They won’t believe me. They’ll—”

“Be professional and polite, or I’m off the case,” Dan told her. “Trust me, Mia. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Psychic powers are difficult to harness if you don’t have someone to help you,” Mark pointed out, as they waited for the valet to bring the car. “Faith and I were very lucky. Actually, she was, and I rode on her coattails.”

“What do you mean?”

Mark studied her pale face. “If you don’t mind, I’d like you to meet my wife and have her tell you about it herself. There is a group of people she met through her aunt who can help you understand and deal with this, as well as make you feel better about yourself.”

“That’s a great idea,” Dan agreed. “The sooner the better.”

Mark pulled out his cell phone. “I promised to bring home Chinese takeout tonight for the two of us. Why don’t I make it for four?”

When Dan had Mia buckled into the passenger seat, he closed the door and turned to Mark. “Well?”

“I’m not the leading expert on this, but I’d say she’s the real deal. This isn’t a performance with her.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go. You can be my wingman.”

He called Chase to tell him they’d be just a little late, then pulled out into traffic.