Chapter Seven

Mia felt as if she’d fallen down a rabbit hole. No amount of protest could deter Dan from getting her hand attended to, or Mark from agreeing with him. She felt cosseted and protected by two big, tough-yet-gentle men, who took care of her as if she were a precious jewel. And layered on top of that was this thing that seemed to be going on with Dan. Every time she thought about the scene in her office the night before she squirmed, hoping no one would notice.

“I didn’t think you’d want to get thrown into the chaos of an emergency room,” Dan told her, finishing a call on his cell phone. “This is a doctor Phoenix uses sometimes. He’s good, and discreet.”

“Thank you.” That was all she could say, since apparently he wasn’t going to let her off without getting her hand checked. He’s like a steamroller, she thought.

I want to fuck you.

She looked at him, but he was staring straight ahead through the windshield.

In minutes they were at a small brick building, and he was ushering Mia into the office through a back door. A man with the kindest eyes she’d ever seen unwrapped her hand and shook his head, then scolded her in a soft voice.

“You could have whacked off your thumb, young lady. You also ran the risk of developing a major infection.”

Hardly any time seemed to pass before her hand was cleaned again, numbed, stitched, and she’d received a strong shot of antibiotics. Dan held her uninjured hand the entire time in a gesture of assurance. But whatever was bubbling between them must be apparent to him, too, she thought, because every few minutes he looked at her with a strange expression on his face. She was torn between wanting to pull her hand away and never having him let go.

Mark just sat near them, smiling at her encouragingly.

Where do you find men like this? How lucky their wives and girlfriends are.

Girlfriends! Did Dan have one? He’s not wearing a wedding ring, so probably no wife. Or did he just not wear a ring? Ohmigod, did I have an erotic vision, an . . . incident . . . with a married man? She cringed at the thought.

Dan frowned. “The pain worse?” he asked.

“No, no. I’m fine. Really.” Not.

When the doctor was finished bandaging her hand, he gave her two small packets of pills.

“One’s an antibiotic,” he told her. “Take it every six hours. The other’s for pain. Go easy with them. I gave you some pretty strong stuff, but I think you’ll need it. I want you to take one now before you leave.”

“I have a meeting to go to,” she protested. “I can’t have my brain fuzzy.”

He looked at Dan who nodded agreement.

“All right. I’ll inject a local anesthetic. But as soon as it starts to wear off, pop one of those pills, you hear?”

“I’ll make sure,” Dan assured him.

“I’ve been keeping ice on it,” she said. “All weekend.”

“Keep doing that when you get home. It will ease the swelling from the stitches.” He looked at Dan and shook his head. “Take better care of your woman.”

“She’s not—”

“I’m not—”

They both spoke at the same time, and Mark grinned. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Then they were back in the SUV, heading for Carpenter Techtronics. While Dan called to say they were en route, Mia did her best to remain calm.

“You’ll only need me for this afternoon, right?” she asked anxiously.

“We’ll see how it goes. But you may turn out to be the most intrinsic part of this puzzle, the only one who can provide us with any clues.”

“I do have a job to go to,” she protested. “My boss has been gone and won’t be back until tonight. But I guarantee he’ll be looking for me tomorrow. He won’t be happy if this disrupts my schedule.” She chewed on her lip a moment. “He doesn’t know anything about my . . . abilities, either.”

“We may have to make arrangements, then.”

“Arrangements?” She turned her face to stare at him. “What kind of arrangements?”

“If it turns out we need you for the next few days,” Mark told her, “your boss will be told you’ve been drafted for a special assignment. A secret art project. One that came up suddenly.”

Her jaw dropped. “And you think he’ll buy that? You don’t know Dr. Hunter.”

Dan chuckled. “And Dr. Hunter doesn’t know Phoenix. “

“But what will you tell him? Who will he think you are?” She was stunned.

“If it turns out it’s necessary, you just leave that to me. We’ll keep your boss off your back. Right now your job can’t take precedence. And Phoenix will more than compensate you and the museum for time lost.”

“But this is so absurd! Am I shanghaied?” She tried to make a joke of it.

“In a manner of speaking.” Dan reached across her to squeeze her right hand. “I decided that signing you on as a consultant would shortcircuit a lot of problems.”

“What’s even stranger is that you believe me.” She was still amazed at the whole thing.

“If I hadn’t met the Hallorans I might be a tougher sell. But tonight they’ll tell you their story, which is just as over the top as yours. So consider me a convert.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked curiously.

His face tightened, and a dark flush stained his cheeks. “Do I act like the kind of person who eats children for breakfast or something?”

The heat of embarrassment crept over her face. “No. I’m sorry. It’s just that . . .” She held her hands up in a helpless gesture. How could she tell him she was used to being treated like a pariah or an oddity by everyone she met? Including her own family, whom she hadn’t seen in ages.

“I have to take good care of my only resource.” He bit off the words.

“Oh.” She swallowed hard. She could tell she’d made him angry. “I’m sorry if I upset you. Thank you. I think.”

She kept stealing glances at him as they drove through the streets of San Antonio. He was such a complex man, hard one minute, caring the next. However, she was sure that in a firefight or any other type of confrontation, he’d be all business. No emotion. He was built and conditioned to get the job done.

Which was probably why Chase Carpenter had hired him to make sure the bumpy little rock, or whatever the hell she saw in her visions, was safe. There wasn’t any indication that this man would ever accept failure.

She could almost feel the testosterone oozing from him, more than from any man she’d ever met, which was probably why her hormones were leaping out of control. She knew there was no way he’d be interested in someone like her. When he did take a woman to bed, Mia was sure she’d be tall and lithe, with hair like a silk waterfall and a blemish-free body. She’d also know more about sex than Mia could even begin to imagine.

Men like Dan Romeo weren’t attracted to mice or sparrows.

But mice and sparrows didn’t have erotic visions where they lost control of themselves and masturbated at the command of a vision.

A tiny splash of an image seared her eyes, a scene from last night. Holy God, this was getting serious. She needed to figure out what to do about it. What if she accidentally blurted something out? Every minute she was with this man strung her nerves tighter. She sighed inwardly, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut, never sent the email, and hidden under the covers until the images stopped bombarding her. Only she’d tried that before, and it never worked.

When they pulled into Carpenter’s underground garage, her body tightened up again, and her nerves began to unravel. When Dan took her right hand in his big warm one she had no desire to pull away and left it there during the ride up in the elevator. When the doors slid open, he squeezed it once, then dropped it and took one step away. Mia was grateful. She didn’t want the strangers she was about to meet, skeptical ones at that, to think Dan Romeo was dragging some chippie he was involved with into a critical situation.

Nodding to the receptionist, he and Mark flashed their visitor’s badges. He signed Mia in, received a badge for her, and led the way to the conference room, opening the door to the most unfriendly group of people she’d ever seen gathered around a conference table. Dan made the introductions, then pulled out a chair for her. He and Mark sat on either side of her, twin pillars shielding her.

“Would you like some coffee, Dr. Fleming?” Chase asked.

She tried to decide whether he was being coldly polite or that was just his personality. “No, thank you. I think I’ve had my caffeine allotment for today. But a glass of water would be nice.”

The man introduced as Ladd Tolbert, sitting at the end of the table, got up and poured one for her.

She sipped it slowly, wondering whether she should say something, Dan would open the discussion, or they’d suddenly begin peppering her with questions. Chase solved the problem by taking the lead.

“Dan explained about your . . . visions to us,” he said.

“Yes. He told me he’d already met with you about them.”

“You have to understand how unbelievable all this is to us, Dr. Fleming. We’re pragmatic people here,” he pointed out, “so something like psychic abilities is a little beyond either our understanding or acceptance.”

“I appreciate that. This isn’t the first time I’ve had that same reaction from people.”

“I did some research on you while we were waiting,” the woman next to Chase told her.

Joy Rivers, she remembered. Chase’s fiancée.

A real bitch if I ever saw one.

“I’d be surprised if you hadn’t,” Mia said in a quiet voice. “I expect it of most people I become . . . involved with.”

“I’ve had my office doing the same thing,” Dan put in. “Why don’t we compare notes.”

Joy gave him a cold look. “Yes, let’s. I discovered Miss Fleming has been making up these stories for years.” She turned to Mia. “Since you were a child. Your parents took you to a child psychologist because they thought your behavior was outrageous. And your ‘guesses,’ or whatever you call them, have been wrong as often as they’ve been right. The police refuse to let you consult anymore because you’ve made so many mistakes, and you’re considered a fake by many people. I understand groups have even demonstrated outside your home before.”

Beneath the table, Mia clenched her right fist in her lap. Thank God those stories had been so hidden in the newspaper Dr. Hunter had never seen them. She had to assume they’d escaped the notice of any of the museum donors, too, or she’d be out looking for a job.

“Is Joy correct?” Lucas asked. “Are your visions dismissed as so much bullshit?”

Oh, God, this wasn’t going well at all. Well, she was used to defending herself. She might be a sparrow, but she was no shrinking violet.

“I’ve certainly read some images incorrectly.” She was proud of the steadiness in her voice. “This isn’t an exact science. But I’ve been right many times, too. And successfully helped in some investigations.”

“You have a fifty-fifty track record, yet you want us to turn ourselves inside out because you think someone might steal something from the company.” Joy reached for Chase’s hand. “Chase is the most important thing in my life. I’ll do what I have to in order to see him and his project protected. And that means not letting a charlatan skew the facts or bring down unfavorable publicity. Our reputation has to be spotless.”

“I’m not asking you to do anything,” Mia protested in a quiet voice. “I just wanted to warn you. That’s all.”

Lucas leaned forward. “How do we know this isn’t some ploy to set things up so you and a partner can steal the prototype yourselves?”

“You have only my word for that.” She sipped from her water again. “But if you’ve been doing your research, as you say, you’ll know that’s never happened before.”

“There’s always a first time,” Joy said in a nasty tone.

“All right, let’s stop.” Dan held up his hands.

“You don’t need to come to my rescue,” Mia chided him. “I’m perfectly capable of holding my own.’

As long as this anesthetic doesn’t wear off of my hand. I can give as good as I get from these people.

“This is no rescue,” he told her. “This has to do with our agency’s integrity. Chase, you hired me because we’re friends and because you also know we’re the best at what we do. You know my reputation. Our reputation. Everyone at this table is sitting on a tack, hoping nothing happens to screw up the major announcement at the end of this week. Doctor Fleming took a big chance, trying to send a warning to you, knowing exactly what your reaction would be. At least do her the courtesy of listening to her.”

“I’ll be happy to answer any questions about psychic abilities, too,” Mark put in.

“Thank you both,” Mia told them, “but I think I can handle this myself. They’re my visions being called into question.”

“I’d like to know how you knew about our . . . project in the first place,” Lucas commented.”

“The images I received were of a large stone bumping along on the ground,” she told them. “A stone that had special capabilities.”

“How did you know it had anything to do with Carpenter Techtronics?” Joy pursued.

Mia explained about the different visions and how she’d done a computer search to put them together. On and on it went, one question after another. She would not allow these people to rattle her, nor would she show any outward signs of the anger growing inside her. Instead, she was proud that through it all she never lost her composure.

Several times Dan tried to interrupt, as if to add his support, but she always shook her head at him. If these people saw her as weak, they’d never pay attention to what she had to say.

She couldn’t deny being grateful, however, when Dan at last called a halt to everything. All the stress of the weekend, the long day, the wound on her hand, were taking their toll on her.

“I think that’s enough for now,” Dan announced. “Dr. Fleming has answered your questions many times over. The important thing is in my research I’ve discovered many instances when she was able to help the police, including the FBI. So let’s give her the benefit of the doubt here and figure out what we need to do. Maybe we’ll have to rethink our security setup. And I’m calling the office to do a complete search on anyone and everyone who has access to Oscar, as well as anyone who might have a grudge against the company.”

“When will you have all that?” Chase wanted to know.

“Tomorrow. I’ll want to meet with all of you at eight o’clock in the morning. Meanwhile, Mark is going to take Dr. Fleming home, and we’re all going to take a look at that prize package and talk to the new men who’ve arrived.”

Everyone shook Mia’s hand as they moved toward the door, but the hostility hadn’t dispersed in the least. And because they all shook hands in rapid succession, she was unable to determine which one—or ones—produced a sickening feeling of dread inside her. She wanted to touch each of them again but was afraid to ask. And what if she got it wrong? What if it was just the repressed anger she was feeling?

She swallowed a sigh. Would she never learn her lesson?

* * * * *

The conspirators were meeting again, and their conversation was not a pleasant one.

“Someone’s bound to see us if we keep doing this.”

“Trust me. Right now I know where everyone is. But you’re right. We need to go back to the throwaways.”

“Why did you find it necessary to contact Khalid?”

Eyebrows were raised. “He called you?”

A nod. “And at a very inopportune time. I had to put him off, which, along with your little bombshell, didn’t make him too happy with us.”

“I just thought he should know there may be a delay. If Carpenter decides to take this woman seriously, he may be persuaded to reschedule the big event. At least while Phoenix does their investigating. That means putting everything off and redoing the plans. Besides, surprisingly, it turns out Khalid puts more stock in this kind of stuff than we do.”

“What do you mean?”

“He says in his country people with this gift are worshiped and revered. Rulers consult them, and they are sought after by both the police and the military.”

“He’s yanking your chain.”

“No, I don’t think so. He’s urging us to, as he says, neutralize her before she can create more trouble.”

“Then we may need his help.”

“To get rid of her? Yes. I agree with him. It’s too risky to keep her around. Even if Chase Carpenter writes her off as a fake, Romeo’s taking her too seriously. She’s been introduced into the equation, now. All she has to do is somehow come up with something that points them in our direction and we’re cooked. All this work, all this preparation for nothing.”

“I don’t know. She only showed up today. Let’s wait and see what happens. If they blow her off, we have no worries.”

“And if they don’t? Khalid is nervous about her, and if he’s nervous, so am I.” A shake of the head. “No. I say she needs to disappear before this goes any further.”

“If we get rid of her, you don’t think that will prompt some questions? Maybe create the opposite effect than what we want? You don’t think they’ll wonder why it was important to do away with her?”

“Yes, of course. But if we do it the right way, if we just make her disappear, maybe leave a note or something, she’ll be out of our hair. They can kill themselves looking for her, and we won’t have to worry that she’ll come up with any more of these crazy visions.”

“Okay. Let’s say we do this. We’d have to dispose of the body in a way that it couldn’t be found. And we have a very small window of opportunity. Like tonight.”

“Like I said, Khalid can help. This is just as important to him and his friends. Or friendly enemies. He has contacts everywhere. Surely he can find us someone on the spur of the moment.”

“Fine. I’ll make the call. But it’s going to be tricky.”

“As if we haven’t done this before. Remember Belgium?”

“Belgium worked because we were very low-key. There’s too much interest and excitement developing around this whole thing. I don’t like it. I just want to do what we planned, get the robot, and get our money.”

“And if they make adjustments to their security based on what she ‘sees’?”

“If that happens, we can force a different adjustment that will allow us to accomplish our task. And here’s how we’ll do it.”

Ten minutes later the two people walked out of the dingy diner, one still with misgivings, the other on the phone again but with a plan in place.

* * * * *

The moment she stepped inside the Hallorans’ home Mia felt a sense of peace, a wonderful counterbalance to the chill that had gripped her ever since leaving the Carpenter Techtronics building.

Faith Halloran was beautiful. Her tawny hair, framing a creamy complexion, fell in thick waves to just below her shoulders and her emerald eyes shone with mischief. Mia felt even more like a sparrow, or maybe a gray wren, standing in the shadow of brilliance. Like her husband, Faith was warm and gracious and made every effort to put her guests at ease. She stood on tiptoe to kiss Dan Romeo, who actually looked pleased at the gesture, the grim expression on his face softening.

“Too bad it’s business that brings you here,” she told him. “But you know how happy I always am to see you.” She punched his arm lightly and grinned. “Even if you do send my husband on strange trips.”

To Mark she gave an unrestrained hug and a kiss so intense and personal the others tactfully looked away. No question about the depth of love here, Mia thought.

“Whew!” She pressed her lips to his once last time. “Okay, I’ve got my fix. Why don’t you guys go pick up the takeout while I take care of Mia. She looks like you’ve been beating her with rubber hoses.”

Mark held up his hand. “I swear we only smacked her once or twice.”

Faith chuckled and took Mia’s hand. “They have a weird sense of humor. You look chilled. Come into the kitchen, and I’ll make you some wonderful tea. It can fix anything.” She turned back to her husband. “Mark.”

“We’re going, we’re going.”

Mia let herself be steered by the smiling, graceful woman into a room that radiated warmth. A charming ceramic lighthouse sat in the center of the round table, and a whimsical border ran across the top of the wallpaper.

“Your home is beautiful.” She drank in the riot of colors blended so skillfully.

“Thank you. We haven’t lived here that long. When I was . . . trying to help Mark, the people who blew his mission also blew up our house.”

Mia’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Nope. Burned it to the ground. Thank God I wasn’t in it. But Mark and I both loved the spot, so after we got married we decided to rebuild again right here.”

Mia let her eyes drink in the room. “You’ve done a wonderful job from what I can see.”

“This is my get-away-from-it room,” Faith told her. “The lighthouse comes from a store near the cabin in Maine that Phoenix owns. The border was painted by a friend of my aunt’s to relax me when my telepathic communications get too intense for me.”

“I can see how these things would help. They’re even beginning to affect me.”

“Now.” Faith placed two steaming mugs of tea on the table and sat down across from Mia. “Lotus tea. A special blend from my aunt. Taste it. I promise you’ll think it’s magic.”

Mia lifted the mug in two hands, but the moment she touched it she felt unbearable heat race along her arms. The image of a fire out of control burned itself through her brain. She dropped the cup, gasping, and squeezed her eyes shut. But the image wouldn’t disappear.

She sensed Faith rise from her chair and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Mia? Mia, what is it? What do you see?”

Mia tried to stretch her brain, to get a better definition of the image, but then like smoke, it was gone. She leaned back in her chair, her face covered with perspiration, her hands shaking so badly she had to grip them in her lap to steady herself.

“Deep breaths,” Faith was saying. She mopped Mia’s face with a cool cloth. “That’s it. Nice slow breaths.”

Mia drew in the deepest breath she could and let it out slowly. When she opened her eyes it was gone. The image, the sensation, everything, replaced by the familiar headache.

“Let me get you some fresh tea.” Faith calmly cleared away the mess in front of Mia and replaced it with a new mug.

“I am so sorry. I broke your cup and made a huge mess.”

“Not to worry,” Faith handed her a towel. “You might want to blot your skirt, though.”

Mia felt a hysterical laugh break free. “Wait until Dan sees this. He’ll think I’m the biggest klutz on the planet. When we met this morning, I spilled coffee all over myself.” She dabbed at the damp material.

Faith smiled at her. “From the way Dan was looking at you, I don’t think anything could detract from what he sees.”

“What?” Mia looked at her, shocked. “Oh, no. You’ve got it all wrong.” The image from the day before suddenly blasted at her, Dan Romeo burning his magnificent nudity on her brain. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dispel the vision. “We just met this morning. This is business. I’m not even sure he thinks I’m sane.”

“If you say so.” But Faith couldn’t completely wipe away the smile. “What else can I do for you?”

“Could I bother you for some aspirin?” God, what an idiot she felt like. And on top of anything, her hand was throbbing again.

“Of course. And some ice for that hand, which looks a little swollen. Stitches?”

Mia nodded. “Another clumsy accident.”

Faith handed her a baggie with ice cubes in it. “Just hold onto this. Then I want you to drink the tea. And tell me about the image you just saw.”

Not the one of Dan, Mia reminded herself.

Faith was right about the tea, when Mia finally got to drink it. A few sips and a strange feeling of calm stole over her. She began to feel human for the first time since Dan Romeo walked into her office.

“Tell me what just happened,” Faith urged.

Mia related everything in as much detail as she could remember, including the burning sensation in her arms. “But remember, it was just seconds. That’s what’s so frustrating. I worry that I won’t read the message properly and someone will really get hurt. Most of my life I’ve misinterpreted and made mistakes. People got hurt because of it, yet somehow I’m still driven to communicate what I see.” She shook her head. “Or don’t see.”

“Actually . . .” Faith watched Mia over the rim of her own mug. “I’m hoping to introduce you to someone who can help you with this.”

“Help me? What do you mean?”

“When Mark called me today after meeting you, one of the things he was very clear on—and worried about—was your inability to control your precognition. To manage it so you could decipher messages better. He knows how that can throw you into distress.”

“That’s always been a problem.” Mia set her cup down. “It’s why I’ve had so much trouble all my life. Getting people to take me seriously anymore is almost harder than reading the images.”

“I’m part of something called The Lotus Circle,” Faith told her, “a group of women who all have psychic powers and have learned to deal with them. Plus they belong to a worldwide network that keeps in touch through the Internet. I utilize their website a lot. If you’re home alone and your powers are active but you’re unsure of the message, you can write it down, go to this site, and try to find someone to help you.” She handed Mia her business card with a web address written on the back. “Just tuck this in your purse in case you need it.”

Mia stared at her. “But that’s unbelievable.”

“They provide support for one another, both mental and spiritual, and help one another learn to deal with their gifts.”

Mia snorted. “I’d like to toss mine in the ocean.”

“I felt that way once,” Faith told her. “Mark was the only other person I could communicate with. And the whole thing scared me. But then I talked to Aunt Vivi, and she gave me a whole new perspective on things.”

“And they can do the same for me?” Mia asked, putting the card in her wallet. “Help me harness this . . . thing . . . that instead keeps harnessing me?”

Faith nodded. “At least give you hints to define what you see. Tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up and take you to my aunt’s house. Two or three other women will be there, too, who also have precognitive powers. And we’ll begin the process of learning to deal with your gift.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“Nothing is simple, but it won’t be as complicated as you think. We have to move quickly, though. Chase’s big deal is this Friday. If someone’s going to steal his baby, we need to get more information from you as to how they plan to circumvent the system and make off with it.”

“Is that really possible?”

“These women can do amazing things.” Faith rose to carry the mugs to the sink as they heard the front door open. “Oh, good. The food’s here. I’m starved, aren’t you?”