Careless Rapture (2 page)

Jackie stared, momentarily speechless. How
could he speak so matter-of-factly about his sister’s death? She
pushed that disturbing thought aside and said, “Then you know this
man is dangerous.”

He twirled his pen again. “There are a lot of
dangerous men out there. Fathers who prey on their children,
teachers who prey on their students, boyfriends who prey on their
girlfriends. And we’re only talking about the male of the species.
Do you want to investigate them all?” He pointed the pen at her.
“You can’t touch him. I suggest you get new clients.”

“And do nothing? Just sit around as my
clients are persuaded one by one to enter his group?”

Clay tapped a beat on his desk. “What will
you do when you find out more about him?” He raised a mocking brow.
“Meet him and say, ‘Please stop’?”

Her lips thinned. “I don’t know what I’ll do,
but that will be my business, not yours.”

He ignored her. “Unless he’s taking money by
deception, you have nothing.” He shook his head before she could
argue. “You have nothing to charge him with. You can’t charge him
with giving hope to the hopeless.”

Jackie knew he was right, but refused to back
down. “What he’s doing is wrong.”

“That is a matter of opinion. You can’t argue
opinions in court. You need facts. There’s nothing you can do. Let
me suggest this: when you get new clients, warn them about this
man.”

“I don’t even know his name,” Jackie said
helplessly. She took off her scarf and threaded it through her
fingers, agitated. “I have to know something.”

“You know what he’s offering and that’s a
start. You don’t need to know his name. At this point it’s not
important. You have a profile. You know how he works, who he
targets.”

“That’s just the problem,” she argued. “I
don’t know how he operates. I don’t know how he targeted Melanie. I
don’t know how he convinced her or what he looks like.”

Clay waved his hand. “Forget about the
concretes like name and features, that’s irrelevant.”

She threw up her hands. “Why?”

“Because it’s what he does, not who he is,
that is the concern. Perhaps he
is
just an adviser. The next
question would be, does he work for someone else—a leader,
perhaps?”

Her eyes widened. “You mean there could be
more?”

Clay silently swore. He’d meant to put her at
ease, not give her more reason to worry. “If you’re talking about
an occult, there will be plenty more and their job is to recruit
followers and take over their lives. However, we’re getting ahead
of ourselves. Let’s suppose for some reason an occult has decided
to target people in your program. Have others talked about this
man?”

“No, but most aren’t as articulate as
Melanie. When they want to do something they do it with no
explanation. One client, Althea, just disappeared. She called to
cancel services and that’s the last we heard from her.”

“So Melanie is the only link to this
man?”

“Yes.”

He lowered his eyes. “Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

Clay glanced up. “It means, hmm. It is not
meant to be interpreted as anything but a noncommittal
response.”

Jackie frowned. “Are you this rude to other
clients?”

“You’re not a client.”

She lifted her chin. “I don’t see why not. I
think you should help me find out who he is.”

“And I think you’re missing the big picture.
Tell
your
clients about the possible threat and build from
there.”

She looked at him, appalled. “You want me to
protect newcomers and leave Melanie and the others to the mercy of
this lunatic?”

“They are grown women who have made a
choice.”

“No. A choice was made for them. Clients are
like family. I have to look out for them. I need to know why he’s
targeting my clients and what he is after.”

Clay started to get annoyed with her
stubbornness. “I can’t help you.”

Jackie nodded. “I understand.” She crossed
her legs and swung her foot.

He sighed, knowing the battle had only begun.
“Is there something else?”

“No.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“I think you’re under the misconception that
I need you. You have a partner, right? Perhaps he will be willing
to help me.”

Clay smiled coldly, aware of the game she was
playing. “Yes, I have a partner. You’ll interest him. It doesn’t
take much to get Mack’s attention. Blink your big eyes, perhaps
show a little leg, and maybe you’ll convince him to help you. It
will be very amusing to sit back and watch you waste his time.”

Her eyes flashed fire. “How dare you imply
that I’m some cunning—”

“I’m not implying,” he interrupted quietly.
“I’m stating fact. I think you’re under a misconception of your
own. You think you can manipulate me.”

Jackie jumped to her feet. “You’re—”

“Sit down.”

She glanced at the door. “No.”

Clay blinked lazily. “Would you like to make
a little wager on who will get there first?”

“I know you’re bigger than I am, but I’m
faster and I won’t stay—”

“Sit down, Jackie.” The words were said
without anger or even an inflection in tone. The impact, however,
was paralyzing. She’d never heard that tone before, chilly enough
to cause frost. She realized he hadn’t moved. He didn’t need to. He
was the type of man who could control a room with just a look. The
one he sent her now made her reconsider her option.

She sat, more out of curiosity than fear.
He’d never inspired fear in her. Her curiosity, however, was
growing. She’d never seen this side of Clay before—patient, cold,
intimidating. At that moment she knew he was good at his job. He
was a natural predator. She watched him absently twirl his pen
between long fingers that looked both elegant and deadly. She
briefly wondered what it was like to be his prey.

“You made a mistake,” he said.

“I know. I shouldn’t have come here.”

“No, that wasn’t your mistake.” He set his
pen down. “I doubt this will happen again, but let me offer you a
warning.” He sat forward and clasped his hands together. “Never
walk into my office as though you’re doing me a favor, question my
logic, and then threaten to undermine me by trying to use my
partner instead. Unlike TV, we PIs aren’t waiting around for some
pretty woman to hand us a case that will then send us on a
merry-go-round of events where we meet up with one-eyed men and
thugs who speak with forty-fives.” He held up his hand; she closed
her mouth. “We don’t accept every case presented to us, we may even
suggest another agency or just say no for the client’s sake. I know
you don’t like the word “no.” You don’t hear it very often and you
take it personally.” He held up his hand again; she bit her lip and
drummed her fingers against the chair.

“Since I know what you don’t like, let me
tell you what I don’t like—women who think they can use me. I don’t
mind being used on occasion. Especially if I’m in an indulgent
mood. It’s rare. I work in a business where people lie to me more
often than not and try to use me for their own purposes. I choose
when that is.” He began to smile, knowing what an effort it was for
her to keep quiet. “I admire your intent, not your approach. But
I’m still saying no for all the reasons I’ve stated. If you wish to
insult me further, my partner should be back in an hour. Are you
going to wait?”

She nodded, too angry to speak.

He stood. “I’m going to the vending machine.
Do you want anything?”

Jackie shook her head.

“Fine.” He left the room.

He went farther than the vending machine by a
few blocks, trying to walk until his temper cooled. Damn that
woman! She could always make him lose his temper. He didn’t know
why he let her. He had trained himself to let few things bother
him. A quick temper was a definite handicap in his trade. He’d
learned to be analytical and calm; he wasn’t very calm right
now.

He shouldn’t have told her about Rennie, his
sister. He never talked about her to anyone. Especially not to some
brat used to getting her own way. Jackie didn’t
interact
with men, she studied them and used their weakness against them,
and he’d just given her one of his. He clenched and unclenched his
jaw. He wouldn’t be one of those men who fell under her spell. He
refused to be enchanted by those bright eyes and charming smile.
Then again, she’d never really smiled at him. He shook his head,
frustrated. He didn’t care. He wasn’t going to work with her. She
could work with Mack or go elsewhere since she didn’t have the
sense to leave it alone. But she’d do well to stay away from
him.

Nearly a half hour later he returned to the
office, hoping she was gone. She wasn’t. She still sat in her chair
as though he’d hit the pause button when he’d left. He masked his
surprise and dropped his coat over the chair. He sat behind his
computer.

“I can’t afford to fail,” she said in a
tight, little voice.

Clay glanced up. “I’m sorry?”

“I can’t afford to fail. My job is all that I
have to prove myself.” She stood and walked to the window. “I’ve
been bouncing from here to there all my life and HOPE is the only
place where I am in charge. I have real responsibilities. I’m in
charge of people’s lives and I take that seriously.” She turned to
him with a rueful grin. “I know you think I’m spoiled, perhaps
you’re right. Older brothers don’t give you a chance to prove
yourself and nobody has ever had to depend on me.” She walked over
to his desk. “At HOPE people do and I will do anything in my power
to make sure they are safe. Just for a while, their suffering will
ease. I want to be an

inspiration to them and let them see that
since I have made it, so can they.” She leaned on the desk and met
his eyes. “I will not sit around while a nameless bastard tells my
clients to give up on life, that nobody loves them except him, and
to trust no one outside of his community.” She took a deep,
steadying breath. “I need an investigator. It doesn’t have to be
you or your partner. You could give me the name of another agency.”
She gripped her hands into fists. “Or if you don’t want to do that
then just tell me what to do. Show me the way. Give me the tools
and put me on the right path so that I won’t waste anybody’s time
but my own.”

Clay sat back and silently swore. He hadn’t
expected that. A tantrum perhaps, maybe some tears or even a
well-executed pout. Not such a solid, quiet conviction. Conviction
was something he understood very well. It would be easier to send
her away, probably smarter, too. However, no one had ever accused
him of that. He looked at her earnest face, trying to convince
himself that she wasn’t weaving her magic on him, that he had come
to the decision on his own based on a quick reassessment of the
situation. “All right.”

Her eyes brightened. “You’ll help me?”

“Yes.”

She came around the table and hugged him. “I
knew it.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “You scared me
for a minute. But I knew you couldn’t have been as heartless as you
seemed.” She pushed some papers aside and sat on the desk. “We’re
going to work well together.”

He cleared his throat, trying to recover from
her enthusiastic response. “Yes, well, don’t get too hopeful.”

“Oh, I know. You don’t have to warn me
twice.” Jackie jumped down. “I am just so happy. I know you’ll be
able to find him for me.”

His partner, Mack O’Donnel, came in, saving
him from any reply. Mack stood five-eleven with a body made of
mostly muscle and a grin that could be both beguiling and
threatening. Forty-five his next birthday, he sported no gray in
his thinning blond hair that kept his youthful gray eyes and smooth
skin from looking too boyish. A thick, ugly pair of reading glasses
stuck out of his shirt pocket. “Hello,” he said in a tone he
specifically used when in the presence of a pretty woman.

Clay made introductions. “This is Jackie
Henson. Jackie, this is Mack O’Donnel.”

They shook hands, then Mack looked at Clay, a
series of questions in his eyes. Clay only answered one. “She’s our
new client.”

***

After Jackie left, Mack clasped his hands
behind his head and grinned. “So I finally got to meet Jackie, your
aggravating sister-in-law.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “Man,
what a pair of eyes. No wonder you never described her. You can’t.
She’s the kind of woman who could strip you naked, cuff you to the
bedpost, and steal all your money and you’d thank her for the
experience.” His hands fell. “Too bad her case is a piece of crap,
but she’s willing to pay and we’re willing to serve.”

Clay frowned at his computer. “She’s going to
hate to discover there’s nothing she can do.”

“She’s a big girl. She’ll just have to accept
it.”

“Jackie doesn’t ‘just accept’ things.”

“In this case she’ll have to.”

Clay stood to get a drink. He saw something
red on the ground, picked it up, and frowned. She’d left her scarf.
It held her scent. Not the light and fruity scent one would
associate with sprites—it was a tangy, spicy aroma like jasmine and
orange blossoms, implying a mischief much more carnal than any
fairy tale. He crumbled it up and sighed. “She won’t.”

***

Jackie glanced at her watch and swore. She
was running late. Brian wouldn’t like that. Brian Croft revered
punctuality in all things—when his mail was delivered, when his
food was served, when his date arrived. If she hadn’t been thinking
about Melanie and her talk with Clay, she would have paid closer
attention to the time. She sat on the Metro, urging it to move
faster than its regular sleep-inducing lull. She could have taken
her car, but parking was dreadful in D.C., especially on a Saturday
night. It was only recently she’d been able to fully indulge in
D.C.’s reputable nightlife. Before, she had been too busy trying to
establish herself, and her most creative date was dinner and a
movie.