Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“It’s you,” I whispered, immediately breaking the enthrallment that had held us both still.
One dark eyebrow winged upward, the movement oddly sardonic. “It is indeed me, but I do not believe we have been introduced.”
His deep, velvety tone was devoid of any true warmth, but delight nevertheless skittered across my skin. “But we have met—last night, when you saved my life. I owe—”
“You owe me nothing, Hanna Kang, because I was not in that mall to save your life.”
“And yet save it you did, perhaps at the cost of another.” I’d stopped several meters away from the steps, but that was still close enough to smell the smoky, spicy notes of his aftershave. It was as delicious now as it had been last night. “How do you know who I am?”
“When the game is afoot, it pays to be familiar with all players involved.”
“Monica’s disappearance is hardly a game.”
“Life itself is a game,” he replied. “Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and sometimes we do nothing more than exist, without hope or redemption, doing what we can, with what time we have.”
“And is that what you’re doing?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Existing?”
“I think it’s a road we both follow, though I suspect I am much further along its length than you.” He paused and seemed to gather himself. “But I am not here to discuss the existential meaning of life—”
“Then what are you here for?” I motioned toward the building. “Do you live here?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here? Were you by chance visiting Tane Ashworth?”
That eyebrow winged upward again, seeming to hint at amusement even if his expression remained enigmatic. “Are you always this... inquisitive?”
“If you know who I am then you know who I work for. It’s my job to be downright annoying if the circumstances warrant it. So, if you don’t mind, please answer the question.”
He hesitated. “I did come here to question him.”
“About Monica? Or something else?”
Another hesitation, longer this time. “I’m investigating some of Ashworth’s recent dealings with the High Council.”
“You work for the HCI?
“No. I’m merely someone with a vested interest in uncovering the truth.”
“And has Monica’s disappearance got anything to do with this truth you’re investigating?”
“Based on what I currently know, I doubt it, but as ever when dealing with someone like Tane, or indeed Monica, nothing can ever be entirely discounted.”
“If you know anything that would help our investigations into her disappearance, you really need to share it with us.”
“That would not be opti—”
“I don’t care whether you think it’s optimal or not,” I cut in, with just the slightest hint of annoyance. “You knew enough about Monica’s intentions to be in that club last night, and you certainly hadn’t followed her there.”
The stars in his eyes danced briefly. “Are you certain of that?”
“Yes. And now that two of her bridesmaids have been murdered and the third is missing—”
“When did this happen?”
His voice was sharp, and his shock roiled through the air, washing in heated waves across my skin.
Damn it, how could I be getting any sense of his emotions when I couldn’t even see his life force?
Empathy was not a talent I’d shown any aptitude for, though it did run in the family thanks to our green-eyed, great-great-great-grandfather, who’d been psychically well-endowed but also very human.
Both Michael and Samuel had touches of it, but the best I could generally do when it came to a psi skill was my ability to sense trouble, and that had its roots in precognition.
“It happened last night, after Monica and you disappeared. The suspicious type would think the two connected.”
“But you don’t.” It was said as fact rather than a question. “This is a development I had not foreseen.”
“Do you often foresee death?”
“I’m familiar enough with its presence, though before you say anything, I have never shaken the hand of death.”
“Which is a very odd disclaimer that not only raises all sorts of questions but avoids any real answers.”
“Believe it or not, Hanna Kang, I have been more honest with you these last few minutes than I have been with others for eons.”
“Honest only up to a point, I’d wager.” I tugged a business card from my handbag and offered it to him. “Could you please call me on that number to arrange a suitable time for us to have a more in-depth discussion?”
He accepted the card, his fingers all-too-briefly brushing mine. It felt like being touched by lightning. Warm, dark lightning. “More than happy to call you, but I will not be doing any formal interviews with either you or the Society.”
“Formal interviews are only ever a problem if you have something to hide.”
“We all have things to hide, Hanna, but in this particular case, it’s simply a matter of it being in my best interests—and the Society’s—not to be on record.”
“I’m guessing that’s another statement that won’t be explained.”
“For the moment, you are utterly right.”
I studied him for several seconds, then said, against all wisdom, “What about an unofficial discussion, then?”
Speculation gleamed briefly in his glorious eyes. “Over dinner, perhaps?”
Don’t say yes, Hanna, the inner voice warned. Just don’t! This man is a stranger, and you need to be careful.... Unfortunately for that inner voice, it was the long-restrained incautious part of me that currently held sway. “I could be persuaded.”
“Then I will be in contact to persuade you.” He tucked my card into the back pocket of his dark jeans and glanced at his watch—a simple but elegant piece of silver and gold that was probably worth a fortune.
“If you are also here to see Ashworth, be aware that he is not currently answering the door. Or at least, he did not respond to my presence at his door.”
Alarm slipped through me, and my gaze automatically jumped to the second floor. “Did you have a set meeting time with—”
I stopped, because I was speaking to nothing but air. Though I hadn’t seen him move or felt the surge of his magic, he was gone.
My gaze swept the busy street, but there was no sign of the damn man.
And yet, he remained near, though I didn’t know why I was so sure, given I could neither see nor feel his life force.
Damn it, who was... I stopped, suddenly realizing that I hadn’t asked the most important question of all.
God, anyone would think I was a freshly minted newbie rather than someone who’d been with the Society for years now.
I blew out a breath in frustration, then cast a question into the empty air without really expecting an answer. “If we’re going to dinner, I should at the very least know your name.”
His amusement stung the air, then he said, in a whisper that was deep and oh-so sexy, “René.”
“And do you have a surname, René?”
“Of course, and when we meet again, perhaps I shall share it.”
His replies seemed to be originating from somewhere close to the trunk of the lovely old gum to my right, but there was no shimmer of magic or fuzziness in the air to indicate a spell of any kind was being used. “It’s decidedly unfair that you know so much about me and I so little about you.”
His laughter spun around me, warm and oddly raw, like it was something he didn’t do all that often. “Familiarity is a dangerous state of being, but one I doubt either of us will be able to resist. I’ll be in touch.”
With that, he was gone. But not before the wind trailed heat across my cheek, feeling for all the world like the tentative caress of fingers.
I briefly closed my eyes and drew in a deeper breath; it didn’t do a lot to sweep away the trembling burn deep within.
Damn it, who was he? What was he? Was he a spirit of some kind?
A ghost who could attain substance when required?
It certainly fit with what he’d said last night and would also explain his ability to disappear without appearing to cast any sort of magic.
The man was a damn puzzle, and one I very much wanted to solve.
Owen and the more sensible side of my nature might urge caution, but I’d spent a good portion of my life in that state of being.
For once in my adult life, I just wanted the freedom to enjoy a moment of spontaneity and passion.
With René that seemed possible, if only because the inner darkness was unseeking and silent in his presence.
And if he walks alongside demons rather than angels? that inner voice asked. What then?
That was a damn good question, and one I had no immediate answer for.
I swept my gaze across the street one more time, then walked up the steps to the industrial-looking door.
A video intercom system sat on the wall to its right; I ran a finger down the list of names until I found Tane’s, then pressed the buzzer.
When there was no immediate response, I tried again, with the same result.
In any other situation I’d have figured something more important had come up and he’d simply forgotten to cancel our meeting.
But he’d demanded my presence this morning to discuss the events surrounding the disappearance of his only child, and surely that would take priority over anything else, even if he did have a rep for caring more about business than the daily family grind.
I studied the intercom list again and discovered the building had an on-site manager. I pressed the button, and, after a few seconds, the screen flickered to life, revealing a rather distinguished-looking gentleman. “How may I help you?”
I got out my ID and held it up. “I have a ten AM appointment with Mr. Ashworth in 203, but he’s not answering his intercom. Are you able to let me into the building?”
“Yes, but—”
“I can get the police here if you wish,” I cut in, “but time is of the essence, as we believe Mr. Ashworth’s life may be in danger.”
He hesitated, but unlike last night’s gent, didn’t demand to speak to my boss. “I will have to accompany you—”
“And I’d appreciate that, because if Mr. Ashworth is injured and in no position to open the door, I’ll need you to give me entry.”