She got the message. It wasn’t the first time he had sent her away immediately after he had finished with her. Expressionless, she got out of bed, picked up her things, and went into the bathroom to dress.
“What about Celinda Ingram?” he said into the phone, suppressing the urgency that had suddenly consumed him. He had thought that problem had been settled four months ago.
“We’ll get to her in a moment. First, let us discuss our partnership.”
“Why in green hell should I take you on as a partner?”
“Because I am prepared to give you something you want very badly in exchange.”
“That would be?”
“I can ensure first that you become the new boss of the Frequency Guild. I am also prepared to go further. I will help you achieve your other goals: a bride from a wealthy, high-ranking, non-Guild family and a shot at a senate seat.”
I’m dealing with a real nutcase, Benson thought. But since this particular whack job had gotten close enough to obtain his private number, he had to pay attention. The only thing he could do was keep the guy talking as long as possible so that he could get enough information to find him.
“Sounds promising,” he said. “Out of curiosity, how are you going to go about fulfilling your end of the bargain?”
The blonde emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed. She went to the door without a word and let herself out into the hall. Benson ignored her. His security staff would escort her off the estate.
“You will soon see,” Kennington said. “Now, then, as a member of the Frequency Guild Council, I assume you’ve heard the rumors about a certain alien relic that went missing from the Cadence Guild security vault?”
This was getting more interesting by the second. Maybe the guy wasn’t a total whack job after all.
“There’s talk going around that an artifact was stolen,” he said carefully. “Wyatt is keeping the whole thing quiet, but they say he’s looking hard. He wants it back.”
“He wants to recover it because it is extremely unusual,” Kennington said. “It’s made of a type of amber that no one has come across before. But not even Wyatt knows about the relic’s unique properties.”
“What properties?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so I suggest a demonstration, instead.”
“If you think I’m going to waste my time—”
“I assure you, Mr. Landry, once you have seen what the ruby amber device can do, you will be extremely eager to form a partnership with me.”
“How are you going to demonstrate the damn thing if it’s missing?”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, sir, something that no one else knows. There are two ruby amber artifacts in existence. I’ve got the other one.”
“In that case, why do you want a second one?”
“It is simply too powerful and too valuable to be left in the hands of people who have no idea what it can do.”
“Why make a deal with me?” Benson asked.
“I think, given the course of recent events, that your odds of recovering the second relic are much better than mine,” Kennington said.
“Why?”
“A variety of reasons. First, the person who knows the location of the other relic is currently in Frequency City. That is your town. As a Guild Councilman you can operate freely without inviting unwanted scrutiny. And last, but certainly not least, you have an intimate acquaintance with Celinda Ingram.”
The old rage welled up out of the dark pit inside Benson.
“How does that bitch come into this?”
“I do not believe that she currently has the relic in her possession, because if that were true, the Cadence Guild would have forced her to return it. But it appears that she knows where it is.”
Should have killed her when I had the chance. Four months ago he had realized that Celinda had somehow sensed the deep well of darkness that was the source of his power; sensed it and feared it. For years he had been able to conceal the churning black pit from the rest of the world, but when she had refused to take him on as a client, he had known that she was aware of his secret. There was no other explanation for her actions. He was a member of the Guild Council, after all, the most powerful ghost hunter in town. No one turned him down.
But getting rid of her permanently four months ago would have been too risky, he reminded himself. The murder of the most exclusive matchmaker in Frequency would have launched a high-profile investigation. The police would have demanded Guild cooperation, and that old fool Harold Taylor would not have protected him.
“Let’s say I agree to recover the second relic for you,” he said. “Why would I give it to you? If it has some valuable properties, as you claim, I’d want to keep it for myself.”
“You are, of course, free to do so,” Kennington said in that same smooth, annoyingly urbane tone. “But it won’t do you any good. Even assuming you understood its unique properties, you would not be able to rez it.”
“Why not?”
“It requires a special type of psi talent: my kind. But in exchange for the recovery of the artifact, I will agree to employ the device on your behalf.”
“You really think you can use it to make sure I become the next boss of the Frequency Guild?”
“And everything else you want, Mr. Landry.” Kennington was practically purring. “Everything else. I trust that you will think of this arrangement as a mutually beneficial one. In your position as a man of increasing power and influence, you can help me in many ways. I, in turn, will use the device to take you as high as you wish to go. Do we have an agreement?”
“First I’ll need to see what the relic can do.”
“Of course. I suggest we perform the demonstration immediately. You may choose the venue. There is just one stipulation.”
“What’s that?”
“Like ghost light, the power of the relic is quite weak unless it is accessed underground or close to a source of alien psi.”
“My office is in the Old Quarter,” he said. He was getting jacked up. His instincts told him he was onto something important. “It sits directly over a hole-in-the wall.”
“That should do it. Also, for purposes of this demonstration, we will need an experimental subject.”
“Who?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. One of your men, perhaps, or a member of your household staff.”
“Hang on.” Benson rezzed the bedside security intercom.
The guard at the gate answered immediately.
“Yes, Mr. Landry?”
“Has the woman left yet?”
“Miss Stowe? She’s here now. One of the men is getting ready to drive her home.”
“Bring her back to the house. I’m not quite finished with her after all.”
Chapter 18
“GOT NEWS FOR YOU, I AM TAKING IT PERSONALLY.” Davis gazed up at the ceiling. He was screwed. It had been too much to hope that she wouldn’t wake up when he carried her into the other room, too much to hope that she might not have a problem with the fact that he wanted to sleep alone.
He didn’t want to sleep alone. He wanted to spend the rest of the night with her curled tightly against him. He wanted to wake up in the morning and find her in his arms.
But he didn’t dare take that risk.
It was a long time before he fell asleep. When he did, he dreamed.
He held the child tightly in his arms. The kidnappers were not far behind. They were still invisible in the maze of catacombs, but it wouldn’t be long now before they closed in. They were homing in on the frequency of
