“I’m fairly certain that common sense and a healthy survival instinct will convince ninety-nine out of a hundred PIs to decline her offer of a job. They’ll know what they’re going up against.”
“And the one who isn’t convinced?”
“We’ll know something important about him, whoever he is.”
“Which is?”
“That he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.” Drake hesitated. “But this plan will only work if the marriage is for real.”
Alice’s brows shot up. “You’re suggesting we actually go through with an MC?”
“Ethel Whitcomb is bound to check, don’t you think?”
Alice groaned. “Probably. What happens if I accept your job offer and agree to an MC and we actually find those missing crystals?”
“After the business on Rainshadow is finished, I’ll take care of Ethel Whitcomb for you.”
Alice gave him a searching look. “Geez, you’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Consider it a bonus payment for helping us find the crystals.”
“Do you really think you can get Ethel out of my life for good?”
He smiled slowly. “Making problems like Ethel Whitcomb go away is what I do, Alice. You might say I’ve got a talent for it.”
She watched him with a thoughtful expression. “A paranormal talent?”
He shrugged.
“I think I believe you,” she said slowly. “But to be clear, there’s something I would rather you did for me in exchange for my help on Rainshadow.”
“Find out who really killed Fulton Whitcomb?”
“Yes.”
“Deal.”
She blinked. “You’re that sure you can do it?”
“Whitcomb’s death is tied to everything else that is happening on Rainshadow,” Drake said. “When we find those two missing crystals, we’ll find the killer.”
“Suddenly you’ve got my full attention.”
“You’ll come to Rainshadow with me?”
“You couldn’t keep me away, not now.”
“Good,” he said. “That leaves us with just one more issue to settle this evening.”
“What’s that?”
“Do I spend the night in my car or on your couch?”
She thought about that for a moment longer than he would have liked.
“I’ve accepted your offer of a job and an MC, so the least I can do is let you sleep on the couch,” she said.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. The couch came with the apartment. It’s really old and lumpy. The springs are shot. Houdini likes to bounce on it.”
Chapter 5
THE LIGHTS IN THE APARTMENT WERE OFF WHEN ALICE emerged from the bathroom. The balcony slider was open. Drake was outside, lounging against the railing. His broad shoulders were silhouetted in the ambient green glow that illuminated the Quarter. Houdini was perched on the railing beside him. Both males appeared to be savoring the energy of the night.
She was quite certain that Drake had stepped out of the tiny apartment in an act of gentlemanly discretion to give her some privacy while she got ready for bed.
What had she done by agreeing to go back to Rainshadow? This was not the first time she had made life- changing decisions on the fly. The one thing she had learned early on was how to rez with the currents, as the kids said. She was good at analyzing her options and making decisions quickly. She was nothing if not adaptable. She was also very good at cutting her losses.
It was not the decision to accept the job offer that she questioned. That was easy to understand. She needed the money and she had been told that she could name her price. Drake Sebastian was a powerful man with resources far beyond anything she could muster. If anyone could find the man who had murdered Fulton, it was Drake.
It was the second part of the deal—the Marriage of Convenience to a man she had only just met—that had her second-guessing herself. The last time she had been talked into an MC followed by a honeymoon on Rainshadow, things had not gone well.
She tightened the sash of her robe and crossed the room to the open door. She knew that Drake was aware of her presence, but he did not turn around until she spoke.
“The bathroom is all yours.” Hesitating, she added, “I lowered all the lights for you.”
“Thanks. That was very thoughtful of you.”
He turned toward her then, and she realized that he had removed his mirrored sunglasses. She saw his eyes for the first time. It was impossible to be certain of the color because he was etched in the eerie green chiaroscuro created by the glow of the ruins. But they burned with a silvery paranormal energy that both startled and fascinated her.
A shiver of excitement kicked up her pulse.
“Your vision is okay in this kind of light?” she ventured.
“Yes,” he said. “But warn me if you decide to turn on a lamp, okay?”
“Okay.”
She could not think of anything else to say, so she started to retreat back into the darkened apartment. She paused when Houdini chortled a cheerful farewell and bounded down to one of the lower balconies. He quickly vanished into the night.
“Where’s the dust bunny going?” Drake asked.
“I have no idea,” Alice said. “Maybe down into the rain forest. Dust bunnies are night hunters, I think. Or maybe he just went out to meet a girlfriend. He’ll be back before dawn.”
“He seems to have bonded with you,” Drake said.
“We’ve been a team ever since he rescued me on Rainshadow.”
“That’s how you found your way out of the Preserve?”
“Yes. I told you, after I ran from Fulton I got lost almost immediately.”
“Most people do inside the Preserve. Houdini found you?”
“I was in a panic,” Alice said. “You know how it is inside the fence.”
“Beautiful but treacherous.”
“I wandered around for hours. Spent a night in a cave. The next morning I was sitting on a rock near a grotto pool, trying to come up with a strategy for finding my way back to the fence. Houdini showed up. He started dashing back and forth. Eventually I realized he was trying to get me to follow him. He seemed to sense that I was in trouble. I decided I had nothing to lose, so I followed him.”
“He led you back through the fence?”
“Yes. And then he seemed inclined to stick around. We became partners. He loves the magic biz.” Once again she started to step back into the shadows. “It’s getting late.”
“Were you the only suspect in Fulton Whitcomb’s murder?”
The question jolted her to a stop. “As far as I know. But remember, officially, Fulton’s death was ruled as from natural cause, so I’m not sure how hard the police looked for other suspects.”
