Cursed

whatever is going on at Green Leaf and Evan stumbled upon it?”

“There’s one sure way you can find out,” Zack says. “Can you do it?”

Each use of my powers ensures Demeter’s disapproval and places me further from the possibility of forgiveness. But we’re at a dead end. Lives are at stake, one of them Evan’s.

“Yes, I can do it.”

Although an auctioneer is managing the bidding process, Alan Pierce is reading the item descriptions. The one currently up for bid is being “modeled” by an attractive young woman. It’s a colorful tote bag made from brightly colored recycled candy wrappers.

“Should I take Taylor Cummings or Barbara Pierce?” Zack asks.

I look around. Drs. Pierce and Barakov are nowhere to be seen. “I think Pierce and Barakov left.” Was he uneasy over the conversation we had? Perhaps he was afraid of running into me again.

Zack checks his watch. “Taylor Cummings it is,” he says. “Let’s meet back at the car in thirty minutes?”

I nod.

Zack grabs two glasses of champagne from a passing tray, then heads off. I see Jacobs making a beeline for the bar and follow. The man is in his mid to late fifties, overweight, red-faced. He orders a scotch, neat. I do the same. The smell coming off him confirms this scotch is not his first.

“It’s a little warm in here.” I fan myself, then offer him my hand. “Emma Monroe.”

“Gordon Jacobs. How are you connected to Green Leaf?”

“I’m not, really.” Michael Dexter’s piece is about to be introduced and Alan has called him to the stage. I gesture toward Dexter. “I’m a guest of the artist.”

Jacobs’ eyes drift to the front of the room. The bidding has started. “Boyfriend?”

“God, no. Michael’s gay. I was just going to step out for a breath of fresh air. Care to join me?” I offer him a smile filled with promise. He predictably takes the bait.

We go out the front door, circle around the side of the hotel, past some of the quaint shops that are closed, and then onto the ocean veranda. The entire time, Jacobs talks about himself, his illustrious career, and his passion for golf and deep-sea fishing. I feign fascination. Despite the leisurely pace, by the time we get there, Jacobs is out of breath. Thankfully, the veranda is empty. This time, I make doubly sure. The large open space ensures that I won’t make the same mistake and miss another couple half-hidden by shrubbery.

The air has grown chilly. The moon is still bright enough that I can see the waves as they crash onto the shore in front of us. Since I’d rather not spend any more time with this bore than necessary, I tap into my powers and get down to business.

Jacobs succumbs to my influence even more quickly than Barakov. The alcohol in his system and my power break down any resistance he might feel to answering my questions. I spend ten, maybe fifteen minutes grilling him and get nothing of value. He thinks Evan is exceptionally talented, with the courtroom presence and breadth of knowledge rarely found in a man his age. When I ask if he’s aware that Evan’s missing, he thinks I mean from the party and says he’s probably just running a bit late—there’s a very high-profile case he’s in the midst of trying. Mention of Isabella and Amy elicits empty stares.

Essentially, Jacobs’ connection to Green Leaf is financially motivated. Scoring Green Leaf as a client helped Polk and Wagner lure in Evan and gave the firm an entree into what’s become a very lucrative niche. As a senior member of the firm, he’s more than happy to attend a few board meetings a year in order to keep that highly visible cash cow happy. Privately, Jacobs thinks global warming is a bunch of hooey. He couldn’t care less about the mission.

There’s only one thing on Jacobs’ mind tonight and it has nothing to do with charity. Finally tiring of his feeble attempts at seduction, and with a silent apology to the other women at the party, I send him back inside.

I hope Zack is doing better than I am.

When I reach the parking lot, Zack is already in the car, waiting for me. My first thought is that he, too, struck out. Not only did he beat me back to the car, but his jacket and tie are now gone, his sleeves rolled up.

“Any luck?” I ask, steeling myself for disappointment. I’d so hoped to have news of a break for Liz.

Zack pulls a cocktail napkin from his pants pocket. “I got Taylor’s phone number.” He dangles it in front of me. “She put it in my pocket herself. You?”

“Nothing.” I climb into the passenger seat and kick off my shoes.

Zack crushes the napkin into a ball and tosses it into the backseat. “Now what? We’re no closer than before. All we’ve got is a thin connection between Green Leaf and the disappearances.”

He’s staring straight ahead, into the darkness, his brow furrowed. His profile is sharp and clean, his lips turned down at the corners.

I have to steel myself to keep from giving in to an impulse. I want to turn his face toward mine, brush my lips across his.

I look away quickly. “Then the connection to Green Leaf is where we’ll start,” I say. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll look at the case with fresh eyes.”

But not tonight. Tonight, I know what I want. I want to break this spell Zack has on me. I need to break it. I need to stop wondering, to get him out of my system.

There’s one sure way to do that. One even Demeter can’t fault.

“Take me home.”

Zack reaches for the seat belt. As he slides the latch home, I cover his hand with mine.

I take his chin and turn his face until his eyes meet mine. “Take me to your home.”

A slow smile forms.

“Don’t. Don’t read anything into this, Zack. It’s just for tonight. It’s just sex.”

He throws the car into reverse. “Right. Just tonight. Just sex.”

CHAPTER 16

“I hope red is all right. I’m out of white.” Zack leans casually in the doorway, a glass of wine in each hand.

“So this is it?” I give one of the steel bars a shake before accepting the wine. The cage is built solid.

“I hope you realize I don’t invite just any girl up to see my cage.” He smiles, but without warmth or humor. It’s a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“How long ago were you turned?”

His eyes become distant. “I wasn’t turned. My father was Were.” He nods toward the cage. “This was originally his. It’s mine now. But that’s a story for another day.”

“So you always knew you were Were?”

“I knew my father was. He was adept at hiding it from the world, but he didn’t hide it from me. He wanted to prepare me for the possibility that I carried the gene. The testing that’s available now wasn’t then. I didn’t know for sure until my freshman year in high school. That’s when everything changed.”

“I can’t imagine what you must have gone through.”

He smiles wryly. “At first it was incredible. Everything became better, more intense. I was faster, stronger. I evolved in ways you couldn’t imagine and I never anticipated. I’d always been a good athlete. After my ascension I was unbeatable, and not just during the changeling times. I should have held back. I didn’t. I was ambitious. I wanted to go to college. Recruiters flocked to my games. Unfortunately, not just college recruiters. I came to the attention of the wrong people.”

One glance and somehow I know. “The people you worked for?”

He studies his glass, swirling the wine gently before taking a sip. “Yes.”

There’s no way I can let him leave it at that. Now that he’s opened up, I want to hear the whole story. “Tell me the rest.”

He shakes his head. “The rest of this sounds like the plot from a bad sci-fi movie. Not the average woman’s idea of foreplay.”

I have to smile at that. “Remember who you’re talking to. What do you think the story of my life sounds like?