Sizzle and Burn

those rules. He knew damn well what he was doing and he knew that if J&J found him, it would do whatever it had to do to shut down his lab.”
    Gordon frowned. “If Judson Tallentyre was operating an illicit drug lab, the Society should have informed the police and let the authorities handle the problem. It had no right to send a bunch of vigilantes after a man.”
    Zack examined the wine in his glass while he decided what to say next. As a matter of policy, J&J, like the Arcane Society community, kept a low profile where the general public was concerned. But Gordon was not a member of the general public. He and his partner had accomplished an amazing feat. Between the two of them they had somehow managed to accept Raine and her wild, disturbing talent. They had given her a family and a reasonably normal life instead of institutionalizing her. Gordon had a right to some answers.
    “In most cases involving criminal actions, J&J operates as a regular investigative agency, calling in the cops when necessary,” he said quietly. “But there are some internal affairs that it handles on its own.”
    “I don’t care if the Arcane crowd is some kind of secret society,” Gordon said. “No group is above the law. And I’ll tell you something else.”
    “What’s that?”
    “You break Raine’s heart, Andrew and I will break both your legs.”
    Zack nodded. “Fair enough.” He contemplated the fire. “What happens if she breaks my heart?”
    “Not our problem. You’re on your own.”

Nineteen
    C assidy Cutler stared at Bradley Mitchell, unable to believe her bad luck.
    “What do you mean, Raine turned you down?” she said. “You told me there wouldn’t be any problem convincing her to help you with the Dellingham case.”
    It was after nine o’clock. They were sitting in Bradley’s big black SUV. She had been waiting anxiously to talk to him all day but after he returned from Shelbyville he was immediately called out to deal with a shooting. By the time he finally showed up at the hotel where she and her assistant, Niki Plumer, were staying, she was seething with impatience.
    The news that he had failed to get Raine Tallentyre on board with the writing project was the final straw. It had never dawned on her that he wouldn’t be able to persuade Raine to work with him again for the sake of the book. Who didn’t want fifteen minutes of fame?
    Bradley turned in the seat to face her. He gripped the wheel tightly with his left hand. “It’s not my fault, damn it. When I found Raine in Shelbyville, some guy opened the door of her room.”
    “She was with another man?” Cassidy pondered that complication briefly. “But I thought she went to Shelbyville to deal with a house her aunt left her.”
    “That’s right.”
    “How in hell did she find time to shack up with some stranger?” Cassidy frowned. “Or was it a man she already knew?”
    “She said he was an old friend of the family but that’s hard to believe.”
    “Why?”
    He shrugged. “With her aunt gone, Raine hasn’t got any family left. I have a hunch she picked him up just to get some revenge against me. I think she got a kick out of throwing him in my face.”
    “But she didn’t even know you were on your way up there to see her.”
    Bradley rubbed his jaw with his right hand. “Coincidence, then.”
    “I’m an author. I don’t believe in coincidences. Editors won’t buy them.”
    “I’m a cop. I’m not big on them, either.”
    Cassidy drummed her fingers on the seat. “This is a disaster. The psychic angle is absolutely perfect. My editor loves the idea. Niki has already started the background research.”
    “The thing is, Raine doesn’t want any publicity,” Bradley said. “She’s afraid people will think she’s crazy if it gets out that she hears voices.”
    She studied him in silence for a moment. He really was nice to look at. The light from the streetlamp revealed the exceedingly well-chiseled planes and angles of his face. His picture, alone, on the front of the book would sell out the entire first printing, she thought. The talk shows would love him. Damn, damn, damn. There had to be a way to salvage the deal.
    “I’ll give her a fake name,” she said.
    “I suggested that to Raine. She still wasn’t interested. She hasn’t ever wanted any of the credit for closing those cases. I told you, she doesn’t want people to wonder if she’s a wack job.”
    “Great. Just great. A