Sizzle and Burn

operations there.”
    “Let me get this straight. You never saw the smoker because he was hiding behind the curtains and you only caught a few whiffs of the smoke but that was enough to affect your parasenses?”
    “Well, yes, I guess that pretty much sums it up.”
    “Shit.”
    “Which reminds me,” she said, very earnest now, “I want to thank you for telling me about how psychotropic drugs can have unpredictable effects on a person with a strong psychic profile. That little gem of wisdom kept me from freaking out entirely when I realized that the smoke was destroying my ability to control my clairaudient talents.”
    “Shit.”
    “You said that once already.”
    He drove faster.
    “Zack?”
    “Yeah?”
    “You think we have a new problem, don’t you?”
    “That’s pretty much what I’m thinking, yes.”

    He prowled the living room, phone nailed to his ear, and talked to an eternally irritated Fallon.
    “I need someone here in Oriana as soon as possible,” he said. “Preferably a hunter.”
    He was intensely aware of Raine watching him. She was ensconced on the sofa, her injured, freshly re-iced foot propped on the cushions. Batman and Robin were curled on her lap. The box that he had carried out of Gordon and Andrew’s house sat unopened on the coffee table.
    “Why the hell do you need a bodyguard for Raine?” Fallon demanded. “They arrested that Bonfire Killer freak. I even had one of the analysts check it out. Ninety-six point three percent probability they got the right guy. That’s as good as it gets. You know that. No such thing as a hundred percent with that kind of thing.”
    “If I’m right, this has nothing to do with the freak. Doubt if a guy like that would have known how to use a drug to screw up Raine’s parasenses, anyway. This was someone connected to Nightshade.”
    “Huh.”
    He knew he now had Fallon’s full attention.
    “There’s no way to be absolutely certain,” he added. “I’m going with gut-level intuition here.”
    “There’s no logical reason for Nightshade to risk kidnapping Raine Tallentyre.” Fallon sounded very thoughtful now. “You told me she doesn’t know anything about her father’s work.”
    “Until tonight we didn’t have any logical reason to think that someone murdered her aunt.”
    “I’ll be damned. You’re sleeping with Raine, aren’t you?”
    That was Fallon for you. Always connecting dots.
    Zack looked at Raine. “Beside the point.”
    “Not if your personal relationship with her is warping your judgment.”
    “Get someone here tomorrow, Fallon. There are things I need to do and I can’t leave Raine alone while I do them.”
    “You really think she’s in danger?”
    “Yes.”
    “Huh.”
    “Stop right there, Fallon. I’m warning you right now, we’re not going down that road.”
    “What road?” Fallon asked, doing a very poor imitation of an innocent man.
    “You’re thinking that if someone from Nightshade is after Raine you can use her as bait. Not going to happen.”
    “If I throw another J&J agent into the situation, there’s a risk the Nightshade operative will decide the game isn’t worth the candle and pull the plug on the whole operation. I may never get the answers I need.”
    “I want a hunter standing here on Raine’s doorstep by eight o’clock tomorrow morning, Fallon.”
    He ended the call before Fallon could come up with another argument.
    Raine’s hand stilled on Robin’s furry head. “Do you really think someone tried to kidnap me tonight?”
    “Yes.”
    “For heaven’s sake, why?”
    “I don’t know,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of stuff I don’t know. But we’ve played the waiting game long enough. As soon as your bodyguard gets here, I’m going to start looking for answers.”
    “Where?” she asked, bewildered.
    He walked across the room and stopped in front of the coffee table. “In my experience, they are usually found very close to home.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I know.” He circled the table and sat down beside her, his leg not quite touching hers. “And you won’t like it if I explain.”
    “No secrets, Zack.”
    “Right. No secrets.” He leaned back into the sofa cushions and thrust his legs out under the coffee table. He laced his hands behind his head. “I need to take a closer look at the people who are close to you.”
    She stiffened, as he had known she would. “Not Gordon and Andrew. Surely you can’t believe that either of them would