Sizzle and Burn

With luck, that was still true.
    He opened the door with gloved hands. There was an assortment of leftover takeout, several bottles of water and a couple cases of soda. He took the small metal stick Fallon had given him out of its leather case and inserted it into the milk carton, just to be sure. It did not change color. He rinsed it off at the sink and tried the bottle of vinegar. No change.
    He went through the rest of the apartment carefully but there was nothing to indicate that Pandora was anything other than what she appeared—a creative young woman with a flair for the offbeat and the dramatic.
    He went out of the apartment, made his way down the three flights of stairs and walked the two blocks to where he had left the rental car.

    Pandora emerged from the back room shortly before noon. “How does pizza sound?”
    Calvin, sprawled in a chair with a cup of coffee, gave her a mockingly earnest look. “Don’t toy with me, woman. You never want to ask me a question like that unless you’re serious.”
    Pandora’s answering laugh was light, almost a giggle, and so unexpected that Raine, standing behind the counter, could only stare at her in disbelief. She had never heard Pandora laugh like that.
    “The restaurant at the end of the block makes great pizza,” Pandora assured Calvin. “I’ll go pick one up.”
    “Oh, man,” Calvin said, big hand covering his heart. “The perfect woman. You with anyone?”
    To Raine’s astonishment, Pandora actually blushed.
    “Not at the moment,” she said lightly.
    “This is definitely my lucky day,” Calvin declared.
    Pandora looked oddly flustered. She turned hastily to Raine. “The usual? Olive and veggie?”
    “Sounds good to me,” Raine said, still trying to get used to the sight of a sparkling-eyed Pandora. “If that’s okay with you, Calvin.”
    “Sure.” Calvin took out a wallet. “Get two. Make sure one of ’em’s extra large.”
    “That’s okay,” Raine said. “Lunch is on the house.”
    “Nah, let’s let J&J pay for it.” Calvin crammed a fistful of cash into Pandora’s hand. “I’ll bill the pizzas as expenses.”
    With a last lilting giggle, Pandora hurried out the door with the money.
    Calvin watched her go with a besotted expression. “I think I’ve just met the girl of my dreams.”
    Raine folded her arms on the counter. “I thought you Arcane Society folks relied on your own in-house matchmakers to find partners.”
    “I like to do my own hunting.” He went back to watching the street in front of the shop. “Besides, arcanematch-dot-com isn’t what you’d call one hundred percent reliable. Just ask Zack about his fiancée.”
    “He told me about Jenna,” she said.
    “No telling what Nightshade might have been able to do if they had succeeded in marrying an operative off to Zack,” Calvin stated.
    “I can see where it would have been a big coup for Nightshade to have an agent married to a member of the Jones family.”
    Calvin snorted softly. “Not just any member of the family, the Number One Jones.”
    She stilled. “I beg your pardon?”
    Calvin glanced at her. Surprise and then amusement dawned on his broad features. “Sorry about that. I forgot.”
    “Forgot what?”
    “When Fallon called me he said something about you having been raised outside the Society. Guess you don’t know much about the politics of the organization.”
    “I’m aware that the Society was founded by a Jones and that the Jones family has always been extremely influential.”
    “That’s putting it mildly. In the last century the Society went through some major changes. Members of the Governing Council are elected now, for example. But one thing hasn’t changed. The head of the organization has always been a Jones, usually a Jones from Zack’s branch of the family tree. Society’s pretty strong on tradition.”
    She nearly collapsed on the counter. “Are you telling me that Zack is slated to be the next Master of the Arcane Society?”
    “The US branch,” Calvin clarified. “The UK has its own Master.”
    “Another Jones?”
    “Afraid so.”
    “Good grief. I had no idea.”
    “Zack’s appointment is supposed to be confirmed by the Council anytime now. It gets officially announced at the Society’s annual Spring Ball. Problem is, ever since his fiancée died, Zack’s been telling everyone that he’s decided to opt out of the job. No one’s taking him seriously, though.”
    She frowned. “Zack doesn’t strike me