“He was sent to one outside Phoenix yesterday.” Jake put the phone down on the counter and went back to flipping the blue corn pancakes on the griddle. “Fallon says the local authorities think he just snapped. Apparently he’s delusional and incoherent and getting worse by the hour. No one expects him to be declared competent to stand trial.”
“What does Dumbass think really happened?”
“Fallon says the initial tests on that drug I took out of the Shipley refrigerator indicate that it is powerful but very short-acting. He suspects there are devastating effects if it is withdrawn abruptly. He thinks Shipley started to slip into insanity as soon as his supply of the stuff was cut off. Either that’s an unpleasant downside of the drug or else the cabal lab techs engineered the stuff that way in order to limit the amount of damage that could be done by any of their members who wound up in custody.”
She shuddered. “Talk about cold-blooded.”
“But effective. By controlling the drug, they control their people.” Jake lifted the pancakes off the griddle and divided them between two plates. “This way they don’t have to worry about any cabal member giving too much information to law enforcement or to J&J.”
“The organization really knows how to cover its tracks, doesn’t it?”
“Looks that way. J&J is going to be very busy for the foreseeable future.”
Clare thought about that while she used a fork to cut a bite of the pancakes. “They’ll probably need some occasional, expert, very expensive consulting from a hunter and a human lie detector.”
Jake smiled slowly. “I believe I mentioned on at least one prior occasion that I like the way you think.”
Chapter Fifty-two
She felt him leave the bed just before dawn. A small flicker of her senses told Clare that Jake was using some of his hunter talent in order to avoid awakening her. She smiled to herself. He could be as stealthy as he wanted. She would always know when he was near her and when he was not.
She gave him a few minutes to collect his jeans and leave the room. He went down the hall toward the kitchen. He was probably going to make the morning tea. That sounded like a good idea.
She gave him some time to get the kettle going. Then she eased the covers aside and rose from the bed. The white robe was hanging on a hook in the bathroom. She pulled it on, tied the sash and took a few minutes to run a brush through her hair.
When she reached the kitchen she saw a pot of freshly brewed tea on the counter. She poured a mug for herself, savoring the delicate aroma of the clean, elegant green.
Jake’s computer was open and glowing malevolently on the kitchen table. She wondered what he had been researching at this hour of the day.
The sliding glass door stood open, allowing the exhilarating predawn air and the fantastic light into the room. There was nothing like morning in the desert, she thought. It gave her a rush. Or maybe she was still riding last night’s afterglow from their lovemaking.
She could see Jake on the other side of the pool security gate, standing at the edge of the patio. He was watching the three coyotes, a mug in one hand.
She started across the kitchen with the notion of joining him outside to savor the very special time of day.
When she went past the table she caught a glimpse of an all-too-familiar logo on the bright computer screen. A jolting chill swept through her. She stopped abruptly.
Welcome back to Arcanematch.com, Jake Salter Jones. Congratulations, we have a match for you! Please click on the link below to see a profile of the woman who is perfect for you.
She staggered a little under the impact of what could only be described as a double whammy. First she had to deal with the shock of what was apparently Jake’s real last name. There were plenty of Joneses in the world but when it came to members of the Arcane Society, the name always gave one pause. Given Jake’s strong hunter senses, it was probably not a coincidence. Odds were pretty high that Jake was a direct descendent of Sylvester Jones, the founder of the Society.
No wonder he had concealed his real name while he was working undercover in Stone Canyon, she thought. But why had he let her find out the truth in this stark fashion?
Because he didn’t know how to tell her that he had just been matched by www.arcanematch.com, she thought. After last night’s passionate lovemaking, he hadn’t been able to face her with the news.
She was going to lose him to some unknown woman the matchmakers had dredged up out of their damn computer files. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She and Jake were made for each other. Ideal. Perfect. Surely he could see that.
She wasn’t supposed to be able to pick up the psychic vibes of an electronic lie but she was certain that the arcanematch.com computers lied.
The panic attack screamed through her, igniting all her senses. Fight or flight.
Her first instinct was to run. Get away from this place. Save yourself. You can’t continue with this affair now that you know they’ve found someone else for him. If you stay here your heart is going to be broken for all time. Pack. Now. Where are the car keys? Run. Hide.
Belatedly, the psychic reflexes she had built up over the years slammed into place, damming the torrent of mindless panic. Fight. You can do this. Get a grip. You have to try. You’re not going to run. Not yet, at any rate. This is worth fighting for.
She dragged her attention away from the cruel words on the computer screen. Jake was still out there at the edge of his territory. His back was to her.
If you run, there’s no hope. You want him? Fight for him.
The heat of battle rushed through her veins. She went through the open slider, circled the pool and stalked out to the edge of the patio.
“Those stupid matchmakers at arcanematch.com are wrong,” she announced.
She didn’t realize how loud her voice was until she saw the three coyotes whip around to face her, ears rigidly erect. Jake turned, too, albeit in a more relaxed manner. Four sets of watchful, intelligent eyes gazed at her. Probably trying to calculate whether or not she qualified as prey.
“No,” she said to the coyotes. “In case you’re too slow to figure it out, I’m not breakfast.”
Jake smiled slowly. “But you taste great.”
The wicked humor infuriated her. She marched closer to him, stopping just two steps away.
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that.” Automatically she started to put her hands on her hips, but she realized that was impossible because she was still gripping the mug. “Not after what I just saw on that computer of yours.”