Into the Flame Read Free Page B

all miracles.

    She was intelligent, she worked hard, yet she hadn’t inherited one little drop of supernatural abilities. The rest of the world considered her pretty normal, and so did she.

    But Douglas Black, a campus cop, a guy she’d met four months ago . . . he made her feel special.

    She dropped the cougar and went back into Douglas ’s arms. She put all her heart, all her love, into the kiss she gave him, and turned him toward the bed.

    He braced himself against the pressure. ‘‘No. This is your night to celebrate.’’

    She rubbed against him. ‘‘I want to celebrate my way.’’

    ‘‘You want to celebrate with your friends, with the people you saw every day in class.’’ He never seemed to mind that he wasn’t one of the crowd. He stood apart, friendly, but watching, always watching. ‘‘Your friends are up at Bruno’s.’’

    ‘‘I can’t drink. I’m not old enough. And I’m dating a campus cop, so it’s not like I can fake an ID.’’

    ‘‘I promise not to toss you out as long as you stick with soft drinks.’’ He put his forehead to hers. ‘‘I’ll let you in on a secret.’’

    ‘‘Yeah?’’

    ‘‘I’m the same age you are.’’

    She pulled back. ‘‘You’re kidding. How did you get the job?’’

    ‘‘I have a fake ID.’’ He didn’t smile, but his eyes twinkled.

    ‘‘You’re pulling my lariat.’’ Was he serious?

    ‘‘Nope. But don’t tell anyone; I will lose my job.’’ He released her and went to the closet. ‘‘Come on. Let’s go.’’

    He held her jacket as she shrugged into it. ‘‘You said you’d been a cop for four years.’’

    ‘‘That’s right.’’

    ‘‘Since you were sixteen? That’s impossible.’’ Had he even graduated from high school?

    ‘‘I’m good at what I do, so the police departments ignore discrepancies in my job history.’’

    ‘‘What do you do that’s so special?’’

    ‘‘I track people. I find criminals. I find missing persons.’’

    She stared at him, uneasy for the first time since she’d met him. ‘‘How?’’

    He shrugged. ‘‘It’s a gift. Are you ready?’’

    ‘‘Let me get my purse.’’ With the card inside.

    They headed outside into the May evening.

    The campus was old and lovely, mellowed by age and hard use. Massive trees lined the walks, their leaves still a new, bright green. Springtime had brought a burst of flowers along the paths, and lured lovers out to walk hand in hand. No one noticed when Douglas took her hand in his and kissed her fingers.

    ‘‘Tracking seems like such an odd talent,’’ she said. It was the talent that had started the Varinskis on their path to infamy and riches.

    ‘‘I grew up in pretty rough circumstances. I spent a lot of time on the streets.’’ His mouth twisted bitterly. ‘‘I can make contacts most cops can’t even imagine.’’

    Firebird caught her breath.

    At last, a glimpse into his past.

    ‘‘I guess your parents were poor?’’ she asked.

    ‘‘ ‘Poor’ doesn’t begin to describe them.’’ He led her around four students lined up on the walk and singing a jaunty opera in Italian. He nodded at them. ‘‘That’s just not something you see on most college campuses.’’

    But he wasn’t going to distract her. ‘‘Why don’t you like to talk about your parents?’’

    ‘‘My parents were not pleasant people. I’d rather talk about your family. When you talk about them, your face lights up.’’ He hugged her shoulders. ‘‘You like them. Do you know how rare that is?’’

    ‘‘No, it’s not. Lots of people like their families.’’

    ‘‘Lots of people don’t.’’ He headed them toward Bruno’s Bar and Grill. ‘‘I’ll buy you a steak.’’

    He had given her a hint of his past, then offered a steak as a distraction.

    It wouldn’t work. She wouldn’t let him succeed. She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. She faced him and took his hands. ‘‘You’re only