Energy pulsed through him as he hastily rezipped his jeans. The small burst of adrenaline took his already heightened senses up another notch for a few seconds.
Just long enough to alert him to the presence of another person nearby.
Not Orchid.
The sense of imminent danger crackled through him. He had to get back to Orchid. He shoved more energy out onto the psychic plane, instinctively seeking her through the focus link.
He saw the familiar prism take shape, clear and sharp even at this distance. He sent a warning crashing across the metaphysical realm even as he isolated the taint of the other and followed it.
He whirled, orienting himself. Through the trees he caught the unnatural glint of sunlight on steel.
He dove for cover just as the shot rang out. He landed on the ground behind a large tree.
"Rafe," Orchid's shout came from the river's edge. "That was a shot."
It was clear now that he was the target, not her. "Stay where you are."
"Hey, you in the woods with the gun," she yelled. "There are people here. It's illegal to hunt this close to the highway."
Rafe doubted that her warning would carry much weight with the shooter. Whoever he was, he was no ordinary hunter. But Orchid's words did provide a distraction.
Rafe sensed that the other's attention was divided now.
From the would-be killer's point of view, things were disintegrating rapidly, he thought. The first shot had missed and the intended victim was no longer in sight. To top it off, a woman who was invisible through the veil of trees was yelling.
Rafe flattened himself on the ground and made his way toward the shelter of the next large tree.
Another shot rang out, but this one went wild. The gunman had lost track of his quarry.
"There are people here, you idiot," Orchid shouted furiously. "What do you think you're doing?"
Rafe concentrated on sending more power through the prism. He knew exactly where the gunman was now. He began to circle toward him, using the heavy undergrowth as cover.
Apparently sensing the impending danger, the gunman abandoned his post. Rafe heard the rush of pounding footsteps in the distance. The man was plunging through the trees toward the road.
"Shit."
The bastard was going to get away.
Rafe broke into a charging run.
He heard the slam of a car door and knew that he was too late. An instant later came the whine of an engine. It was followed by the squeal of tires on pavement.
Rafe reached the edge of the road in time to see the tail of a white Phase 1000 disappear around the curve in the highway.
There were, he reflected, a lot of Phases in the world.
"Are you certain it wasn't some stupid hunter who thought you were a moose-deer?" Orchid asked for the third time as she refastened her seatbelt.
"Positive." Rafe started the Acer and backed out of the trees toward the highway. "Whoever he was, he must have been following us since we left your folks' house."
"He couldn't have known that we would stop here."
"No, but when he saw us pull off the road he probably figured he had a golden opportunity."
"To kill you? But who would want to do that? Dr. Austen was the only killer we've come across recently and he's dead."
"There's still the little matter of the missing relic," Rafe pointed out.
"But we don't know where it is."
"Someone may be worried that we're still searching for it."
She mulled that over for a moment. "I don't know. Even if we assume that there is someone else involved in this thing besides Austen, why would he or she consider you a threat? With Austen's death, the trail has gone cold."
"Not quite." Rafe glanced over his shoulder and then pulled out onto the highway. "Just before that guy took a shot at me, I had what you might call a small epiphany."
"An epiphany? While using the facilities?"
"While taking a leak against a tree, to be precise."
She grimaced. "What is it with men and trees, anyway?"
"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand. As I was saying, I suddenly recalled something we saw the night we went through Austen's office."
"What?"
"On the back of Theo Willis's chart there was a small sticky note, remember?"
"Sure. You said it looked as if the receptionist had jotted it down to remind herself to send a thank-you note for the referral."
"I think," Rafe said, "that it would be very interesting to find out who referred Theo Willis to Dr. Austen."
"Maybe," she said slowly.
"You sound unconvinced."
"I hate to say this, but I think you're reaching a bit here. We have nothing to indicate that there was anyone else besides Quentin Austen involved with the missing relic. But we can say, with some certainty, that there are a couple of other people who might take a potshot at you if they got the chance."
He raised his brows. "Such as?"
"Your cousin Selby."
Rafe looked briefly intrigued. "I hadn't thought of that."
"He's got a lot to lose if you take over Stonebraker Shipping."
"When, not if."
"I beg your pardon. When you take over Stonebraker. And there's someone else you have recently pissed-off, too, don't forget."
He frowned. "Who?"
"Preston Luce."
"Luce? Five hells, I cut off his funding, not his balls."
"With Preston, it probably amounts to the same thing. Grant funding is his raison d'etre. Obtaining money for research projects is what he does. It's what gives him clout at the institute. If he can no longer play rainmaker, he won't last long. As a pure research analyst, he's a bust."
"I see what you mean."
"Let's face it, Rafe. When you get right down to it, you are not the most popular man in the city-state."
"Okay by me," he said cheerfully. "I don't care what everyone else thinks as long as you'll still sleep with me."
Chapter 18
"Yes, Mom. We got back to the city yesterday at about two o'clock. We, uh, stopped for a bite along the way." Carrying the phone in one hand, Orchid paced back and forth across the small living room. She had told her parents nothing about the incident on the highway. The information would only alarm them and there was nothing they could do about it. "Just wanted to let you know that everything's fine on this end."
"The wedding was lovely, wasn't it?"
"Beautiful. Veronica and Terrence were meant for each other."
"That," Anna said meaningfully, "is just what their marriage counselors said."
Orchid raised her eyes to the ceiling. "I know."
"Still no word from your agency?"
"No." Orchid suppressed a flash of guilt. She had not yet informed her parents that Affinity Associates had lost her file. She paused beside her desk, picked up a pen, and dutifully jotted herself a note.
Call Affinity Associates. Find out what happened to my file.
"I must say, your Mr. Stonebraker was very interesting."
"Yes, he is that." Interesting. Orchid winced. Rafe was a lot more than interesting.
She picked up the note she had just written to herself, crumpled it in her fist, and tossed it into the waste can.
"Mom, I know this is going to sound like a dumb question, but do you, by any chance, happen to know what kind of car Preston drives?"
"I'm not sure what type it is. I don't pay much attention to cars. But as I recall, it's white."
White. Like a white Phase 1000? Orchid wondered. She sat down heavily in her chair. "Does Dad know?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"Oh, nothing. I just thought I saw Preston pass us on the highway on the way back to the city. I wondered if he had left Northville because of what happened between him and Rafe."
"I don't know if he's still here or not. I'll ask your father when I see him later today. About Mr. Stonebraker—"