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An icy frisson flickered across the back of her neck. She was suddenly, intensely aware of an unnerving chill. She knew that feeling. Someone was watching her.
It was way past time to exit the scene.
She turned quickly, intending to go down the steps and back to the car. But she froze when she saw the man blocking her path a few feet away.
For an instant shock locked her muscles and sent her senses into a chaotic tailspin. Then adrenaline splashed through her. She raised the can of pepper spray.
“Please don’t use that stuff,” the stranger said. “I’ve got enough trouble as it is. I’m not going to hurt you.”
His voice settled on her like a warm summer night, soothing her senses, calming her panic. Clearly she was overreacting. The man blocking her path had made no attempt to grab her and there was no sign of a weapon. He was harmless. She lowered the pepper spray.
In the glow of the weak light over the door she could see that he was dressed in a battered leather bomber jacket, a dark T-shirt, jeans, and running shoes. A day pack similar to her own was slung casually over one shoulder. Given the deep shadows his eyes should have been unreadable. Instead they seemed to burn.Just a reflection, she told herself.
“Who are you?” she said.
“Another would-be buyer, like you. Evidently we were not the only customers for the list. Looks like someone else got here first and decided to make sure there were no more sales.”
CHAPTER SIX
His voice whisperedto her senses, reassuring her. She was feeling very calm now. That was not right. She ought to be terrified. She should be working the pepper spray for all it was worth and running for the car. What the hell was happening here?
And suddenly she understood.
She pulled hard on her senses, shook off the mesmerizing effect of his voice, and raised the can of pepper spray.
“Stop that or I will use this stuff,” she said.
There was a beat of silence. She got the feeling she had surprised him.
“Okay, let’s try this again,” he said. “My name is Luke Rand. Who are you?”
She drew a deep breath. His voice still gave her a bit of a rush, but it was no longer hitting her senses like a riptide threatening to draw her under the surface.
On some primal level shelikedthe sound of his voice. That was probably not good news.
“What do you know about the list?” she asked, not bothering to answer his question.
“If it’s the one I’m looking for it’s a list of names of people who took a certain psych test several years ago.”
“The informant offered to sell it to you, too?” she said.
“And, apparently, to whoever got here first.”
“The list wasn’t the only thing the first buyer took.” She glanced back at the door, remembering the energy on the metal handle. “Whoever it was grabbed our informant as well.”
Luke Rand’s eyes got a little intense. “What makes you so sure the informant didn’t decide to disappear after making the first sale?”
The disturbingly soft way he asked the question rattled her nerves. She needed to stay focused.
“Just a guess,” she said in her coolest tones. She could tell he knew she was lying, but he did not press her. She hurried on. “You came to the same conclusion, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So, if the informant and the list are gone, why are you still here?” she asked.
“I thought it would be interesting to see who else showed up.”
“Right.” She paused. “That was actually a pretty good idea.”
