He wasn’t sure he’d call himself a ladies’ man, but he hadn’t gone lonely, that much was certain. He hadn’t imagined the longing looks Mackenzie had been giving him the night before, or the way her gaze heated when it lingered on him. No, there was something there, all right, an undercurrent of desire that would be next to impossible to hide from anyone with a half-decent pair of eyes, much less an empath.
And he wasn’t quite ready for his coworkers to make his life a living hell.
Still, he couldn’t help thinking about the warmth of Mackenzie’s skin when it had touched his the night before. He’d felt the spark, even through the cheap material of her pajama top, and he groaned silently as he approached the office. If he didn’t bring his thoughts under control, Kat wouldn’t need to see him with Mackenzie to know he’d spent the entire night dreaming of her.
With one last deep breath, he pushed open the door. “Morning. What have we learned?”
Alec retrieved a file from his desk and held it out. “Kat was up most of the night working her computer mojo, so I gave her the morning off. It’s all in here, but the short version is that there was a Jessica Evans from South Dakota who died in a house fire with her parents in 1988. She would have been five years old at the time.”
Jackson glanced through the file. “Anything about the parents or the fire ping as suspicious?”
“Not if you’re looking at the normal sources.” Alec rocked his chair back and forth. “But I made some calls, too. I have a friend in that area. Remember how I said I met a cougar one time?”
Jackson arched an eyebrow. “One of the parents?”
“The father,” Alec confirmed. “Simon Evans. My friend told me his full name last night. Apparently, Simon told everyone that he had a job opportunity in the early eighties and disappeared completely. No one heard a peep from or about him or his wife until the fire a few years later.”
“It’s too much of a coincidence for it not to be Mackenzie’s family,” he mused absently. “The question becomes, I guess, who actually died in the fire, if anyone? Or, if it was staged, why?”
Alec shrugged one shoulder. “Can’t help you there. I don’t remember much about the guy. We bumped into him at a bar and played pool for a half hour or so. I was so impressed by the fact that I was seeing a real, live cougar that I hardly paid attention to a damn thing he said.”
Jackson shook his head. “It’s probably not important.” He threw the file on his desk and walked to the coffee maker, starting a fresh pot with distracted, automatic movements. “The guy gave her his name, probably his real one. I’m going to see what I can run down about it today. I might also call Mahalia and ask if she can put me in contact with her friend, Steven, or another cougar. Kenzie’s bound to have questions that you and Nick can’t answer.”
He realized his mistake when both of Alec’s eyebrows flew up. “Kenzie’s going to have questions, is she?” he said dryly. “Guess the Italian food worked.”
Jackson cleared his throat and focused on the coffee maker. Insisting nothing had happened would only amuse Alec further, so he shrugged and ignored his own slip of the tongue. “Wouldn’t you have questions?”
“I’ve got one. If she’s Jessica Evans, that’d make her twenty-five. The odds of her hitting twenty-five without shifting are probably about a few thousand to one. The only time I’ve ever heard of it is in cases where someone’s taken steps to prevent it. But that’s some damn powerful magic.”
Jackson turned and nodded. “I asked her last night, but she doesn’t have a clue. I figured I could add it to the list of things to check with Mahalia about when I call her this morning.” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the floor as the aroma of coffee filled the office. “I’ve got that feeling, Alec. The one I get sometimes right before things go to hell.”
His partner studied him. “If Mahalia doesn’t know about the shifting thing, you should ask Nick to call her sister. Michelle can cast a spell that keeps a wolf from shifting. Their father uses it during trials to keep things civilized.”
The disgusted emphasis Alec placed on the last word spoke volumes about how he felt about the way John Wesley Peyton ran the board. “I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m not sure if that’s what we’re looking at here. I mean, Jesus, that kind of spell? Duration like this would be all but impossible for anyone but the most powerful of casters.”
“You shouldn’t underestimate Michelle. There’s a reason people like her end up executed by their packs more often than not. The Seers are too damn powerful, and that much power makes them unstable. I like Nick and all, but her sister scares the shit out of me sometimes.”
“Just be glad she lives in New York and we’ve got the uncomplicated twin.”
“Yeah.” Alec snorted, poured himself a mug of coffee and leaned against the counter. “We’re all having fun teasing you about the girl, but this situation could be serious. Are you going to be able to concentrate if the shit hits the fan?”
“I can get it done.” He grimaced at his partner. “Dammit, Alec. For your information, nothing happened.”
“I’d be a lot less worried if something had. If it were just sex, you could get it out of your system.”
Jackson blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t make a habit of seducing women who’re on the run from supernatural stalkers. That’s a little complicated for my tastes.” He grabbed the phone on his desk. “You’ve got a dirty mind.”
“Never said I didn’t. So you gonna fix the wards on Mahalia’s old place?”
“No real reason to.” Jackson avoided meeting Alec’s eyes as he dialed Mahalia’s number. “It’d probably be safer for her to stay with me for the time being. Since the guy’s goons already tracked her to the bar, I mean.”
“Mmm. I’m sure that’ll do wonders for your concentration.”
“I said I could get it done.”
“Uh-huh.” Alec watched him. “If you don’t have anything else for me right now, I’m going to go annoy Nick by lurking around and keeping an eye on them.”
Jackson waved a hand at him as the line started ringing. “Go. If I need you, I’ll call.”
It had been over a month since Mackenzie had gotten the chance to do something as wonderfully lazy as lounge on a couch and watch television. Of course, only half of her attention was on the television. For someone on the run from an evil gang of supernatural stalkers, she had spent an absurd amount of the morning daydreaming about the illicit things she wanted to do to Jackson.
It wasn’t a productive use of her time. And I don’t care.
She heard Nick before she saw her, the soft sound of footsteps on the stairs reaching her ears over the quiet hum of the television. Mackenzie reached for the remote control and cut off the music video channel as Nick appeared in the doorway. “Hey, Nick. Sorry we woke you so early.”
“Eh, it’s okay.” Her tousled hair fell around her shoulders, and she covered a yawn as she dropped to the couch and arranged her worn terrycloth robe over her legs. “Alec told me Jackson would probably drop you off here before work. Good thing, too. We’ve got some major shopping to do before the afternoon rush.”
Mackenzie blinked at her, hoping she didn’t look as confused as she felt. “Shopping…for the bar?”
Nick grinned and stretched. “Nah. Girl shopping. It’s the best way to dish gossip, and I’m willing to bet you’ve got some after last night.”
She wasn’t the type of woman who usually blushed, but the teasing look in Nick’s eyes made her cheeks heat. “Jackson told me that Alec…told you what happened yesterday,” she said as a way of changing the subject. “How much did he tell you?”
“What, about what happened outside the bar?” Nick made a face. “Just that some whack job is after you, and sent a caster and a big, strapping shifter to fetch you.” She rolled her large brown eyes. “Then he said Jackson took you back to his place and seduced you. But I told Alec that Jackson making Italian food doesn’t mean he tried to climb in your pants.” She paused, taking in Mackenzie’s blush. “Or did he?”