“Who is this Jan? Because I’ve never met him.”
Heather answered, “Something you have to realize, Jack. This town… It’s unlike anyplace I’ve ever been. Here, being psychic is the norm. I’ve been here for two weeks, and I can’t seem to leave.”
“How’s that?” He sat up straighter, as much as he was able, and stared from Heather to Ida. “Maybe you can explain,” he said to the old woman.
“Maybe I can.” Ida laughed and pulled the dark purple cardigan she was wearing tighter around her. “Would you like some tea?”
“No.”
“Yes,” Heather said at the same time and arched a brow at him before turning back to Ida. “Shall I make some?”
Ida nodded, and Heather left for the kitchen. Jack kept half his attention on her while the rest of him sized up his host.
“You’re one of us.” Ida nodded and narrowed her gaze, studying him. “Very powerful. You vibrate with it. Rage, intensity, lust.”
She raised a brow, and he had to work to cool the heat in his cheeks.
“Drei-Gewalten was built on such emotions. We are a very old town, one that only the gifted can find. Our council works to keep the rest out.”
“Oh?”
“Why are you here, Jack Keiser?”
He didn’t show any reaction to her knowing his true name. “To find your niece, Heather.”
She nodded. “Her brother sent you. Owen.” She pursed her lips. “He was told to stay out of this mess. The boy doesn’t listen for shit.”
He paused, taken aback by her language, then had to grin. “So you’ve met him.”
“No, but Heather has spoken of him so that I feel I know him.” She sighed. “But this is for Heather to make right. It is not for Owen to interfere.”
Ida stared at him, and Jack had the uncomfortable sense of her picking and prodding at his shields.
“But you are not here for Owen, I think. You are here for Heather.”
One and the same. He shrugged. “Why the story about her being your relative?” He wanted to hear her confirm what Heather had told him.
“Because this town lives with antiquated conventions. Here, we are the law. Or rather, the Baer family is the law. For too long, they’ve run our town. Heather needed to come, to do what she was tasked. But the Stallbridges haven’t been welcome in over a hundred years, not since Johann discovered the Source.”
Heather had mentioned that earlier. “The Source?” Jack asked.
“Of power.”
Heather returned to the living room. “You’ve felt it. The vibrations under your feet? It’s real. There are places like this all over the world, where the pulse of power sends waves through the earth. In some places, the electromagnetic fields are stronger. In others, it’s just a feeling, a place where senses are heightened and life is much more defined.” She gazed at him with eyes that saw too much. “It’s a vortex. Bend, Oregon is one such place. That’s why Owen settled there.”
“But not you?” Jack asked her, his gaze intense.
“Eventually I will. I’ve had other things to keep me busy over the years.”
She studied him, and he wondered what she saw when she looked at him.
“Why don’t you tell me who you are and why you’re really here. Ida called you Jack Keiser. That name sounds familiar.”
“My name is Jack Keiser. Harmon is an alias.”
“One of many you’ve used,” Ida added.
He scowled at her. “You a mind reader?”
“I know things. Not all, just some.”
“Great. More mystery to add to this secretive town.” Jack kept his inner shields tight and concentrated on Heather. “I’m here because your brother and I work together. We co-own the PowerUp! Gym in town. In Bend.”
“I’ve been there. I remember your manager, Kitty.”
Funny, Kitty never mentioned meeting Heather. “I run a team of people who do more than work at the gym. We work private investigations. Our biggest job to date is tracking down the objects stolen from your warehouse.”
Heather’s eyes widened. “That’s you? You’re the ex-government psychics?” She stared at him with a look he didn’t trust. “Oh. You’re Jack.”
“What does that mean?”
“My brother called you an injured wolf more likely to bite first and ask questions later.”
“Nice.” He scowled.
“From Owen, that’s a compliment. He likes you.”
And Jack liked Owen, for what it was worth. It still surprised him to find he’d come to respect the arrogant millionaire. Jack could appreciate that Owen had his own secrets, things even Heather might not know.
“This is all interesting, but off topic.” Ida pointed to the kitchen. “Heather, dear, it’s whistling.”
At that moment, the kettle shrieked, and Heather left to get it.
Jack grunted. “Nice trick.”
“We all have our uses.” She winked at him. “You’re here to bring Heather home. Heather is not yet ready to go. Once she’s finished, then she may go. But not until then.”
“So what’s this task, and how soon can we get it done?”
Heather returned with two steaming mugs and set one down on the table in front of Ida. “We? I don’t remember asking for your help.”
“Yeah? Well, you’ve got it all the same. I’m here to bring you back in one piece. You tell me you have to lie so folks won’t kill you, and my feet are still tingling from the power beneath us. I think it’s past time to go, and I just got here. So do what you’ve gotta do, and let’s head back to the States.”
“Don’t you think I’ve been trying?”
She sighed, and her lips turned down. That softness captivated him. He’d had his share of rough and tough women, but Jack was a protector by nature. He gravitated toward those needing his brand of strength. Which was why he should stay far, far away from Owen’s little sister. So what that she had a killer rack, legs up to the moon, and an ass that begged to be ridden? She was trouble, a real problem he could do without.
He cleared his throat and forced himself not to scowl at Ida’s knowing smile. “So what’s the deal with the yellow gate? According to Hans, there are people on the other side of it. But Jan guards it? And how about that bizarre road I drove in on? You’re telling me everyone in town is psychic?”
“The gate is indeed protected by Jan. Only those the council has deemed fit to be here may come to town. On the other side of that gate lies the town of Grainau.”
Jack frowned at her. “That’s impossible. I turned north instead of continuing west to get here, driving away from Grainau.”
“And yet, here you are.” Ida sipped her tea. “I have been trying to help Heather find the Source before she leaves. But every time she tries to search it out, one of our people pulls her back. The Baers have put a lockdown on her movements.” Ida gave her an apologetic glance, and Heather made a face.
“Explain that.” Jack wanted to know.
“You must understand that everyone in Drei-Gewalten has psychic ability, hence the name of our town meaning three forces—mind, body, energy. The majority of our people have better senses, faster reflexes, nothing too powerful, and nothing that you couldn’t overcome with ease. But the council and a few of the first families, they could be troublesome.”
“First families?” he asked.
“The ones who first settled here,” Ida answered. “Like the Baers, a very powerful family. Ernst and Klaus, Ralf Baer’s sons, have developed…feelings…for Heather. The only thing that’s been keeping them from pressing their attentions is my connection to her. As you know, she’s not really my niece, but my name has weight here. Four generations of Wurtzes have been born and died in Drei-Gewalten. We all have wisdom and an affinity for the Source. Those in town respect my years here, even the Baers. But I’m afraid my influence won’t outlast young Ernst’s desire. That boy in particular wants to claim Heather for his own. And he normally gets what he wants.”