“I see. I wasn’t aware of any matchmaking agencies that focused on people with unusual or difficult talents.”
“When this is over, you could look into registering with the Arcane agency.”
She considered briefly. “Maybe. But it probably wouldn’t do any good. Even if my talent wasn’t a deal-breaker, the fact that I was locked up at Serenity Gardens for a few months and was labeled ‘the Deranged Bride’ by the media would make me unmatchable.”
“The video is changing the public’s perception of you.”
“Some things you can’t outrun. Let’s face it, the only people who are likely to be interested in a date with me are either obsessive curiosity seekers or men who are more than a little deranged themselves. What about you? Why aren’t you registered? I can’t imagine any agency or family would object to your talent for analyzing inheritance traits.”
This would probably be a good time for him to stop talking. But it was too late. His mouth was already open and words were spilling out.
“A lot of people consider my ancestry profiling talent boring,” he said. “Many view my criminal forensic work as morbid. And I’ve had a few clients who don’t like what I find on their family trees. But you’re right. I don’t think most people are afraid of me.”
Her eyes heated a little in the shadows, but not with the energy of sexual interest. He was starting to recognize this particular fire. She was searching for a way into his secrets. If he had any common sense, he would run for his life.
“And yet you aren’t registered,” she said quietly. “Is it because of the broken engagement? Perfectly understandable. You were in love and it takes time—”
“It has nothing to do with my broken engagement,” he said. “I’m not registered because I’m working through some issues.”
“Issues connected with your recurring nightmare?”
“Yes.”
“What happened in your dream?”
“I killed a man.”
Her intent gaze did not waver. “A bad man?”
“Very bad. The serial killer the press called Mr. Magic.”
She caught her breath. “I remember that case. Such an evil man. The media said he died in the Underworld. Unknown causes, but the authorities suspected that he had encountered a dangerous artifact.”
“He did. He also encountered me.”
“Oh.” Alice gave that some thought. “I see.” She tilted her head a little, studying him with what looked like understanding in her eyes. “An act of violence, even when fully justified, always leaves a psychic scar on anyone who is not a sociopath. It’s no wonder you have nightmares.”
“The scar isn’t the issue,” he said. “I can deal with that. The issue is that I don’t rememberhowI killed Gatley.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Blindsided by his statement, Alicehad to take a moment to breathe and regain her focus. When she recovered, she realized she was feeling…not depressed. Not exactly. More like deflated, maybe. Disappointed?
“Okay,” she said, pulling herself together. “You have some amnesia that is linked to a violent experience. I did not see that coming, but it explains so much.”
“It does?” Owen looked grimly amused. “Then why don’t you explain it to me? My fiancée ended our engagement because my para-psych issues frightened her. I don’t blame her. I checked myself into a private hospital and spent a month trying to figure out if I went mad and killed a man without being aware of what I was doing. Now I have nightmares wondering if I might do it again.”
“Oh, right, sorry. I was thinking out loud. I’ve been wondering why you took my case. I mean, I know that at some point you realized I was indanger and you risked your neck to rescue me—in fact, you are still putting yourself in harm’s way.” She paused to make sure he understood. “I do appreciate that, by the way. I’m very grateful.”
“Sure. Anytime. Not like I had anything better to do.”
She pretended to ignore the bite in his words because so much of the fog around Owen was starting to clear. She was not about to stop now. “My point is that at the start you didn’t realize I needed rescuing. I was curious to know why you took a contract with Kelbrook’s fixer in the first place.”
“I told you, the money was good and you were an interesting case. Also, I was more than a little suspicious of Kelbrook’s motives. I didn’t trust him or his fixer.”
“You are a professional analyst who occasionally consults for law enforcement. You conduct seminars. You publish papers in important academic journals. But you are not a private detective or a gun for hire. I knew there was another reason why you agreed to track down the Deranged Bride.”
“Stop calling yourself deranged, damn it.”
