Page 54 of The Hitman and the Psychic

The walls had wood paneling and an open ceiling, with spotlights that shown down on the walls and the side tables. The clean floor and shiny counter showed a great deal of care. Whoever owned it kept it up.

Only a few people sat at the bar, but there were several others in the back shooting pool at a couple of tables. One of them noticed our entrance and headed straight for us. He was a Pacific Islander with a straight nose and a huge build. I could picture him playing professional football somewhere. As he approached, I stepped back, bumping into Stone’s chest.

Amused, Stone raised a brow at me, and I glanced between them, realizing they were about the same size. Stone stepped forward and gave the man a complicated hand shake. “Keola… how’s business these days?”

“Not so bad, bro. It’s been a while since you’ve been in. Who’s this pretty lady?” Keola glanced at me and his brows rose. “Never seen my bro bring a woman in. You must be special.”

Delighted by his warm nature and open face, I sent him a smile while pulling off my glove, and held out my hand. “I’m Serenity.”

Smiling, he took my hand and held it. His warm touch sent a wave of dizziness over me, but it wasn’t because of a vision, it was more a feeling of power. Whoa. This guy was going places. Taking a breath, I pulled my hand away and blinked a few times.

“So, what can I do for you?” Tilting his head, Keola glanced at Stone. “Does Vanetti need something?”

“No. I’m here on my own, looking for Anna. Does she still work for you?”

He shook his head. “Not anymore. She got into some trouble and took off.” He huffed out a breath. “If you catch up with her, tell her I want the five grand she stole from me.”

“Damn. Then I guess she’s not coming back.”

“Not if she knows what’s good for her. Last I heard, she was headed to Texas.”

Stone shifted his stance. “Okay. Well, I knew it was a long-shot, but I had to try.”

“She owe you money, too?”

“No.” Stone glanced at me before meeting Keola’s gaze. “Someone’s trying to kill me. I thought she might have something to do with it.”

“Bro, that’s mental. Don’t they know who you are?”

“Doesn’t seem to matter.”

Keola shook his head. “I’ll ask around. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks man, I appreciate it.”

“No prob. You have time for a game? You could show Serenity your mad skills at the pool table.” He glanced my way. “He’s got his own stick here, but he hardly ever uses it.”

Stone shook his head. “Thanks, but we should go.”

Keola nodded. “Sure. I hope you find your guy.” He glanced at me. “Come back sometime, Serenity. You don’t even need to bring this jughead with you.”

I grinned. “Thanks. Maybe I will.”

“Later.” Stone’s lips twisted, and he turned toward the door without waiting for me. I gave Keola a quick wave and followed him back outside.

Meeting Keola had given me a lift, totally different from the last people Stone had introduced me to. I wanted to ask Stone how they knew each other, but held back, since it was clear he wasn’t in a talking mood.

At his bike, Stone glanced at me. “You got a dazed look when you shook Keola’s hand. Did you see something?”

I slipped my glove back on and shook my head. “No, but I got an impression that Keola is important. You should keep in touch with him.”

Stone’s brows rose. “So you get impressions, too?”

I shrugged. “I guess. That’s never happened before. Well… I take that back. When I shook Vanetti’s hand, it was kind of the same thing… only more powerful.”

“And what about me? What did you get when you shook my hand?”

My eyes widened. I didn’t want to tell him that his touch took my breath away and just about knocked me over. “Um… you know… I can’t remember, so I guess it wasn’t a big deal.”

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