Page 4 of The Hitman and the Psychic

“Hopefully, an impression of the person who made it. I might get a vision of them and I’d know what they looked like.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “It could be any number of things that would lead us to them, like their initials, or an address… something like that.”

I almost added that my visions weren’t always clear, but that wouldn’t help my case. Though now that I knew he’d almost been blown up, I wasn’t sure I wanted the job.

Dammit; too bad I needed that money. “I’m a licensed private investigator. I have a concealed carry permit, and I know some martial arts, so I can take care of myself.”

Stone stared at me for several long moments before shaking his head and turning to Vanetti. “You can’t be serious. You wantherto help me figure out who’s after me? And the major qualification is that she’s a psychic? How do you know she’s not lying?”

That jerk. Glaring, I opened my mouth to retort, but Mr. Vanetti held up a hand.

“Stone… remember that missing contract from about a week ago?”

His brows puckered. “You mean the one the courier lost? You told me you found it.”

“That’s right, but it was Serenity who found it. Since you were busy at the time, I hired her for the job. She tracked it down in a couple of hours. It was amazing.”

“Okay, fine.” Stone glanced my way, his eyes tightening. “But this is a lot more complicated than finding a missing document.”

Vanetti shrugged. “The principle is the same. Besides, you haven’t made much progress on your own.”

Mouth tightening, Stone sat back in his chair. “I haven’t had enough time to figure it out.”

Vanetti’s lips thinned. “And the longer it takes, the more likely this guy is to succeed. Like it or not, the clock is ticking. Work with Serenity, and she’ll figure it out in no time.”

Stone huffed out a breath and crossed his muscular arms across an equally muscular chest. “I don’t need a…psychicto figure it out.” He practically spit out the word.

Vanetti pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. “But look what happened today. I’m certain she’ll find the bastard. She might just save your life.”

“No—”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted, glancing between the two men and settling on Vanetti. “I thought I was just helping you figure out who had a grudge against—” I motioned to Stone “—him.” I licked my lips. “I know we agreed that I’d be working with him twenty-four seven, but—”

“Twenty-four seven?”Stone cut me off, rising to his feet. “Absolutely not.”

Vanetti slowly stood, his gaze hard and flinty. My heart froze in my chest, and I shot a wide-eyed glance at Stone. After a couple of tense seconds, he wisely sat back down.

Vanetti’s quiet voice cut through the silence. “This isn’t negotiable. She’s helping you, whether you want it or not.”

Stone didn’t reply, and I was honestly too scared to say anything either.

“My mind’s made up.” Vanetti shifted his gaze to me. “You’ll be staying with him twenty-four seven like we agreed. Your job is to figure out who’s after him,like we agreed. Hopefully, you’ll manage to keep him from getting killed while you’re at it.”

I gulped. “But… this is alotmore dangerous than I thought.”

Nodding, Vanetti sat back down. “I’m aware. It’s more dangerous than I realized as well. And I’m sure, since you’ve met Stone, you might want to back out, but I’ll make it worth your while.”

I glanced at Stone, who was sitting completely still as if every feature on his face was chiseled from granite. Huh, maybe that’s why his name was Stone. His gaze locked on mine, and I knew he’d make my life a living hell if I accepted. Could any amount of money be worth that? Probably not. But I didn’t want to get on Vanetti’s bad side, either.

“A hundred and fifty grand. That’s how much I’ll pay you.”

I blinked. “What?”

“I’ll give you half right now, and the rest when it’s over.”

I could barely breathe, let alone speak. Licking my lips, I knew I couldn’t pass up that much money. Not when it would solve all my problems. “Okay… but what if Stone gets killed? Will I still get paid?”

“Depends on who kills him.” Vanetti’s mouth twitched. “If it’s you, no. If it’s someone else… it depends on the circumstances.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

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