Zinnia

Chapter 2

Zinnia Spring leaned heavily against the door marked LADIES and staggered into the women's room. One glance told her that the facility was as tasteless and garish as the rest of the casino. This particular room had apparently been designed to resemble some man's fantasy notion of the boudoir of an expensive but extremely tacky mistress.

A row of gilded stall doors saluted her. Inside the cubicles she could see pink and white marble commodes. On one side of a mirrored wall, fluted gold sinks and faucets in the shape of exotic birds were set in pink and white marble counters. A thick fuchsia carpet covered the floor of the sitting area which was dominated by a gilded pink velvet sofa.

It was enough to make any self-respecting interior designer wince in horror, Zinnia thought. But she was feeling too traumatized at that moment to waste too much energy condemning the decor.

She was relieved to see that she had the restroom to herself.

Her head was still throbbing from the paranormal assault she had just undergone. Her pulse raced. She could feel the back of her blouse sticking to her perspiration-dampened skin. But at least she was no longer focus-linked to the bastard, whoever he was.

She was still not certain whether he had deliberately released her or if she had managed to break free on her own when she had tried to skew the focus. Everything had been so chaotic during those few seconds of contact that she could not recall them in a coherent fashion.

She gripped the edge of one of the fluted gold sinks and studied herself in the mirror. Aside from the residue of panic in her eyes, she looked amazingly normal. She felt as if she had been caught in a hurricane, but her hair wasn't even mussed. Her trademark flame-red suit still looked crisp and professional. The scarf around her throat was as stylishly knotted as it had been before she arrived at the casino.

She closed her eyes and took a series of deep breaths. Whoever he was, he was powerful. Definitely a matrix. She could recognize one anywhere.

But matrix-talents were not supposed to be that strong. She ought to know. She was something of an expert on the subject. The ones she had encountered in the course of her part-time job at Psynergy, Inc. had all been under class-five in her estimation. This man had been off-the-charts.

And it most definitely had been a man. She shuddered again at the memory of the intense masculinity that had accompanied the focus link. The sensation of sexual intimacy had been unnerving. She had never experienced such an overwhelming rush of physical excitement during a mind link. Or in any other situation, for that matter, she thought grimly.

Lately, she had secretly begun to question whether or not she was capable of strong sexual desires.

Well, at least that issue had been put to rest, she thought. She was, indeed, capable of passion. But this was not quite what she had in mind when she read one of Orchid Adams's psychic vampire novels late at night.

This was impossible. Powerful matrix-talents were said to be as rare as First Generation relics. In other words, the experts doubted that any even existed.

Zinnia opened her eyes. She reached for one of the little paper cups stacked in a gold dispenser and turned on the gilded water faucet.

The cup trembled in her fingers as she took a long swallow. At least her head had finally stopped whirling. Her heartbeat was slowing to something close to normal. The disturbing sense of sexual excitement was fading. As far as she could tell there had been no permanent damage done.

She frowned. The psychic agony she had experienced had only occurred when she had struggled to free her mind from the link. She hoped her assailant had suffered some during the process, too. Served him right.

No sense trying to rationalize the situation, she thought. There was only one explanation for what had just happened to her.

She had been jumped by a genuine psychic vampire.

As far as most people were concerned, there were no such things as psychic vampires. They were supposed to exist only in novels and legend.

A few months ago, however, everyone who worked for Psynergy, Inc. had learned of Amaryllis Lark's frightening experience with a real-life psychic vampire. Clementine Malone, the owner of the agency, had made certain that all her employees were warned that vampires were out there even though the experts scoffed at the notion. The information had been kept from the media for the very simple reason that no one would have believed the tale.

The one person who could have proven the existence of psychic vampires was presently locked up in a hospital for the criminally insane. Irene Dunley, a staid middle-aged secretary, had gone crazy when her ferocious power was extinguished during a savage confrontation between herself, Amaryllis, and Lucas Trent.

Zinnia studied her reflection as she took another sip of water. She felt much better now. Almost normal.

Maybe she was overreacting. She was very tense tonight because of the Morris Fenwick situation. Perhaps her imagination had run amok during those seconds of psychic disorientation.

It was comforting to think that she had accidentally brushed up against a class-five or lower matrix-talent who had been surreptitiously attempting to use his paranormal power to cheat at cards. Casinos routinely employed detector-talents to ensure that customers didn't use psychic tricks to defraud the house, but someone could have slipped past security.

She sighed. There was no point trying to deceive herself. She had not simply tripped against a mid-level matrix, she had stumbled over an off-the-chart matrix vampire. Her prism talent was very unusual in that she could only work well with matrix-talents, but she was definitely full-spectrum in terms of raw power. She was able to estimate the level of a talent all the way to class-ten. And beyond, apparently, she thought ruefully, because whoever this guy was, he had been much higher than a ten.

It must have been one of the men at the gin-poker table. She had walked very close to the feverish crowd of gamblers gathered there. She had heard that the game was played for high stakes here at Chastain's Palace. Some very desperate, very powerful matrix-talent had no doubt tried to use his power to cheat. It had been her bad luck to be in the vicinity when the psychic probe struck.

He had probably been just as astounded as herself by the contact, but that had not stopped him from trying to grab the prism she had created.

Everyone knew that matrix-talents were a little weird at the weak end of the spectrum. Apparently they were very dangerous at the high end.

She would stay clear of the gin-poker table when she left the restroom. It was a synergistic fact that the strength of any focus link diminished swiftly with even a few feet of distance between talent and prism.

Zinnia considered the situation. There was nothing she could do about what had just happened. She had no proof that she had been attacked by a psychic vampire. The casino security would laugh if she tried to explain. The only people who would believe her were her friends at Psynergy, Inc.

She finished the water and tossed the cup aside. Casino security personnel would scorn her tale of psychic vampirism, but she had a hunch Nick Chas-tain's thugs would be interested to know that a powerful talent was trying to manipulate the gin-poker game.

A semblance of a plan took shape. She had been wondering how to distract Chastain's people long enough to get inside his office.

With renewed determination, she shoved open the door of the ladies' room and walked back out into the gaudy, glittering casino. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning. The gaming floor was crowded with elegantly dressed men and women. They hovered over the tables, excitement and desperation pouring off their bodies in waves. Cocktail servers dressed in spangled costumes circulated through the crowds with trays of drinks.

Zinnia turned and walked briskly down a carpeted hall. She went past the ornate black-and-gold mirrored elevators and found a door that opened onto the emergency stairs.

With a quick glance around to make sure that no one had noticed her, she stepped into the concrete stairwell and closed the door. Hitching her shoulder bag higher, she hurried up the steps.

On the second floor she found a door marked PRIVATE. She took a deep breath, gripped the knob and prayed it would not be locked.

It wasn't. She stepped out into a dimly lit mirrored hall carpeted in crimson and studded with gilded pillars. The decor made her wrinkle her nose in distaste. She had not yet met Nick Chastain but she had seen enough of his lamentably bad taste to know that she was not going to like him very much. They obviously had nothing in common.

"Can I help, ma'am?"

The low growl of a voice came from behind her. Zinnia whirled around and found herself facing a short, wide, massively built man who looked completely out of place in his formal black evening clothes. His shaved head gleamed in the glow of the torchier lamps. Pale eyes glinted from beneath brows that had been plucked to a thin arched line. The pointed black goatee looked ludicrous on his broad face, but Zinnia decided not to advise him of that fact.

She drew herself up with what she hoped was an authoritative air. "I'm looking for Mr. Chastain."

"Got an appointment?"

Zinnia favored the guard with a superior smile. "Yes, of course. He's expecting me."

The man's bald head glinted as he glanced at the closed door at the end of the hall. "Mr. Chastain is busy at the moment. He asked not to be disturbed. If you'll have a seat in the reception area, I'll tell the receptionist to let him know you're here."

Zinnia tapped the toe of one red high-heeled shoe and glanced at her watch. "I haven't got much time. Look, I'm unarmed." She removed her slim shoulder bag and held it open so that the guard could see the small wallet, comb and lipstick inside. "I'm absolutely no threat to Mr. Chastain. I really must speak with him immediately."

"Why?"

"If you must know, I'm a prism consultant from Psynergy, Inc. Mr. Chastain asked my firm to run an outside check on gaming-floor security. I've concluded the project and I'm ready to make my report."

"I wasn't told nothing about no outside consultant."

Two more heavily muscled men dressed in ill-fitting formal black jackets materialized behind the short, wide guard. They were obviously on alert, but they remained discreetly in the background.

Zinnia gave the bald guard a cool smile. "As I said, it was a security matter."

"I'm in charge of security around here."

"Could have fooled me. I thought perhaps you were Chastain's interior designer." Zinnia spun around and lunged for the closed door at the end of the hall.

She could only hope that the guards would hesitate to use force against a guest who presented no clear threat. Chastain wouldn't want to have to explain the mangled body of an innocent casino patron in his tastelessly decorated hall. Bad for public relations.

"Five hells." The wide man showed a surprising turn of speed as he lurched into pursuit. "Come back here."

Zinnia reached the closed door, seized hold of the knob, twisted, and shoved hard.

The guard's paw closed over her shoulder just as the door slammed open to reveal a crimson, black, and gilt chamber that was even more outrageous than the ladies' restroom.

There were two men inside the chamber. Both turned toward her.

The well-dressed little man seated in front of the gleaming black desk looked harmless. The one lounging in the black-and-gold throne did not.

"Sorry for the interruption, boss," the guard said. "I'll take care of it."

Zinnia flung out her hands and grabbed the edges of the door frame as the guard started to pull her back out into the hall. She glowered at the man behind the desk.

"Mr. Chastain, I presume," she said loudly.

Nick Chastain looked at her with cold, curious eyes. In that gaze Zinnia saw a slashing intelligence, awesome self-control, and the promise of power. A strange shiver of awareness went through her.

"Is there a problem here, Mr. Feather?" Nick asked in a soft low voice.

"No, problem, boss." Feather's hand tightened on Zinnia's shoulder. "Just a little misunderstanding." He started to peel Zinnia away from the door.

"Hold it." Zinnia tightened her grip on the frame. "Mr. Chastain, I suggest we talk right now. Unless, of course, you want every cop in New Seattle here in this casino tonight."

Nick raised one black brow. He considered her for a long moment. Zinnia could sense everyone around her holding his breath. She made herself inhale. She would not be intimidated by a casino owner with bad taste.

Nick smiled. Zinnia almost lost her nerve.

"Very well." Nick glanced at the nervous man perched in the chair. "You may go, Mr. Batt. I'll be in touch."

"Yes, Mr. Chastain." Batt leaped to his feet and hurried toward the door with the air of a man who has just received a temporary reprieve from some unpleasant fate.

Zinnia gave him a sympathetic look as she ducked from under Feather's heavy hand and stepped out of the way. Batt skittered past her and fled down the hall.

Feather closed the door quietly. Zinnia found herself alone at last with Nick Chastain.

"What can I do for you, Miss ... ah, I don't believe I caught the name."

"Spring. Zinnia Spring. And I'll tell you exactly what you can do for me, Mr. Chastain. You can produce Morris Fenwick. Immediately. If you don't release him at once, I'm going straight to the police. I'll have you charged with kidnapping."