Page 17 of Infernal Hearts

“You tell me exactly what you want, and I can make it happen.” I throw a sly grin his way. “Trust me, I can work wonders.”

Stony expression, he just sits there waiting for me to finish my thought.

I shoot him a sly grin. “How about guaranteeing your practice is successful from now until eternity?”

“I really don’t need your help.”

I shrug in return, knowing that I still have the upper hand with what I can offer him. “Are you sure? Because it’s a pretty sweet deal. I deal in attraction. Desire. I can use my powers to put you on the map. Trust me—I’ve made so many dreams come true, I’ve lost count.”

He pauses for a long moment. I’ve never had to try this hard to make a deal in my entire life. Just when I think I’m about to lose him, he answers. “And what do you want in return?”

I cross my arms over my chest. “You help me find my brother.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not exactly a detective.”

“No, but you know this town better than I do.”

Dr. Blackwell pauses, lips pressed into a firm line. “I need something other than help with my office.”

“Interesting. Like what?”

He pauses again, fighting against himself to speak. “To be candid, my dad’s been missing for a few days.”

“That I can do. But maybe if my brother is missing, too, they might be connected.”

He nods a couple of times, mulling over the thought. “That could be a possibility.”

I shrug, shaking my head. “Maybe, maybe not. Magic usually attracts magic, and the simplest answer is usually the right one. Occam’s razor. But technically my brother went missing decades ago, so it might be a stretch.”

Blackwell lets out a disappointed breath. “Say I’m considering this. If I help you find your brother, do you think you can help me find my dad?”

I nod. “I can make that work.” That’s more than a fair deal, and it requires much less of my magic than I was intending to use—just more labor in the long term.

He moves over to the counter, fingers gripping the edge as he turns his gaze to the floor. Finally, he answers with a voice barely higher than a whisper. “What are the terms?”

“We find Dane and you find your dad, then I’m out of your hair. Then we never need to cross paths again.”

He looks at me carefully. “And if it doesn’t work?”

I hold up my hand and close my eyes, speaking firmly. “That’s not an option. I have a time limit.”

“Time limit?”

I sigh. “I was given two weeks to find my brother. If I don’t, I die.”

His eyes widen. “Die?”

“I know, I know, very melodramatic. Especially after you did all that to save my life once. And then all your hard work saving me goes down the drain. Such a shame, isn’t it?”

He huffs his breath and thinks for a moment. “Do we really need to make a deal? We can’t just take each other by our words?”

I shake my head. “Sorry, handsome. That’s not how my kind works. This is kind of important, so I need something more binding than your word. You know the lay of the land better than I ever will, plus I may need some more healing, so I want to use that to both of our advantages. Who knows what else might attack me while I’m here? At least you can stop me from putting my nose where it doesn’t belong.”

His brows tighten, and he pauses for an uncomfortably long time. “I…I already have the police looking into it. I don’t need your help.”

My chest tightens at his resolve. “Dr. Blackwell, I really could use your help. And I think you need mine.”

Jason suddenly stands up and heads for the door. “I said no. I can’t do this.” He slams it shut as he goes back to the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

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