Windfall Page 0,26

in the relationship to run a full Dun and Bradstreet on the poor man," I said. "So? Are you going to call him?"

"Maybe." That secret little smile again. "Probably."

I couldn't be too unhappy with that. If Sarah was dating, she wouldn't be looking to hang with me quite so much, and her stay in my guest room would be very limited. Nothing like potential romance to get a woman motivated to be independent.

"Hey, Jo? That van's still following you," Sarah said. She was looking out the back window again, frowning. "I thought you said it was no big deal."

"It's not."

Cherise piped up, "Then why's he following you? Don't tell me you have a stalker. You already have a boyfriend; it's not fair you have a stalker, too. You're not that cute."

I eyed the van in the rearview. It was weaving in and out of traffic fluidly, not drawing attention but staying glued to my tail. Detective Rodriguez wasn't worried about anonymity; he wanted me to know he was watching. A little psychological warfare.

He'd have to step up some to equal the stress of squiring around both Cherise and my sister.

"He's not a stalker," I said grimly. "He's a cop."

There was a short silence, and then Cherise said, "Cool. You're two-timing the cute boy with a cop? Man, Jo, that beats Cute English Serial Killer Guy. I didn't know you had it in you."

The clouds cut loose with a vengeance, torrential curtains of silver rain shimmering like silk and pounding like hail against the windshield. I flipped the wipers into grumpy motion and slowed down; Mona didn't like the rain, and I didn't like the idea of controlling a skid in these conditions. Or repairs to a Viper, perish the thought. Paying off Sarah's binge would take the rest of my working life as it was.

Behind me, the white van ghosted out of the rain and kept pace. I felt a snap of energy up in the aetheric, and a lightning bolt tore the sky with a sound like ripping silk, followed by vibrating thunder. I also felt the Wardens responding, this time with more force. It's not me, not me... How exactly was I supposed to make myself look innocent? Actually being innocent wasn't going to do it. I knew the Wardens far, far too well. They were already out for blood.

Cherise said, "I'm glad I put the top up on the car. You know, Marvin's percentage keeps holding. I mean, no doubt he's a total tool, and a real pervert, but he knows his weather."

I bit my tongue. Hard.

I was going to have to look into Marvin, and the Percentage.

Cherise took off for parts unknown upon arrival at her car, walking the five steps to her convertible under the protection of an umbrella big enough to shelter an entire football team. No way was she going to get so much as a drop on her flawless shell. Sarah and I divided up the packages and ran for the apartment door, breathless and soaked to the skin in about five seconds flat.

The rain was hard-driving and cold, and it stung with the force of tiny, hard pellets. Shimmering silver curtains of it flared and billowed in the glow of streetlights. It was dark enough to be twilight, but it was-I checked my watch-only a little after two in the afternoon.

There was nothing currently brewing up out in the open waters off the coast of Africa... even if I hadn't had a vested interest in the weather, as a Warden, I would still have known what was on the radar. Floridians follow hurricane season with at least as much attention as they give to professional sports.

There weren't any tropical storms out there, at least none big enough to register at this point, though there was a low-pressure system hanging out there, waiting.

But this storm didn't make sense. It shouldn't have been here, and it didn't look like it had any intention of moving on. And I couldn't seem to really get a decent look at it, either. I was sluggish on the aetheric. Slow.

Maybe I really was tired. It had been kind of a full half day.

We made it to the apartment, dumped packages and wet shoes, and I squelched back to grab towels for us. Sarah's hair fluffed out to look gleaming and fabulous.

Mine just looked frizzy. I