Zinnia Read Online Free PDF Page A

pointedly.
    “He did.”
    “And now poor Morris has vanished.”
    “Define vanish for me, Miss Spring.”
    She glared. “I can’t find him. We had an appointment this afternoon at his shop, but when I got there the door was locked. Morris never forgets appointments. He’s a mid-range matrix-talent. You know how they are. Obsessive about details.”
    “Obsessive? You’ve had a lot of experience with matrix-talents, then?”
    She shrugged. “More than most people. But, as I’m sure you’re well aware, no one’s had a lot of experience with them. They’re not only quite rare, they’re reclusive, secretive, and a little odd. They don’t like to be studied.”
    “Just because most of them won’t consent to be guinea rat-pigs in some university research lab doesn’t mean they’re odd.” This was ludicrous. Nick could not believe that he was allowing her to goad him like this. He breathed deeply, centering himself. “It just means they value their privacy.”
    “Mr. Chastain, I am not here to debate the oddness of matrix-talents. I’m here to retrieve Morris Fen-wick. Hand him over.”
    “Tell me, Miss Spring, what, precisely, caused you to leap to the conclusion that I’ve got him stashed away somewhere in the casino?”
    “I suspect that you were afraid poor Morris would try to drive up the price of the journal by starting a bidding war between you and his other client. So you grabbed him with the goal of intimidating him into accepting your offer.”
    “An interesting assumption.”
    Her mouth tightened and so did her elegantly sculpted jaw. “Poor Morris knew that journal was extremely valuable to certain parties. He told me that he had it hidden in a safe place until he could complete the negotiations and close the sale.”
    “Do you always call him ’poor Morris’?”
    She frowned. “Morris is delicate. Most matrix-talents are. They don’t function well under stress.”
    Nick was torn between disbelief and disgust. “In your considered opinion?”
    “I told you, I’ve had more experience with matrix-talents than most of the experts. Morris is a gentle soul who is consumed by a passion for antiquarian books. He will become frantic if you apply the sort of pressure tactics to him that you were obviously using on that poor Mr. Batt who just left.”
    Nick managed, barely, not to grind his teeth. “Let me get this straight. You think I kidnapped Fenwick because I was afraid I couldn’t outbid my competition. Presumably I’m holding him hostage until he turns over the journal.”
    “We won’t call it kidnapping if you release him at once,” she said smoothly.
    “You’re too kind.” Nick got to his feet and stalked around the vast desk. He watched Zinnia’s face as he moved toward her. She tensed but held her ground. The bright, fierce challenge in her eyes intrigued him.
    He knew who she was, of course. He had recognized the name and the face immediately. A year and a half ago she had been notorious throughout the city-state for three days. The trashy newspaper, Synsation, had labeled her the “Scarlet Lady.”
    Nick detested the tabloids, but he kept track of them because he devoured information from all sources. His primary objective was to watch for photos and stories featuring those from the city’s elite social circles who had the misfortune to show up on the front pages of the scandal sheets. He never knew when a tidbit from a gossipy piece involving one of the upper-class families might come in handy.
    Eighteen months ago Zinnia Spring had been photographed walking out of the bedroom of a wealthy, influential businessman named Rexford Eaton. Eaton was not only the head of one of the city-state’s most prominent families, he was also married. The resulting scandal had been a three-day sensation for Synsation.
    The damning photograph of Zinnia in a dashing crimson-red suit not unlike the one she wore tonight had been featured in a place of honor on the front page.
    Nick recalled