Hannah needed that kind of proof to believe this guy could read minds, furry, human or otherwise.
His cobalt eyes captured hers, and whoa mama, she practically melted in the chair from the intensity of his stare. Tugging the collar of her shirt away from her neckline, she squirmed in her seat and looked away.
“I don’t communicate with animals, Miss Dawson,” he said. “My psychic abilities aren’t specialized to pet readings.”
“I understand that.” She might as well be panning for gold when it came to figuring out why Ellie had wanted her to hire him—well, other than the old woman had lost her mind—but the only thing different about him from the other private investigators she’d researched was that he claimed to be psychic. “I’d hoped you might be persuaded to try, or perhaps you can recommend someone who does talk to animals? I’ve got the money. I can pay whatever it takes.”
“I read people, not animals, but—” He seemed to hesitate. His eyes held hers. When he finally leaned forward and turned his gaze to the dog stretched out on his office floor, the tension she’d been feeling for the past few days loosened its grip on her muscles. “I sense that they’re still grieving. They miss their former owner, but they are quite happy with you. I’d dare say grateful.” He took a deep breath. “I’m afraid there’s really not much else to tell you. Animals are pretty simple-minded creatures. People tend to think they’re much smarter than they really are.”
Oh, really? Hannah crossed her arms and studied him to see if he was feeding her a line of BS. Costello knew exactly when eight o’clock was each day without looking at a clock—it was his feeding time—and Abbott could open doors and cabinets like it was nothing.
Oh, no. This man was obviously a quack. Zachary Collins had one helluva poker face though. She snuck a look down at the bag containing the cat. Abbott had also awoken her when the person trying to kidnap Costello had been wrestling with the dog.
The cat’s yellow eyes peered up at her with a sardonic expression. Almost as if the animal was thinking, Are you buying this crap?
She focused on Zachary again. “Are you sure?”
“Quite sure.” Smiling, Zachary leaned forward. “As I said before, I have a couple of qualified men who can help you secure your home. If you’re looking for a bodyguard to provide around-the-clock protection, I can arrange that, too.”
Around-the-clock what? Lord have mercy, that sounded expensive.
Abbott’s loud meow drew her attention. She straightened her shoulders and focused on the reason she was here. “They really aren’t telling you anything else?” Anything about Ellie I should know?
Zachary seemed to stare at the wall, his eyes unfocused and glazed. “I’m sorry. Like I said…”
“Simple-minded. Right.”
Well, crap. She was back in what-the-heck-do-I-do-now territory. How did a person find a legitimate psychic, if such a thing existed?
Costello made a low growling sound as he began to wiggle around on the carpet. The dog’s stubby paw batted at her foot playfully. His tongue lolled to one side, and he panted. So maybe Zachary Collins had a point. Still, she’d thought it might be worth a try. She’d never felt so desperate for help in her entire life, and that was really saying something.
She felt so alone in all of this.
Someone had broken into her home, after all.
“Do you think I need a bodyguard?” The thought of someone following her around twenty-four hours a day kind of creeped her out.
“Do you live alone?”
“Yes.”
“Are you involved with anyone?”
She felt her shoulders tense again. “No. Why?”
“Any friends who could stay with you?”
Her best friend might, but Hannah didn’t want to inconvenience anyone, especially Sarah, who was studying hard to earn her IT certification. “No.”
“Then I would say yes, at least for a temporary period, while you’re still the focus of media attention.” He reached for his phone and asked someone if Brian was available yet. After a brief exchange, he replaced the receiver. “I’ve requested my partner to come in and meet you. He’s a former Marine as well as a trained police officer with a few years of experience on the force. If anyone can offer the protection you need, it’s him.”
The door opened and a good-looking, square-jawed man with a military cut poked his head in. “You wanted to see me, Zach?”
Zachary nodded, and Hannah stared when the other man’s body came into full view. Muscular would have been an understatement. The burly man she assumed was Brian looked more suited to a gym than an office.
“Brian Burns, meet Hannah Dawson.”
“Call me Hannah.” Standing, she held her hand out to the man and was relieved when his grip didn’t crush her fingers.
Zachary briefly explained the situation. “If you feel comfortable with Brian, we can arrange a trial period where he shadows you to make certain he’s a good fit. He can also assess what your needs are while he’s there.”
“You won’t even know I’m there.” Brian half-smiled at her.
“Uh, okay.” She crossed her arms again. “Is the trial period free?”
Zachary flexed his hands and exchanged looks with his partner. “The first day will be on us. After that, it’s $200 an hour.”
“An hour?” Talk about pricey.
Zachary shrugged. “For first-time clients with good credit, we do offer a slight discount that would bring it down to $175 an hour.”
Better, but still pricey. It took Hannah a minute to remember that she could easily afford that now. Total craziness. She nodded. “Okay. I suppose that’s alright. When can you start?” Maybe they weren’t staffed with amazing psychics, but they seemed to be reputable security specialists. Right now she needed protection, for her and the animals.
“Give me an hour to get a bag packed.” Brian reached for the door and, with a strange look in Zachary’s direction, disappeared. Hannah returned her focus to the handsome man who, not least, made her secretly glad her dear friend Ellie had chosen this firm over all the others in Atlanta.
“While he’s gone, we can take care of some paperwork, okay?”
She took a deep breath, grateful she wasn’t being turned away. And a tad bit disappointed she wasn’t going to be protected by The Psychic Detective himself.
Hannah peeked over her shoulder to make sure the guy who was going to be her shadow for a while had actually heeded her request and hadn’t followed her inside. She punched in the security code to disable her new alarm.
His back was turned to her in the doorway, and he wasn’t even looking inside. Wow. A man who actually did what she told him? Where had this mythological creature come from? “Just one more minute please.”
Freeing the animals from their leash and bag, Hannah hurried to pick up the bras, socks and other laundry scattered throughout the living room. Not to mention the dirty plates, empty cups and candy wrappers. And cat and dog toys.
She