Free Talent to Burn (Hidden Talent #1) by Laura Welling Page A

little felt hat seized my arms and I panicked. “Zika-zacka-zika-zacka-oi-oi-oi!” he chanted, and attempted to spin me into a dance. The tuba and accordion blurted away in the background. Jamie tapped him on the shoulder.
    “I’m cutting in,” he said and pulled me away, and we ran again down the street. I stole glances over my shoulder, not seeing Ryder in the crowd.
    “Do you think we lost him?” I panted, as we turned a corner. Jamie abruptly came to a halt and I looked up to see Ryder a hundred yards in front of us and walking purposefully in our direction. He was flanked now by two other men in anonymous dark suits and dark glasses.
    We turned and ran back past the oom-pah band, careened down an alley, and came out on the gaming floor. To one side an elevator door started to close. I leaped for it, Jamie following. We made it in and the door closed on our heels.
      Everybody in the elevator stared at us as we panted and sweated. Jamie stepped forward and pushed a button. I hoped he knew where we were going.
    We stood for an eon, bathed in Muzak, and then the doors opened onto a mezzanine floor with more stores and restaurants. We walked out of the elevator. As it closed behind us, Jamie took my hand and we ran back in the correct direction.
    “There’s a bridge over the Strip from here to our hotel,” he said.
    I nodded, and sucked in a huge breath.
    “Running on empty?”
    “Running on breakfast,” I said, feeling incredibly nauseous. “I run most days, but not on a full stomach.” Jamie slowed to a fast walk and we continued through the stores. I scanned the crowds around me, seeing blond heads everywhere, seeing sinister men in the shadows, but none were our pursuers.
    We came out of the casino into the bright desert sunlight, and crossed over the pedestrian bridge to our medieval Japanese castle. I resisted the urge to toss my cookies over the side of the bridge.
    We arrived in a side hall of the reception area. Jamie looked at me. “You’re green,” he said. I nodded.
    “See that coffee bar with the booths?” He pointed at a dark café. “Go wait for me there. I’ll bring the car around and call you when I’m out front.”
    “Are you sure we lost him?”
    “I’m pretty sure. I’ll be faster without you and then we can get away.” He pulled me close for a brief hug and was gone.
    Surprised by his affection, I took a few moments to gather myself before heading to the back of the coffee bar. The lights were low in here, the tall wooden booths promising privacy. I tucked myself into a booth in the back corner of the café, and put my hand in my pocket, on my phone. My breathing gradually returned to normal, and I began to shiver as my sweat cooled in the aggressive air conditioning endemic to this desert city.
    I sighed and sat back on the leather bench. A tall white-blond man slid in across from me.
    “Hello, Catrina,” Ryder said.

Chapter Nine
    I froze. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, his unnaturally white hair and pale blue eyes outlined by the matching thin blue line of his aura. He was a hunter and a soldier through and through, his aura as disciplined as the rest of his appearance.
    Ryder spread his hands on the table in front of him. “I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. I’m not the bad guy.”
    “What do you want?” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I glanced up, trying to spot a fast escape route, but he’d catch me in the narrow spaces of this café.
    “I’m trying to find your brother, same as you.”
    It took everything I had to nod and wait.
    “Have you heard from him?”
    I stared down at the table. Maybe if I stayed quiet, he would leave me alone.
    “Look, Catrina, you have to understand, we want to help him.”
    I glanced up, and apparently didn’t succeed in controlling my expression of disbelief, because he frowned at me.
    “Your brother killed innocent people. He’s out of control. We can help him get back in control. Surely