“Sorry about this,” Drake said. He watched Chloe comfort the traumatized housekeeper. “They broke in this morning. Said they would do terrible things to her if I didn’t find a way to locate you and the lamp.”

Chloe shook her head. “This is our fault. I’m so sorry both of you got caught up in this.”

Drake’s expression was rueful. “Always knew that lamp was bad news. Never thought anyone would actually consider it valuable, though. It’s so obviously a fake.”

Jack went out to the pool to make the call to Fallon.

“You’ve got three Nightshade agents?” Fallon asked, urgency vibrating in his rough voice.

“We’ve got two confirmed Nightshade people.” Jack paced alongside the sun-sparked pool, trying to assuage the postburn rush that was shivering through him. He’d used a lot of juice taking down Sandy and Ike. His reserves were badly depleted. “At least we think they’re agents. They’re still unconscious. The woman is awake, but it looks like she’s just some poor, dumb junkie they hired to play the role of the housekeeper. I don’t think she knows anything. All she cares about is getting her next fix.”

“How do you know the other two are Nightshade?” Fallon asked.

“I assumed that would be your take on the situation.”

“It is. Just wondered what made you buy into my theory of the crime.”

“Chloe can see some weird, unstable energy in their prints. She thinks it may indicate that they’re taking a heavy psychotropic drug that affects their para-senses. That would seem to support your conspiracy theory.”

“She can see signs of the drug?” Fallon asked sharply.

“That’s what she told me.”

“Huh. Now that’s damn interesting. I’ve got a couple of high-level aura-talents who can see the instability in the auras of Nightshade people. Hadn’t thought about using dreamlight readers to do the same thing. Makes sense, though. Any drug that can affect the para-senses is probably going to disturb dream energy as well. I should have considered that angle sooner. Problem is, strong dreamlight readers are damn rare.”

“There’s something else.” Jack walked alongside the edge of the pool. “We found another set of prints on the front steps and in the foyer of the house. Chloe says Stone actually did have a visit from a high-level talent last night. But whoever came to see him doesn’t seem to be connected to what just went down. There was no bad energy in the prints.”

“Have you talked to Stone about his visitor?”

“Not yet. Haven’t had a chance.”

“Ask him about it. I don’t like coincidences, but there are some high-end sensitives in Vegas. I can think of at least two strong illusion-talents and a para-hypnotist who are headliners. A major strat owns one of the biggest casinos. And then there are always the intuitives and the probability and crypto-talents hitting town who think they can beat the odds at the tables. It’s possible that Stone had a legitimate guest last night.”

“One neither he nor the guard can remember? Why would a friend make them both forget the visit?”

“Stone’s been around long enough to make a few enemies in that town.”

“Maybe he invented the story.”

Fallon was silent for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. It feels like the truth.”

“Feels like the truth?”

“It fits,” Fallon said simply. “But see if he can remember any more details.”

“What do we do with the bikers and the woman?”

“Behave like the fine upstanding citizen that you are. Call the cops. Tell them you walked in on a home- invasion robbery in progress. Hell, it’s the truth.”

“If I turn those three over to the police they’ll probably all make bail before Chloe and I get back to the hotel. Either that or the two hunters will escape. The police won’t have a clue that they’re dealing with a couple of talents.”

“Doesn’t matter. Those two got caught, so they’ve pissed in their chili as far as Nightshade is concerned. The organization is a tough outfit. Drawing the attention of the authorities is a big no-no. Getting arrested is a death sentence.”

“How does Nightshade silence its operatives?”

“Simple,” Fallon said. “They just cut off the supply of the drug. It appears that the latest version of the formula has to be taken twice a day. Skip a single dose and the senses start to deteriorate. Miss two or three doses and the result is insanity, usually followed by suicide, within a matter of two or three days. It’s a very effective system for snipping off loose ends.”

“I thought Arcane had some kind of antidote.”

“We do,” Fallon said wearily. “The team I sent out should be pulling into town soon. They’ll have some with them. All my people carry a supply now when they’re on a job. Feel free to make those two bikers an offer. If they tell you what they know about who they’re working for, you’ll let them have the antidote. Doubt if they’ll take the deal, though.”

“They were ready to kill Chloe and probably the housekeeper and Stone as well. I’ll be damned if I’ll offer them the antidote.”

“Your choice.” The shrug in Fallon’s voice was clear. “But if it makes you feel any better, the antidote is a life sentence in and of itself.”

“What do you mean?”

“It will keep someone alive and reasonably sane, but the stuff has some serious side effects: It erodes the natural psi abilities along with the formula-enhanced version. It would probably take a high- level talent like you down to a two. And there are other complications. Panic attacks. Chronic anxiety problems. Disturbing dreams. In effect, you end up with a bad case of what the Victorians called shattered nerves.”

Jack contemplated the idea of two bikers with really bad nerves.

“Any chance of recovery?” he asked.

“We don’t think so. For obvious reasons we haven’t been able to run a lot of human experiments, and animal models don’t work when it comes to psi drugs. It’s probably all moot in this case. Like I said, I doubt that the two hunters you’re holding would accept the antidote.”

“Why not?”

“We’ve had some experience with Nightshade agents. They’ve all been thoroughly brainwashed. First, they won’t believe you when you tell them that being deprived of the drug will make them crazy. Their handlers assure them otherwise.”

“And second?”

“They’re as paranoid about Arcane as we are about them. Odds are they won’t let you administer the antidote because they’ll believe that you’re trying to kill them. Call me after you talk to Stone.”

“Will do.”

“Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your new talent.”

Jack froze. “What are you talking about?”

“I could buy the fact that you got lucky yesterday and took down one hunter, but I’m not buying that you were able to take down three people today, two of whom were hunters.”

“I only got the one hunter,” Jack said evenly. “And the woman. No big deal. Chloe handled the other hunter.”

“Whatever. Like I said, congratulations.”

“You don’t sound worried.”

“As long as you’re taking out Nightshade agents, I don’t have any problem with your new talent. I need all the help I can get. Call me after you talk to Stone.”

Fallon broke the connection.

Chloe and Jack stood on the front steps and watched the vehicle disappear.

“I’m betting they both escape within twenty-four hours,” Chloe said. She shook her head. “They’re hunters. They’re not only preternaturally fast—they’ve also got para- hunting skills. The cops won’t even know they’re gone until it’s too late.”

“Fallon says they’re as good as dead,” Jack said. “He told me that Nightshade will drop them like live bombs now that they’ve been picked up by regular law enforcement. They won’t get any more of the drug. First they’ll go crazy. Give them twenty-four, maybe forty-eight hours at most, and then they’ll commit suicide.”

Chloe shuddered. “The drug is a terrible creation. Jones is right. Nightshade must be stopped.”

“I’m not usually into conspiracy theories, but I’m starting to think Jones has a point about this one.”