“No,” he finally answered, and she swore inwardly. “Explanations will not work. Not with my family, not with the wraiths. You would have to stay with me and experience it for yourself.”
Stay with him? “But why? You know I’d have to expose what you’ve done.” What you claim you’ve done.
He smiled, a slow pull of his sensuous mouth, heavy with meaning. “I doubt very much you’ll do that.”
Oh, please. Yes, she could admit that on some level she was attracted to him. Fine. But nothing was going to happen.
“I’m sorry. I have to write my story in good faith, as the facts present themselves.” There was too much shoddy reporting going on about wraiths already, some of it resorting to paranormal explanations, which simply didn’t cut it. Wraiths were the product of a disease, not a supernatural event. Period.
His face grew serious. “Do not misunderstand me. You can reveal whatever you like. I believe, however, that you will choose to refrain. Sometimes a little deception is called for.”
“You still haven’t answered my question. Why would you want to do this?”
He leaned forward, braced his elbows on his knees, gaze sharpening on hers. “That’s one of the things you’ll have to find out. The most important of all.”
Layla stepped back, considering. She didn’t trust him, or his offer. And especially his motives. But she didn’t have anything left to lose and no reason to go home. “So you want me to stay with you . . .”
“. . . and I want you to promise that you will see your story through to the end. That you won’t run from what is revealed until you have all your answers.”
“Will I meet Talia Thorne?”
“It stands to reason; we’ll be staying at Segue.”
Now he was talking. If he wanted to seduce her, he should have led with Segue. Talia was the ungettable get. For her, Layla would agree to almost anything. “When?”
“Now.” He stood and approached. “But I want your promise that you will see this through. You will discover things . . . uncomfortable to your sensibilities. It will change you.”
Layla had to tilt her head to look up at him. Meet Talia today. Yes. Okay. And if he didn’t produce, she’d have reason to back out. And all she’d have to do was endure his melodrama.
“I agree.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear I’ll stick with you until I learn the truth about the wraiths, provided that I meet Talia Thorne today.” How he was going to pull that one off, she had no idea. Talia Thorne was in West Virginia and they were in New Jersey.
That familiar smile tweaked his lips again. “Done.”
A moment hung in the air between them. Layla didn’t have a good feeling about this. Not at all. Her palms still smarted from her skidding fall during the attack. Her sweater was dirty, the neckline pulled out of shape. And without her phone and gun, she was unarmed. At least at Segue, she’d be a lot closer to her Glock, though she didn’t think they’d let her out to fetch it.
They’d need to get to the airport soon. The police report would have to wait. Tomorrow morning, for sure. Her attackers could not be left to prey on other women.
Khan made no motion to get his own car keys. Layla prompted him with a drawn out, “So . . . ?”
“Yes. So.” He inhaled a slow breath, then asked with an air of great deliberation, “Do you believe in magic?”
Layla never answered questions like that.
“Of course you do,” he answered for her. “Or will, shortly.”
Something flickered at the edge of Layla’s vision. A free-standing mirror, gilt framed. She hadn’t noticed it before. Weird.
“I imagine you need your things?”
Layla shrugged. Would be nice.
“Where do you live?”
As a rule she didn’t tell sources or strange men where she lived. She answered vaguely. “New York City.”
Khan gestured to the mirror. “Well, let us go and get them.”
Layla stood in place. Yeah, she wanted to go, but it seemed like he wanted her to look in the mirror first. When still he hesitated, she ducked her head for a quick, obligatory peek. As she pulled back, what she’d seen registered.
Not a silvery, reflective surface. The mirror was full of dark trees. Familiar trees. She knew those trees.
Layla stepped directly in front of the glass to get the full effect. The trees had realistic depth, though the coloring was fanciful, as if deep jewel-toned light emanated from within them. Actually, the setting reminded her of her silly princess dream. Hadn’t Khan been there, too? Weird. The mirror had to be some sort of plasma screen. A moving window. She could get her computer monitor to look like a fish aquarium, and she’d seen similar things in futuristic sci-fi movies.
“Is this your art?” He must have found a wooded area with more than a touch of mystery, lit it just right, then filmed the trees for an extended period of time. Created the interface. “Does it show other places, too?”
“Come,” he said. His hand dipped through the surface.
That she hadn’t seen. Made her heart clutch, anxiety roll over her. She gritted her teeth against it but felt the first prickle of sweat anyway.