family event in three weeks’ time.
“I appreciate the urgency of the situation. That is why I sent Chase first thing this morning.” At which point Mia had refused to let Chase do his job. One of her best finders was cooling his heels in her reception area when he could have already completed the find and moved on. Karma tried to remind herself the customer was always right. Even when they were working against their own interests. “I’ll just call him in and we can begin, shall I? Hopefully we’ll have your item back to you within the hour.”
Mia blinked once, the only indication that Karma had startled her with that declaration. She’d evidently expected vague promises and sleight of hand, not an air of confident guarantee. “How can you be so positive you can help me?”
“We specialize in the impossible, Dr. Corregianni. Isn’t that why you came to us?”
The words were meant to be comforting, but Mia’s lips pursed with icy disapprobation. “Ms. Cox, that which we believe to be impossible or inexplicable is just that which we do not yet have the scientific maturity to understand.”
Karma smiled, unruffled by the scold. “True enough. I, for one, would love to see more serious scientific studies into paranormal phenomenon.” She lifted the telephone from her desk and pressed the intercom to reach the outer office where her surfer finder waited.
Mia became even more still and Karma got the sense that was her version of squirming in her chair. She was not comfortable with Chase, but why? Was it just scientific skepticism or something more personal?
“Chase,” Karma spoke into the phone, a shadow of a smile curving her lips. “Why don’t you join us?”
Karma, the proprietress of the unconventional investigation firm Mia had turned to in her hour of drunken desperation, was everything she could have hoped for. Tidy, controlled and professional. Anal. Mia respected those qualities—all of which could be used to describe Mia herself quite accurately. She didn’t deal well with messy, emotional, impulsive people. Chase Hunter seemed inclined to be all of those.
Karma set the phone back into the cradle and folded her hands on the desk. Her deep red manicure was as perfect as her makeup. Her hair was smoothed back in a French twist with a blue-on-black silk sheen and the subtle Asian configuration to her features made her even more striking.
Karma couldn’t have been much older than Mia was, but Mia couldn’t imagine anyone gasping with shock when they learned her age. Her maturity was there in the regal way she held herself. Mia on the other hand…
Somehow no matter how maturely Mia dressed, no matter how many uncomfortable suits and toe-pinching heels she bought for the express purpose of demonstrating she was not a twenty-five-year-old grad student anymore, people still assumed she was a child playing dress up. And then she was supposed to be flattered that she looked so young. As if being treated like an inexperienced apprentice was ever flattering.
Mia kept her own bitten-down-to-the-nub nails hidden in her lap, feeling distinctly outclassed by the poised and elegant proprietress of Karmic Consultants in a way she rarely felt anymore. She’d built confidence in herself through her career accomplishments, thriving with the knowledge of her own competence, but five minutes in a room with Karma Cox and she was back to being the awkward, nerdy girl with impossible hair and inch-thick glasses. It just went to show you never completely escaped the psychological conditioning of your youth.
She was already uncomfortable enough just being at Karmic Consultants. A paranormal investigating and consulting firm. Specializing in the supernatural . Every synapse in Mia’s scientific brain rebelled against the very idea.
But the references were beyond impeccable. She flipped open the brochure. Federal Agents, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. It was an impressive list.
It had taken her exactly one
“I appreciate the urgency of the situation. That is why I sent Chase first thing this morning.” At which point Mia had refused to let Chase do his job. One of her best finders was cooling his heels in her reception area when he could have already completed the find and moved on. Karma tried to remind herself the customer was always right. Even when they were working against their own interests. “I’ll just call him in and we can begin, shall I? Hopefully we’ll have your item back to you within the hour.”
Mia blinked once, the only indication that Karma had startled her with that declaration. She’d evidently expected vague promises and sleight of hand, not an air of confident guarantee. “How can you be so positive you can help me?”
“We specialize in the impossible, Dr. Corregianni. Isn’t that why you came to us?”
The words were meant to be comforting, but Mia’s lips pursed with icy disapprobation. “Ms. Cox, that which we believe to be impossible or inexplicable is just that which we do not yet have the scientific maturity to understand.”
Karma smiled, unruffled by the scold. “True enough. I, for one, would love to see more serious scientific studies into paranormal phenomenon.” She lifted the telephone from her desk and pressed the intercom to reach the outer office where her surfer finder waited.
Mia became even more still and Karma got the sense that was her version of squirming in her chair. She was not comfortable with Chase, but why? Was it just scientific skepticism or something more personal?
“Chase,” Karma spoke into the phone, a shadow of a smile curving her lips. “Why don’t you join us?”
Karma, the proprietress of the unconventional investigation firm Mia had turned to in her hour of drunken desperation, was everything she could have hoped for. Tidy, controlled and professional. Anal. Mia respected those qualities—all of which could be used to describe Mia herself quite accurately. She didn’t deal well with messy, emotional, impulsive people. Chase Hunter seemed inclined to be all of those.
Karma set the phone back into the cradle and folded her hands on the desk. Her deep red manicure was as perfect as her makeup. Her hair was smoothed back in a French twist with a blue-on-black silk sheen and the subtle Asian configuration to her features made her even more striking.
Karma couldn’t have been much older than Mia was, but Mia couldn’t imagine anyone gasping with shock when they learned her age. Her maturity was there in the regal way she held herself. Mia on the other hand…
Somehow no matter how maturely Mia dressed, no matter how many uncomfortable suits and toe-pinching heels she bought for the express purpose of demonstrating she was not a twenty-five-year-old grad student anymore, people still assumed she was a child playing dress up. And then she was supposed to be flattered that she looked so young. As if being treated like an inexperienced apprentice was ever flattering.
Mia kept her own bitten-down-to-the-nub nails hidden in her lap, feeling distinctly outclassed by the poised and elegant proprietress of Karmic Consultants in a way she rarely felt anymore. She’d built confidence in herself through her career accomplishments, thriving with the knowledge of her own competence, but five minutes in a room with Karma Cox and she was back to being the awkward, nerdy girl with impossible hair and inch-thick glasses. It just went to show you never completely escaped the psychological conditioning of your youth.
She was already uncomfortable enough just being at Karmic Consultants. A paranormal investigating and consulting firm. Specializing in the supernatural . Every synapse in Mia’s scientific brain rebelled against the very idea.
But the references were beyond impeccable. She flipped open the brochure. Federal Agents, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. It was an impressive list.
It had taken her exactly one
Similar Books
