He found his lips curving in an amused smile. She was obviously still mad about it. “Have lunch with me, and I’ll tell you. Better yet, I’ll show you. It’s easy.”

“I can’t have lunch. I’m across town from your office.”

“Then have dinner with me. I have plans, but I’m happy to cancel them.”

“Maybe.” Her reluctance came through loud and clear.

His smile widened. “Such enthusiasm. It’s a good thing I have a healthy ego, otherwise my feelings might be hurt.”

She snorted. “Listen, you’ve done too many things to try to influence me, and I don’t trust you.”

“Ouch,” he said, his amusement turning rueful. Over the years, he had grown so used to using small influencing spells in order to get his way he often cast them without giving it a second thought. But she was too intelligent and sensitive, and he had been too heavy-handed. “I deserve that. Does it help to know I only cast spells that would give you an encouraging nudge in the right direction?”

“Because you’re the one who gets to decide what the right direction is?” Her voice turned hard. “Anyway, I don’t care. It’s manipulative, and if you do it again, I’ll find some way to retaliate.”

Abruptly his amusement returned, along with curiosity. Spinning his chair in a slow circle, he asked, “What would you do?”

“I would…” Her voice trailed away. “Well, I don’t know what I would do. But I would figure something out.”

He had no doubt. If she knew a fraction of the things he knew, Molly could do an incredible amount of damage to an opponent. “I believe you, but that’s beside the point. I apologize, and I promise to never cast an influence spell on you again. Will that do?”

She blew out a slow breath. “Maybe. But what if I decide to trust you and you go back on that?”

“I won’t,” he said flatly. “For one thing, I respect your awakening Power too much. I don’t want us to become enemies. For another, I just gave my word, and that means something to me.”

She went silent again, and a car horn honked in the background. This time he knew better than to push too hard, and she had been the one to call him, so he waited.

Finally she sighed. “Okay. I accept your apology. Unless you prove me wrong, I’ll take you at your word.”

As entertaining as this conversation had been, he had a mountain of work to do, so he turned brisk. “Great. I’ll ask again—what can I do for you?”

She lowered her voice. “What if I knew someone who might want to give the DA an anonymous tip?”

More surprises. She was turning out to be a wealth of interesting experiences. He straightened. “I would say the DA is intrigued. Tell me more.”