She’d pulled off the earrings and was still rubbing her lobes from time to time. Most of the goo on her face had been wiped off with tissue. Her unpainted mouth and naturally flushed cheeks made a devastating contrast with the big, heavy-lidded eyes.

Pretty? Had he granted her pretty? Sebastian wondered. Hell, she was gorgeous. In the right light, at the right angle, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Then she might turn and be merely mildly attractive again.

That held an odd and disturbing sort of magic.

But he didn’t care how she looked, he reminded himself. He didn’t care, because he was plenty peeved. She’d dragged him into this. It didn’t matter that he’d volunteered to come along. Once he had, she’d set the rules, and he’d had plenty of time to decide he didn’t like them.

She’d gone alone into that storage building with a man built like two fullbacks. And she’d had a gun. No little peashooter, either, but a regular cannon.

What the hell would she have done if she’d had to use it? Or—Lord—if that mountain of betrayed lust had gotten it away from her?

“Look,” Mel was saying to Haverman. “You’ve got your sources, I’ve got mine. I got a tip. I followed it up.” She was moving her shoulders carelessly, but, oh, she was enjoying this. “You’ve got no beef with me, Lieutenant.”

“I want to know who put you on to this, Sutherland.” It was a matter of principle for him. He was a cop, after all, a real cop. Not only was she a PI, she was a female PI. It just plain grated on him.

“And I don’t have to tell you.” Then her lips quirked, because the idea was so beautiful, so inspired. “But, since we’re pals, I’ll clue you in.” She jerked her thumb toward Sebastian. “He did.”

“Sutherland …” Sebastian began.

“Come on, Donovan, what does it hurt?” This time she smiled and brought him in on the joke. “This is Lieutenant Haverman.”

“We’ve met.”

“Sure.” Now Haverman was not only piqued but deflated. Women PIs and psychics. What was law enforcement coming to? “I didn’t think missing TVs was your gig.”

“A vision’s a vision,” Sebastian said complacently, and had Mel hooting.

“So how come you passed it to her?” It didn’t sit right with him. “You always come to the cops.”

“Yeah.” Sebastian shot a glittering look at Mel over his shoulder. “But she’s got better legs.”

Mel laughed so hard she nearly fell off the car. Haverman grumbled a little more and then stalked off. After all, he thought, he had two suspects in hand—and if he tried to shake Donovan, he’d have the chief on his case.