“One obvious possibility comes to mind,” Lucas said. “Revenge. He probably blames us for the death of his father and the fact that we are now running the Foundation. We stole his inheritance. He knows as well as we do that his job as the director of the Agency for the Investigation of Atypical Phenomena doesn’t give him any real power. We could cut the Foundation free tomorrow. If, in addition to everything else, he lost his talent five years ago, he’s got one hell of a motive for vengeance.”

“Five years is a long time to wait to take revenge.” Victor paused. “But you know what they say.”

“A dish best served cold. Larissa Whittier certainly took her time about the business. Speaking of Whittier, I think Rancourt was telling the truth when he said he only recently learned that she existed and that they were related by blood. He certainly didn’t seem to be interested in her.”

“Maybe,” Victor said. “I’m not so sure.”

“Really? You picked up some nuance that I missed? You’re the one who makes a point of ignoring emotions and subtle social signals.”

“That’s just it. There wasn’t any emotion. No nuance. No subtle social signals. Nothing to ignore. But what do I know? I’m just the guy who connects the dots.”

Lucas looked at the man who was his soul mate, the man he had never expected to find—the love of his life. He hadn’t been looking for love when he sat down at the poker table on that long-ago night. He had intended to pick up some easy money—he was very good at poker—and then hit a certain nightclub.

The vibe of the man sitting on the other side of the table had changed his plans for the evening. By the following morning, his plans for the rest of his life had changed. He had known that even if he never saw Victor again, he would never forget him; would never want to forget him. Their blowout Las Vegas wedding had put a public seal on the unshakable connection between them.

“I can’t believe he managed to sneak up on us the way he did,” Lucas said. “Got to admit I never expected him to show up at the front door.”

“Huh.”

Victor got to his feet and went to stand at the bank of windows overlooking the Strip.

Lucas watched him. “What?”

Victor clasped his hands behind his back and watched a vintage pink Cadillac cruise the Strip. “Five years ago, he disappeared without a trace. The next thing we know he’s not only at our front door—he’s in charge of the government agency that is our one and only client. We should have seen him coming.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Lucas said.

Victor snorted. “It’s enough to make me wonder if the old story about him is true.”