Jinx by Jennifer Estep Read Free Book Online Page B

knowing smirk, but I’d had enough of the witty banter. I was damp and tired and I smelled like moldy bread. So, I skirted around him, careful to stay at least six feet away at all times, and headed down the hall.
    “Where are you going?” he called out. “We were just starting to warm up to each other.”
    “You want warm?” I asked, stopping in front of a small red knob. “Think how warm you’ll be when the police show up and toss you in the slammer. Stealing from Berkley Brighton? Now, that was dumb. But pissing me off? That’s what’s really going to get you into trouble.”
    I yanked down the fire alarm. Loud bells and sirens blared to life throughout the massive house. Please exit the building, a man’s voice intoned over the commotion. Please exit the building .
    Debonair smiled and bowed his head to me. “Well, it seems you’ve bested me. I’m afraid I’ll have to take my leave of you now. Until we meet again, Bella Bulluci.”
    “Which will hopefully be never.”
    Debonair gave me another long look. “We’ll see.”
    POP!
    He appeared in front of me again. Before I could stop him, the thief grabbed my hand and pressed a quick kiss to the inside of my wrist. Then, he gave me a sly wink and teleported away.
    I leaned against the wall and let out a long breath. I suddenly felt weak and shaky. And for some strange reason, my pulse pounded in time to the fire alarm.

    ‘I’m sorry he got away, Berkley,‘ I said. ‘Maybe if I’d pulled the alarm sooner, the police would have been able to catch him.”
    An hour had passed since I’d set off the fire alarm. Now, Berkley, Joanne, and I stood in the salon, along with a couple of Bigtime Police detectives, Chief Sean Newman, and Berkley’s personal insurance adjuster. My eyes scanned the room, taking in the damage. There really wasn’t any. Unless you considered the loss of a priceless painting to be a catastrophe. I did.
    “It’s not your fault, Bella. I knew this would happen, sooner or later.” Berkley stared at the empty frame.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Someone’s been trying to get into the mansion,” he replied, running a hand through his wavy hair. “The alarms have been going off all week. It must have been Debonair. I guess tonight he found a way to succeed.”
    “Well, he’s certainly bold—I’ll give him that,” Joanne said.
    “And effective,” Berkley added. “According to my security chief, he managed to bypass all the alarms. The heat sensors, the motion detectors, the tripwires, the lasers, everything.”
    “Well, most alarms aren’t designed to deal with someone with teleporting superpowers,” I said. “Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all? I feel like this is all my fault.”
    It was, given how terrible my luck was. Even now, I could feel the static building up around me, waiting to lash out yet again. And I should have pulled the alarm right away, instead of confronting the thief. I knew better than that.
    Berkley shook his head. “Thank you, Bella. But no.”
    After giving my statement to the detectives and Chief Newman, I drove back home. It was almost midnight now, and the street was dark and empty. I found myself thinking of Debonair. Wondering where he was. What he was doing.
    Why he’d wanted to kiss me.
    Had he just wanted to distract me? Or was there some other reason?
    I shook my head. Debonair was just another guy who dressed up in leather and went around Bigtime doing whatever to whomever he pleased. I wasn’t going to give him another thought. Not a second more of my time or attention.
    Easier said than done.
    Ten minutes later, I parked the car in the driveway. My stomach rumbled, letting out a sound that would have made Fiona proud. So, I headed for the kitchen, determined to get something, anything, to eat before going to bed, even if I had to scoop it up off the floor.
    Bobby sat at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of red wine. “Ah, Bella. There you are.”
    “Waiting up for