by J. D. Robb
“I can handle that.”
“Then why have you lost weight?” he demanded. “Why are there shadows under your eyes? Why do you look so unhappy?”
She yanked out her recorder, slapped it on his desk. A barrier between them. “I need you to tell me everything you know about these women. Every small, insignificant detail. Damn it, damn it, damn it, I need help. I have to know why Towers would go to the West End in the middle of the night. Why Metcalf would dress herself up and go out to the patio at midnight.”
He tapped out his cigarette, then rose slowly. “You’re giving me more credit than I deserve, Eve. I didn’t know Cicely that well. We did business, socialized in the most distant of fashions. Remember my background and her position. As to Yvonne, we were lovers. I enjoyed her, her energy, her zest. I know she had ambition. She wanted stardom and she earned it, deserved it. But I can’t tell you the minds of either of these women.”
“You know people,” she argued. “You have a way of getting inside their heads. Nothing ever surprises you.”
“You do,” he murmured. “Continually.”
She only shook her head. “Tell me why you think Yvonne Metcalf went out to meet someone on the patio.”
He sipped brandy, shrugged. “For advancement, glory, excitement, love. Probably in that order. She would have dressed carefully because she was vain, admirably so. The time of the meeting wouldn’t have meant anything to her. She was impulsive, entertainingly so.”
She let out a little breath. This was what she needed. He could help her see the victims. “Were there other men?”
He was brooding, he realized, and forced himself to stop. “She was lovely, entertaining, bright, excellent in bed. I imagine there were a great many men in her life.”
“Jealous men, angry men?”
He lifted a brow. “Do you mean someone might have killed her because she wouldn’t give him what he wanted? Needed?” His eyes stayed steady on hers. “It’s a thought. A man could do a great deal of damage to a woman for that, if he wanted or needed badly enough. Then again, I haven’t killed you. Yet.”
“This is a murder investigation, Roarke. Don’t get cute with me.”
“Cute?” He stunned them both by flinging the half-empty snifter across the room. Glass shattered on the wall, liquor sprayed. “You come bursting in here, without warning, without invitation, and expect me to sit cooperatively, like a trained dog, while you interrogate me? You ask me questions about Yvonne, a woman I cared for, and expect me to cheerfully answer them while you imagine me in bed with her.”
She’d seen his temper spurt and flash before. She usually preferred it to his icy control. But at the moment her nerves had shattered along with the glass. “It’s not personal, and it’s not an interrogation. It’s a consultation with a useful source. I’m doing my job.”
“This has nothing to do with your job, and we both know it. If there’s even a germ of belief in you that I had anything to do with slitting the throats of those two women, then I’ve made even a bigger mistake than I’d imagined. If you want to poke holes in me, Lieutenant, do it on your own time, not mine.” He scooped her recorder off the desk and tossed it to her. “Next time, bring a warrant.”
“I’m trying to eliminate you completely.”
“Haven’t you done that already?” He moved back behind his desk and sat wearily. “Get out. I’m done with this.”
She was surprised she didn’t stumble on her way to the door, the way her heart was pounding and her knees were shaking. She fought for breath as she reached for it. At the desk, Roarke cursed himself for a fool and hit the button to engage the locks. Damn her, and damn himself, but she wasn’t walking out on him.
He was opening his mouth to speak when she turned, inches from the door. There was fury on her face now. “All right. Goddamn it, all right, you win. I’m miserable. Isn’t that what you want? I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. It’s like something’s broken inside me, and I can barely do my job. Happy now?”
He felt the first tingle of relief loosen the fist around his heart. “Should I be?”
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’m here because I couldn’t stay away anymore.” Dragging at the chain under her shirt, she strode to him. “I’m wearing the damn thing.”
He glanced at the diamond she thrust in his face. It flashed at him, full of fire and secrets. “As I said, it suits you.”
“A lot you know,” she muttered and swung around. “It makes me feel like an idiot. This whole thing makes me feel like an idiot. So fine; I’ll be an idiot. I’ll move in here. I’ll tolerate that insulting robot you call a butler. I’ll wear diamonds. Just don’t—” She broke, covering her face as the sobs took over. “I can’t take this anymore.”
“Don’t. For Christ’s sake, don’t cry.”
“I’m just tired.” She rocked herself for comfort. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Call me names.” He rose, shaken and more than a little terrified by the storm of weeping. “Throw something. Take a swing at me.”
She jerked back when he reached for her. “Don’t. I need a minute when I’m making a fool of myself.”
Ignoring her, he gathered her close. She pulled back twice, was brought back firmly against him. Then, in a desperate move, her arms came around him, clutched. “Don’t go away.” She pressed her face to his shoulder. “Don’t go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Gently, he stroked her back, cradled her head. Was there anything more astounding or more frightening to a man, he wondered, than a strong woman in tears? “I’ve been right here all along. I love you, Eve, almost more than I can stand.”
“I need you. I can’t help it. I don’t want to.”
“I know.” He eased back, tucking a hand under her chin to lift her face to his. “We’re going to have to deal with it.” He kissed one wet cheek, then the other. “I really can’t do without you.”
“You told me to go.”
“I locked the door.” His lips curved a little before they brushed over hers. “If you’d waited a few more hours, I would have come to you. I was sitting here tonight, trying to talk myself out of it and not having any luck. Then you stalked in. I was perilously close to getting on my knees.”
“Why?” She touched his face. “You could have anyone. You probably have.”
“Why?” He tilted his head. “That’s a tricky one. Could it be your serenity, your quiet manner, your flawless fashion sense?” It did his heart good to see her quick, amused grin. “No, I must be thinking of someone else. It must be your courage, your absolute dedication to balancing scales, that restless mind, and that sweet corner of your heart that pushes you to care so much about so many.”
“That’s not me.”
“Oh, but it is you, darling Eve.” He touched his lips to hers. “Just as that taste is you, the smell, the look, the sound. You’ve undone me. We’ll talk,” he murmured, brushing his thumbs over drying tears. “We’ll figure out a way to make this work for both of us.”
She drew in a shuddering breath. “I love you.” And let it out. “God.”
The emotion that swept through him was like a summer storm, quick, violent, then clean. Swamped with it, he rested his brow on hers. “You didn’t choke on it.”
“I guess not. Maybe I’ll get used to it.” And maybe her stomach wouldn’t jump like a pond of frogs next time. Angling her face up, she found his mouth.
In an instant the kiss was hot, greedy, and full of edgy need. The blood was roaring in her head, so loud and fierce she didn’t hear herself say the words again, but she felt them, in the way her heart stuttered and swelled.
Breathless and already wet, she tugged at his slacks. “Now. Right now.”
“Absolutely now.” He’d dragged her shirt over her head before they hit the floor.
They rolled, groping for each other. Limbs tangled. Giddy with hunger, she sank her teeth into his shoulder as he yanked down her jeans. He had a moment to register the feel of her s
kin under his hands, the shape of her, the heat of her, then it was a morass of the senses, a clash of scents and textures abrading against the urgent need to mate.
Finesse would have to wait, as would tenderness. The beast clawed at them both, devouring even when he was deep inside her, pumping wildly. He could feel her body clutch and tense, heard her long, low moan of staggering release. And let himself empty, heart, soul, and seed.
She awoke in his bed with soft sunlight creeping through the window filters. With her eyes closed, she reached out and found the space beside her warm but empty.
“How the hell did I get here?” she wondered.
“I carried you.”
Her eyes sprang open and focused on Roarke. He sat naked, cross-legged at her knees, watching her. “Carried me?”
“You fell asleep on the floor.” He leaned over to rub a thumb over her cheek. “You shouldn’t work yourself into exhaustion, Eve.”
“You carried me,” she said again, too groggy to decide if she was embarrassed or not. “I guess I’m sorry I missed it.”
“We have plenty of time for repeat performances. You worry me.”
“I’m fine. I’m just—” She caught the time on the bedside clock. “Holy Christ, ten. Ten A.M.?”
He used one hand to shove her back when she started to scramble out of bed. “It’s Sunday.”
“Sunday?” Completely disoriented now, she rubbed her eyes clear. “I lost track.” She wasn’t on duty, she remembered, but regardless—
“You needed sleep,” he said, reading her mind. “And you need fuel, something other than caffeine.” He reached for the glass on the nightstand and held it out.
Eve studied the pale pink liquid dubiously. “What is it?”
“Good for you. Drink it.” To make sure she did, he held the glass to her lips. He could have given her the energy booster in pill form, but he knew well her dislike for anything resembling drugs. “It’s a little something one of my labs has been working on. We should have it on the market in about six months.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Experimental?”
“It’s quite safe.” He smiled and set the empty glass aside. “Hardly anyone’s died.”
“Ha-ha.” She sat back again, feeling amazingly relaxed, amazingly alert. “I have to go in to Cop Central, do some work on the other cases on my desk.”
“You need some time off.” He held up a hand before she could argue. “A day. Even an afternoon. I’d like you to spend it with me, but even if you spend it alone, you need it.”
“I guess I could take a couple of hours.” She sat up, linked her arms around his neck. “What did you have in mind?”
Grinning, he rolled her back onto the bed. This time there was finesse, and there was tenderness.
Eve wasn’t surprised to find a pile of messages waiting. Sunday had stopped being a day of rest decades before. Her message disc beeped along, recounting transmissions from Nadine Furst, the arrogant weasel Morse, another from Yvonne Metcalf’s parents that had her rubbing her temples, and a short message from Mirina Angelini.
“You can’t take on their grief, Eve,” Roarke said from behind her.
“What?”
“The Metcalfs. I can see it in your face.”
“I’m all they’ve got to hold onto.” She initialed the messages to document her receipt. “They have to know someone’s looking after her.”
“I’d like to say something.”
Eve rolled her eyes, prepared for him to lecture her about rest, objectivity, or professional distance. “Spit it out then so I can get to work.”
“I’ve dealt with a lot of cops in my time. Evaded them, bribed them, outmaneuvered them, or simply outran them.”
Amused, she nudged a hip onto the corner of her desk. “I’m not sure you should be telling me that. Your record’s suspiciously clean.”
“Of course it is.” On impulse he kissed the tip of her nose. “I paid for it.”
She winced. “Really, Roarke, what I don’t know can’t hurt you.”
“The point is,” he continued blandly, “I’ve dealt with a lot of cops over the years. You’re the best.”
Caught completely off guard, she blinked. “Well.”
“You’ll stand, Eve, for the dead and the grieving. I’m staggered by you.”
“Cut it out.” Miserably embarrassed, she shifted. “I mean it.”
“You can use that when you call Morse back and run up against his irritating whine.”
“I’m not calling him back.”
“You initialed the transmissions.”
“I zapped his first.” She smiled. “Oops.”
With a laugh he picked her up off the desk. “I like your style.”
She indulged herself by combing her fingers through his hair before she tried to wriggle free. “Right now you’re cramping it. So back off while I see what Mirina Angelini wants.” Brushing him off, she engaged the number, waited.
It was Mirina herself who answered, her pale, tense face on-screen. “Yes, oh, Lieutenant Dallas. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I was afraid I wouldn’t hear from you until tomorrow.”
“What can I do for you, Ms. Angelini?”
“I need to speak with you as soon as possible. I don’t want to go through the commander, Lieutenant. He’s done enough for me and my family.”
“Is this regarding the investigation?”
“Yes, at least, I suppose it is.”
Eve signaled to Roarke to leave the office. He merely leaned against the wall. She snarled at him, then looked back at the screen. “I’ll be happy to meet with you at your convenience.”
“That’s just it, Lieutenant, it’s going to have to be at my convenience. My doctors don’t want me to travel again just now. I need you to come to me.”
“You want me to come to Rome? Ms. Angelini, even if the department would clear the trip, I need something concrete to justify the time and expense.”
“I’ll take you,” Roarke said easily.
“Keep quiet.”
“Who else is there? Is someone else there?” Mirina’s voice trembled.
“Roarke is with me,” Eve said between her teeth. “Ms. Angelini—”
“Oh, that’s fine. I’ve been trying to reach him. Could you come together? I realize this is an imposition, Lieutenant. I hesitate to pull strings, but I will, if necessary. The commander will clear it.”
“I’m sure he will,” Eve muttered. “I’ll leave as soon as he does. I’ll be in touch.” She broke transmission. “The spoiled rich irritate the hell out of me.”
“Grief and worry don’t have economic boundaries,” Roarke said.
“Oh shut up.” She huffed, kicked bad-temperedly at the desk.
“You’ll like Rome, darling,” Roarke said and smiled.
Eve did like Rome. At least she thought she did from the brief blur she caught of it on the zooming trip from the airport to Angelini’s flat overlooking the Spanish Steps: fountains and traffic and ruins too ancient to be believed.
From the rear of the private limo, Eve watched the fashionable pedestrians with a kind of baffled awe. Sweeping robes were in this season, apparently. Clingy, sheer, voluminous, in colors from the palest white to the deepest bronze. Jeweled belts hung from waists, coordinating with crusted gems on flat-soled shoes and little jeweled bags carried by men and women alike. Everyone looked like royalty.
Roarke hadn’t known she could gawk. It pleased him enormously to see that she could forget her mission long enough to stare and wonder. It was a shame, he thought, that they couldn’t take a day or two so that he could show her the city, the grandeur of it, and its impossible continuity.
He was sorry when the car pulled jerkily to the curb and yanked her back to reality.
“This better be good.” Without waiting for the driver, she slammed out of the car. When Roarke took her elbow to lead her inside the apartment building, she turned her head and frowned at him. “Aren’t you even the least bit anno
yed at being summoned across a damn ocean for a conversation?”
“Darling, I often go a great deal farther for less. And without such charming company.”
She snorted and had nearly taken out her badge to flash at the security droid before she remembered herself. “Eve Dallas and Roarke for Mirina Angelini.”
“You’re expected, Eve Dallas and Roarke.” The droid glided to a gilt-barred elevator and keyed in a code.
“You could get one of those,” Eve nodded toward the droid before the elevator’s doors closed, “and ditch Summerset.”
“Summerset has his own charm.”
She snorted again, louder. “Yeah. You bet.”
The doors slid open into a gold and ivory foyer with a small, tinkling fountain in the shape of a mermaid.
“Jesus,” Eve whispered, scanning the palm trees and paintings. “I didn’t think anybody but you really lived like this.”
“Welcome to Rome.” Randall Slade stepped forward. “Thank you for coming. Please come in. Mirina’s in the sitting room.”
“She didn’t mention you’d be here, Mr. Slade.”
“We made the decision to call you together.”
Biding her time for questions, Eve walked passed him. The sitting room was sided on the front wall in sheer glass. One-way glass, Eve assumed, as the building was only six stories high. Despite the relatively short height, it afforded an eye-popping view of the city.
Mirina sat daintily on a curved chair, sipping tea from a hand that shook slightly.
She seemed paler, if possible, and even more fragile in her trendy robe of ice blue. Her feet were bare, the nails painted to match her robe. She’d dressed her hair up in a severe knot, secured with a jeweled comb. Eve thought she looked like one of the ancient Roman goddesses, but her mythology was too sketchy to choose which one.
Mirina didn’t rise, nor did she smile, but set her cup aside to pick up a slim white pot and pour two more.
“I hope you’ll join me for tea.”
“I didn’t come for a party, Ms. Angelini.”
“No, but you’ve come, and I’m grateful.”
“Here, let me do that.” With a smooth grace that almost masked the way the cups rattled in Mirina’s hands, Slade took them from her. “Please sit down,” he invited. “We won’t keep you any longer than necessary, but you might as well be comfortable.”