Betrayal in Death

"All right, over and done. I've made arrangements for you to have a holiday. You have the next two weeks off. I suggest you use the chalet in Switzerland. It's one of your favorites."

"It's not convenient for me to holiday at the moment. Thank you all the same."

"Pack what you need. Your transpo will be ready in two hours."

"I'm not leaving."

"I want you out of the city, and now. If the chalet doesn't suit you, go where you like. But you will go."

"I have no intention of going anywhere."

"Fuck it. You're fired."

"Very well. I will remove my belongings and book a hotel until – "

"Oh, shut up. Both of you shut the hell up." She fisted her hands in her hair, yanked fiercely. "Just my luck, you finally say the words I've been waiting over a year to hear and I can't do my happy dance. You expect him to put his tail between his ski

"You of all people should understand why it's necessary to remove him from immediate danger. Yost missed. He'll be angry, his pride in his work will be damaged. He'll come in again, and harder."

"Which is why Summerset will be escorted home to that fortress we live in, and stay there, in protective custody, until I say different."

"I will not agree to such – "

"I said shut up!" She rounded on Summerset, taking one step that put her directly between both furious men. She could all but feel the bullets of heat and rage shooting out of each of them. "Do you want him sick with worry over you? Do you want him grieving if you make a mistake and something happens to you? Maybe your pride's too big for you to swallow comfortably, pal, but it's not too big for me to shove down your throat. You're both going to do what I tell you, or I'm charging you" – she drilled a finger into Summerset's chest – "with carrying a concealed. And you" – she whipped around to Roarke and gave him the same treatment – "with interfering with a police procedure. I'll toss you in a cage together and let you fight it out while I finish the damn job. But what I won't do is stand here and listen to the pair of you bicker like a couple of kids."

Roarke gripped her arm, fingers digging in like vises before he found some tattered threads of control. Saying nothing, he turned and walked out.

"Well, wasn't that fun?"

"Lieutenant."

"Shut up, just shut the hell up a minute." She stalked to her window, stared out hard. "You're the only thing he brought with him from the past that he values."

Emotion wavered over Summerset's face. Suddenly, even his bones felt weary. He lowered himself into her chair. "I'll give you my full cooperation, Lieutenant. Shall I wait here while you arrange my transportation?"

"Here's fine."

"Lieutenant," he said before she reached the door. Their eyes met. "It isn't just pride. I can't leave him. He's… he's mine."

"I know it." She let out a sigh. "I'll get a couple of guys in soft clothes in an unmarked to take you home. That should take some of the sting out of it." She opened the door, and turned back with a sneer to steady them both. "Next time he fires you, pal, I'm doing laps in champagne."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Eve dealt with the transportation, assigned a couple of uniforms to head over to Madison and interview shopkeepers who might have seen Yost flee the scene. Though she didn't put out much hope it would lead to anything, she ordered them to hunt up the maxibus driver for a statement.

Then she gathered up Peabody and went down to the garage.

"He'll stay put? Summerset?"

"Yeah, he'll stay put. If I doubted it, I'd lock him up. Right now, I'm more worried about… well, hmmm," she finished when she saw the object of her concern leaning against the side of her vehicle. "I have a feeling I'm going to need a minute here, Peabody."

"God, he looks so sexy when he's pissed. Can I watch?"

"Stand a minimum of five parking slots away, back turned." She took one step forward. "Record off," she added and heard her aide mutter, "Party pooper."

"You're loitering, ace," Eve said to Roarke. "Get moving or I'll call garage security."

"I want him out of the country." His voice was a whip, slashing clean.

"Even you can't always have what you want."

"And you're the last person I'd have expected to stand in my way on this."

"Yeah, and I'm not real thrilled about it. Summerset is now a material witness. He stays in the city, in protective custody. End of story."

"Fuck your protective custody. Your cops couldn't manage to stay on him for six blocks. Do you think I'd trust them with him now?"

"Don't you mean trust me?"

"Apparently it comes to the same."

That slash hurt, cutting deep across the belly. "You're right, it does, and I let you down. I'm sorry."

Emotion, violent and hot, sprang into his eyes. She braced for them, prepared to let him blast at her until he'd cleared out the turmoil. Instead he turned away, rested his hands on the roof of her vehicle.

"God. Would you stand there and let me slap at you? Have I gone that far over?"

"You've done it for me plenty of times. Point is, I picked the men to trail him, and they lost him. So, it's on me."

"That's bullshit."

"No, that's chain of command. Just like you figuring, because he's yours, what almost happened to him is on you. Once we both swallow that, we move to the next stage. Roarke."

She started to touch his shoulder, then stuck her hand in her pocket. "Don't ask or expect him to do what you wouldn't do yourself. I'm not happy about what happened this morning, but when it comes down to it, he handled himself. Let's give him credit for it, and get back on track."

"They would know he's important to me. What the loss of him, in that way, would do. For the money and the thrill. Well, I've done my share of dirty deeds for the money and the thrill."

She waited a moment. "Is that an Irish thing? Deciding maybe bad stuff happens because you've been bad?"

He gave a half-laugh, turned back to her. "More a Catholic one, I suppose. It springs up at the most unexpected moments, no matter how far you stray. No, I don't think this is payment for my past. But I do think it's crept in from it, and has to be dealt with."

And deal with it he would, no matter how hurtful that might be.

"What aren't you telling me?"

"When I know for certain, I will tell you. Eve, you didn't let me down. I had no right to make you think otherwise."

"It's all right. At least I got to be there when you fired Summerset. Maybe you could wait a couple of weeks, then do it again. For real."

He smiled, trailed his fingertips over the ends of her hair. Then his gaze shifted up and over as the elevator opened. Summerset stepped out between two plainclothes cops.

Eve gave a little sigh as she watched the men lock eyes. There were things between them she would never fully understand. "But I guess right now, you'd better go talk to him and do that manly makeup deal."

"Lieutenant?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Give me a kiss."

"Why should I?"

"Because I need it."

She rolled her eyes for form, but rose onto her toes and touched her mouth to his. "They got security cams in here, so that's all you get. I've got places to go. Peabody!"

Still she waited until Roarke had crossed the garage, walked up the line of unmarked vehicles to Summerset.

"They're like family, huh?" Peabody said as she got into the car. "Hey! That makes you sort of like Summerset's daughter-in-law."

Horror drained all color from Eve's cheeks. All she could do was press a hand to her stomach. "Jesus, I feel sick."