Eve

“I’ve never seen any bait more eager to spring the teeth shut.” He smiled across at her from where he was lying on the bed. “You’ve not been here more than five or six hours. Are you always this impatient?”

“We’re close. I want it over.”

“It’s like the watched kettle that never boils. Come to bed, and that alarm in 1502 will probably go off in five minutes.”

She didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on the street.

“Come to bed, Eve,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to jump you. If you like, I’ll curl up on the floor. I’ve learned to sleep anywhere.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” She turned to look at him. “I can take care of myself. That’s one of the first things that Joe taught me.”

“Good for him. Though, as I remember, you were pretty effective when I knew you.”

She nodded. “But Joe says technique always carries the day. I learned that the night you saved little Manuel … and me.”

“How is Manuel?”

“Well, I hope. I lost track of Rosa and her son. She married and left for San Diego a year after I moved out of the housing development.” She shook her head. “It’s sad that it’s so easy to lose touch with people. They come in and out of your life, then they’re gone. A lot of it is my fault. I’m so busy most of the time that I don’t make the effort.”

“What about your mother?”

She shrugged. “We were fine while Bo

“There will probably be a few as they occur to me. That curiosity…” He reached over and turned out the lamp on the nightstand. The room was plunged into darkness. “You’re tired. Come and lie down. I won’t touch you. You’ve convinced me I’d be putty in your hands.”

She hesitated, then left the window and moved toward the bed. “I have to admit I do know a lot about putty.” She lay down on the far side of the bed and tried to relax. It was difficult. Even though there were several inches between them, it felt strange to be in a bed with a man other than Joe. How many years had it been?

“I know you do. You told me about the forensic process at di

“Yes. Why not? Nothing is going to happen.”

“I have a vivid imagination. I think I’d want you to lie to me.”

“Joe would not. Which shows how different you are from him. And how similar Joe and I are.”

“Two straight arrows. He doesn’t bore you?”

“Joe? Not likely. And he wouldn’t bore you either, John. There’s a razor-sharp edge to that straight arrow.”

“I gathered so from talking to Hanks after their encounter the other night. He told me that Qui

“Yes, Joe doesn’t trust anything you’ve told me. He might act before I could stop him.”

“Would you protect me from him? I’m touched.”

“I’d protect him from himself. He has a conscience, and guilt can be a terrible thing.”

He was silent. “I know.”

The only sound in the dark room was the resonance of their breathing against the backdrop of the traffic down in the street.

“What are we going to do, Eve?”

“We’re going to find Bo

“No, what about us?”

“There is no us. We put a period to that a long time ago.”

“You can’t put a period to anything between us,” he said quietly. “It might have been possible if you hadn’t had Bo

“She was my daughter, John.”

“That may have been the way you wanted it, but Bo

She could feel the tears rise to her eyes as she had when he had first told her that story.

She came looking for me.

That simple sentence was enough to break her heart. The miracle of Bo

“Don’t fight me, Eve. I don’t want to cause you any trouble. I’m just saying that we have to come to terms with a way of handling it that will make both of us content. Not happy. I don’t know if we can get to that level. But content would be good.”

“I can’t … you’re out of my life. I have Joe now. He’s all I want.”

“And my first reaction is to try to change your mind. We were so damn good together that sex seems a natural part of any relationship that we could have.” He added before she could speak, “But that’s the kid, John Gallo, thinking. I know we can’t go back. We’ve both moved on. Well, you’ve moved on. I’m still struggling.”

She was struggling, too. It seemed so right to have him in the bed next to her. It wasn’t right. She loved Joe. But there was that strong bond that wouldn’t be banished.

“Okay,” he said. “So I can’t have sex with you. What’s left? We were never friends, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on it. I admire the person you’ve become. You can’t say the same about me, but I might provide amusement value. Friendships can be based on a lot of weird things.”

“There are things about you I admire,” she said jerkily. “You’re a survivor, and what you’ve endured would have broken almost anyone else. You thought you were being tortured to protect your country. I admire your patriotism. Most of the time, I think you’re honest with me. That’s important, too.”

He chuckled. “You had to really dig for that list.”

“What do you expect? I don’t know you.”

“I believe we’re going to have to rectify that.” He suddenly reached over and touched her cheek. “Don’t stiffen up on me. I’m not making a move on you. I just want to show you I can touch you with affection that has nothing to do with sex.” He stroked the line of her cheekbone. “Because the affection will always be there. Do you know why?”

“No.”

“Because you gave me Bo

“Bo

“I’ve thought a lot about why she came to me in that prison. She was a part of both of us, Eve. The three of us are bound together. I’ll never be able to look at you without feeling that closeness with her. Will you be able to look at me without feeling her love?”

She had been trying to shut out every facet of feeling toward him, but his words were tearing down the walls and revealing the truth. He was right. This wasn’t going to go away because it was all about Bo

“Good.” He bent down and kissed her forehead, then was gone again. “I just had to get that much established. I was feeling very much alone. I’ve always been the outsider.”

Alone. Outsider.

Yes, John had always been the outsider as far as Bo