Until You

She plucked the twist of lemon from her Campari and dumped it into the ashtray, her smile gone.

"I'm not going to discuss my family with you, O'Neil."

"Why not?"

"What are you, a shrink?" She looked at him, her eyes suddenly cool. "You're here to do a job, not to analyze me."

"My job is to find out who's behind these threats. Until I do, everybody's a suspect."

"Including me?"

Conor sat back and watched her face. "What about Nita?"

"What about her?"

"Does she have any reason to want to frighten you?"

"Nita?" she said incredulously, and laughed. "I'd trust Nita with my life."

"I suppose you'd trust your Frenchman, too."

Her eyes flashed fire. "You're damn right I would."

Conor felt as if a knot were forming in his gut again. The image was back, the one that had plagued him earlier. Miranda in Moreau's arms, his hands on her body...

"Can you think of anybody who'd have something to gain by terrorizing you and Eva?"

"Nobody."

"What about your ex-husband? Do you think he'd have something to gain by doing something like this?"

"Edouard's not my ex anything. We weren't married long enough for me to think of him like—" Her breath hitched. He'd caught her off guard; he could see it. "My, but you've been doing lots of digging."

"Just part of the job."

"How'd you find out that I'd been—about Edouard?"

"Your mother told me."

"Good old mom." Miranda gave a bitter laugh. "What'd she tell you?"

"What do you think she told me?"

"What is it with you, O'Neil? Is it impossible for you to make a statement? I ask you a question, you respond with a question. It's annoying as hell."

"Your once-upon-a-time hubby doesn't seem too fond of you," Conor said, ignoring the outburst.

Miranda leaned forward, her hands folded on the table top. He tried not to notice how the action made her breasts push together under the soft wool of her sweater.

"Have you ever been married?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just do us both a favor, okay? Answer the question."

"Yes," he said, with a little shrug, "I was married, once."

She smiled sweetly. "If I went to see your former wife, would she seem fond of you?"