“No, he won’t be nursing them.” Delighted with herself, Eve kissed him back. “Because I’ll have sliced them right off.”

Roarke gave a mock shudder. “Vicious women are so attractive. Did you say you had a couple of hours?”

“Not anymore.”

“I was afraid of that.” He stepped back, took a disc from his pocket. “You might find this useful.”

“What is it?”

“Some data I put together, on Towers’s ex, on Hammett. Files on Mercury.”

Her fingers chilled as they closed over the disc. “I didn’t ask you to do this.”

“No, you didn’t. You’d have gotten access to it, but it would have taken you longer. You know if you require my equipment, it’s available to you.”

She understood he was talking about the room he had, the unregistered equipment that the sensors of Compuguard couldn’t detect. “I prefer going through proper channels for the moment.”

“As you like. If you change your mind while I’m gone, Summerset’s aware you have access.”

“Summerset wishes I had access to hell,” she muttered.

“Exc

use me?”

“Nothing. I’ve got to get dressed.” She turned away, then stopped. “Roarke, I’m working on it.”

“On what?”

“On accepting what you seem to feel for me.”

He lifted a brow. “Work harder,” he suggested.

chapter three

Eve didn’t waste time. Her first order of business when she hit her office was to contact Nadine Furst. The ’link buzzed and crackled over the galactic channel. Sunspots, a satellite dink, or simply the aging equipment held up the transmission for several minutes. Finally, a picture wavered onto the screen, then popped into clear focus.

Eve had the pleasure of seeing Nadine’s pale, groggy face. She hadn’t considered the time difference.

“Dallas.” Nadine’s normally fluid voice was scratchy and weak. “Jesus, it’s the middle of the night here.”

“Sorry. You awake, Nadine?”

“Awake enough to hate you.”

“Have you been getting Earth news up there?”

“I’ve been a little busy.” Nadine pushed back her tumbled hair and reached for a cigarette.

“When did you start that?”

With a wince, Nadine drew in the first drag. “If you terrestrial cops ever came up here, you’d give tobacco a shot. Even this dog shit you can buy in this rat hole. And anything else you could get your hands on. It’s a fucking disgrace.” She hitched in more smoke. “Three people to a cage, most of them zoned on smuggled chemicals. The medical facilities are like something out of the twentieth century. They’re still sewing people up with string.”

“And limited video privileges,” Eve finished. “Imagine, treating murderers like criminals. My heart’s breaking.”

“You can’t get a decent meal anywhere in the entire colony,” Nadine griped. “What the hell do you want?”

“To make you smile, Nadine. How soon will you be finished up there and back on planet?”

Tags: J.D. Robb In Death Mystery
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