She turned, looked at the board. Looked at the faces.
“Finch make any transmissions I should know about?”
“None whatsoever.”
“Good. I thought she was smart enough to be scared.”
The others, she wondered, had they been frightened? Had there been a moment, one instant when they’d understood enough to have the fear leaping into their throats, clawing toward a scream?
“You saved her, Eve. But for you, her face would be on that board.”
“It doesn’t feel like enough.” Peabody had said that, Eve remembered, right at the beginning. “I have a lot of questions for Kevin Morano.”
“It’s unlikely the answers will satisfy you.”
“Having them is sometimes the only satisfaction you get.” And she’d have to make it enough. “I don’t want you taking a weapon,” she said as she turned to Roarke.
“A weapon?” he asked innocently. “Why, Lieutenant, an expert consultant, civilian, isn’t issued a weapon.”
“Issued, my ass. You’ve got a fucking arsenal in your museum upstairs. Leave them there.”
“Of course. I give you my word I won’t take anything out of my fully registered and legal collection.”
“Roarke—I’m warning you . . .”
“It sounds like your other consultants are on their way.” Giggles bounced into the room. “Be sure to remind them about the weapon policy.”
“You want me to have you searched before the op?”
“Only if you do it, darling.” His voice was oh-so-warm, and very Irish. “I’m shy.”
Her pithy response was drowned out as Mavis and company piled into the room.
“Hey, Dallas, you missed the party.”
“So I hear.”
“We were supposed to have a practice session,” Trina reminded her.
“I was, you know, unavoidably detained.” She had to order herself to stand her ground when Trina came up to stare at her face. “What?”
“You look crappy.”
“Thanks. That’s just the look I was going for.”
“When this is over, you’re in for a full treatment, including relaxation therapy.”
“Actually,” Eve said, “I’m going out of town right after—”
“You can go wherever the hell you like after the treatment. How am I supposed to use you to drum up new clients when you go around looking like you spent a week in a cave? You trying to ruin my reputation?”
“Yes. Actually that’s been my central goal since we met.”
“Funny. Let’s get started.”
“I’ll just leave you to it,” Roarke said.
“Where are you going?” Eve made a grab for him, much like a drowning man would grab at a dangling rope.