"So I've heard."
Demanski studied him for a moment. "And that made it better for you."
"Just more interesting."
Demanski shook his head and turned away. "Crazy as a loon. Get them all out of here, Gower."
They had barely reached the front door of the casino when Tavak told Simon, "Take everyone over to Bally's and give them all the liquor they can drink. My treat. Great job, guys."
"We'd do better to get them out of town," Rachel said. "Demanski's not going to take kindly to us celebrating his defeat on his turf."
"He doesn't own Bally's."
"He might next week. He says he's going to own all of Nevada."
"Well, we'll worry about that next week." He took her elbow as they started across the street. "We did good. I want to pat ourselves on the back." He glanced at her. "And so do you. You had a hell of a good time up there. Your cheeks are flushed, your eyes are bright, and you're walking tall."
"I did what was necess—" She broke off. "Okay, I loved it. And I was ten feet tall."
He chuckled. "Then let's go sit at a bar and let those kids tell you that you were."
NINE
"Come on." Tavak took Rachel's arm. "We're all going to back to Demanski's to watch the fountains."
Rachel shook her head. "For God's sake, it's almost four in the morning. And why risk going back there and pissing Demanski off?"
"Because Demanski's fountains are the only ones that have light shows all night long."
"That's a hell of a reason."
Tavak grinned. "I thought so. So did the kids."
"We've got to get a flight to Houston in a few hours. Don't you ever stop?"
"Occasionally." He nudged her toward the entrance, following Simon and the students out into the street. "But not if I have good company, and the music is playing."
"There's no music playing."
"Then we make our own music." He tapped his temple. "Up here. Listen. Don't you hear it?"
"No."
"You will. Maybe you haven't had enough wine."
"Alcohol-induced hallucinations?"
He shook his head. "Magic. It just sometimes has to have a little help."
"Alcohol-induced magic." She smiled. "Demanski was right. Crazy as a loon."
He nodded. "Sometimes. A little madness makes the ugliness easier to take." His smile faded. "Simon told me about that sniper. He said another inch, and you would have died. Why didn't you tell me?"
"It was my problem. It wasn't your concern."
"The hell it isn't. Quite a coincidence. I start stealing from Jonesy, and all of a sudden you're a target."
"Simon must have told you that a lot of people resent me, even hate, me. It probably had nothing to do with you or Peseshet. If I didn't know what you were doing, why would anyone else? And if they did, why would they want to shoot me?"
"I don't know. To shut down Jonesy at least temporarily? Without you, everything goes bust." His lips tightened. "Anyway, you should have told me. I thought I was the only target, or I wouldn't have let you go back alone to the hotel from that train station in Paris. Going at anything blind is stupid. Don't do that to me again."
"No." She repeated, "It's not your concern."
He shook his head. "Stubborn." He suddenly smiled. "No matter. I'm on the scene now, and I'll know everything you'll know." He pulled her the last few yards to the wrought-iron fence that enclosed Demanski's fountains. "We have five minutes to go. We'll stand here and I'll shut up and you'll hear the music."
The hell he'd know everything she knew. Things weren't going as she wanted them to go. Tavak had managed to insinuate himself into her life when she'd only meant to use him. It was time to distance herself.
"No music in my head. That's the Demanski light-show sound track." She started toward Simon standing several yards away. "And for your information, everything would not go bust. I'm not that irresponsible. I've made provisions. Simon would take over until a new head was appointed. No one is irreplaceable."
"You're wrong." She heard Tavak chuckle behind her. "You'd be pretty near impossible to replace, Rachel."
She glanced over her shoulder to see that he wasn't following her but had turned and was staring at the fountains. No, he was too clever to push when he knew that he had irritated her.
"You look pissed," Simon said, as she reached him. "I knew it couldn't last. You were having too good a time. I can't remember the last time you had enough to drink to mellow you."
"Well, I'm not mellow now."
He glanced at Tavak. "What did he do to you?"
"He tried to tell me what to do."
"Oh, that would do it." He smiled. "I thought he was smarter than that."
"He was smart enough to get you to tell him about that sniper."
"I didn't think it was top secret."
"It's not. I just didn't think it was his business." She shrugged. "But he seems to be good at inveigling information."
Simon clapped his hand to his head in mock horror. "God, I've been inveigled."
"Oh, shut up."
Simon glanced at Tavak. "You're right. He's something of a Pied Piper. All the students are nuts about him."
"So I saw tonight." She had watched Tavak become one with that group of students, telling jokes and stories and turning on that vitality like flashing neon. "That only makes him more dangerous."
Simon was silent. "I like him, Rachel."
"You were the one who warned me against being manipulated."
"I like him," he repeated. "And he got you to party. He can't be all bad." The fountain sprays suddenly exploded, leaping high in the air. "Here we go. What a blast."
* * *
"Tavak and the Kirby woman are outside looking at the light show," Gower said sourly as he came into Demanski's office. "Of all the bitchin' nerve. Do you want me to go down and toss them into the fountain? Maybe we'd get lucky and they'd drown."
"It's not likely." Demanski hung up the phone. "There's supposed to be a special providence that protects the fools and the madmen of the world."
"And which one is Tavak?"
"Well, he's not a fool. I'm not sure what else he is yet." He leaned back in his chair. "But I intend to find out. I don't like not being able to gauge an enemy. Rachel Kirby is no problem. I know what she wants and what she'll do to get it."
"She's already got it." Gower's eyes narrowed. "Or has she? Are you actually going to let her hold you up like that?"
"Have you ever known me to break my word?"
"No. So let me break it for you," Gower said. "Along with both their heads."
Demanski chuckled. A loyalty like Gower's was rare, but it often escalated into mayhem if Demanski didn't rein him in. "No, it's a done deal. I won't back out. I've just been on the phone making sure that Kirby gets her precious cycles."
"You don't seem upset about it."
Upset? Demanski had been mad as hell earlier, but now that he'd calmed down he was feeling something entirely different. It had something to do with the excitement and exhilaration he had seen in the faces of Kirby and Tavak and those kids they had used to bilk him. How long had it been since he had felt that same zing in anything he did? The thrill of the chase, the pleasure of being the best, of being able to pull the rug out from under an opponent at incalculable risk. His battles were much more civilized these days.