She couldn't raise the interest to make a bust and lifted a hand in a wave to Mavis instead.
The vocal part of the song ended – such as it was. Mavis leaped offstage, wiggled through the crowd, and plopped a painted hip on the edge of Eve's table.
"Hey, stranger."
"Looking good, Mavis. Who's the artist?"
"Oh, this guy I know." She shifted, tapped an inch-long fingernail on the left cheek of her butt. "Caruso. See, he signed me. Got the job free for passing his name around." Her eyes rounded when the waitress set the long, slim glass filled with frothy blue liquid in front of Eve. "A screamer? Wouldn't you rather I find a hammer and just knock you unconscious?"
"It's been a shitty day," Eve muttered and took the first shocking sip. "Jesus. These never get any better."
Worried, Mavis leaned closer. "I can cut out for a little while."
"No, I'm okay." Eve risked her life with another sip. "I just wanted to check out your gig, let off some steam. Mavis, you're not using, are you?"
"Hey, come on." More concerned than insulted, Mavis shook Eve's shoulder. "I'm clean, you know that. Some shit gets passed around in here, but it's all minor league. Some happy pills, some calmers, a few mood patches." She pokered up. "If you're looking to make a bust, you could at least do it on my night off."
"Sorry." Annoyed with herself, Eve rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm not fit for human consumption at the moment. Go back and sing. I like hearing you."
"Sure. But if you want company when you split, just give me a sign. I can fix it."
"Thanks." Eve sat back, closed her eyes. It was a surprise when the music slowed, even mellowed. If you didn't look around, it wasn't so bad.
For twenty credits she could have hooked on mood enhancer goggles, treated herself to lights and shapes that fit the music. At the moment, she preferred the dark behind her eyes.
"This doesn't seem quite your den of iniquity, lieutenant."
Eve opened her eyes and stared up at Roarke. "Every time I turn around."
He sat across from her. The table was small enough that their knees bumped. His way of adjusting was to slide his thighs against hers. "You called me, remember, and you'd left this address when you logged out."
"I wanted an appointment, not a drinking buddy."
He glanced at the drink on the table, leaned over to take a sniff. "You're not going to get one with that poison."
"This joint doesn't run to fine wine and aged scotch."
He laid a hand over hers for the simple purpose of watching her scowl and jerk away. "Why don't we go somewhere that does?"
"I'm in a pisser of a mood. Roarke. Give me an appointment, at your convenience, then take off."
"An appointment for what?" The singer caught his attention. He cocked a brow, watching her roll her eyes and gesture. "Unless she's having some sort of seizure, I believe the vocalist is signaling you."
Resigned, Eve glanced over, shook her head. "She's a friend of mine." She shook her head more emphatically when Mavis grinned and turned both thumbs up. "She thinks I got lucky."
"You did." Roarke picked the drink up and set it on an adjoining table where greedy hands fought over it. "I just saved your life."
"Goddamn it – "
"If you want to get drunk, Eve, at least do it with something that will leave you most of your stomach lining." He scanned the menu, winced. "Which means nothing that can be purchased here." He took her hand as he rose. "Come on."
"I'm fine right here."
All patience, he bent down until his face was close to hers. "What you are is hoping to get drunk enough so that you can take a few punches at someone without worrying about the consequences. With me, you don't have to get drunk, you don't have to worry. You can take all the punches you want."
"Why?"
"Because you have something sad in your eyes. And it gets to me." While she was dealing with the surprise of that statement, he hauled her to her feet and toward the door.
"I'm going home," she decided.
"No, you're not."
"Listen, pal – "
That was as far as she got before her back was shoved against the wall and his mouth crushed hard on hers. She didn't fight. The wind had been knocked out of her by the suddenness, and the rage under it, and the shock of need that slammed into her like a fist.
It was quick, seconds only, before her mouth was free. "Stop it," she demanded, and hated that her voice was only a shaky whisper.
"Whatever you think," he began, struggling for his own composure, "there are times when you need someone. Right now, it's me." Impatience shimmering around him, he pulled her outside. "Where's your car?"
She gestured down the block and let him propel her down the sidewalk. "I don't know what your problem is."
"It seems to be you. Do you know how you looked?" he demanded as he yanked open the car door. "Sitting in that place with your eyes closed, shadows under them?" Picturing it again only fired his anger. He shoved her into the passenger seat and rounded the car to take the driver's position himself. "What's your fucking code?"
Fascinated with the whiplash temper, she shifted to key it in herself. With the lock released, he pressed the starter and pulled away from the curb.
"I was trying to relax," Eve said carefully.
"You don't know how," he shot back. "You've packed it in, but you haven't gotten rid of it. You're walking a real straight line, Eve, but it's a damn thin one."
"That's what I'm trained to do."
"You don't know what you're up against this time."
Her fingers curled into a fist at her side. "And you do."
He was silent for a moment, banking his own emotions. "We'll talk about it later."
"I like now better. I went to see Elizabeth Barrister yesterday."
"I know." Calmer, he adjusted to the jerky rhythm of her car. "You're cold. Turn up the heater."
"It's busted. Why didn't you tell me that she'd asked you to meet Sharon, to talk to her?"
"Because Beth asked me in confidence."
"What's your relationship with Elizabeth Barrister?"
"We're friends." Roarke slanted her a look. "I have a few. She and Richard are among them."
"And the senator?"
"I hate his fucking, pompous, hypocritical guts," Roarke said calmly. "If he gets his party's nomination for president, I'll put everything I've got into his opponent's campaign. If it's the devil himself."
"You should learn to speak your mind, Roarke," she said with a ghost of a smile. "Did you know that Sharon kept a diary?"
"It's a natural assumption. She was a businesswoman."
"I'm not talking about a log, business records. A diary, a personal diary. Secrets, Roarke. Blackmail."
He said nothing as he turned the idea over. "Well, well. You found your motive."
"That remains to be seen. You have a lot of secrets, Roarke."
He let out a half laugh as he stopped at the gates of his estate. "Do you really think I'd be a victim of blackmail, Eve? That some lost, pitiful woman like Sharon could unearth information you can't and use it against me?"
"No." That was simple. She put a hand on his arm. "I'm not going inside with you." That was not.
"If I were bringing you here for sex, we'd have sex. We both know it. You wanted to see me. You want to shoot the kind of weapon that was used to kill Sharon and the other, don't you?"
She let out a short breath. "Yes."
"Now's your chance."
The gates opened. He drove through.
CHAPTER TEN
The same stone-faced butler stood guard at the door. He took Eve's coat with the same faint disapproval.