Loyalty in Death (In Death #9)(104)

“She can’t have been involved,” Zeke whispered.

“It’s the only way it can play. She’s lived with a man she claims beats her for nearly ten years, but she’s ready to leave him to go with you, someone she barely knows — and this after two conversations about her situation.”

“We fell in love.”

“She loves no one. She used you. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t know.” His voice lowered and went fierce. “You can’t know what we felt for each other. What she felt for me.”

“Zeke — “

Eve simply lifted her fingers from her knee to stop Peabody’s protest. “You’re right, I can’t know what you felt. But I can know that you killed no one. I can know that the woman who said she loved you set you up to take the fall. I can know that that same woman was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people this last week. One of them was a friend of mine. That I can know.”

She rose, started to walk out of the room, when Mavis burst in.

“Hey, Dallas!” Smile brilliant, hair a purple explosion of curls, eyes the disconcerting shade of copper, Mavis threw open her arms and sent the twelve-inch emerald fringe running from armpit to wrist flying. “I’m back.”

“Mavis.” Eve struggled to switch gears from the miserable to the absurd. “I thought you were back next week.”

“That was last week, now it is next week. Dallas, man, I was seismic! Hey, Peabody.” Her laughing eyes landed on Zeke and sobered even as she winced. Even someone dancing on Mavis’s level of happy could sense the anger and grief. “Oops, bad timing, huh?”

“No. It’s great. Come outside a minute.” Eve jerked her head at Peabody, signaling her to deal with Zeke, and moved outside the office with Mavis. “It’s good to see you.” And suddenly it was more than good. Mavis, with her stupendously ridiculous wardrobe, her ever-changing hair, her sheer delight with herself, was the perfect antidote for misery.

“It’s great to see you.” Eve caught her in a fierce embrace that had Mavis giggling even as she gave Eve’s back soothing pats.

“Wow. You missed me.”

“I did. I really did.” Eve stepped back and grinned at her. “You kicked ass, didn’t you?”

“I did. I really did.” The narrow corridor didn’t stop Mavis from turning three fast circles on her platform airpumps. “It was orbital, it was mag, it was beyond the ult. I came to see you, but my next stop is Roarke, and I figure I should warn you I’m going to kiss him hard right on the mouth.”

“No tongues.”

“Spoilsport.” Mavis shook back her curls, angled her head. “You look beat, wasted, absolutely dead.”

“Thanks, just what I needed to perk up my day.”

“No, I mean it. I caught some of what’s been going on — didn’t have much time for screen, but what I didn’t catch, people were talking about. I don’t buy this Urban Wars revival crap. I mean who wants to run around blasting people in the streets all the damn time? It’s so, you know, last century. So what’s up?”

Eve smiled and felt wonderful doing it. “Oh, nothing much. Just a whacked terrorist group blowing up landmark property and blackmailing the city for millions of dollars. Some droids tried to kill me, but I took them out. Peabody’s brother’s here from Arizona and got pulled into the mix because he fell for some lying slut bomber and thought he killed her husband by accident. But he only took out another droid.”

“Gee, is that all? I’ve been gone for a while. I figured you’d be busy.”

“Roarke and I had kind of a fight, then terrific makeup sex.”

Mavis’s face brightened. “That’s more like it. Why don’t you take a break and tell me all about it?”

“Can’t. I’m busy saving the city from destruction, but you can do me a favor.”

“Since you put it that way. What?”

“Zeke, Peabody’s brother. I need to keep him under wraps. No media, no outside contacts. I’m sending him to my place, but I know Roarke’s busy, and I don’t want to stick the poor guy with Summerset. Can you take him over, hang awhile?”

“Sure, Leonardo’s busy on some designs. I’ve got plenty of swing time. I can keep him happy at your place.”

“Thanks. Just call Summerset. He’ll send a car for you.”

“I bet he’ll send the limo if I ask nice.” Delighted with the prospect, she turned for the door. “Well, intro me so Zeke knows who he’s going to be playing with today.”

“No. Peabody’ll do it. He doesn’t want to see me right now. He needs to be mad at someone — I’m it. Just tell her to meet me in the garage. We’ve got places to go.”

“You’ve had a rough time, Zeke.” Mavis licked pink frosting from her fingers and contemplated eating another of the pretty little cakes Summerset had served them. Control, greed, she mused. Control. Greed. Let’s hear it for greed, she decided and plucked up another.

“I’m so worried about Clarissa.” He sat, steeped in his unhappiness.

“Mmm-hmm.”

He’d started out shy with her so that she’d had to pry every second word out of him. So she’d chattered away for the first hour, about her tour, about Leonardo, adding little anecdotes about Peabody that had wormed through his defenses.