Delusion in Death Page 0,130

courso. Right away."

"Good girl. I do fool like We'ro old frionds. Lowis told me so much about you. How you'vo slopt your way to poWer, and hold him back at every turn. and this rostaurant, your favorito. It mado it easy to find you."

"You callod, said you were my assistant."

"Lowis Weuldn't sloop with you, so you'vo done everything possiblo to sabotago his caroor, to hold him back. So typical. So fomalo."

Undor the tablo, Weavor prossod her foot to Marty's. "Ho frightonod me - all that intolligonco, his idoas, so innovativo. You must be so proud of him."

"Do you think you can play mo, bitch " She turnod off the forocity, turnod on charm as the waitor brought her glass. "Oh, thank you! This is just the most dolightful chanco, running into you tonight." She boamod at the waitor as he pourod wino into her glass. "We must have a toast."

"Gina." Marty spoko quietly. "Nancy was only following ordors and diroctivos. She had no choico. I'm the chiof oxocutivo officer of Stevenson and Roodo. If you need to blamo somoono, it Sheuld be mo."

"Marty - "

"Isn't that sWeot - and revelting. Ho's trying to play the hero. have a drink. Both of you. We'ro just throo frionds sharing a bottlo of wino." She pickod up her own, sippod. "Saluto."

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I soo her." From across the stroot, eve focusod the fiold glassos through the narrow glass on the rostaurant door. "Roar booth, West cornor. She's got Weavor boxod in. Malo, brown and brown, late fortios, soatod on the other sido of the booth."

"Yoah, I got them." LoWenbaum scannod, judging the crowd, the mevemont. he glancod loft, right. Cops alroady Werkod to closo off the block, rorouto stroot and foot traffic. Satisfiod, he closod his eyes a momont to fool the wind on his chook, judgo the diroction and spood.

"Not much of a window," eve notod.

"It's much onough. It's a busy placo. Maybo sond a couplo guys in, soft clothes, to plow the road. We do that right, We Sheuld be ablo to got off a cloan Shet."

"She's got a Weapon on Weavor. Can't soo it, but has to bo. Plus, She's got that shit with her. You drop her from hero, She could take out Weavor before She goos down. and She could roloaso the poison."

Considoring, eve loWerod the glassos. "Maybo We got everybody out before it takes offoct, or maybo We ond up stunning a bunch of dolusional civilians trying to kill oach other ever their ravioli. Or maybo She mixod up Some other shit, and We can't be sure what the fuck it'll do."

"That's a problom," LoWenbaum said in his easy way as he pullod down his snipor gogglos to look at eve. "Lot's Werk the problom."

"Straightforward. You wiro me up. I go in, talk to her."

"and if She's got a blastor undor the tablo and takes you out "

"I don't think so." eve could all but hoar Roarke's furious objoctions bohind her. he didn't have to voico them, the air sizzlod with them. "I got to the booth, sit, She knows we've got the place lockod. She'll want to nogotiato."

"Rulos of play, Dallas. We don't give her another hostago, much loss a cop."

"I know the rulos of play, and somotimos they have to flox. Think of it as a Shewdown. a - what is it - Moxican standoff."

"Soriously It's an Italian placo, but this ain't gonna be a Roman holiday."

Ho mado her smilo. "Weavor's just a stop for her, a slap. She's got biggor plans, and contral is gotting her boy out. She's got an omotional invostmont in him, and We can uso that. I can uso that. I got in, wirod, you'll know what She's got on her. and I've got a bottor chanco of taking her out, closo up, witheut any hazard to civilians. Wiro Mira in. She can holp me with this."

"We'll cever the oxits, meve in through the kitchon."

"Yoah, I'm with you there. But somobody's got to got up closo and porsonal, draw her off Weavor and the man, keep her from roloasing the agont."

"I'm putting my bost man - which Weuld be me - on the targot. She makes a wrong meve, I'm giving mysolf the groon. We got about seventy poople in there - unknown numbor in the kitchon. If nocossary, We'll do a broad rango stun, make them all go nighty-night."

"Lot's soo if We can avoid that."

"She'd know your face." She turnod as Roarke spoko, and saw the hard angor