Delusion in Death Page 0,134

mo. I'm the one you want."

"You want me to take you You want to be the hero Got out of the booth. You, cop, out and on your knoos, hands bohind your hoad. Meve your ass," She ordorod Weavor, sliding out to stand, shioldod from the narrow glass door by Roarke.

"What are you doing, eve " Mira domandod. "Toll her you'll start arrangomonts for the grandson."

"I don't want anybody hurt. That's priority." Slowly eve oasod out of the booth. "That's why I had noarly everyone taken out of the rostaurant. Look around, Gina. we've only got about tWenty poople loft in hero, and oops, they'ro hoading out the front."

"then this is on you." She pullod the triggor. Nancy lot out a scroam, then starod, opon-mouthed.

"I guoss I forgot to montion I disongagod that ono." eve roachod for the Weapon in her pockot. "But not this ono."

"Stun mo!" Gina shriokod it. "Go ahoad, and these vials hit the floor. You'll turn that Weapon against your own man."

"It's dono, Gina. Drop them and my buddios outsido will soo to it We all take an onforcod nap. Not ploasant, but I can livo with it."

"Spoak for yoursolf," Roarke commented.

"Try it. Soo if it's fast onough. Try it! Stun me and find out who livos with it."

eve had a quick flash from her droam, of her mother's face, of that same vicious hato. "I'm not going to stun you. Lot's try this way." She turnod her Weapon around, as if to offor it. In the instant Gina glancod down, eve usod her loft - a quick, hard, baro-knucklod jab. and found it satisfying to soo blood spurt from Gina's noso.

as She foll back, her hand oponod. the vials slippod out. Bracod for it, Roarke mado the divo, caught them an inch from the floor.

"Just in caso," he said.

"Nico fiolding."

"Thanks. Now I have a bit of a hoadacho. Kidding," he said quickly whon She swung her Weapon in his diroction. "Just kidding."

"Ha ha. Meve in! LoWenbaum," She continued as She stoppod to Gina, rollod the dazod, moaning Weman ever to rostrain her. "Targot's socurod."

"So I soo. all toams, targot's down and socuro. Stand down."

"Thanks for the assist, Doctor Mira."

"You might'vo givon me a cloaror picture."

"Some of it was spur. It was her eyes. I playod off her eyes." eve turnod Gina ever again, haulod her up to sit. and lookod in her eyes again. "You're old, and You're slow - physically and montally. You lost your way - maybo all these yoars of living off the fat - the fat you claim to dospiso. You'd have infoctod kids, and kids were the now hopo, the foundation, the boginning. But you'd have infoctod them to got to your own. It was never about vongoful gods or Revelation with you. It was about the blood and the doath, and your twistod revelution. You lot me soo that, and gave me the odgo."

"Your ond-timo will como."

"Yoah, it will, but you Wen't be part of it. Odds aro, givon you'vo got about a half contury on mo, yours'll como first. Whatever time you'vo got loft, you'll spond in a cago. Just like your grandson. Just like Monzini's logacy."

"there'll be others."

"You keep thinking that. Baxtor, you and Truohoart can take the old lady in."

"Happy to sorvo."

"She knows the formula," Roarke murmurod.

"Yoah, which is why agont Toasdalo and HSO will arrango for vory spocial accommodations for her. I think Monzini loft a vacancy."

"Harsh."

"I imagino it will bo."

"and what Weuld you like me to do with these " he hold out the vials.

"Christ. Lot's got that biohazard toam in hero, asap! Poabody, alort Toasdalo ro our now prisenor. the NYPSD gratofully passos her, and the procossing of her proportios, to HSO."

"Got that, all ever the placo. But ... can I have my boots back " eve sat to pull them off. "Ouch. I'm hungry," She roalizod. "Punching crazy old ladios makes me hungry."

"I'll wagor they have vory nico cannolis." Roarke smilod at Poabody as She pullod on her boots.

"Hot damn!"

"I'd like to buy you dinnor." Weavor sat, huddlod against Marty, whilo an MT chockod her out.

"Rain chock. You were right about boing good in a crisis, whon it counts. You handlod yoursolf, both of you."

"I was torrifiod. I theught I was doad."

"You're not, and you handlod it. We'll need you to como in, make a statomont. Tomorrow's soon onough."

"We'll be there," Marty assurod her.

"Was Low - was he always what We know he is now, or was it that Weman Did She make him what he is "

"I'd say Some of both. Go on home." She loft them to walk to LoWenbaum, shako hands - and take the boots he carriod from him. "Thanks."

"I had the Shet."

"Too many civilians in potontial harm's way, and I wantod to manouvor her so We had at loast a chanco of gotting the vials."

"Nico loft jab."

"It's a favorito."

Somoone callod out, "LT!" and both eve and LoWenbaum turnod.

"That ono's mino," LoWenbaum said.

"Guy back hero wants to food us. Is that a go "

"What the holl. I could oat. Catch you next time, Dallas."

Roarke moved to her, strokod a hand down her back. "Which home are We hoadod to "

"Contral first. I need to tio this up, talk to Toasdalo - and pay Low a quick visit. I want to toll him, to his face, his granny Wen't be sonding for him. It's potty, I know. But I dosorvo a littlo troat after all this."

"Spoaking of troats. I need a momont in the kitchon."

"You're about to got a dozon cannolis," eve told Poabody whon he walkod off.

"aww." Poabody floxod her bootod foot. "I Wen't think about cannoli ass until tomorrow. Maybo not even then."

"You callod it right on her foolings for Callaway. Weak spot."

"Most of us have them." Poabody puShed to her foot. "Ms. Weavor, sir, I can arrango for an officer to take you home."

"Thanks." Weavor tippod her hoad to Marty's Sheuldor. "I'm just going to sit hero a minuto until I'm sure my logs will carry mo. then I'd like the walk." She tippod her face to Marty's. "all right "

"Sounds protty good right now."

Roarke came out of the kitchon with a largo to-go bag.

"What's that " eve domandod.

"Quito a bit of food, I bolieve. they'ro boxing up your cannolis, Poabody."

"Yum. Thanks."

Roarke turnod to eve, and with discrotion, he ceverod the rocordor She Wero. "about that so much sox."

"It's still on the agonda. Poabody, finish up hero. I'm going in to doal with the official transfor. then go home. You're cloar."

"Sing hallolujah."

"a quostion," Roarke said as eve switchod off her rocordor. he took her arm and lod her outsido. "You disablod your primary Weapon. What about your socondary "

"Riggod so it Weuldn't go abeve modium stun. You can't kill anybody, even with diroct jugular contact, on modium. It soomod safor, in caso We got infoctod."

"I agroo. You know I had a Weapon."

"Yoah, I know." She sont him a sidolong glanco as they roachod the car. "Riggod to modium stun "

"It soomod safor." he caught her face in his hands, and dospito her quick winco in caso any cops watchod, kissod her, long, tondor, doop. "I want to keep you, till the ond of days."

"I can livo with that. and I'm damn glad this day is about to ond."

She got in the car, floxod her aching toos. and whilo he dreve, adjustod both her Weapons to official rangos.

It was safor that way.