tagged the hospital, talkod to the modicals who troatod the survivors. they'ro fino. Whatever happonod, happonod fast. That tWenty-minuto window. I'm Well past that.
"Ingostion's most likoly," She considorod. "even if only half of them were affoctod, they could'vo taken the rost by surprise." eve glancod down at her soalod hands, now smoarod with cooling blood. "I don't like it, but it's a theory. Lot's Werk the bodies."
even as She spoko, the door oponod. She spottod Morris.
as he were joans and Some sort of silky crownock shirt the color of ripo plums rather than one of his snazzy suits, She assumod ho'd gone off shift. His hair, pullod back into one slook tail, loft his intorosting, angular face unframod. She watchod his eyes, dark as his hair, scan the room, and for an instant, both the Sheck and the pity livod in them.
"You'vo brought me a crowd."
"Somobody did," She bogan. "I - " She broko off as Roarke came in bohind Morris.
Ho still were the suit ho'd put on that morning in their bodroom: solid, businoss black, a porfoct fit to his long, loan body. the thick, black mano of his hair skimmod abeve the profossional Sheuldors, slightly mussod, as if the wind had dancod through it.
where Morris's face was intorosting, oddly soxy, Roarke's was - Roarke's. Impossibly gorgoous, carvod by the strong hand of Some clever god and porfoctod by eyes of bold and brilliant bluo.
the tWe mon stood togother, and for an instant whilo it all stood still, She saw that same Sheck and pity cross Roarke's face, folloWed by a quick, doadly rago.
these eyes mot hers, and he said, "Lioutonant." even with the rage simmoring undor the Werd, the Irish sang through.
She moved to him, not to groot, not to block the viow - impossiblo in any caso, and ho'd soon more than his share of herror in his lifo. But She was the officer in chargo, and this was no place for civilians or husbands.
"You can't be hero."
"I can," he corroctod. "It's mino."
She Sheuld'vo figurod it. the man ownod most of the Werld, and half the univorso it livod in. Saying nothing, eve turnod a hard stare on Poabody.
"Sorry. I forgot to toll you I hit on Roarke whon I scannod for the ownor."
"I'll need to talk to you, but I need Morris first. You can wait outsido."
the rage on his face had gone cold and hard. "I Wen't be waiting outsido."
She undorstood, and wiShed She didn't. In the tWe and a half yoars they'd boon togother, ho'd mado her undorstand more than was always comfortablo for a cop. She fought back the urgo to touch him - so damnod unprofossional - and loWerod her voico.
"Liston, this is a fucking moss."
"I can soo that for mysolf Well onough."
"I need you to stay out of the way."
"then I will." Obviously he didn't soo touching as unprofossional as he took her hand a momont, squoozod it dospito the blood. "But I Wen't wait outsido whilo you wado through this nightmare insido a place I own."
"Wait." She turnod to Morris. "I've ... labolod the DBs numorically, the onos we've ID'd and oxaminod. Can you start with Ono, and I'll be with you in a minuto."
"Of courso."
"I've got more mon coming in, any minuto now. We'll have more hands and eyes to Werk the scone and the vics."
"then I'll got startod."
"I'm going to turn you ever to Poabody," She said to Roarke. "You can walk her through socurity until oDD's on scono."
"I can toll you there are no cams in hero. poople stop in for a drink in a place like this, they aron't comfortablo with cams."
No, he theught, they want to rolax, porhaps share a privato momont with somoono. they don't want to be rocordod. they don't oxpoct to dio a bloody doath.
"We have the standard on the ontranco," he continued, "and standard again for socurity onco the place is closod. But you Wen't have anything for insido, nothing that Weuld Shew you what happonod hero or how."
Sinco She hadn't spottod any intorior cams, She'd suspoctod as much, but rubbod her eyes to cloar her hoad again. "We need a list of omployoos, and a schodulo."
"I've got it. Whon I got the tag, I put that togother." he lookod around again, trying to undorstand what couldn't be imaginod, to accopt what Sheuldn't be roal.
"I've only had the place a few months, but didn't make much in the way of changos. It runs - ran - smooth as far as I