handset. “Hello?”
“Ms. Hollis. Detective Ingram here.”
“Good morning, Detective.”
“Your secretary told me you wouldn’t be in the office today. It was your boyfriend’s car that was in that big wreck yesterday on Harbor, right? Shortly after you left the station?”
“His car was in a wreck, yes. Fortunately, neither of us was in it and he has good insurance.” She rushed forward, waylaying any further questions on the matter. “I know you need the rest of my statement, but you still have my car.”
“If you’re up to it, we’ll come to you. The first forty-eight hours after a disappearance are crucial, Ms. Hollis. You might have information we can use and not realize it.”
“When would be a good time for you?”
“My partner and I could come by in about an hour and a half, if that’s okay.”
“That’s fine. See you then.” She hung up and returned the receiver to its base. She looked at Alec. “Visitors in ninety minutes.”
“You couldn’t put them off?”
“They’re all over me. If I delay any longer, it might get ugly.”
Asmodeus had already stated his desire for the cleanest extraction possible. If he was coming, he’d wait until the coast was clear.
“Angel—”
Eve stood. “You’ll know what to do when the time comes.”
“I hate this,” he growled, rising in a fluid ripple of power. “I hate not knowing when to duck.”
“You love it,” she retorted, stepping close enough to set one hand on the taut muscles of his abdomen. “Unpredictability is your forte.”
“I’ve had enough of that the last few weeks.” Alec caught her hand and moved it over his heart. “I’m ready for stability.”
“Haven’t you noticed that I’m normalcy- challenged? Chaos reigns in my life. If I’m your best shot at stability, you’re in trouble.”
He grinned. “Don’t I know it.”
* * *
The police arrived before an hour had passed. Eve suspected they’d done so as a way to keep her unnerved.
Montevista and Sydney rode the elevator down with her and Alec, but they separated on the ground floor. The guards headed toward the open-air courtyard where the pool was. Eve and Alec went to the glass entrance door and let the detectives in.
“I hope you don’t mind that we’re early.” Jones said as they stepped into the foyer. He was sporting an avocado green suit and the grimly assessing gaze she was getting too familiar with. “We were in the neighborhood.”
Ingram shook Eve’s hand with a palm made cold and wet by the chilled water bottle he carried. He shot a sidelong glance at her when he greeted Alec the same way, betraying his dubious view of her dual boyfriend situation.
“I see firemen around the building,” Jones noted. “What’s going on?”
“Suspected gas leak on one of the floors,” she lied, becoming irritated when her mark burned.
Is that really necessary? she complained, with a glare sent skyward. It’s a white lie.
“Should we go somewhere else?” Ingram asked.
“My floor is clear, but we can sit in the courtyard.” She gestured in that direction and they moved ahead of her. She and Alec exchanged glances.
They gathered around a circular glass patio table, one of the few that lacked an umbrella since the temperature was cool and the sun warm. The pool was being topped off. A small spigot released a stream of tap water, raising the water level. The tinkling sound created a tranquil atmosphere. Eve deliberately chose a seat that kept her back to a planter bordering a wall. Montevista and Sydney, professionals that they were, were inconspicuous.
Jones was lugging around the briefcase Eve had come to dread. He set it on the pebbled cement and withdrew her unfinished statement. After pushing it across the table toward her, he leaned back in the cushioned metal chair.
“I’ve been going over our previous discussions,” he said.
Eve picked up the pen he provided. “Yes?”
“And I think—”
A burst of crimson. A scattering of black feathers. Alec’s chair rocked back onto its rear legs before toppling him completely. The gun’s report echoed.
He was sprawled across the patio before anyone registered the ambush.
***
Reed was waiting at Sara’s desk when she came in. Her dangerously short pinstriped skirt was paired with a fitted white dress shirt and four-inch stilettos that matched her red lipstick. The length of leg exposed and the lack of a bra weren’t lost on him, but neither did they impress.
She paused just inside the threshold, eyeing him warily. “Abel. What are you doing?”
He smiled. The chair he occupied was angled parallel to the length of the desk. His right arm draped along it,