The Midnight Tour

clutched her breasts. Then she sighed and slouched backward until it lapped her chin.

“Nice?” Eve asked.

“Give me three minutes, I’ll be soft-boiled.”

“I guess your date went well,” Tuck said.

“Pretty good.”

“I’d say better than pretty good.” From the grin on her face, Dana knew she was referring to the vanished bra.

But Dana didn’t want to talk about it. Especially not in front of Eve. She liked Eve, but hardly knew her and didn’t want to speak about her feelings for Warren in front of her. For that matter, she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell Tuck. Better to hold it all inside, private and safe and special. Keep it her own, at least for a while.

“I’d still be at his place,” she said, “except I was afraid you’d decide to risk life and limb by doing something monumentally stupid. Which you, of course, did.”

“Of course,” said Tuck.

“Pretty damn reckless,” Eve agreed, shaking her head but smiling.

“You’re both a couple of pussies,” Tuck said. “Anyway, I was ready for any eventuality.”

“Don’t go looking for trouble,” Eve said, “just because you have a gun.”

“You do.”

“Trouble’s my job.”

“You’re off duty tonight. But you came over looking for trouble, anyway.”

“Just wanted to make sure you two didn’t get yourselves reamed by some bad-ass pervert, that’s all.” She poured more wine into her glass, then into Tuck’s. “Didn’t expect any of this, though. This is very nice.”

“Come over any time,” Tuck said.

“Thanks,” Eve said, then offered the bottle to Dana. “Have some?”

Dana shook her head. “No thanks.”

Eve set the bottle aside, then took a sip from her glass.

“I was planning to scout around the grounds, make sure your friend wasn’t lurking around.” Lowering the glass slightly, she scanned the dense row of bushes and small trees beyond the far side of the pool. “Never exactly got around to doing that.”

“Shame on you,” Tuck said.

“You distracted me with this stuff about the wine and jacuzzi.”

Dana suddenly found herself staring at the bushes.

Especially at the dark space where Tuck had seen the prowler last night.

“You’re not worrying, are you?” Tuck asked her.

“If nobody checked over there...”

“So what if somebody is there?” Tuck said. “We’re armed to the teeth. Anyone tries any shit with us, we’ll blow 'im to kingdom come.”

“I should’ve checked,” Eve said.

“Don’t worry about it. Forget it.”

“It’s the main reason I came over in the first place.”

Eve stood up. She turned around and set her glass on the ledge.

“Hey, don’t bother,” Tuck said.

“It’ll just take me a few minutes. Then we’ll know for sure that everything’s safe.”

“We’re safe here. I don’t want you going over there. What if somebody is there?”

“Then he’ll be in big trouble, won’t he?” Eve stepped onto the submerged bench, then onto the ledge. Water spilling off her body and spattering the concrete, she hurried over to the towels.

She squatted and snatched up her pistol.

“Wait,” Dana said. “Tuck’s right. You really shouldn’t go over there.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right back.”

“Maybe you won’t!” Tuck said. “Come on, you’re gonna ruin the party.”

Still squatting, Eve shifted the pistol to her left hand. She pushed her right hand into the folds of Tuck’s towel and pulled out the .44 magnum. “Mind if I borrow this?”

“Yeah, I mind. Just stay here.”

“If somebody is hiding over there,” Eve said, “I think we should find out about it.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to risk your ass.”

The huge revolver in one hand, the black automatic in the other, Eve stood up. “This better be loaded.”

“Damn it, Eve!”

Eve smiled, said, “Take it easy,” then started striding toward the end of the pool.

Dana leaped up. “Wait!” she called. “I’m coming, too.”

“Me, too!” Tuck shouted.

Eve stopped and faced them. “No. Just...”

They both sprang out of the spa.

“All for one and one for all!” Tuck yelled.

“Jesus H. Christ,” Eve said.

Water dribbling off her body, Dana crouched over her purse, fumbled inside and pulled out the pistol that Eve had loaned her last night.

As she rushed toward her two friends, she saw Eve hand the Smith & Wesson to Tuck.

“Be careful with it,” Eve said.

“Don’t you want to deputize us?” Tuck asked.

“Where would I pin the badges?”

“We don’t need no steenking badges.”

Eve in the lead, Dana and Tuck side by side a few paces behind her, they walked the length of the swimming pool, turned the corner, and headed for the dark row of bushes.

“If there is a Peeping Tom,” Tuck said, “he’ll think he’s having a wet dream.”

“Oh fuck,” John muttered, “I’d love to get a shot of this.”

“Don’t try it. We’ve gotta get out of here.”

In Owen’s mind, John ignored him and lurched out of the bushes, onto the pool’s apron straight in front of the spectacular trio and raised the big-lensed camera for what might’ve been the greatest photo of his entire life—and they opened up on him, their guns roaring, fire flashing from their muzzles. Owen could see how the flashes threw stark light across their wet, naked bodies. And he could see how the slugs struck John, smacking holes in him, making him twirl and dance in slow motion until he fell on his back.

Grabbing John’s arm, squeezing it, Owen blurted, “Come on!”

And John didn’t try for the shot. “Yeah,” he said. “Let’s book.”

Side by side, they scurried backward.

We’ll be okay, Owen told himself. 'They’ll never see us in here. Not without a flashlight.

He was nearly certain they had no flashlight.

As he crawled backward, he kept his eyes forward and watched for them. He ought to be able to see their legs through the bushes when they got to this end of the pool. Probably a few seconds from now.

Rustly sounds came from the bushes to his left.

Oh jeez, somebody IS over there!

The cough, a few minutes before Dana’s arrival, had frightened him badly.

But he’d heard nothing more from over there.

With Dana’s arrival, he’d been able to push his worries aside. Awestruck, he’d watched her remove her