TRIG LOOKED UP AT THEM FROM THE HOSPITAL BED. THE tension that had been chewing at Davis’s insides ever since he had found him in the alley, badly dazed and bleeding profusely, eased. There was a large white bandage around Trig’s head and traces of pain at the corners of his eyes, but the doctor had assured everyone that the blow had done no permanent damage.
“They said you got off lightly because the cap you were wearing gave you some protection,” Davis said.
Trig grimaced. “I heard the bastard coming up behind me at the last second and tried to move. Too little, too late. Sorry, boss. Guess I was worrying too much about the doctor and not enough about Landry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Celinda said. She looked at Davis across the bed, eyes narrowing. “We had been assured that the Guild would take care of Landry.”
Luckily, Alice Martinez responded before Davis had to come up with a response.
“The Cadence Guild has made some progress when it comes to cooperating with us,” she said coolly. “But it has a long way to go. Someone should have picked up the phone and called me at a much earlier stage.”
“Yeah?” Trig squinted up at her. “And what could you have done about a major honcho from the Frequency Guild? Especially given that there was no hard evidence against him.”
“I could have let him know that he was under suspicion,” Alice shot back, undaunted. “If Landry had been aware that both the cops and the local Guild were keeping an eye on him, it’s a good bet he would have hit the road back to Frequency City.”
“Bad bet, Martinez.” Trig gingerly touched the bandage around his head. “The guy was a nutcase. Nothing would have stopped him.”
Alice cleared her throat and then said very politely, “The guy was a nutcase? Past tense? Are you telling me that we’re wasting our time looking for him?”
Trig blinked a couple of times. “Uh—”
He turned helplessly to Davis.
Davis realized that Celinda and Alice were looking at him, too.
“Evidently there was a problem shortly after the Guild picked up Landry at Hollings’s office,” he said. “According to my sources, Landry went crazy, broke free of his guards, and tried to escape into the rain forest. There’s an open gate in the tunnels that run beneath Dr. Hollings’s office.”
“I see,” Alice said, clearly annoyed. “I assume the Guild guards gave chase?”
“Sure.” Davis shrugged. “But Landry was in a panic. He blundered into a bad ghost storm. There wasn’t anything anyone could do until the storm had passed. By then it was too late. His body is scheduled to be sent back to the headquarters of the Frequency City Guild later today.”
“I don’t suppose it occurred to anyone at the Guild that the Cadence PD might want a medical examiner to take a look at the body before it is returned to Frequency?” Alice asked, going even colder.
“Maybe you should talk to Mercer Wyatt,” Trig suggested helpfully. “He’s real big on cooperating with the police.”
“Yeah, we’ve noticed that,” Alice said, glaring at him.
“Hey, don’t look at me, Detective,” Trig said quickly. “I’m just an innocent bystander.”
“Sure.” Alice switched her attention to Davis. “You know, I keep hearing that as far as the Cadence Guild is concerned, the good old days of taking care of things with the triple-S method are over. But somehow there seem to be a lot of exceptions. Next time you talk to Wyatt, tell him that he owes me a favor for letting this one go. Understood?”
“I’ll relay the message, Detective,” he said.
Alice nodded once, flipped her notebook shut, and strode out of the room.
Trig waited until she was gone before he whistled softly. “You think she wears that gun to bed?”
Celinda glowered at him.
“Sorry,” Trig said, abjectly apologetic. “I realize that kind of crude sexual innuendo is not the hallmark of a man who is ready for a committed, fulfilling relationship. It won’t happen again.”
“I see you got as far as chapter eight of my book,” Celinda said approvingly. She rounded on Davis. “What is this triple-S method the Guild uses to take care of problems?”
“It stands for shoot, shovel, and shut up,” Davis explained. “Old Earth saying, I think.”
“Hmm.” She absorbed that. “Well, this is one time I’m not going to complain about Guild methods. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know that Landry is gone for good.”
“We’ll make a Guild supporter out of you yet,” Trig said, grinning.
“Don’t count on it,” she replied. “By the way, since you’re going to the trouble of actually reading my book, unlike some people I could name, I’ll give you some free matchmaking advice. Remember, under normal circumstances it would cost you a small fortune.”
“I realize I could never afford you,” Trig said eagerly. “What’s the advice?”
“You and Detective Martinez are made for each other. I suggest you give her a call as soon as you’re out of here.”
“Yeah?” Trig’s eyes gleamed.
She held up a hand, palm out. “Regardless of what happens, I definitely do not want to hear whether or not she wears the gun to bed. Is that clear?”
“Absolutely,” Trig promised.
Chapter 41
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME HE’D HAD A CHANCE TO INVITE her to his place. Luckily it was the housekeeper’s regular cleaning day, so the apartment was in reasonably good shape. He picked up a bottle of champagne on the way home and dealt with dinner by ordering in. The night was warm and clear, so he served the pizza and salad on the balcony overlooking the Dead City.
They had talked about everything except themselves for the past three hours. Unwinding, Davis thought. They had both needed some time to relax after the events of the day.
Sometime after dinner he went back inside to get the bottle of Emerald Glow liqueur that he had bought along with the champagne. When he returned he saw that Celinda had risen from the lounger and was now leaning against the balcony railing. Araminta and Max were perched next to her.
For a moment he just looked at her, aware of the sensation of deep, hungry longing welling up inside. She was turned partially away from him, one arm resting on the railing as she gazed pensively at the view of the ruins cloaked in the starry night. He could see the curve of her cheek and the sweet, echoing arcs of her shoulder, breast, and hip.
He took a grip on his self-control, walked to the table, and poured two small glasses of the Emerald Glow. Her fingers brushed against his when he handed one of the glasses to her.
“Thanks,” she said, turning to smile at him. “I need this. I’m exhausted, but I think I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight.”
“It’s the adrenaline.” He swallowed some of the Emerald Glow, savoring the green heat. “It jacks you up and wears you out at the same time. Takes a while to de-rez. You’ve been through a lot in the past few days.”
“Not my usual routine, that’s for sure.” She searched his face. “I don’t think it’s been routine for you, either. You never said what happened when you followed Hollings down into the rain forest.”
He leaned both elbows on the railing, cradling the little glass in one hand, and looked out at the glowing ruins. “He used the relic on me. Felt like I was standing in front of a huge dam that had just broken. A wall of psi crashed over me, wiping out everything, my normal as well as my paranormal senses. It was chaos.” He stopped for a beat. “I thought I was dying.”
“Davis.” She put her glass down and moved closer, sliding her arm around his waist. She leaned into him, letting him absorb her warmth the way she had the night she had driven him back to Cadence after the encounter with Landry’s men. She didn’t say anything more.
He set his own glass aside and pulled her tightly to him, breathing in her scent.
“You were right about the strategy to combat the effects of the relic,” he said into her hair. “I focused on
