She didn’t know how seriously to take the fact that he claimed to be in love with her. Love meant different things to different people. It had never been a part of her life.
She poured herself a half glass of wine, then merely frowned into it.
She felt something for him, certainly. Something new, and uncomfortably strong. Still, it was best to let things coast as they were. Decisions made quickly were almost always regretted quickly.
Why the hell hadn’t he been home?
She set the untouched wine aside, dragged a hand through her hair. That was the biggest problem with getting used to someone, she thought. You were lonely when they weren’t there.
She had work to do, she reminded herself. A case to close, a little Russian roulette with her credit status. Maybe she’d indulge in a long, hot bath, letting some of the stress steam away before prepping for her morning meeting with the prosecutor.
She left the cat gulping sweet and sour and went to the bedroom. Instincts, sluggish after a long day and personal questions, kicked in a moment too late.
Her hand was on her weapon before she fully registered the move. But it dropped away slowly as she stared into the long barrel of the revolver.
Colt, she thought. Forty-five. The kind that tamed the American west, six bullets at a time.
“This isn’t going to help your boss’s case, Rockman.”
“I disagree.” He stepped from behind the door, kept the gun pointed at her heart. “Take your weapon out slowly, lieutenant, and drop it.”
She kept her eyes on his. The laser was fast, but it wouldn’t be faster than a cocked .45. At this range, the hole it would put in her would make a nasty impression. She dropped her weapon.
“Kick it toward me. Ah!” He smiled pleasantly as her hand slid toward her pocket. “And the communicator. I prefer keeping this between you and me. Good,” he said when her unit hit the floor.
“Some people might find your loyalty to the senator admirable, Rock
man. I find it stupid. Lying to give him an alibi is one thing. Threatening a police officer is another.”
“You’re a remarkably bright woman, lieutenant. Still, you make remarkably foolish mistakes. Loyalty isn’t an issue here. I’d like you to remove your jacket.”
She kept her moves slow, her eyes on his. When the jacket was off one shoulder, she engaged the recorder in its pocket. “If holding me at gunpoint isn’t due to loyalty to Senator DeBlass, Rockman, what is it?”
“It’s a matter of self-preservation and great pleasure. I’d hoped for the opportunity to kill you, lieutenant, but didn’t see clearly how to work it into the plan.”
“What plan is that?”
“Why don’t you sit down? The side of the bed. Take off your shoes and we’ll chat.”
“My shoes?”
“Yes, please. This gives me my first, and I’m sure only opportunity to discuss what I’ve managed to accomplish. Your shoes?”
She sat, choosing the side of the bed nearest her ’link. “You’ve been working with DeBlass through it all, haven’t you?”
“You want to ruin him. He could have been president, and eventually the Chair of the World Federation of Nations. The tide’s swinging, and he could have swept it along and sat in the Oval Office. Beyond.”
“With you at his side.”
“Of course. And with me at his side, we would have taken the country, then the world, in a new direction. The right direction. One of strong morals, strong defense.”
She took her time, letting one shoe drop before unstrapping the other. “Defense—like your old pals in SafeNet?”
His smile was hard, his eyes bright. “This country has been run by diplomats for too long. Our generals discuss and negotiate rather than command. With my help, DeBlass would have changed that. But you were determined to bring him down, and me with him. There’s no chance for the presidency now.”
“He’s a murderer, a child abuser—”
“A statesman,” Rockman interrupted. “You’ll never bring him to trial.”