Roarke tuned it out, all of it. Just the sound of Eve’s voice—not the words, just the sound of her voice—was all he let in as he worked to lift the most important lock of his life.
“I can get us out of here, you and me,” Eve said. “You take me hostage—I’ll play along with that. Jet copter on the roof, we’re gone, anywhere you want to go. You and me, Lottie. It’s all we need, right? Then if it’s the only way to make it right, the only way we can really balance the scales, we do it at midnight. Symbolism’s important. We end at the stroke, and that’s how we begin again. Like you said.”
“There’s no place to go. It has to be here, that’s the symbol. This is our real home.”
“Being together’s what really matters, isn’t it? You and me.”
Keep saying it, Eve reminded herself. You and me. Us. We. And was rewarded by a faint, trembling smile.
“You’re not afraid to die?”
“I pick up a badge every day. You know how it is. But we have to do it right, Lottie. I’m not going to feel right about it if we take all these good cops with us. I can’t feel right about that.”
Even the faint smile vanished in a fresh flash of temper. “They can’t matter! Why don’t you see that? Her?” She swung toward Peabody, the hand on the switch trembling. “Why is she more than me?”
“She’s not.” Instinct, however foolish, had Eve shifting so she stood between Peabody and Lottie. “We’re partners now, you and me, Lottie, but hey, I trained her. I’ve got some pride in that, and she’s brought a lot of bad people to justice. We can’t forget that. We can’t forget justice, Lottie. It’s the heart of it, right? Bastwick, Ledo, they got what they deserved. Scales balanced. But this? This is going to weigh them down on the wrong side.”
“It’s not. You need to purge yourself of all this. Of the people holding us back. You don’t want to see it, but I’m going to show you. And when it’s done, you’ll thank me.”
“What if it doesn’t work? You’ve got to consider that. I’m just going to take off my coat. It’s getting hot. Think about it,” she continued, shrugging out of the coat, shifting to toss it aside and angling just a little closer as she did. “Odds are slim it won’t, I get that, but it’s a risk. You took one, I get that. Took a big one coming in here like this. Into a roomful of armed cops.”
“It had to be done.”
“I get it, but it was gutsy. And you’re in control of all of it. It’s not like any cop in the room could get off a stream—no room for that kind of break while you’re in charge. But if one of them could take the shot, he’d do it now. He’d take you down right now.”
She shifted to the balls of her feet, counting on Reineke.
He got off a stream, center mass. Before it hit, before Lottie’s body convulsed, Eve was in the air.
One chance, one chance only. For herself, for her partner, for every good cop in the room.
She grabbed Lottie’s wrist with her left hand, clamped like a vise. She thought, Roarke, and jabbed the thumb of her right hand down on Lottie’s thumb and the switch.
“Get out! Get out now. Get that fucking door open and get clear.”
“Bugger that,” Roarke said as he shoved the doors open.
“Couldn’t have said it better.” Baxter, closest, dropped down on his knees beside her. “Hold her steady, LT.”
“Fucking A.” Eve shut her eyes, bore down. “She’s jiggling under me, and my damn hand’s sweaty. If you’re going to risk getting blown up, get me off her. I’ve got the switch secure. Get me off her before she shakes me loose.”
“I’ve got you.” Roarke clamped a hand over hers, then rolled her. “I’ve got you,” he repeated as his heart beat again. “I’ll hold it now.”
“Bugger that.” Breathe, she ordered herself, just breathe. Hold it down, just hold that switch, and nobody was a dead man. “So you broke my clever code.”
“‘Later, honey’? I should say.”
“We’re going to disarm this now, Lieutenant.”
Eve turned her head to study one of the boomer team. “Say hallelujah. Peabody, once this is disarmed, I want this crazy bitch cleared medically then tossed in a box. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Peabody’s a bit preoccupied,” Roarke replied, and she turned a bit more, saw her partner and the e-geek who loved her in a full body and lip lock.
“Oh, for God’s sake.”
“And we’re clear.” The head of E and B gave the signal. “You can release that, Lieutenant.”
“Be damn sure,” she said as cops cheered. Her hand, sandwiched between Lottie’s and Roarke’s, didn’t want to let go. She managed to unclamp one finger at a time.