"I always keep my promises."

"But you could have mailed it."

"Yes...I could have, but I didn't."

"So is this one of those occasions where you choose to combine work with pleasure?"

Chase grinned. "That's yet to be determined. So far, so good.

Of course you could turn out to be a homicidal maniac." Heather laughed. "Something tells me you wouldn't be too intimidated if I were."

"You're right. I'm not easily overwhelmed." Chase suddenly realized she'd been toying with her jacket zipper and immediately stopped. She couldn't remember the last time she'd fidgeted with anything. She tried to force herself to relax and smile. "And I can run pretty fast if I have to."

Heather glanced down at her feet. "Don't let the heels fool you.

You'd be surprised at what I'm capable of in these."

"Impress me," Chase replied, almost too seriously, before she could stop herself.

The cab pulled over and stopped and Chase handed the driver folded bills. A colorful array of shops and kiosks, lined up beneath long banners and signs painted with Asian script, cluttered the street ahead of them. Pedestrians crowded both sidewalks.

"Chinatown," Heather said.

Chase slipped from the cab and offered a hand to help Heather out. "I've always rather enjoyed it. Is it all right?"

"I love coming here." Heather smiled. "The chaos, smells, and near-panic on the streets make me feel like I'm in another country."

* 135 *

"I thought we'd grab a bite here and walk around."

"Sounds great."

Chase realized before they'd gone fifty feet that walking with Heather was like walking with a parrot on her shoulder. Everyone stared. Men. Women. Children. Even the street vendors paused in their efforts to push souvenir fans and other knickknacks to the camera-wearing tourists.

Heather seemed oblivious to all the attention. She focused on the scenery and on reading menus posted outside the restaurants they pa.s.sed.

Fragrant enticements wafted through the street-ginger and garlic, star anise and clove. Chase's stomach growled. When Heather paused at another menu, she asked, "See anything you like?"

"I don't mean to sound picky, but I'm a vegetarian." Heather sounded embarra.s.sed.

She almost stumbled. Well, that's just brilliant. She doesn't drink, she owns the Holy Grail of PEZ, and she's a vegetarian. What next? "It would appear we have that in common," Chase admitted reluctantly.

"And you don't drink, either."

"Correct."

"That's almost spooky. I know so many people and none are teetotaling vegetarians."

"I know plenty," Chase lied.

"Huh." Heather looked at her skeptically.

They continued walking, neither speaking for a while. They were in the heart of Chinatown with its enormous sensory overload: the aroma of food, the vibrant colors, the crush of people, the confusing myriad of languages spoken and shouted all around them.

"Are you married? Divorced? Children?" Chase asked when Heather paused at another menu.

"None of the above. And you?"

"Serial polygamist." There. She did it again. Said the first thing that popped into her head. Why was she trying so hard to turn Heather off?

Heather looked at her, her expression unreadable. "I see."

* 136 *

"You sound disappointed."

"Not at all. How someone chooses to live their life is up to them. We all have our reasons."

"I don't need any reasons. I simply enjoy variety." Heather started purposefully down the street again. "Like I said, to each her own." She sounded disappointed.

Chase double-stepped to catch up. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course not. I'm just different. I like to believe in true romance and happy endings."

"That's very quixotic."

"I guess," Heather said, frowning.

"What do you do besides work to pursue that happy-ever-after?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. I meant what I said at the Cave. Between caring for my brother and trying to make it in the fashion industry, my schedule is pretty full and...dull."

"No dates?"

"Not in a long time," Heather said. "More than two years, to be exact."

Chase didn't doubt Heather's romantic drought had to do with obligations and disapproving lovers, but she knew there was more.

Heather was terrified of anyone finding out about her other life as Amber. Yet another thing she and Heather had in common. Both were unable to commit due to their secret lives.

Chase's stomach rumbled again. "There's a noodle place over there." She motioned with her head. "How about it?"

"Sure." Heather replied without enthusiasm.

"We can keep walking if you-"

"No, it sounds good."

They walked to the small shop and Chase perused the posted menu. She thought Heather was doing the same, but when she turned she found Heather staring off toward the street with a faraway look.

"Do veggie noodles with ginger and peanuts sound okay?"

"Yes," Heather said, still distracted. "Thank you."

"Would you like to sit here or walk?"

* 137 *

"Walk." Heather's mood seemed to have deteriorated and Chase couldn't risk her saying she wanted to go back home. And, if she was honest with herself, she didn't like seeing Heather upset.

The place was busy, but their take-out order was ready in a few minutes. Heather sat in a chair by the door looking out at pa.s.sersby as Chase waited and paid for their food. She handed Heather her carton and chopsticks and opened the door to let her out, and they ate as they continued slowly down the street, still not speaking.

Chase started to feel awkward with the silence. Normally she didn't care about anyone else enough to be uncomfortable. She actually kind of enjoyed their discomfort oftentimes, because then she could ask them to leave. But right now, someone had turned the tables and she wasn't at all happy with the development. Why was Jack taking so long? "Did I say something to upset you?"

"Not at all," Heather said. "It's just that..." She paused to take a bite of vegetables. "I don't know, I thought we'd have more in common than our eating habits."

"Like what?"

Heather shrugged. "Although I appreciate your candor regarding your private life, I'm not sure what to think about it."

"I thought you said to each her own."

"I did. And trust me, I'm in no position to judge, but..." She sighed.

"But?"

Heather stopped at a relatively quiet spot in front of a closed storefront. "Nothing. I don't know where I'm going with this. I think I've been listening to my brother more than I should."

"Adam."

"Yes. He keeps telling me I should date. Get a life, give someone a chance, and so on."

"I see. So you thought this was a date."

"What? No. I just thought..." Heather looked down at her feet.

"I don't know what I thought. Please forget I said anything because I feel really ridiculous right now."

"No need for that. I may have given the wrong impression. I like you, Heather. You're a smart, beautiful woman. But I'm not interested in anything other than-"

* 138 *

"s.e.x?" Heather sounded agitated.

Where did that come from? Chase had been careful not to display any kind of attraction or insinuate anything of the sort. On the contrary, she'd been friendly and even distant. "No, not s.e.x," she replied calmly, though just hearing that word coming out of Heather's mouth made it unbelievably erotic. "Heather, I think you're nice, and I thought we could enjoy each other's company while I'm in town, but that's it." Did she really call Heather nice?

Nice? Chase couldn't even remember a time she'd used that word to describe anything other than the weather.

"Nice," Heather repeated, between bites of her noodles.

"I can't believe I said that, either. What I mean is, I don't want anything from you."

"Well, that's good...I suppose."

"Can I get you something to drink?" Chase asked.

"I'd like that," Heather replied, seeming distracted.

"Is Diet c.o.ke okay?"

"Yes."

"I'll be right back." Chase crossed the street to a Chinese grocery. As she waited behind a couple of other customers to pay, she sorted out the confusing twists of their conversation. Heather not only thought Chase had asked her out on a date, but was even upset to learn it wasn't the case. Heather was definitely her type in every way, but aside from the fact that Chase was sincerely not interested in dating, she would never ever even consider dating a call girl. Women like that were for disposable, replaceable entertainment, period. She didn't view their bodies as damaged, but rather their minds.

Although Heather seemed to possess certain virtues, Chase knew better than anyone how appearances could deceive, how sometimes we see things in others simply because we want to. But why did she want to see this innocence in Heather? Chase glanced out the window. Heather waited patiently, glancing about, still seemingly oblivious to the fact that every man or woman on the street looked her way.

Finally it was her turn at the cash register. She set the c.o.kes down and reached for her wallet.

* 139 *

"Anything else?" the proprietor asked.

"No, that's..." She glanced outside again. "What the h.e.l.l?" Two men had cornered Heather and she was trying to get around them and across the street to the store. One tried to block her way while the other moved behind her. Heather, clearly uncomfortable, tried to push the one in front of her away. He pushed her back, and she fell into the arms of the other. Pa.s.sersby were clearly too indifferent or afraid to get involved.

Chase ran out of the shop and grabbed the one in front of Heather from behind by his hair. She pulled his head back and placed her forearm around his neck in a choke hold.

He brought his hands up and tried to pry her off, but she held fast. "Hey, relax, man," he wheezed. "We were just playin' is all."

"Remove your hands from her," Chase told the other guy, incensed by the way he had his arm possessively around Heather's waist. When he didn't instantly budge, she added, "Now," from between gritted teeth.

The man released Heather and pushed her to the side, then took a step forward to stand facing his choking friend. "What's it to you, b.i.t.c.h?"

Chase removed her arm from around the man's throat and simultaneously used her other hand to shove the guy's face forcefully into his friend's.

Heather got behind Chase and grabbed her arm. "Come on, let's go. They're not worth it."

The two men turned to her again, still recovering from the head b.u.t.t. The one she'd had in a headlock had a b.l.o.o.d.y nose. "You're going to pay for that, b.i.t.c.h."

Chase pulled her jacket to the side to expose her Glock. Heather couldn't see it, but both men took notice. "Am I?" she asked.

"Hey, we don't want no problems," b.l.o.o.d.y nose said, as he and his buddy backed up a step.

"Offer your apologies to the lady." Chase reached for the Glock.

Ordinarily, she would have never exposed it, but she intended to make sure they apologized.

Both men nodded. "Sorry, miss," one said.