That brought on a quick scowl. "He's Steve to you," Marlena said in a fierce voice.

Soft laughter echoed through the restroom. "Possessive, aren't we?" Tess drawled.

Marlena observed quietly as Tess played with one of her rings, turning it a certain way. Turning off her own version of a bug sensor, she guessed. The woman had an a.r.s.enal right at her fingertips. Marlena wished she could play with every ring her friend owned. She watched with interest as Tess opened her purse and pulled out a small flat envelope.

"Is that what I need?" Marlena asked, knowing very well that she had been deliberately led on again. Tess was right to want her to focus on her job.

"Yes, the instructions are inside, in case I'm not around later. I suppose you have a place to put it safely in that outfit?"

"Darling, you taught me the best hiding places."

"In that case, darling, I've taught you well." The rest room door swung open and the outside agitation cascaded into the room. "Even with men."

"You just leave Stash alone, or I'll teach you a thing or two."

Laughter. The door swung closed and both of them gave exclamations of shock and concern as the people outside told them what happened.

Chapter Eight.

S teve felt isolated from the pandemonium around him. He had been vaguely aware of people diving for cover at the sound of the gunshots, with those closest to the waiter crouching and yelling as confusion broke out. There was a breathless minute as everyone waited for a second gunman after Steve had downed the first one. Then the silence broke and there was a rush for the doors as people started to leave. A few women in hysterics were carried out. Some men carrying walkie-talkies had appeared out of nowhere. Security, probably.

Where was Marlena? Amid the screams and shouts, Steve shrugged off the hands that seemed to be everywhere. He didn't need them touching him. Didn't they know not to get too close to a soldier after a hit? Everyone was talking at once. His ears hurt from all that babble.

"Somebody call a doctor!"

A man's authoritative voice rose above the melee. "Everything is taken care of, my friends. Now, just move to the patio so there's some breathing room for the gentleman. Please, everything's fine. Security is here. No need to panic."

Steve turned to the man in white, seeing his face for the first time. Lean to the point of gauntness, du Scheum had the intelligent face of a negotiator, flinty-eyed and inscrutable. Except for the telltale white ring around his lips, he appeared uncommonly calm for someone who had nearly been killed. As they stood there studying each other, Steve realized that the businessman was trying to place him.

"Thank you," du Scheum said, "but I don't believe we've met."

"Steve McMillan."

"Mr. McMillan. That was a very brave thing you did. I owe you my life." Du Scheum nodded to some men standing close by, and Steve noticed them herding out the few curious guests who hadn't panicked and run out of the ballroom.

One of the men with the walkie-talkies said politely, "Watch for broken gla.s.s, ladies and gentlemen. Please be careful as you make your way to the patio. Let us know if you need anything." The small group left dispersed slowly, murmuring about the incident.

Du Scheum spoke quietly to a man close by. Steve recognized him as the one standing by the aquarium before all h.e.l.l broke loose. "Make sure no one leaves. I want a headcount of every guest. Move the VIPs, the ones with diplomatic immunity, to the secured room so they won't feel ha.s.sled by the police when they come." The man nodded and slipped away. Du Scheum returned his attention to Steve, looking him over. "Are you injured, Mr. McMillan? There's blood seeping through your collar."

Steve reached up and then gazed down at his hand. It was blood. He didn't think a bullet had struck him. He remembered sliding across the floor. "Must be a cut." He shrugged. Adrenaline always dulled the pain. He would know soon enough whether he was hurt.

"Stash?"

He turned abruptly at the sound of Marlena's voice. She didn't even look around her as she hurried to his side, her eyes restless. This wasn't the cool and collected woman he was used to. She was worried about him! Stunned at the realization, he didn't say anything as she came to a stop in front of him. A flat and deadly expression slid into her eyes.

"You're bleeding." She didn't wait for an answer, reaching up to investigate for herself.

"Where were you?" he asked quietly.

"With Tess in the rest room," she answered impatiently. "Take off your jacket."

"I'm okay," Steve a.s.sured her. "I think the other guy needs more attention than I do." It struck him as weird that du Scheum hadn't once looked at the man crumpled on the floor not too far from his feet. Nor had Marlena. She was too busy tugging at his tux.

"You want me to take off this suit?" she challenged.

"He bled, too."

Marlena sighed, then finally gave him what he wanted. Her blue eyes met his, and he saw the distress lurking in them. He didn't see guilt. Or disappointment. Or anger that she'd failed, if this was part of some plan of hers. Something that felt like relief rushed through his system like a deflating balloon. She c.o.c.ked her head. He knew she was too smart not to know about what he had been speculating.

"He isn't wearing clothes I bought," she told him. "Look how you've ruined them."

Steve obediently looked down. Torn b.u.t.tons. Splattered shirt. Blood. "What are you going to do about it, dock my pay?" He could afford to be playful now that he was certain she hadn't had a hand in this attempted murder. "I just did my good deed for the day and you're going to make me pay for a new jacket?"

She patted him on the cheek. "Darling, I'll just have to reward you. Let's go shopping." She stressed the last word, saying it louder.

"Heartless," he chided.

"Dumb hero," she scolded. But her hand busily unb.u.t.toning his shirt was tender.

"Lackey, remember?" he reminded her, his voice a jeer. He was intrigued by her concern. It didn't fit the profile of an a.s.sa.s.sin.

"Idiot. Fool." Marlena pulled him by the lapels till his face was inches from hers. She obviously had concluded that he wasn't that hurt. "Did I ask you to go around stopping bullets?"

"No." She smelled so nice. Steve wanted to kiss her.

"Then stop acting like Superman."

"Yes, Lois." He goaded her on purpose. He wanted to remove the worry from her eyes.

Whatever she was going to say was cut short by polite coughing. They both turned, startled by the sound. They'd completely forgotten that there were people around them. That there was a dead body nearby. That there'd been any kind of excitement other than their own. Du Scheum and the few bodyguards left, along with a very amused Tess, were eyeing them curiously. Steve didn't blame them. Marlena and he probably appeared to be behaving really oddly. He could only blame the rush of adrenaline making him light-headed.

Marlena wasn't in the mood to talk to du Scheum or anyone else. All she wanted to do was get Steve alone so she could check for herself that he was unharmed. She didn't care that Tess had told her he could take care of himself. All she could see was the blood seeping through the shirt under his tux. Panic filled her when she realized he could have been more seriously injured. Not far behind were the beginning stages of a growing fury, simple and strong, that someone had caused it.

"The authorities will be here soon, Marlena," du Scheum informed them. "It's not going to be easy to keep this quiet with a dead man."

"And they'll want to talk to every one of your guests here." Marlena nodded toward the patio. "Do you know who is behind this?"

Du Scheum shook his head. "They'll probably be more interested in interviewing Mr. McMillan. You do know how to make a party memorable, my dear."

Memorable. Steve picked the word out and scowled. Another M word. How close was this du Scheum guy to Marlena anyway? They seemed to know each other pretty well. Another reason not to think this attack had anything to do with Marlena. He made a note to include this in his report later.

"Me?" Marlena fluttered her hand to her throat. "I was nowhere near the fun, darling." She glanced at Steve. "I only found out what happened from David and Sylvia Jackson outside the rest room when Tess and I came out. We didn't hear a thing, did we, Tess darling, with the band playing?"

"I thought there were some loud noises but you and I were busy talking. I didn't pay much attention," Tess answered. She looked at the man lying on the floor and shuddered. "I'm glad I wasn't out here. Can you imagine how horrible it'd have been to be so near that...creature? You're such a brave man, Steve, to stop him like that!"

"I didn't," Steve said. "I managed to push Mr. du Scheum out of the way and because the man was on the floor, I rolled toward him to try to get the weapon out of his hand. He was about to shoot again when someone else shot him. I believe it was the man you talked to earlier, Mr. du Scheum."

"Yes, my bodyguard," acknowledged their host. "But you're being entirely too modest. That little knife trick hurt him enough to make him drop the gun."

"I thought keeping him alive would help," Steve explained. If not for the bodyguard, they would have someone alive to question. He studied Marlena for a moment. Maybe that wasn't concern in her eyes. It could have been relief.

"You're right," du Scheum said, giving the body a cursory glance. "Too bad he's dead. We'll just have to let the police do their job."

"While we wait, do you have a medical kit, Pierre? And a little privacy?" Marlena tugged at Steve's arm. "I want to look at that cut."

Du Scheum nodded and Marlena didn't wait for anyone to show them the way. Steve looked back and saw no one following. Obviously there was a certain amount of trust between du Scheum and Marlena for him to let her go wherever it was she was taking him. Steve didn't know whether he was happy about the fact that they were friends.

They entered a room with huge double oak doors, the kind that shut with authoritative silence. It was more a library than a study, impressively lined with walls of books. The room smelled of leather and cigar smoke. Standing by a small bar near the fireplace, Steve watched with hooded eyes as Marlena moved to a cabinet, opening and closing closet doors with a familiarity that irritated him. Murmuring a satisfied yes, she pulled out a small white box, snapped it open, and examined the contents.

She looked as if she fit this kind of lifestyle. Elegantly dressed. Not a hair out of place. Comfortable with the splendorous background. Not quite a mermaid, Steve taunted himself.

He was too d.a.m.n quiet, Marlena thought. "Are you going to let me see that cut now, before you bleed to death?" she asked.

"Did you hear du Scheum just now? It's the a.s.sa.s.sin who's dead," he told her quietly, "which is too bad, he said. Don't you think it's too bad that the a.s.sa.s.sin is dead?"

Marlena gazed at him levelly, trying to read his mind. "He's a henchman, not an a.s.sa.s.sin," she finally said. There was a difference. An a.s.sa.s.sin had more patience and certainly wasn't this clumsy. A henchman was sent, not hired. "And obviously not a good one."

She helped him out of his tuxedo and said something unladylike at the sight of the blood-sodden shirt underneath. Her eyes widened. This was no mere cut. The top of his shirt near the shoulder had gunpowder streaks. She started unb.u.t.toning impatiently. He just stood there quietly, watching her with those intense eyes. He didn't seem to be in pain.

"Playing at words like your friend Tess, aren't you?"

Not really listening, Marlena told herself to ignore the bare chest until she saw to the wound, whatever it was, but her straying eyes already registered the perfectly sculpted torso with the hard, defined muscles. The light mat of hair that beckoned to be stroked. The sun-kissed chest with the flat male nipples. And blood smeared all over the left side. Swiftly she checked the gash near the collarbone.

"The bullet grazed you." Too close. Too d.a.m.n close..."d.a.m.n it, Stash, why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm not worried about it."

"What did you do, jump in front of the bullet to stop it?"

"Must have bounced off my shoulder then."

She stopped dabbing at the wound and glared up at him. "Not funny." She threw away the cotton b.a.l.l.s in her hand, took a roll of gauze out of the box, and cut off a strip. "You could have been seriously hurt."

His hand stopped her, pulling her smaller one against his chest. "Then you would be the one to put flowers on my headstone."

Marlena looked up sharply. Steve's amus.e.m.e.nt was barely discernible. His eyes were still watchful, studying her face intently. To admit that she cared would open a can of worms. To disclose that she hadn't even bothered to wonder who was trying to kill du Scheum would mean admitting something significant, something she didn't want to face. It was better to be glib, to keep a distance.

"What kind of flowers?" Under her hand, his skin felt very warm, and his heartbeat was strong and steady.

"What's your favorite?" he countered.

She felt his hot gaze on her lips as she answered softly, "Sunflowers."

"Sunflowers it is, then," he agreed, his voice seductively soft too.

Their conversations were always like this, Marlena thought dazedly, full of promises of some kind of illusive future. "You realize," she said conversationally, tugging at her hand, "tombstones aren't one's regular idea of a s.e.xy date."

He released her so she could resume what she was doing. The iodine must sting, but he didn't flinch. At the sight of the raw wound, her slowly building anger went up another degree.

"I want you," he said.

Exactly the way Tess had phrased it earlier in the rest room. He wants you. Marlena carefully bandaged his shoulder, securing the gauze so it wouldn't slip. But not what you are. Suddenly his hand was on her back, softly caressing up and down. The urge to take that step closer was strong.

"Now." His voice was low, hypnotic. The pressure of his hand on her back was insistent, inexorable. She knew if she touched, there would be no going back. The sight of him half naked like this, his shirt hanging open, exposing flesh that tempted her, was too erotic.

"Now, Marlena."

"Not now. Not here."

"I intend to win that bet."

Marlena laughed. That bet seemed like ages ago. Her ruse to distract him hadn't worked very well because he was in deeper than ever. After tonight's incident, he would be delving for more answers. "You're obsessed with Tweety Bird," she said. And because she couldn't help herself, she leaned closer and kissed his chest. Salty. With the taste of his blood on her lips, reminding her of the danger around her. The hand on her back pulled her in harder, but she still resisted. She smiled up at him, shaking her head. "I'm not going to let you destroy two expensive outfits in an hour, Stash sweetheart. Besides, someone will be here soon."

"So?"

"So you should start thinking about what to say to the cops when they ask you questions."

"Am I supposed to have a story ready then?"

Marlena fingered the streaks of drying blood. "I don't know. Do you have anything you're hiding?" Like the fact that he wasn't who he said he was.

"Do you? You will be questioned, too." His hand had resumed its soft caress. He didn't seem overly concerned. "But of course you weren't involved in this one incident, were you? I know Tess told you things in the rest room, Marlena. She couldn't have just gone there after you to apologize. So what did you find out?"

There was a lot more to Steve McMillan than she gave him credit for. He didn't just sit there taking notes. He a.s.sessed everything going on around him and connected events to get answers. Now that she knew his background, she suddenly realized that he hadn't been really sitting around, as she'd thought. He had been waiting. Waiting for his target's next move. He was, after all, a man of action. With this new role as her companion, he was just biding his time. The thought of him stalking her was annoying. And definitely intriguing.

She smiled, more to herself than him, and noticed his small frown. A target could easily become the hunter, after all. She could stalk as well as any macho sea mammal. What was it that Tess had accused her of? Oh yeah, that she wasn't listening, only reacting. Now would be her turn to make Steve McMillan react and not listen.

As she licked her lips, the faint taste of his blood continued to remind her of the danger a.s.sociated with her. Time to distract him from his line of questioning again. His eyes followed her tongue like a fascinated animal. She slowly slid her palm across his chest and down the flat stomach, sc.r.a.ping her nails lightly. She felt each hard muscle under her hand bunch and tighten at her teasing. His nose flared. Ah, the prey sensed danger.

"She didn't tell me anything I wouldn't find out eventually," she told him, admiring the symmetrical perfection of the abdominal muscles on that beautiful chest. She wondered whether the rest of him would look so perfect, too. She reached for the top b.u.t.ton of his dark pants.

"I thought you said no a moment ago." His voice had a hard edge to it.

Marlena glanced up quickly. Suspicion gleamed from his eyes, yet he didn't stop her when she unhooked the b.u.t.ton from its hole. He continued to stand there, waiting. "A woman has the prerogative to change her mind."

"You're trying to distract me again."

That almost stopped her. She had to remember he was a smart prey. "Am I succeeding?"

"No."