"Something you need, sir?" the officer asked.

"Nah. Just thinking." The pirate spoke from just behind them.

"Later." The footsteps receded and the door opened, letting in the sound of wind and the street.

Dar pushed the paper back over to the officer. "There you go."

She leaned back, feeling the tension relax from her shoulders.

"Always quiet like this here?"

Mr. Steel took the paper. "Oh, mostly," he said. "Fridays, payday, it gets a little hectic." He smiled, then looked curiously at Dar. "Beg your pardon, Ms. Roberts, but did you know Mr. Chasiki, the gentleman who was just here?"

Dar glanced Kerry's way. Kerry's eyes widened slightly and her pale brows lifted. "He seemed a little familiar," she temporized.

"Why?"

"Oh, he was staring at you, and I was just wondering," the officer said easily.

Dar turned and gazed at the closed door, then looked back at Mr. Steel. She shrugged. "Who is he?"

The banker shrugged back. "He's known to be a ladies' man,"

he said. "Bit of a rogue, but a generous one." He handed over the box. "Here you go, Ms. Roberts. I hope you do take care and put this somewhere soon. It's really not a good idea to be carrying it."

Dar stood and lifted her backpack, then opened the box and transferred the bound stacks of bills to the pack. "Thanks for the warning." She finished stashing the cash and zipped up the pack, handing him back the box. "Nice doing business with you." She shouldered the knapsack, adjusting it around her shoulders and pulling the straps tight. "Ker?"

230*

Kerry gave the officer a brief smile, rising and joining Dar as they headed for the door. She put a hand on her partner's arm as they exited the bank, both of them looking left and right as the sunlight hit them. "Dar, that was creepy."

"That was very creepy," Dar acknowledged. "C'mon. I want to get hold of Bud and get rid of this cash before we do anything else."

Her senses were jangling. "Last thing we need is for that Chasiki to follow us and hold us up."

Kerry looked around nervously. "You really think he would?"

"I'd rather not find out." Dar took out her cell phone and opened it. She dialed Bud's number. After two rings, he picked up.

"Bud, it's Dar." Dar spoke into the receiver crisply. "Did you get hold of your friend?" She waited for the answer. "Good. We're heading back to the hotel now." She closed the phone and clipped it to her belt. "We'll take care of that, then ..."

"Seeing the pirate kinda throws a wrench into things, huh?"

Kerry asked. "At least we have his name now."

"And he has mine," Dar reminded her. "Kerry, I don't know if going to the police here is a good idea." She started walking back toward the hotel. "I just don't know who we can trust. If we go to the cops and tell them, and they're in on it, then what? They're gonna want to protect him."

Kerry sighed. "Yikes."

Dar shook her head as they crossed the street and headed for the long climb up. They'd walked for just a few minutes when Dar heard footsteps behind them. She used an appreciative look around to glance behind her, and sure enough, two men were meandering up the slope after them. "Son of a b.i.t.c.h."

Kerry looked. "Cripes," she muttered. "Maybe they're not following us, Dar. We could just be a little paranoid."

True. Dar swerved, and the smell of coffee and hot dough hit her. She pulled Kerry into a shop they were pa.s.sing and went over to the counter. "Two johnnycakes and two coffees, please."

The man behind the counter handed both over readily, accepting Dar's cash and giving her change. Dar picked up one of the cakes and handed Kerry the other, then took her coffee. She strolled casually to the entrance and leaned against it, waiting.

Kerry eased up behind her.

At first there was only silence. Then abruptly, the two men pa.s.sed the shop, talking casually to each other and not giving Dar so much as a second glance.

Kerry released her held breath and took a bite of her cake.

"Mm," she murmured.

"Good call," Dar complimented quietly. "C'mon."

They eased out of the shop and continued up the stepped street. "This would be a great morning workout," Kerry*231 commented, almost dizzy with relief.

"Oh yeah," Dar agreed. She finished her cake and dusted off her fingers, then took a sip of the coffee. "Ugh. Gross." She stopped dead and looked for a garbage can.

"I was wondering when you'd realize you took it from there without any cream or sugar." Kerry smiled. "I figured we were going to toss the stuff in those guys' faces. I never dreamed you'd try to drink it."

"Yeah, yeah." Dar disposed of the offending beverage and resumed her climb. She was still uneasy, and the inn at the top of the hill seemed a very long way off. Three-quarters of the way up, she heard footsteps again. She glanced at Kerry, and they both looked around. Six men were coming up after them. They looked at each other. "Race ya," Kerry murmured, increasing her pace to a jog.

Dar followed suit and they powered up the steps. They heard the men behind them speed up as well. Twenty more steps to go and they'd be at the inn level. Ten, and they heard the men catching up. Five, and Dar could hear the heavy breathing. Then they topped the steps and were in front of the inn. Dar spotted Bud waiting in front of the door for them and she headed in his direction, Kerry sticking to her like a flea on a dog.

The steps behind them stopped. Dar slowed her pace and risked a glance behind her, only to see the men cl.u.s.tered at the top, apparently in an argument. Bud watched the two women curiously as they approached, c.o.c.king his head as they pulled up next to him.

Bud looked past them to the men. "What's up?"

"Tell you later," Dar said. "Let's go inside."

Bud was staring over her shoulder, his eyes narrowed. Dar turned to look, but the six men were melting back down the stairs and were out of sight a moment later. She glanced back at Bud.

"You know those guys?"

Bud looked at her.

"Let's go inside," Dar repeated.

CHEAPSIDE GUIDO WAS waiting as they entered the lobby.

He spotted Bud and nudged the big gorilla he had with him, then his eyes fell on Dar. A disagreeable smile crossed his face as Dar, Kerry, and Bud reached them. "Bring your girlfriends? You switched sides, there, Buddy?"

"You want your money? Then shut up," Bud replied gruffly. He indicated a small side room with a couple chairs in it.

"Oh, so now you're telling me to shut up?" Guido snorted.

"You little horse's a.s.s."

Dar was already very much on edge. Her temper was at the 232*

breaking point, and for a moment she felt all better sense leave her as she stalked toward the nasty, greasy man. She'd only taken two steps when she felt a hand gripping her shirt from the back, and then an even firmer grip on the back of her shorts.

"He's not worth it." Kerry spoke in an almost normal tone.

"You'll just get your hands dirty, and it'll take a week to wash off the stench."

Guido spun and looked at her, then tilted his head up and found Dar's set, angry face confronting him. He looked like he very much wanted to laugh, but a second look convinced him to just walk into the room behind Bud. "Figures you have girls protecting your pansy a.s.s."

Bud went stone-faced. "You got the papers?"

"You got the money?" Guido tossed back at him. Bud looked at Dar. Guido turned. "Oh, right. Well, chickie, I don't take no friggin'

Platinum cards."

Dar studied him, then she unhitched the pack from her back and set it on the small table in the room. "You're right," she said to Kerry. "Definitely not worth it." She pulled out several stacks of hundreds and tossed them at Guido. They hit him in the chest, and he grabbed at them. She pulled out three or four more stacks and chucked them as well.

"Hey!" Guido lost one and it bounced off the floor. "Cut that out, freak!"

Dar whipped the final two stacks at him. They hit him in the face. She turned her back on him and zipped up her bag, trying to let her raw nerves settle before she had to turn back around and continue the conversation. She heard the rustle as he captured the bound bills.

"Where's the papers?" Bud asked in a toneless voice.

"Hold on to your p.e.c.k.e.r. You should be usta that," Guido muttered. "I gotta count this."

Dar turned and sat down in the nearest chair, her knees finally giving out as the adrenaline stopped pumping. Kerry settled on the arm of the chair and Dar curled a hand around Kerry's knee, the touch soothing her nerves. Guido had given his muscle man most of the stacks, and he was laboriously counting one. The thug was watching Dar with a dour glare.

Bud sat down in one of the other chairs, mostly focusing his gaze on the floor.

Kerry put a hand on Dar's neck, her fingers working gently at the rigid muscles. She could almost feel the vibrating tension in her partner, and though she completely understood Dar's silent rage, she'd been called worse by far better than that little greasy punk.

"If you're going to have to take your shoes off for that, let me know so I can get the window open," she remarked casually.*233 Guido looked up at her. "Shut up."

"Why?" Kerry asked. "I've talked to animals since I was a kid.

Most of them were better looking than you, though."

"You looking to get hurt, chickie?"

Kerry smiled charmingly at him. "The both of you together aren't a quarter of the man it would take to do that."

Dar chuckled and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"You got a big mouth," the thug told Kerry.

"That's all right. You've got a pea brain," Kerry responded.

"And I can always shut up."

"Huh?"

"All right." Guido finished counting one stack. He took another and pressed it down with his thumb and forefinger, matching it against the one in his hand. They were exactly even. He repeated the process with the rest of the stacks, then handed the money back to the thug. "Sucker girlie. What'd he promise you for this? Don't tell me a good time." Guido pulled a wad of papers out of his back pocket and threw them at Bud. "You got real lucky, f.a.g. One more week and we'd have torched that s.h.i.thole."

"Guess I did," Bud answered softly.

"Not nearly as lucky as you did," Dar remarked flatly, giving Guido a level, cold stare.

Guido snorted. "Lousy doing business with you. Don't call again." He stuffed the cash into a plastic bag the lackey had in his pocket and motioned him to leave. They walked out without looking back, heading for the front door to the hotel.

Dar slowly let a breath out. "That sucked," she enunciated with precision.

"Mm. Glad it's over," Kerry agreed, moving her hands around to give Dar's shoulders some serious attention. "Makes me wish we'd had them embed dye packets in the bills."

Bud glanced at her. "You're pretty d.a.m.n funny."

Kerry grinned back. "I'm really, really glad we could do this for you," she told Bud honestly. "No one should have to deal with a.s.sholes like that." She felt Dar's muscles unlock under her hands.

Bud looked down at the papers again, slowly shaking his head at them. "It was a hard choice to have to make," he admitted. "I hate taking help from anyone."

"Yeah." Dar spoke up at last. "I know the feeling." She stretched out her legs and slumped in the chair. "I can't do it either," she said. "Ask for help, I mean."

Bud glanced at her, then looked at Kerry, who was still industriously kneading. "Right."

Dar caught the look. "She doesn't count," she said. "Besides, she doesn't wait to be asked."

Kerry leaned over and gave Dar a kiss on the top of her head.

234*

"Okay," she said. "Now that's over."

Bud shifted, giving her a wary look.

"Talk to me about pirates," Dar said. "At the bank, I spotted the guy running the pirate boat that tried to board us. He was making a deposit."

Bud chewed his lower lip. "Can we talk upstairs?" he finally said. "Charlie's supposed to call any time."

Upstairs sounded good. Dar felt exhausted. A pot of strong coffee and a nice milkshake were really what she wanted, and she figured room service could probably take care of that for her.

"Sure." She got up, glancing at Kerry when Kerry took the backpack. "Hey."

"It's okay, honey." Kerry gave her a kiss on the shoulder. "I can handle it, really."

Kerry was, Dar realized, handling the entire thing a lot better than she was. She thought about that as they walked up the short flight of stairs to their room. Was she letting the stress get the better of her? Was she too much out of her element? Better get your d.a.m.n head on straight and stop reacting to everything. What the h.e.l.l is wrong with you, Dar?

"Hey, Dar?" Kerry glanced back. "Are you going to try calling Wharton?"