Page 45 of Killer Body

“They have a shuttle here, don’t they? Besides, I can always walk.”

His face seemed to go masklike. She, who prided herself on her ability to read people’s moods, tried to slip into his thoughts and ran into a wall.

“Don’t walk, not even six blocks.”

“Why not? Why shouldn’t I?”

He looked away from her, then back, into her eyes. “We’ve had calls at the hotel. I didn’t think anything about them until I met you.” Then, her money still clutched in his fingers, he seemed to snap to attention. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? You tell me I should be concerned about walking six blocks, and you won’t tell me why?”

His eyes became shadows, his posture even stiffer than before. “I can’t tell you that, but I can be here when you’re ready to go back. Just give me a call. You’re a nice lady. I’m happy to do it.”

“I want to know about the calls,” she said, feeling that thread that ran through her bloodline pull her up to her highest stance. “Perhaps I should speak to your supervisor?”

“All right.” He shoved the money into his pocket. “We’ve had phone calls asking when you were arriving and what room you were in. Of course, the front desk knows better than to give out that kind of information. One desk clerk said she was offered a bribe to tell. I’m just worried that she might not be the only one.”

“The press.” Probably the reporter, that damned Rikki Fitzpatrick. She was trying to track her down again. That was fine. She’d had tougher interviews. And if it wasn’t the reporter? But it must be.

“I appreciate your telling me,” she said.

“Just be careful. There are a lot of nuts out there.”

She watched him return to the car, wondering if he was telling her the truth, or if he was one of those nuts he was talking about. Or both.

Lucas

“Jesse McArthur is meeting Princess Gabby in the cocktail lounge of his hotel.”

Bobby Warren’s voice sputtered through the phone. “How do you know?”

“First, Jesse called Ellen to find out where she was staying. Less than an hour later, the princess called. Just said she felt we should be aware, under the circumstances. There’s no reason she shouldn’t meet with him, I guess. She said she just wanted us to know in case it came up later on.”

“Where’s Shelly?”

“In their room, probably. Princess Gabby said he was meeting her alone.”

“Youguess,Luke?”

“Rochelle’s in the room.” Damn, the old man could be a pain in the ass. “Why does it matter where she is?”

“I just want to be sure she’s okay.”

“I’ve got the room number,” he said.

“I never call a lady friend unless she asks me to.”

Lucas sighed and looked outside at the falling gray evening. “Call her, Bobby. You know she’d love to hear from you. How many women get a call from Bobby Warren on a Thursday night?”

He could hear the self-satisfied chuckle under the reed-like voice. “I might just do that. How are you coming with the reporter?”

“She’s exemplary,” he said. “I can’t find out anything to indicate why she’d be out to cause trouble for us.” He stared out into the dusky light, trying to decide if he should share his suspicions, that he felt Rikki had other motives. No, Bobby didn’t need intuition right now. “She got an award last year for a series on bulimia, so she may have an ax to grind. I’m still looking into it.”

“And you’re attracted to her, maybe?”

“My loyalty is to you.” He spit out the answer before he could think. “If you don’t know that by now, there’s no way I could convince you.”

“I know that.” A sigh, maybe just a labored breath. “You’re like my own son. You know that, too.”