"You think she's pretty?" Liane asked sharply, following his gaze. "She's much too thin. Take those clothes off her and she would be all skin and bones."

"You think so?" Beau drawled, his gaze traveling over the woman standing by the bar. She was a little over average height and dressed in jeans faded by many washings to a pale white-blue. The loose man's shirt she wore was a blue of a slightly darker shade, its tails veiling the curve of her hips. She was no longer looking at him but at a table in the opposite corner of the room and there was a curious tenseness about her stance. "You can't really tell in that loose shirt and jeans. Do you know who she is?"

Liane shrugged. "Kate something or other. I have seen her in here a few times." She leaned forward, revealing a bounty of lush cleavage. "She is not nearly as popular as me and she would have to take you somewhere else. I am the only one Hector will let use his back room."

"I'm sure you've earned his generosity," he said, removing her hand from his thigh. Suddenly her curves seemed a trifle overblown and her attractiveness a little too common for his taste.

The woman called Kate was walking toward the corner table now and she moved with a free graceful stride that was very pleasing. Her short curly hair, sun-tipped here and there to pale gold, was an acorn brown and as baby soft and silky clean as In a shampoo commercial. Her skin appeared that soft, too, he mused, lifting a glass of ginger ale to his lips. He suddenly felt an urgent desire to touch that skin.

"You will go with me, then?" Liane asked with a sultry smile.

"What?" he asked. He set his glass down and rose to his feet. "Perhaps another time." He placed a large bill on the table and strolled in the same direction as the blue-eyed, winsome Kate.

That silky-soft skin was too appealing to pass up and he could visualize how delicious she would be with those boyish clothes removed. Thin, perhaps, as Liane claimed, but there was a pert femininity to that little derriere that was very tempting. And he'd never been one to resist temptation when it beckoned so seductively.

The only problem was the lady seemed to have a target in mind. The table she halted at was occupied by two dark-haired men. There was a half-empty bourbon bottle before them; one of the men had passed out. At least he wouldn't be any competition for Kate's favors, Beau thought. It was the one with the little pig eyes who was looking up at her with a grin on his dark bearded face that he'd have to remove from the scene. Money? If not, he might have a more interesting evening that he'd planned. There was suddenly a touch of recklessness in Beau's smile as he quickened his steps. He had a hunch that a night with silky-skinned Kate might be worth a little minor mayhem.

She was saying something to the bearded man now and the man's hand was reaching out and casually fondling her buttocks. She appeared to be paying no attention to the intimacy but Beau found he was experiencing a curiously possessive resentment. He shrugged it off impatiently. For heaven's sake, all he had in mind was a one-night stand with an accommodating bar girl. What the hell was the matter with him?

However, there was still a lingering edge to that possessiveness as he stopped beside the table. The woman broke off in midsentence and those startling blue eyes widened in surprise as she glanced up at him.

He sketched a mocking little bow. "Sorry to disturb you in the middle of negotiations. I just didn't want you to get too far along before I could enter my own invitation, or should I say, bid."

"Buzz off," the bearded man snapped out. He straightened slowly in his chair. "The lady and I are just reaching an understanding."

"But that's because she hasn't heard my offer," Beau drawled, and looked at Kate, his gaze full of a smoldering promise. "I'm prepared to be more than generous. Come with me, Kate." His voice was coaxing. "You won't regret it."

She looked away, but not before he'd seen a glimmer of fear in her eyes that puzzled him. "Go away," she said jerkily. "Ralph is right, we're having a discussion."

The man called Ralph gave a low laugh of triumphant satisfaction, his hand once more moving in a caress on Kate's bottom. "You see, you're not wanted and I definitely am." He glanced up at her. "Aren't I, Kate?"

"That's right. How could you doubt it, Ralph? You've always told me how good we'd be for each other."

"We'd be better together," Beau said softly. "And I'll give you whatever you want. Tell me what you want and it's yours."

"Please." She moistened her lips nervously, then smiled down at Ralph.

God, she had a lovely smile. It lit up her entire face with such warmth that it made one forget she wasn't really beautiful. Beau found himself resenting the smile she was giving the other man more than he had that hand of his on her bottom. The reaction was just as crazy and totally irrational as all his other responses. He knew he should forget about her and go back to Liane. He was obviously going to have to fight both her and her chosen mark for the evening to obtain her services for himself. He also couldn't say much for her taste in men. The fellow had a distinctly shifty look in those little pig eyes. The eyes reminded him vaguely of someone. George. That was it. Good old greedy gut, Uncle George. He felt his antagonism swell with a sudden intensity that had nothing to do with logic. The Uncle Georges of the world managed to snatch quite enough for themselves without having it handed to them on a plate. There was no way he was going to let pig eyes here get his hands on anything he wanted. And he was beginning to want Kate more every second.

As the tense silence lengthened, Kate glanced furtively at the leather-banded watch on her wrist and then stared at Beau. "Please go," she ordered. "Now!"

"Not until you go with me."

The bearded man's hand dropped away from Kate's hip and he scowled menacingly. "I told you to-"

The lights flickered and Kate's face went tense with strain and exasperation. "Oh, damn!" She reached for the bourbon bottle in the middle of the table. "Triple damn!" She brought the bottle down forcefully on Ralph's head. "I told you to leave," she wailed at Beau as Ralph's eyes glazed over and he slumped forward, knocked unconscious by Kate's blow. "Why couldn't you do it, blast it?"

The lights went out and sudden darkness threw the patrons into an uproar. Their shouts muted the screech of hurriedly pushed back chairs and were followed by angry curses as they stumbled around.

"I'll remember next time how strongly you tend to reinforce your wishes," Beau said dryly. "You didn't have to get rid of him yourself, you know. I would have done it for you. Besides the fact that he was in our way, he reminded me very unpleasantly of Uncle George."

"Oh, be quiet," Kate muttered. "You almost ruined everything. I was trying to keep his guard down and you had him practically bristling."

Beau's eyes were becoming accustomed to the darkness now and he could see that Kate was moving around the table toward the gray-haired man who'd remained in blissful Alcoholic unconsciousness during the entire episode. What the devil was she up to now?

"Kate?"

The voice was strong and masculine and came from the direction of the door.

"Over here," Kate called. She was tugging at the gray-haired man's chair. "Straight forward and all the way to the back."

"May I help?" Beau asked politely.

"Just stay out of the way," Kate said crossly. "You've been enough bother. We don't have much time left." A huge hulking shadow appeared at her side.

"Kate?" It was the voice from the doorway, a trifle subdued now.

"I'm standing right beside him, Julio." Kate's tone was relieved. "I've taken care of Despard but someone is bound to find a flashlight soon. We've got to get Jeffrey out of here before Simmons comes barreling out of that back room."

"Don't worry. I'll have him out of here and safe in just a minute." Julio's soothing answer had a trace of a Spanish accent as he bent forward and lifted the smaller man onto his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "You go ahead and make sure there's no one in front of me."

"I'll run Interference," Beau offered. He was becoming more intrigued every moment. "Providing you're not plotting any dire fate for that inanimate object you're carrying. You're not planning on committing murder as well as assault, I hope?"

The enormous shadow that was Julio froze. "Who's that?"

"No one important," Kate answered impatiently. "He's no threat, Julio. Let's just get out of here."

"Yes, by all means," Beau agreed. "Before what's-his-name comes barreling out of that back room." He turned and started for the front entrance. "Follow me, Julio."

He didn't turn to see if he was being obeyed but moved lithely through the cursing, milling throng, thrusting people out of the way with ruthless efficiency until he came to the door that Julio had left open. As he went through it, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the giant close on his heels with his unwieldy burden. The streetlight on the corner cast a shadowy illumination over the man and Beau pursed his lips in a soundless whistle. Julio had to be six feet five at least and built like a tackle for the Rams.

"There's an alley about a block down," Kate said. "We can stay there until the coast is clear." She was turning left and leading the way. "Oh, hurry, Julio!"

Beau answered. "We're right behind you."

"Not you." She cast him an exasperated glance over her shoulder. "Go away!"

"I can't do that," Beau said lightly. "How do I know what you're planning on doing to our friend here? You might be thinking of throwing him off the dock and then I'd be an accomplice to murder." He shook his head. "No, I really think I'd better tag along and protect my interests."