“All right, then, young lady, it looks like you’re good to go,” said Dr. Shepherd, turning his toothy smile back to Eve. “Shall I tell Agent Franco to have your driver bring the car around?”

“Give us a minute,” said Jake softly.

Dr. Shepherd nodded, gave Eve a jaunty little half wave, half salute and went out.

As the door clicked shut, Jake said abruptly, “Here, let me help you on with that.” He took the collar from her and hefted it impatiently while she slid down off the table, then helped settle it into place around her neck, all the while frowning with that curious combination of edginess and melancholy she’d come to accept as normal for him.

There was no need for anyone to say anything, and she was glad for that. Speech would have felt awkward and artificial just then, and silence without the activity to fill it infinitely worse. But she knew without being told the moment it was time to turn and give him access to the Velcro fasteners at the sides of the collar, and he seemed to know without asking whether it was too tight or too loose, instead gauging its adjustment with fingers slipped between the collar and her neck while she tried without success to still her own pulse.

When the collar was in place she turned again to face him, and found that his hands were on her shoulders still, and those grave and speculative eyes so close to hers, she couldn’t focus on them both at once.

For her, the world seemed to stand still and the moment stretch and swell and take on a stature far beyond a casual leave-taking. Because, for her, at least, it wasn’t just a casual leave-taking. Suddenly she knew that something had happened in that tiny room, between the moment of Jake’s walking in and now, this moment, the moment of his going. Something had happened to her, something had changed, and she was not the same person she’d been when she’d entered this room. It’s what’s between us that’s changed. It’s what I feel… what I know.

“Thank you,” she murmured, searching his eyes.

He returned the look, measure for measure, then said with unexpected harshness, “Don’t take chances. Screw the bugs.”

“But I thought-”

He shook his head with controlled violence, started to say something, then stopped. He closed his eyes briefly and drew in a breath and then, giving her shoulders a little shake to emphasize each word, growled, “Just…don’t…get… caught-capish?”

“I won’t.” Her heart hammered against her breastbone.

For a moment longer she felt the scorching weight of his eyes, and then he was gone.

Alone in the silence, Eve heard a faint sound, and looking down, discovered that the audiocassette he’d given her was rattling in her shaking hands.

Chapter 10

Returning from that evening’s pizza run, Jake found his partner hunched over the recorder with one hand pressed to his earphones and a rapt expression on his face. He slid the pizza onto the narrow countertop and said, “What’s goin’ on?”

Birdie pushed back his chair and peeled off his earphones. “You gotta hear this.” He reached over to switch on the speaker.

“…sure that thing’s waterproof?”

Soft laughter…

“I sure hope so. Not that 1 intend to get in that deep. Ummm…this is far enough. Oooh, that feels good.”

“Yeah? Move over, baby… Oops-here’s your wine, complete with straw. Got it? Aaah, man. ”

“What the hell’s that swishing noise?” Jake asked. His skin was crawling and his heart rate had quickened to a brisk walk. “Where in the hell are they-the shower?”

Grinning in admiration, Birdie shook his head. “She bugged the Jacuzzi-you believe that? Nervy little rascal, isn’t she?”

“That’s one word,” Jake muttered.

“…wish you didn’t have to wear this thing.”

“Mmm…me, too.”

“Or this. What’re you wearing this for? Hey, come on, it’s just you and me, babe…”

“Sonny…” The voice carried an undercurrent of distress.

Jake realized he was making a growling sound low in his throat when his partner turned to give him a startled look. He muttered, “Bastard…” under his breath and shrugged off the look, but there wasn’t any way he could shrug off the images that were fogging up his mind: Purple shadows swirled with golden steam… a tropical soup of flowers and humidity and sweat permeated with the music of water in all its variations-a minute and subtle symphony. And Eve, languid and supine, her long, lush body rocking gently in the water’s undulations, a sheen of moisture on her cheeks and lips and brow…breasts just visible, firm and round beneath a frothy lace of bubbles…and Sonny’s hands-

“What the hell’s that noise?” Birdie asked.

“How should I know?” said Jake. “Shut up so I can listen.” But he made a mental note to stop grinding his teeth.

“…enough I’m not allowed to touch, now I can’t even look?”

“Sonny…it’s not like we’ve got any privacy. Not with Sergei and Ricky popping in all the time.” And she was laughing, a sound almost indistinguishable from the gurgle of the water.

“Aagh…I know, baby. I’m sorry about that. I’m not crazy about it, either, but you gotta understand, this isn’t like at home in Vegas. Security’s not in place yet. What, they bothering you? They get on your nerves, tell ‘em take a hike, okay? Yeah…just want you to be happy, babe, you know that. ”

“I know, Sonny… I want us both to be happy. ”

How could she say that with a straight face? Jake wondered. And sound so damn sincere? He didn’t know why she’d worried about being a good enough actor. Far as he could see, women were all natural-born actors.

“Sheesh…” Birdie was swearing under his breath.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear that? She sounds about as sincere as a used-car salesman. No way Cisneros is gonna buy that. No way.”

Jake coughed. “Guess guys hear what they want to hear.”

“Yeah.” Birdie sighed. “I hope so.”

“So, you saw the doc today? How’d that go? He say when you’re gonna be getting outa that neck thing?”

“Nuh-uh… but-oh! I almost forgot to tell you. The good news is, I’m going to be starting physical therapy. Three times a week. They’re setting it up so I don’t have to go to Savannah every time. I’m going to be having it at that health club downtown-the one next to the Hilton-what’s it called? The Body Shop? The therapist is going to meet me there. ”

“Yeah? So, what’s this…physical therapy supposed to do?”

“Oh, well…I’m not sure, really. I guess right now it’s mostly heat treatments, massage, whirlpool…stuff like that.”

“What the hell you gotta go to some… health club for? What’s wrong with the therapist comin’ right here?”

“Uh-oh,” said Jake. Birdie uttered an obscenity, sibillant and succinct.

“Sure, why not? Hell, we got the hot tub already, anything else you need, you just tell me what it is and you got it. No need you havin’ to go… Wha-at? So…what’s with this face?”

“Careful…” murmured Jake. “Don’t push it…don’t push it…”

“C‘mon…spit it out. I’m just tryin’ to make a nice suggestion, here.”

“I know you’re trying to help. But…dammit, did you ever stop to think maybe I might want to get away from this place once in a while? I’m not used to being cooped up, you know.”

“Hey, hey… Come on…”

“What’s she doing?” Birdie whispered. “Is she crying? That’s good…that’s good. Sounded like she really meant that.”

“I’m used to working, being around people! I mean-Jeez, I’m used to slogging through jungles, climbing around in ancient ruins, stuff like that. If I don’t have something to do I’m going to go stir-crazy!”

“Hey, baby, don’t do that. Don’t get upset. Okay? Look, you want to go somewhere, you just gotta tell me. If I’m not here, get the boys to take you. Here-come ‘ere, now-you okay? Is that better? That make you happy?”

Whatever her reply was, it got swallowed up in the music of the water, and then for a few minutes nobody said anything, while the tension in the van grew thick…then brittle. Jake and Birdie looked at each other. Birdie fiddled with the controls. Jake looked at the floor and counted silently, keeping time with the beating of his own heart and trying without success to block out the pictures in his mind. When the words came again he let out his breath in a low, slow hiss of relief.

“Reminds me…your sister called-what‘s’er name? Bella?”

“Mirabella? Really? What did she want?”

“Like she’s gonna chat with me? No-she said she wants to talk to you about Thanksgiving. How come you told her we’re not coming to her place for dinner?”

“Oh, God, Sonny, it’s just such a hassle-my family…”

“Come on, one minute you’re tellin’ me how you’re goin’ crazy bein’ all cooped up here-”

“Uh-oh,” said Birdie. Jake breathed a one-word prayer.

“…and now you’re tellin’ me you don’t want to go see your folks on Thanksgiving? What the hell’s this? You lyin’ to me?”

“Be careful,” Jake pleaded. “Be careful.”

“I was just trying to spare you-”

“What the hell you talkin’ about? Didn’t we have this conversation already? They’re your family. That makes ’em my family, too. You love somebody, you take the bad with the good.”

In a futile attempt to ease the tension, Birdie joked, “You got that right. You ever meet Margie’s brother Melvin?”

“Anyway, what could be so terrible about Thanksgiving dinner at your sister’s place? Where’s she live? Someplace up in Georgia, right? Hey-if you think the drive’s too much for you, we can take the plane-no problem. ”