Tropical Storm

Chapter Twenty-seven

“LOOK, I DON’T much care what he’s saying, that circuit isn’t going to be completed in ten days,” Dar pronounced for the sixth time. “Not even if I drive to Tampa personally and kick the telco crew in the butt, so forget it.”

“But, Dar,” the voice on the other end of the phone protested, “it’s been two months, they’re screaming!”

Dar exhaled. “It’s not our fault they got hit with a flood and it took out an entire CO, Brendan. We’re pushing telco as hard as we can, all right?” She glanced at her watch. Only eleven thirty? Damn, it feels like I’ve been here for eight hours already. “They had to rebuild from scratch. Listen, tell them it’s a good thing, they’ll get brand new lines.”

Brendan sighed. “All right, I’ll see if I can snow them with that. But do me a favor, and push a little harder, huh?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Dar promised, then disconnected and went back to her mail. “Damn, must be three hundred messages in here.” She went to the next one, a report from Mark about the mysterious packet the previous night.

“Someone scoping the place out, eh?” She examined the trace. “From an outside link, huh?” It was a request for information searching on specific strings, and as she scrolled through the dump, she stiffened.

“Well, well.” Her name and social security number. “Son of a bitch.” She picked up the phone and dialed Mark’s number, waiting as it rang and gave her his voice mail. “Mark, it’s Dar. I need to know where this came from.” She hung up, then put that aside and went to the next message.

The phone buzzed. “Yes?” A touch of impatience entered her voice.

“Dar, it’s Miss Mariana on numero uno,” Maria said over the intercom.

“She says urgent.”

The dark-haired woman felt a twinge in her gut. “Okay, I’ll take it.

Thanks.” She drummed her fingers a moment, then pressed the button. “Hi, Mariana, what’s up?”

“Dar, I need to speak with you.” The formality of the tone sent warning bells off in Dar’s head. “Now, please.”

Shit. “Mariana, I’m in the middle of a dozen fires here. What is it?” she objected warily.

“Please just come down here,” the Personnel VP stated quietly. “I need to show you something.”

Dar sighed inwardly. “All right, I’ll be right over.” She hung up, then stood and shrugged into her jacket, running a hand through her hair to order it. “I can just imagine what this is about,” she muttered softly as she headed 338 Melissa Good for the door.

Moments later, she was knocking lightly on the frame leading into Mariana’s spacious office, giving the woman a nod as she looked up. “As you requested.”

“Close the door,” Mariana said in a quiet, serious tone.

Dar did so, then walked across the carpet and sat down in the visitor’s chair across from her, pretending a casualness she really didn’t feel. “So, what’s up?”

“I got these delivered via courier.” The brunette tossed a manila envelope over to her.

Dar reached across the desk and lifted the envelope, opening the top and slipping out a stack of 8"x 10" photos. She glanced at the first one and started laughing. “Well, that was predictable.” She leafed through the others, then tossed the pile down in front of her friend. “And?”

Mariana leaned forward. “Dar.” She put a finger on the pictures. “What’s going on?”

Dar also leaned forward. “With what? Ten pictures of two people at Disney World?” She let a touch of incredulity show in her voice. “Is there a problem with that?”

“That’s not two people, Dar. That’s you and an employee of yours,”

Mariana stated quietly. “I need to tell you this is a very serious matter.”

The taller woman let out a snort. “ Get a grip, Mari. It’s not against company policy to have a couple hours off.” Her heart was beating so fast it was making her lightheaded. “What’s the big deal?”

“Dar.” Mariana stood and leaned on her hands. “What’s going on with you? Do you understand what these pictures look like?” She pulled the first one off the top and showed it to her. It was a nice shot, if somewhat fuzzy, of her and Kerry on Space Mountain. Her arms were wrapped snugly around the smaller woman’s body and both of them laughing.

“It looks like two people having a good time,” Dar answered calmly.

“Which is what it was. I’m not sure I like what you’re insinuating.” She stood, letting a little anger show. “Look, I know it’s going to disrupt the entire corporate structure, but it’s just possible there’s someone in my OrgID who actually doesn’t hate my guts. It’s odd, but there you have it. What’s the goddamned problem, Mari?” She realized going on the offensive was her only chance here.

“You’re telling me there’s nothing going on between you?” Mariana shot back. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“No.” Dar answered, her tone dropping dangerously. “There is most certainly something going on. It’s called friendship, Mariana. Or don’t you think I’m capable of that?” she snapped back. “You think every time I talk to someone I have to be sleeping with them, is that it?”

Mariana edged back a little, staring at her uncertainly. “Okay, okay, hold on, Dar.” She put her hands up. “I’m trying to protect you, and more importantly, protect Kerry. It’s my job, remember?” She looked away from the ice cold eyes glaring at her. “So…you’re friends, is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yes,” Dar replied. “I don’t hit it off with many people, Mari. You know Tropical Storm 339

that. I just got lucky. I can actually spend time with her and not want to strangle her to death. Is that a crime?” Despite her brave words to Kerry earlier, she was shaking inside. Dar knew they were both on the edge of professional disaster, her friendship with the HR VP notwithstanding.

“You spend time together,” the brunette clarified cautiously.

“Sure, been to dinner a few times. We go to the gym together. She’s a nice kid, and I like her a lot,” Dar responded.

The personnel director relaxed a little. “I’m sorry,” she said simply, her hazel eyes finding Dar’s and projecting regret. “Dar, you and I are friends, and I know how isolated you keep yourself. It’s just…” She touched the pictures.

“I got scared for you, okay?” She sighed. “There are people who will take any chance to go after you, and I don’t want to see that happen.”

Dar now relaxed a little and exhaled. “I know.” She shook her head. “You know where those came from?”

Mariana blinked at her. “Disney World, I thought…not sure. Was someone taking pictures of you while you were there?”

“They’re a bit of spiteful malice from Michelle Graver,” Dar responded with a humorless smile. “I wouldn’t sleep with her, so this is her way of replying.”

Mariana jerked back and let out a soft gasp. “You’re joking.”

“No,” Dar answered. “I had to practically throw her out of my car last night,” she said. “She was down for some tourist convention and hooked me into buying her dinner.” Her eyes watched Mari closely. “Figured it came with a roll in the sack, but I wasn’t playing her game. She got pissed.”

“What a little…” Mariana picked up the pictures and looked at them.

“Dar, that’s horrible.”

Dar got up and wandered over to the window, leaning her hands against the glass and peering out. “Yeah, I know.” She snorted softly. “Imagine, I finally develop a conscience, and what do I get for it?” she asked. “I get accused of sleeping with my staff.”

Mariana studied her back, then got up and joined her at the window, putting a hand on her arm. “That wasn’t what I…” She sighed, perplexed at the situation. “Dar, listen, in a strange way, I was halfway hoping it was true.”

Shocked blue eyes turned and gathered her in. “What?”

“I’ve known you for years, and it’s like I hardly know you, Dar. You only let us see tiny bits and pieces of who you are. And I’ve been very worried about you,” the shorter woman said quietly. “They put an enormous amount of pressure on you, and it bothered me a lot to know you really had no one to share that with. Beyond this stupid job, okay?”

Warily, Dar regarded her. “What are you saying?” She crossed her arms and leaned against the glass, the sun slanting in on both of them and bisecting the quiet office.

“Don’t get mad at me.” Mariana put a hand on her arm. “But I’ve seen a big difference in you the last month. And to be completely honest, I was hoping you’d found someone.” She glanced across her office, then met Dar’s eyes again. “Even if that someone was Kerry Stuart.”

Oh, damn it. I don’t want to lie to her. Mariana has been my friend for years, but this… Dar sighed. She didn’t want the personnel executive to have her own 340 Melissa Good crisis of conscience, pitting her liking of Dar against her duty to her job. She thought quickly. “I’d had a lot of things on my mind lately…” She chose her words carefully, “…not the least of which has been my health.”

It threw Mariana right off the scent, now her eyes widened in real concern.

“I told you about the headaches. Well, when they checked for that, they found something irregular in my heartbeat,” Dar told her. “I went in for some tests. And believe me, Mari, I was damned scared.”

“Oh my god.” Mariana moved a step closer. “What happened?”

Dar shook her head. “It came out all right. Somehow, I’m not really sure how myself, but it was a cloud that had been over me for a long time. I was damned relieved to be rid of it.” She glanced at the carpet and nudged a bit of the pile with her foot. “I guess that’s why I’ve been a little more relaxed lately.

That and being told I’d better take it easy or risk real problems with those headaches.”

“Dar, you should have told me. I could have…”

“What, arranged for crises to stop happening?” Dar asked mildly. “Those couple days in Orlando came at the right time. It really irks me that someone could take pictures of something so normal and make it seem like we were…”

Dar shook her head sadly. “Damn.” Also true. At the park, neither of them had even really begun to think about a romantic relationship.

Had they? Dar glanced at the top photo and sighed inwardly. How much was she fooling anyone other than herself?

“Dar, don’t worry about it,” Mariana replied soothingly. “I’ll shred them.”

Dar considered that, then let a faint smile cross her lips. “No, let me have them. I have a better idea.” You think you got me, huh, you little weeble? “Look, Mari, I’m sorry I yelled. You were absolutely right to call me on this. It could be hell for all of us if it got out of hand.”

Mariana patted her arm. “I could have approached it a little differently. I guess I was just so shocked. Well, not shocked, just…” She walked over, picked up the pictures, and leafed through them, then glanced at Dar, who was gazing out of the window. Her eyes dropped back to the picture on top, seeing the relaxed and happy look on the tall executive’s face as she hugged the blonde Kerry to her. “Anyway, to change the subject, I’m looking forward to dinner tonight. You did remember, right?”

Dar turned and nodded. “I did. And Kerry tells me she accepted your invitation also. It should be a good time.” She pushed off the glass and crossed to her friend, holding a hand out. “Gimme, I’m gonna have the damned things published on the internal web server. Ops monthly newsletter’s about due.”

“What?” Mariana blinked.

“I’ll make sure to e-mail Michelle a copy of the page.” Dar smiled acidly.

“Tch, Dar.” The Personnel VP bit back a grin. “I’ll send her a thank you note, how about that? On letterhead.”

Dar chuckled. “Hey, that’d be a nice touch.” She lifted a hand. “I’ve got a pile of emergencies on my desk. I’ll see you tonight, Mari.”

“Mmm, see you tonight, my friend.” She waved as Dar left, then sat, playing with a pencil in silence for a few minutes. When a soft knock came at Tropical Storm 341

the door, she called out, “Entrez-vous,” and was unsurprised when Duks slipped in. He padded over and perched on a corner of her desk.

“Well?” He raised a brow at her in inquiry.

“Well, I almost got my head handed to me, and I got some very plausible skating of the issue, but you know what, Dukky?”

“What?” He folded his arms across his chest.

They both burst into song. “There’s something there that wasn’t there before!”

The door swung open, and José put his head in. “Was that singing?”

Two solemn faces looked back at him. “What?” Duks asked, his brows rising.

“Singing?” Mariana studied him. “José, use your health benefits and get the ears checked, will you?” She shook her head disapprovingly. “Did you need something?”

The stocky Sales VP gave them an evil look. “My goddamn new regional sales manager, in fact. You going to make me wait until next year?” he complained. “Or do you have to be Dar Roberts to get anything done around here?”

“NO, PETER.” DAR rested one elbow on her desk and closed her eyes.

“I’m not going to release that. They’ll just have to wait.” She held the phone away from her ear as a yell of outrage came out of it. “One more like that and I’m hanging up,” she snapped into the phone. “I don’t have time for this crap.”

“You’re sabotaging me, goddamn it,” he answered in frustration.

“Don’t be stupid,” Dar replied. “Why would I do that? You do a great job of it all by yourself.”

“Bitch.” The phone disconnected and Dar exhaled, grinning wryly.

“Asshole,” she muttered, going back to her screen and plowing through yet another mail. The back door opened, and she glanced up to see Kerry enter, a brown bag in her hands. “Hey.”

The blonde woman came over, putting the bag down and leaning against the edge of the desk. “Hi.” She tugged the edge of her burgundy skirt up and folded her hands.

“What’s that?” Dar nudged the bag with her pen.

“Lunch,” Kerry replied readily. “I had to run out to the bank during mine, and I figured you’d still be buried in here, so…”

Dar poked at the bag again. “It’s not anything with alfalfa sprouts or anything, is it?” She glanced slyly at the smaller woman.

“Oh, yeah, right.” Kerry laughed. “As if. No, it’s a cheesesteak sandwich and spicy fries.” She peered at the screen. “Good grief, I thought I had a lot of mail. What’s all that?”

Dar was investigating her lunch and pulled out a fry, munching on it contentedly. “I’ve been letting things slide for a few days. It all caught up with me today, I guess. Oh yeah.” She pulled the manila folder from her inbox and handed it over. “Look what Mariana got today, from our friend Michelle.”

Kerry pulled the pictures out and sucked in a breath in surprise. “Holy 342 Melissa Good Christ!” she blurted in surprise. “Where in the… Oh.” She realized they must have been spotted by hidden cameras. “What a pig.”

Dar looked, chewing another fry. “No, that’s Donald Duck.” She pointed at the picture.

Kerry just looked at her. “Who got these?” she asked quietly.

“Mariana.” Dar replied. “I, um, got called on the carpet for them, more or less.”

“Hmmm. Well, it’s not like they’re anything big, or are they? I mean, Jesus, Dar…” Her voice trailed off. “Are we in trouble?”

We. Dar curled herself around the word, and remembered what Mari had said. “I don’t know,” she murmured. “She thinks there’s something going on.

I…I talked around it more than anything.” Her eyes lifted wryly. “We’re going to have to watch it tonight, though. She’s not easy to fool.”

“Oh.” Kerry considered that in thoughtful silence. “She’s a friend of yours, right?”

Dar nodded quietly. “Yes, she is.”

The smaller woman’s brow furrowed. “I think you’d feel better if you told her.” Kerry paused a moment. “Because I think she knows anyway, just from the way she was talking to me the other day.”

Dar chewed on a fry. “I think she does, too. I just hate putting her, or Duks, for that matter, into an uncomfortable situation. She’s the director of personnel, and this is part of her job. I don’t know, Kerry.”

“Mmm.” Kerry stole a fry. “Think about it, okay?” She changed the subject. “These are nice pictures. Can I keep one?”

Dar smiled and glanced at the pile. “Sure. I was going to give them to Betty to put in the division newsletter.”

Kerry selected the one of them together on the ride and gave her back the other ones. “I like this one.” She gazed at it. “I really wanted you to offer to go on that damn thing again.”

Dar laughed. “I almost did,” she admitted. “Hey, it’s supposed to be nice weather this weekend. You up for a little time on the water?”

Kerry glanced up at her with a delighted look. “Yes!” she agreed quickly.

“I have my first scuba class on Saturday morning. How about we head out after lunch?”

“Sounds good.” Dar nodded. “You’ll have all those snowbirds jealous of your nice tan, that’s for sure.” She put a hand out and gently rubbed Kerry’s knee. “I think I’m going to call Mariana and ask her to change the location for dinner…two nights in a row.”

Kerry sucked in a breath. “Jesus, I forgot you took her there. You have someplace else in mind?”

Dar shook her head, then punched the phone buttons. It rang twice, then Mariana answered. “Mari, listen, would you mind a change of venue tonight?”

She heard rustling and a soft mutter in the background that she couldn’t make out, then Mariana cleared her throat. “No, no. In fact, Dar, I was about to call you. There’s a new Thai restaurant in North Miami Duks has been dying to try.”

Green and blue eyes met. Kerry tapped her nose, then made a scrunched Tropical Storm 343

up face and poked her teeth out, sniffing. “I smell a rat,” she mouthed.

Dar bit back a chuckle. “Sure, but Mari, I didn’t know you liked that stuff,” she agreed warily, her thumb still absently caressing Kerry’s skin.

“Life’s short, Dar. Always time to try something new. Besides, Duks swears by the stuff, and he’s promised me the chicken is really just chicken.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Dar relaxed with a pleased expression. “I happen to like Thai.”

“Oh, I guess I’d better ask Kerry. She might not…” Mari sighed.

“No, she does.” Dar answered without thinking, then slapped her head and rolled her eyes as Kerry covered her mouth with a hasty hand. “Jesus, she got me,” she whispered soundlessly. “We were talking about it the other day,”

she added towards the phone.

Kerry bent over in laughter and leaned against the desk.

“Oh. Well, that’s great,” Mariana said smugly. “It’ll just be the four of us.

It’s down near US 1, Dar, just before the tracks.” A pause. “You’ll let Kerry know, then?”

Dar sighed and covered her eyes, not quite able to believe Mariana had snagged her quite so easily. “Sure, I’ll let her know,” she agreed wryly, eyeing the now-composed blonde, whose sparkling green eyes were gazing merrily at her. “See you.” She disconnected and lifted her hands, letting them drop in disgust. “God damn it.”

Kerry glanced at the door, then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” she told her with a smile.

Dar’s brows shot up. “I am not flustered!” she objected, straightening her cuffs and brushing her sleeve off. “I’m just…um…”

The light tap warned them, and Kerry slipped around to the front of the desk, hastily settling in one of Dar’s visitor’s chairs. Maria poked her head in and spotted them.

“Ah, there you are, Kerrisita.” The secretary entered and walked across the carpet. “Dios mío! Dar, what is that?”

The executive paused in mid-bite, enjoying her sandwich. “Lunch. What does it look like, José’s new account manager?” she retorted, taking a mouthful and chewing it.

“Tcha, that is so bad for you,” Maria scolded. “Kerrisita, you set her a better example, no?”

Kerry rubbed her brow. “Actually, I got it for her,” she admitted sheepishly. “Miami Subs really doesn’t have much in the way of healthy stuff, Maria.” She paused. “Only some Greek roll-up things.”

Dar stuck out her tongue, then went back to the screen. “Maria, what is all this junk in my inbox?”

“Ay, that’s what I’m here talking to you about.” The older woman wrung her hands. “Is Mark, he started up some…what he called it, mailing list,” she said. “Let me go get some of the papers.” She hurried out, closing the door behind her.

Dar clicked with one hand while handling her sandwich with the other.

“Oh, okay, that’s why the damn thing’s subjects range from TCP/IP to a…”

She peered at the screen incredulously. “A recipe for vodka jello eggs.” She glanced up, then punched the phone.

344 Melissa Good

“Yeah?” Mark’s voice sounded, as always preoccupied.

“Get me the hell off this damn list,” Dar growled. “Or I’m going to altroute every single message into an infinite loop and dump them in your voice mail.”

Dead silence. “Uh.” Mark cleared his throat. “Can you do that?”

“Yes,” Dar answered in a silken voice. “I can even make it page you twice for each damned message.”

“You’re off,” Mark squeaked. “Wasn’t on purpose, I’m just testing this new listing software that’s part of our web server. Honest.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, sorry I have to miss out on tonight, but I promised Barbara to take her on one of those Sea Escape things.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll catch you next time,” Dar told him. “Any luck on that trace?”

A moment’s silence, and the sound of the keyboard rattling. “Came in via the intranet through a link with the backbone routers in Chicago. Looks like someone hooked in via one of the milnet hubs. I’m sending a query out after it,” the MIS chief muttered. “Did you see the instruction set in that thing? I hex dumped it for you, that’s your shit in there, Dar!”

“I know,” the executive replied quietly. “I was poking around in it last night.”

A pause. “Yeah, I saw you logged in,” Mark replied. “Your incoming IP

looked a little strange, it’s not one of the dial-in lines you usually come in on.”

Dar wagged a finger silently at the phone. “The cellular connection was acting up, I had to use a land line,” she commented. “Listen, can you trace that packet or not?”

“I’m working on it,” Mark assured her. “Later, Dar.”

Dar slapped the button and frowned at the phone. “I think he’s curious about us.”

Kerry fiddled with her watch band. “I think he knows, too,” she admitted. “Or at least, I think he suspects, because he was asking me if I liked your condo.”

Dar’s eyebrows lifted. “Well, he knows you took me home,” Dar said.

“He’s not supposed to know I’m familiar with your waterbed, and that’s what he was asking about.”

“Oh.” Dar produced a brief grin. “Yeah, he said something about you logging in from my machine that next morning,” she admitted. “Guess he saw me come in from your place last night.” She sighed. “Nerds. Can’t hide anything from us, can you?”

“Mmm.” Kerry frowned. “Is that a problem?”

Surprisingly, Dar shook her head immediately. “No problem there,” she responded. “I know all his skeletons. He’s just curious about mine.”

“Ah.”

Maria re-entered the room and walked over to Dar’s desk. “See?” She handed her boss the papers. “It is jokes, yes? I hope so.”

Dar peered at the sheets. “I took care of it.” She set the papers down.

“Sorry about that, Maria.”

“Hmm.” Kerry stood up and brushed off her skirt. “Well, I’ve got a conference all in five minutes, I’m going to go grab some tea.” She left, using Tropical Storm 345

the front door to Dar’s office and closing it behind her.

Dar resumed chewing. “Did we get those contracts?” she asked Maria, glancing up at her.

“You know, Dar, Kerry is such a lovely person.” Maria smiled at her.

“You were so lucky to have found her.”

Dar’s jaws stopped, and she considered the statement for a moment.

“Well, I think so,” she finally answered cautiously. “I’m glad you like her.”

Maria reached over and patted her hand, then smiled, and made an impish face before she turned and walked out.

Dar just stared after her in befuddlement. “What in the hell?” she asked the empty room.

“YOU READY?” DAR waited, leaning against the side of her car as Kerry brushed her hair. The last fading rays of sun caught her through the glass of her windshield, and Dar found herself smiling at the image. They were outside the restaurant, in a small and crowded parking lot that boded well for the quality of the restaurant.

Kerry glanced into the rearview mirror a final time, flicking her hair into place, then she got out and brushed her shirt off. “I look okay?” she asked, giving her boss an inquiring look.

“Very much so,” Dar assured her. Kerry was wearing a pair of very dark, neatly pressed jeans and an aqua polo shirt under a snugly fitting white sweatshirt with its sleeves pushed halfway up. “So, you ready?”

Kerry exhaled and studied her companion, who had changed into a pair of tan Dockers and a red tank top, with her leather jacket thrown over her shoulders. “Yep. Let’s go run the gauntlet.” She tugged at Dar’s zipper. “You look nice.”

The taller woman smiled and patted her side. “So do you, c’mon.” She followed Kerry as they sauntered across the parking lot. “I like that sweatshirt.” She admired the tiny, embroidered birds that danced across the front and scampered down the sleeves.

Kerry straightened a little and smiled as they stepped up onto the deck which held the restaurant. She spotted Mariana and Duks leaning against the railing and cleared her throat. “Okay, here we go. I hope we can pull this off.”

Dar snorted. “No problem. Just relax, we’ll be fine.”

“Dar?” Kerry murmured softly.

“Hmm?” The dark-haired woman leaned a bit closer.

“You might want to take your hand off my back.”

“Right.” Dar took the disobedient hand and waved at Mariana and Duks as they came closer. “I was just making sure you didn’t fall off the steps.”

“Well, hello, you two.” Mariana smiled at them. The Personnel VP was wearing a pair of slacks and a sweater, and Duks had changed into a dark blue sweatshirt and black chinos. “It smells great out here, let’s go in.”

Dar gave them both a brief nod, then followed them inside, taking in the typical gold, red and black décor that oriental restaurants seemed to regard as almost a livery. The room was large, with a few scattered, small tables in the center, and a raised platform all the way around the walls which featured low 346 Melissa Good tables and pillows. Lots and lots of pillows. And no chairs.

They were led to a table area in the back by a smiling, bobbing waiter, who indicated they were to take their shoes off and make themselves comfortable. The table had padded backrests to sit against, and piles of soft, silk-covered pillows that lined the pit like enclosure.

“Isn’t this cute?” Mariana mused. “I’ve never eaten in a place like this before.”

They sat down, one on each side of the table, and settled into the cushions. Dar found it surprisingly relaxing. She spread her arms out on the cushions, and gazed back. “So, hell of a day, huh?”

Duks looked up from his menu and cracked a sardonic grin. He had a powerfully built face, with a square jaw and a thick neck that disappeared into heavy shoulders that betrayed a youth spent doing something other than running a calculator. “If I believed in Hell, I’d agree with you.”

Kerry leaned forward, curiously. “Are you an atheist, Mr. Draefus?”

He turned his grin on her. “Duks, please, Kerry. And yes, I am.” He selected what he wanted, then put the menu down. “I find it makes my life so much simpler.”

“Simpler? How?” Kerry inquired. “I would think having to find explanations for everything would make it more complicated. It’s so easy just to say ‘because God said so.’ ”

“Yes, isn’t it?” Duks agreed softly. “Simpler because I have no expectations. I have nothing to live up to, nothing to spend my life striving for, because at the end, it’s just…the end,” he told her. “You stop and feed the worms. And so life becomes more precious, and you enjoy it more, knowing it’s the only chance you’ll get.”

Kerry cupped her chin in her hand. “You don’t believe in souls, then, right?’

A smile. “No. I think what we have in here…” He thumped his chest.

“…is blood and muscles, and nothing more.” A pause. “Do you believe in a god, Kerry?”

“Yes, I do. In that I believe there’s a higher power who directs things in our lives, and I think we all have an immortal soul,” Kerry answered seriously. “And that soul continues from life to life.”

“Ah, not a conventional Christian, I see,” Mariana murmured, fascinated.

“I had an orthodox Catholic upbringing…and it stuck, along with all the glorious pageantry and mysticism that goes with it. I still shiver during the Mass.” She glanced at Duks. “We have a long-standing argument over that.

He thinks I’d get over it if I’d just go and see a good opera.” Kerry let out a surprised laugh.

“What about you, my friend?” Duks turned to the silently watching Dar.

“I don’t think we’ve ever discussed the big R. And I don’t recall you ever saying you’d been in church, so…”

Pale blue eyes flicked over their faces, then Dar shrugged a little. “My mother is a pagan.” She smiled wryly at the surprised looks. “My father was as much of a Southern Baptist as you can get and not be a snake handler.” She regarded the table for a moment. “We didn’t have anything organized when I was growing up, I just knew they both believed in something, not necessarily Tropical Storm 347

the same something, but something.”

“What a mix!” Mariana said in a surprised voice.

“True, I picked up on that. I believe in something, but I never got around to defining what that something was,” Dar finished. “So I celebrate what I want, when I want.”

The waiter came back, and they ordered, with Mariana getting conflicting advice from Dar and Duks. “Shush,” she finally said, then turned to Kerry in appeal. “Which is it?”

The blonde woman laughed a bit. “The massaman is a sweet curry, with meat and potatoes in it. Then you have the green curry which is very sharp.

Finally, the red curry is milder and usually has coconut milk in it.”

“Ah, so you’re an expert.” The Personnel VP gave her an approving nod.

Kerry just grinned and watched as they completed the order. Then she half turned her head to glance at Dar and blinked at the suddenly frozen expression on her companion’s face. Her eyes flicked to where Dar was looking, and she spotted a tall, willowy brunette in an impeccably cut suit entering with two other women. When she looked back at Dar, the dark-haired woman’s face was carefully controlled, but she could see the faint bunching of her jaw muscles and she leaned over. “Dar?”

Ice blue eyes pinned her, then gentled. “Remember when I told you it would be unlikely for you to meet certain people?” the taller woman commented with forced casualness.

What? Oh, her former lovers. Right. “Yes.” Kerry darted a glance to Duks and Mariana, who were busy with the waiter.

“I should have kept my mouth shut,” Dar replied softly. “Jinx.”

Kerry’s eyes flicked away, then back. “Oh.” She slid a hand around the edge of the low table and patted Dar’s ankle. “Let me go get my boots.”

That got a smile from Dar, who leaned her forearms on the table and considered her options. Given where she was seated, and where Elana was going to sit, there was no way in Hell the bitch couldn’t just look over and see her. Sure enough, after glancing at the menu, Elana looked up right at her.

Dar half turned her head as though she was listening to Duks and Mari bicker, and watched as a slow, malicious smirk made its way across the aristocratic face. Damn. She reached over and touched Duk’s arm. “We’re going to have a nasty scene here in a minute,” she advised him in a low tone, letting her eyes move across the room and back.

Duks glanced up, then bit his lip. “Aw, crap.”

Mari also looked. “Well, well. Think she’s got enough makeup on? She looks like Tammy Faye Baker.” Her voice was sharp, though, and held little humor. “You know, there aren’t many people that I can say I totally enjoyed processing termination papers on, but by god, she’s one of them.”

Elana crossed the floor, zeroing in on them with hazel eyes that kept steady on Dar’s face. “Look what we have here. Hello, Lou, Mariana.” A pause and a faint smile. “Dar.” Her eyes went to Kerry. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you.”

Dar let her wait a moment, then leaned back, circling one knee with both arms. “Hello, Elana, haven’t seen you in a while. Been out of town?”

“No, I just don’t get outside much.” The slim woman smirked. “We just 348 Melissa Good took over another two hospitals, neither of them your accounts, unfortunately.”

“I’d heard you got those. You might want to be careful, though,” Dar commented. “Word has it they just changed vendors because they’re going bankrupt, and you’ll give them a 120-day grace on the billing. IBM was about to cut them off.”

“Don’t bother with that, Dar.” Elana laughed. “Your tricks don’t work with me, remember?”

Dar shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Her eyes wandered. “So what have you been doing with yourself? Same old, same old?” She chuckled. “I love telling people about you at cocktail parties. It makes a great story, by the way.” She smiled sweetly. “And who is this?” Her eyes went to Kerry.

“Kerry Stuart.” The blonde woman extended a friendly hand. “I work for Dar.”

“I bet you do, honey.” Elana laughed. “You must be new around here.”

“Oh, I am,” Kerry replied, focusing sharp, green eyes on her. “New to the area, too. Say, Dar, is that one of those palmetto bugs you keep describing to me? Oh my god, they’re ugly.” She let her eyes widen and fasten on Elana’s shoulder.

The woman jumped. “Where?” She caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye and slapped at it, then screamed. “Oh my god!” She stumbled backwards, hands flailing at her head in panic. “Oh, help, get it off!”

Kerry jumped to her feet and ran to help, colliding with a rushing waiter just as she reached the frantic woman. The tray he was carrying launched itself up into the air and came down, splattering the floor, the tables, and Elana with a conglomeration of food.

“Oh shit!” Elana slipped in the mess and collapsed, still pawing at her hair. “Oh god, is it gone?” She glanced around at the avidly watching restaurant patrons, who were starting to laugh. Her face reddened, and a blob of curried sauce ran down her cheek.

Kerry stepped forward and crouched, getting to eye level with the woman and catching her attention. “You’re lucky I didn’t have time to go change into my boots.” She handed the woman a napkin. “Have a nice day.”

Then she stood up and walked back over to the table, careful not to slip in the piles of noodles and sauce that dotted the floor.

Dar’s blue eyes captured her as she came closer, and she walked the last few steps gazing into them, lucky she didn’t end up plowing right into the table. She settled herself in her place, as the crowd continued its laughter and picked up her napkin again as she looked up at the faces watching her. “Okay, so it was her epaulet. It was brown, I’m from Michigan, how was I supposed to know?”

It broke them all up, and Dar ended up gasping for breath, holding onto the table for dear life as she reached out and circled Kerry’s wrist, squeezing it. “That was priceless.”

“Bitch,” Kerry muttered under her breath, her still-angry green eyes glaring at the sodden mess on the floor, now being helped up by her two friends. “I’ll give her a cocktail party story all right, I’ll send out a mail to Tropical Storm 349

Users All so that whenever anyone sees her from now on they’ll do this.” She waggled her fingers near her head like a pair of antennae. Then she realized what she was saying, and how it must sound to the watching Duks and Mari, and she bit her lip, glancing at Dar in apologetic appeal. The taller woman’s face was an interesting study, a cross between chagrin, amusement, and embarrassment, with a good strong dose of warm affection thrown in. A wry smile crossed her face and she let out a tiny chuckle. “I just blew it, didn’t I?”

Kerry murmured.

Dar couldn’t help it, the look of dismay on Kerry’s face was so comical, she had to laugh. “Yeah, I think you did,” she admitted, exhaling, and looking over at Mariana to meet expectant, knowing hazel eyes. “Looks like you’ve got a personnel issue on your hands, Mari.” She kept her voice even and managed, somehow, not to blush. “Sorry.”

“Are you?” Mari asked with a wry expression. “I’m not. That was hilarious.”

Kerry sat there, unsure of what to say or do. She watched Dar’s face, the angular planes shifting with barely veiled emotion. Had they fooled Mariana, even for a second?

“Sorry I didn’t level with you earlier today,” Dar conceded. “I didn’t want you to get in the middle of this.”

“I see,” the shorter woman commented quietly. “Fortunately, I’m off the clock,” she added, with a gentle smile. “I meant what I said today, Dar.” She met her friend’s eyes squarely. “It really doesn’t matter if it’s an issue for me.”

Kerry cleared her throat gently. “I know it’s not exactly…um…”

Mari leaned over and touched her hand. “Kerry, those rules, they’re there to protect you. Not so much Dar,” she said. “It’s too easy to use power over our employees to make them do things…that they wouldn’t otherwise.”

“That is not what happened,” Kerry’s voice sharpened. “Dar didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do.”

“No.” The HR VP smiled. “I understand that.” Her eyes shifted to the quietly watching Dar. “Despite her somewhat outrageous reputation, that’s not her style.”

Dar smiled briefly.

“People will talk,” Duks said, twiddling his thumbs. “It could make things difficult, you know.”

“I know,” Dar spoke up suddenly. “I don’t give a damn. I spend most of my time saving people’s asses, so they can just kiss mine if they want to talk about me.”

After that, a little silence fell over the table. Before it could get really uncomfortable, Kerry turned and looked at Dar. “I don’t think I want people kissing your ass,” she said in a very serious tone. Both Duks and Mari started chuckling. “Way not cool.” Dar blinked, then managed an embarrassed grin.

Mari nodded quietly to herself. “Well, officially what happens off-hours is none of anyone’s business.” She patted Duks’ hand with an impish grin.

“Isn’t that right?”

Duks chuckled and blushed a little. “That is so.” He glanced at Dar and Kerry. “And, my friend, you did not fool us for a moment, you understand.”

Dar sighed. “I don’t think I fooled Maria either.”

350 Melissa Good The HR VP snickered. “I do wish I’d gotten pictures of that rampaging hormone-induced witch on wheels, though.” Mari sighed regretfully.

“Wouldn’t I love to put that shot in the next company newsletter.”

Duks cleared his throat and held up a tiny digital camera, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. “And what would you be willing to pay for that, madam?”

They all laughed, and Mariana let a sigh of relief trickle out of her lungs.

She peered over at Dar, who was studying the tablecloth with a quiet expression, then she let her eyes flick over to Kerry.

Caught unguarded, Kerry had her attention focused on Dar, a gently affectionate look on her face as she regarded her companion’s profile. This was not another Elana, Mari realized with relief. Dar was more vulnerable than anyone realized, and she was one of the few who knew that, but maybe this time it would be different. Kerry felt herself being watched and returned the gaze, her shoulders moving as she took in a deep breath. Mariana let a reassuring smile cross her face as she returned the look. “Kerry, that really was absolutely brilliant. Congratulations.” She tacitly changed the subject. “A palmetto bug? Too funny.”

A shy smile. “It wasn’t planned, it just sort of happened,” she admitted.

“I got so mad it was either that or hit her. And I don’t think that would have been a good idea.”

“Probably not,” Dar finally said, adjusting herself to the situation. Aw, Hell. Mariana knew anyway, and her statement that she was off duty means she’s not going to do anything about it. As long as Kerry and I keep it out of the office. Okay, fine, I’ve been rehearsing a speech to the personnel director anyway. And besides, seeing Elana with pickled squid hanging over her ear was worth every single minute of it.

“Dar, was that true about IBM?” Duks drew attention away from her gracefully. “About the hospitals?”

Dar nodded. “Yep, it sure was. I was talking to one of their account reps, who was telling me it was a good thing we did a no-bid on them.” She glanced up as their appetizers arrived, suddenly finding herself starving. “Sorry about that accident before,” she told the waiter.

“No problem, no problem, lady always comes in, cause fuss, no tip,” the waiter confided. “Worth spoiled fish.” He put a plate down before Kerry, containing a beautiful piece of fried wonton skin shaped into a swan. The swan’s body held a delicious-smelling mixture of chicken, peanuts and spices.

“Chef make special for you.”

Kerry looked up at him and smiled, a blush coloring her face. “Thank you.” She tasted it, then grinned. “This is really good.”

Dar sniffed at interestedly. “Looks like it.”

“Uh uh.” Kerry cupped her hand around the swan teasingly. “Mine.”

Dar raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say I wanted any,” she retorted, returning her attention to her plate.

A moment’s silence, then blue and green eyes looked up at the same time and met, and they both started laughing.

“This is so cute, it makes me want to sing,” Duks announced, swallowing a mouthful.

Tropical Storm 351

“Oh god, cut it out, Kerry,” Dar said instantly. “You don’t want him to start that.”

“No?” Kerry inquired curiously.

“He thinks he’s Placido Domingo.” The dark-haired woman waved her fork at him. “Wait till he gets a few beers in.”

Another laugh, which Duks cheerfully joined in on as he raised his wine glass to the table. “To palmetto bugs. Long may they wander.”

THEY PARTED IN the parking lot some time later, under the bright stars of a cool night. Even from here, Kerry realized she could smell the sea, and she took a large breath of air as she and Dar strolled back towards where they’d parked. “Well…” She cleared her throat and glanced at her taller companion.

“That…didn’t quite go as expected.”

Dar laughed. “No, it sure didn’t,” she agreed. “But it’s all right, I was thinking about what you said. You know, about telling Mari what was going on, and I’d halfway decided to do it. Maybe it was fate.”

“So, you’re not mad at me?” Kerry asked quietly. “I didn’t… Jesus, Dar, that wasn’t planned. I don’t know what came over me.”

Dar glanced at her. “Mad at you?” she asked incredulously. “Nah, I’m not mad at you. I just wish I’d had a movie camera.” She glanced down and shook her head. “That certainly changes the scene I always picture when I think of her.”

They reached their cars and turned to face each other. “Thanks,” Dar said simply.

“You’re welcome,” came the simple response. “After all, that’s what friends are for, right?”

Dar cupped her cheek and smiled. “You bet.” A soft beep startled both of them and Dar reached for her cell phone, only to find it silent. “It’s not mine.”

“Mine.” Kerry pulled hers out and opened it. “Hello?” Her face tensed, then took on a shocked look. “Okay, okay, I’m on my way back there now. Be about…forty minutes or so. All right. Bye.” She folded the phone closed and looked up at Dar grimly. “My place was broken into.”

Dar’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s go.”

Kerry kept her hands clenched on the steering wheel the entire way home, aware of the comforting presence of Dar’s Lexus right behind her. She pulled into a parking lot full of police cars and spotted Colleen’s agitated figure near the door to her apartment. “Shit.” She wasn’t sure whether to be upset, angry, frightened, or all three, but she got out of the car and hadn’t taken two steps before Dar was right there, with a hand on her shoulder.

Colleen spotted them, and ran over immediately. “Thank god you’re here. I just got home, and I went to see if you were back yet. When I found your door wide open, I called the cops.”

Too late to do anything about that now. Kerry sighed inwardly. “Great, just great.” She shook her head. “Thanks, Col.”

“No problem. They won’t let me in there, but I poked my head in and the place looks pretty trashed.” She paused for breath. “Hi, Dar.”

“Hi,” the taller woman answered briefly. “Anyone see anything?”

352 Melissa Good Colleen snorted. “These self-absorbed yuppies? They wouldn’t have seen anything if Fox Mulder had landed a frigging alien spacecraft in the parking lot and gotten out to do the hula.”

Dar had to suppress a grim chuckle at this description. “C’mon, let’s see what the deal is.” She gave Kerry a tiny nudge. “You have renter’s insurance?”

Kerry had to think through what Dar was asking. “Yes, State Farm,” she answered absently as they moved through the lot and up to her front door, peering inside. She was vaguely aware of Dar’s voice muttering into her cell phone as she tried to make her mind see order where there was only…

Colleen had been right. It was a mess. Things were torn apart and thrown everywhere. Her eyes flicked to the television, then to the computer, both of which were still in place. A policeman came towards her. “Ma’am?”

“I live here,” Kerry said quietly. “What happened?”

The officer shook his head. “Beats the hell out of me. Looks like whoever it is, was looking for something pretty bad. You keep cash in the apartment?”

She shook her head. “No. Well, five or six bucks in change, sure—on the dresser. That kind of thing.”

He nodded. “Yeah, gotcha. Any jewelry?”

She felt her neck and pulled out her single gold chain. “This, a few pairs of earrings, and a ring are all I have.” She glanced over. “Nothing seems to be missing.”

The cop was writing furiously on his pad. “Probably druggies looking for cash for a buy, Ms.—” His eyes questioned her.

“Stuart,” she answered. “You think so? I guess they went away empty, then, huh?” She moved into the room and peered around. Cushions were scattered everywhere from the couch, and she crossed to her bedroom and pushed the door open. Every drawer was emptied, and the bedding was torn from the bed. Pooh was thrown against the wall and she picked him up, hugging him to her in reflex. Kerry walked back into the living room.

“Everything looks like it’s here.” She told the policeman quietly.

He glanced at her, then at Pooh, and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

“Listen, sorry about your fish there. Looks like some chemical can fell in the tank.”

Kerry’s eyes tracked to the glass enclosure and saw the floating forms.

Dar’s eyes went the same way, then went to her face in quiet compassion. The blonde woman walked over and stood staring at them, bobbing lifelessly on top of the water. A half empty container of kitchen cleaner bobbed next to them. With exaggerated care, she pulled the container out and closed the lid, aware of Dar’s close presence behind her. “I keep that cleaner in the cupboard in the kitchen,” she said quietly.

Dar’s hands closed on her shoulders. “Go siddown. I’ll take care of this.”

“Dar, someone killed my fish,” she whispered sadly.

“I know,” came the low, vibrant response. “First, we’re going to get this place cleaned up, and then we’re going to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’m going to take you to get more fish.”

Kerry exhaled. “Maybe that’s not a good idea.”

“Yes, it is,” Dar insisted quietly. “Don’t let them win, Kerry.” She Tropical Storm 353

squeezed her friend’s shoulders. “Go sit down, I’m going to take care of this and dump the water.”

Kerry stared at the fish. “Look, Dar. I…”

“It’s okay, I’ve got this. Go sit down for a while, okay?”

Kerry felt exhausted, and she complied, mechanically putting the cushions back into place before she sat down on them. She faced the officer, who was still getting details. She tried not to watch what Dar was doing, and concentrated on the questions instead. Colleen came over and sat down next to her, and she gave the redhead a grateful smile.

Dar scooped the dead fish out of the water, putting them in a small container. She was carefully controlling her breathing and focusing on remaining calm when her first and most immediate instincts were to be yelling her fool head off. The random destruction in the room didn’t bother her. This pointed, deliberate, vicious cruelty to helpless creatures, on the other hand, made her so angry it was a wonder her hands weren’t vibrating from the force of it. Bastard.

She disposed of the dead fish, then dipped out a good portion of the water before she lifted the tank up and drained out the rest of it, removing the gravel and decorations and running them under clean tap water. Then she mixed a saline solution and cleaned the tank out, using the motion to calm herself. She did a thorough job of it, scrubbing the inside out to get out all the traces of chemical. Bastard. She rinsed the ferns and then ran water through the filter . Son of a bitch. Then she carried the tank back and filled it three quarters full with clean tap water, adding the rinsed gravel to it and putting in a few drops of water cleaner Kerry had in a bottle near the tank itself. Which she sniffed first, just in case. When she’d gotten it to her satisfaction, she turned to see Kerry shaking the officer’s hand and watching him leave, taking his partner with him, both of them giving Kerry looks of professional sympathy.

The door closed, and Kerry turned to look at her, the haunted green eyes beseeching. Dar crossed to her immediately. “C’mere.” She pulled Kerry into a hug, feeling her whole body jerk with a sob. “Shhh, I’ve got you.” Over the blonde woman’s shoulder, she met Colleen’s eyes, and the redhead glanced down, then back up with a faint smile as Kerry buried her face into Dar’s shirt and clung to her with desperate strength. “Give us a hand getting this place straightened up?” she asked Colleen.

“You bet your…uh, sorry, I mean…” Colleen blushed.

“I’ve heard the term,” Dar replied dryly. She felt Kerry take a deep, shaky breath, and released her a little, so she could pull back and look up.

“Sorry.” The blonde woman sniffled a little, disengaging one hand and rubbing at her eyes. “It’s just late, I guess.”

Dar pulled a handkerchief from her inner jacket pocket and handed it to Kerry. “Here.” She patted her back and left her arm draped over the blonde’s shoulders. “All right, let’s start in the kitchen, I guess—that seemed to be the least messed up—then do in here, then the bedroom.”

They started picking things up, and worked in mostly silence until Colleen trotted over, picked up all the CDs thrown around on the floor, and popped one into the changer. The soft strands of the Disney tune “Circle of 354 Melissa Good Life” drifted across the room. “ I know you like this.” The redhead gave her friend a smile, which Kerry half-heartedly returned.

It didn’t take as long as she feared, until the apartment began to resemble its former state, only the quiet waters of the fish tank a glaring testimony to the invasion. Kerry stood in the center of the room after they finished, listening to Dar putter around in the kitchen, and folded her arms across her chest. Colleen entered from the bedroom and went to her, giving her a little pat on the back.

“All done. Got you some fresh sheets on.” Her eyes twinkled gently at Kerry, who looked down and blushed. “Ah, c’mon now, Ker. For what it’s worth, I think you’ve got a real winner in there.”

That got a smile from Kerry, who glanced at the kitchen door, then back at her. “Think so, huh?”

“Yep. Someone who knows when to give a hug when it’s needed.”

Colleen nodded firmly. “That’s a very good sign.” She was glad to see Dar’s unquestioning support of her friend, which had surprised her a little, given the executive’s reputation.

The dark-haired woman interrupted the conversation by reappearing with three mugs of something hot and handing one to each of them. She then motioned Kerry and Colleen to sit down. Dar took a seat on the end of the couch and stretched her legs out, patting the cushion next to her, which got her a compliant Kerry. The blonde woman tucked her legs up under her, and she sipped her chocolate with a sigh. “Well, this has been a night.”

Dar dropped a hand to her knee and gently stroked it. “It’s over,” she said simply, before she took out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Mark?”

A pause. “I know what time it is. Get the light on and put on your glasses, because I need you to write something down.”

Dar waited, as ideas and plans started clicking into view. “All right, I need you to run a full profile. I need everything…on a Kyle Lewis. He’s an employee of Senator Roger Stuart of Michigan.” She waited. “You’ll probably have to tap Milnet.” Another pause. “Let’s just say I have a feeling about him, okay? Route the results to my inbox.”

Mark left the phone for a moment, and she sat waiting, drumming her fingers against her thigh. “You did? Thanks. Oh, one more thing, I need you to put a scope on the outbound router for Miami Dade, and filter any packets that contain the following number.” She read it off. “Just discard them…on the federal transfer.” She waited. “I know. It would be from the Kendall substation IP if that helps.” Another pause. “Good. Thanks, Mark. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.” She hung up and glanced at her audience, who was watching her with interest. She smiled. “Welcome to the information age.”

“Jesus, can you do that?” Colleen blurted. “I mean, why are you… That was the report number the cops gave us.”

Kerry nodded in understanding. “It will exist locally here, but not be updated to the federal system. That was really smart, Dar, thank you.”

Dar smiled briefly. “When you move the data, you control it,” she told Colleen quietly.

“Wow.” Colleen regarded her respectfully. “Remind me not to piss you off, you do our payroll transfer.”

Tropical Storm 355

That got a chuckle from Dar and a smile from Kerry. “I don’t generally do that sort of thing, but I think it would be better for Kerry. And it doesn’t hurt anything, since they didn’t find any fingerprints or MO, and that’s what the federal database checks.”

Kerry leaned her head against Dar’s shoulder. “My hero.” She dared Dar to refute her in front of Colleen, and was pleased when all the taller woman did was reach out and tweak her nose.

“You really think it was that stinker Kyle?” Colleen asked, watching them with a gentle smile.

Kerry sighed. “The fish…and the door wasn’t forced open. Did you notice that? Someone keyed in. And when I checked the doorlock, it had my code in it.”

“Ew, change it,” Colleen advised.

The blonde woman nodded wearily. “I did. But the only people with it are the building manager, you, and my family.” She paused and glanced up.

“And Dar, but she was with me the whole night, so that knocks her out as a suspect.”

“Only that?” Dar’s brows lifted teasingly.

“Well, that and a few other things,” Kerry admitted. with a smile. “But…

Well, I told my mother I wasn’t going to move back home last night. The timing’s just too coincidental.”

“Mmm.” Colleen pulled her lip. “Kerry, that sucks.”

Kerry sighed. “No kidding.” She sipped her chocolate, enjoying the smooth taste as it warmed her insides. “This is the only thing you can cook, isn’t it?” she asked Dar, who laughed softly. “I knew it. This, coffee, and what else?”

“Eggs,” Dar supplied briefly. “And ice cream.”

Kerry smiled. “Dar, ice cream doesn’t require cooking.” She shook her head in disbelief, then flicked on the television. “Oh, look, the crocodile guy!”

“Good gravy, what is he doing to that fish?” Colleen yelped.

Kerry settled back to watch, feeling a lot better. It was good to have friends around, she decided as she felt Dar’s arm slip around her waist and tug her closer. She leaned back and gazed at Dar. “Thanks.” She sighed.

“Thanks for being here, and helping, and cheering me up.”

A wink of a very blue eye. “That’s what friends are for, right?” Dar replied softly.

“You bet,” Kerry replied, then she hesitated. “Listen, Dar, you don’t have to get involved in all this. It’s not your business, really.”

“Sure it is,” Dar replied, her voice shielded by the rounded vowels of the TV character they were watching. “You are my business.”

Kerry felt a gentle chill run down her spine. “Am I?”

“Of course.” Pale blue engulfed her. “I love you,” Dar stated with quiet sincerity. “That makes you my business.”

Kerry just sat there, breathing for a long moment. “Oh,” she finally said, faintly.

“Does that bother you?” Dar inquired.

Kerry shook her head. “No.” She studied Dar’s face. “I guess that means you’re very much my business, too.” She exhaled, then settled into the crook 356 Melissa Good of Dar’s arm as the crocodile man went through his antics. It had been Kyle, she knew it. She felt his slimy fingers in the whole thing, and she knew he’d be back. Her eyes lifted to see the sharp profile above her, and she smiled grimly.

He didn’t know what he was getting into this time, though, and she was glad.

He’ll lose. This time.