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"What about the other girl? The one Roger was seeing?" Grant asked

"No one knows yet," Malachi told him

"That--that bastard!" Grant sputtered "He takes a new one the minute heloses one Can’t you stop hi any closer?"

No! Abby wanted to screa this kind of manhunt?

"I believe we are," Malachi responded "Thanks to Abby, one girl is alive And with the police prowling the river now and all the searches taking place out therehe’ll be caught"

"Soon, I hope!" Grant said

"Every criminal makes a et hiht want to clean up first," Grant said, looking pointedly at Abby

"I’ upstairs now Oh, Grant, can you ask the chef toto eat?" she asked "You can send it up--"

"Or," Malachi interrupted, "we can eat at the bar Join Dirk, Bootsie and Aldous"

"Okay," Abby said "But first, a shower"

Malachi ca out of heras they entered the apart sure no one was inside, under the beds, in the closets He headed back to the bank of co on in the restaurant

Abby cleared her throat "I’ in the shower," she told hilance up So ood Well, other than the night before, after she’d plunged into the river

It felt sensuously good Despite everything they were frantically doing in their desperate new search to find another young woman, she wished Malachi would join her

She al into the bathrooined the sleek feel of his naked flesh and his hands on her breasts

But he didn’t co a little e donned jeans and a T-shirt to head back down for dinner, Malachi was still studying the screens, fixated on the behind him

"The soap You smell wonderful," he told her There was a husky note in his voice and a darkening in the hazel of his eyes as he watched her; it made her knees tremble

"You would’ve been welcome to join me," she said

He smiled, an ironic twist to his lips "I had to know that this apartment was safe"

She smiled He stood and started to touch her but drew back "Go down and join our friends at the bar Try to casually find out what they’ve been doing all day"

She wanted to argue with him Bootsie, Dirk and Aldous--these uilty of anything Will Chan had been watching Dirk and the Black Swan Bootsie was old Aldous

Aldous was healthy and fit--and not all that old He’d always looked like a pirate with his gleahcompany; he had ships and boats at his disposal

She didn’t say anything, but Malachi gave her another rueful s," he said

"Aldous?" she asked

He nodded

"I’ they possibly can on hi ticket"

His grin deepened at that "Hey, you’re the one who’s actually a fed at the moment," he reminded her

Abby rolled her eyes "I’ll be downstairs," she said, and left hirateful to see that Grant had ordered dinner for her and Malachi Two covered plates were set on the bar, next to Bootsie Aldous was sitting between him and Dirk

Abby kissed the three of them on the cheek, hitched herself onto the bar stool beside Bootsie’s and took the cover off her food Chicken potpie It s okay?" Bootsie asked her, his eyes grave

"I’ sick that this killerwolass of ale to her, "you saved Helen She seeer, unfortunately But you can live perfectly ith one less finger I should know I’ve lived "

Dirk bent over the bar to speak to her across the otherwell?"

"She’s really doing well," Abby assured theentlemen? What have you been up to today?"

"We ith Dirk to see Helen," Aldous said, looking at her as if she should have realized that

"That was thison these chairs all day?"

Frowning, Dirk surveyed the restaurant and said, "Abby, you know I’ve been back on the Black Swan That handso with me You know that," he repeated

"Will Chan"