In Death 09 - Loyalty in Death

She'd known he would be.
    When the tears began to slow, she sighed once, twice. "You are kind," she murmured. "And patient, letting a woman you barely know cry on your shoulder. I really am sorry. I suppose I didn't realize I had all that pent up."
    She eased back, offered him a watery smile. Her eyes glimmered with tears as she lifted to her toes to press a light kiss to his cheek. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek again, just as lightly, but her eyes had darkened, and her heart tripped against his chest.
    The hands balled against his back opened, spread, stroked, her breath trembled out through lips just parted.
    Then somehow, without thought or reason, his met them. Naturally as breathing, soft as a whispered promise. He drew her in, she drew him down into a kiss that spun delicately out until there was no time, no place for him but here and now.
    She seemed to melt against him, muscle by muscle and bone by bone as if to prove she was as lost in that moment as he. Then she trembled, then shuddered until her body quaked almost violently against his.
    She yanked back, her color high, her eyes huge and shocked. "That was -- that was entirely my fault. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."
    "It was my doing." He was as pale as she was flushed, and every bit as shaken. "I beg your pardon."
    "You were just being kind." She pressed a hand against her heart as if to stop it from bounding out of her chest. "I'd forgotten how that is. Please, Zeke, let's forget it."
    He kept his eyes locked on hers, nodded slowly while his pulse beat like a thousand drums. "If that's what you want."
    "It's what has to be. I stopped having choices a long time ago. I have to go. I wish -- " She bit back whatever she'd intended to say, shook her head fiercely. "I have to go," she said again and dashed from the room.
    Alone, Zeke laid his hands against the workbench, leaned in, and closed his eyes. What in God's name was he doing? What in God's name had he done?
    He'd fallen flat-faced in love with a married woman.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    "Sir." The minute Eve walked into the conference room, Peabody was on her feet. Strain showed in the tightness around her mouth. "You received another communication."
    Eve pulled off her jacket. "Cassandra?"
    "I didn't open the pouch, but I had it scanned. It's clean."
    With a nod, Eve took the pouch, turned it over in her hand. It was identical to the first. "The rest of the team's on the way in. Where's McNab?"
    "How would I know?" It came out in something close to a squeak that had Eve glancing over to watch Peabody stuff her hands in her pockets, take them out, fold her arms over her chest. "I don't keep tabs on him. I don't care where he is."
    "Tag him, Peabody," Eve said with what she considered admirable patience. "Bring him in."
    "Ah, the superior officer should send for him."
    "Your superior officer is telling you to get his skinny butt in here. Now." Annoyed, Eve dropped into a chair and ripped open the pouch. She examined the disc briefly, then plugged it into the computer. "Run disc."
    Running.... contents are text only as follows....
    We are Cassandra.
    We are the gods of justice.
    We are loyal.
    Lieutenant Dallas, we enjoyed today's events. We are in no way disappointed in our choice of you as adversary. In less than our projected time allotted, you located the described target. We are pleased with your skills.
    Perhaps you believe you won this battle. Though we congratulate you on your quick and decisive work, we feel, in fairness, we should inform you today's work was only a test. A preliminary round.
    The first wave of police experts entered the target building at eleven hundred hours and sixteen minutes. Evacuation proceedings began within eight minutes. You arrived at target twelve minutes after evacuation had begun.
    At any time during this process, the target could have been destroyed. We preferred observing.
    We found it interesting that Roarke became personally involved. His arrival was an unexpected bonus and allowed us to study you working together. The cop and the capitalist.
    Forgive us for being amused by your fear of heights. We were impressed that despite it, you performed your duties as the tool of the fascist state. We had expected no less from you.
    In triggering the last device, we allowed time for containment. Lieutenant Malloy will confirm that without this time, without this containment, several lives and a great deal of property would have been lost.
    We will not be as