Oh, she hadnt wanted to believe that shed been used, or that shed been that much of a fool. But it was the truthRyland Archard had enjoyed the chase and the victory prize in the end, but he had had no intentions of sticking around for anything moreleast of all a permanent relationship. She should have recognized the typeafter all he was now thirty-three and still single.
Margo wanted to tell him he looked old and haggard. She would like to make a snide comment in reference to a soft belly or a sudden receding hair-line. Only there were no visible signs that he had aged. In fact, Ry Archard, much to Margos annoyance, had improved over the past two years much like a superior bottle of Chardonnay.
Then, too, she supposed needling him right now wouldnt be very smart. She was in his home, asking for his help. If shed learned anything in her twenty-one years it was when to run, when to stand and fight, and, most important, when to keep her private thoughts private and her mouth shut. Tonight, the third applied without question.
Come on, Ill help you up.
Up? Why would I want to get up?
Because Im taking you to Charity Hospital.
Margos eyes widened. She had no intention of going to the hospital. Gunshot wounds had to be reported. There would be a dozen questions to answer; a report would be filed. And what if the men chasing Blu were checking out the hospitals?
No doctor. I wont go!
The quicksilver change in his eyes told Margo her hasty words had triggered his suspicion. Why no doctor, Margo?
She didnt answer.
Come on, baby. Why no doctor?
Margo cleared her throat, and this time she was careful with her tone, as well as her choice of words. I hate men in white coats, thats why. They smell too clean and smile too much when theres nothing to smile about. I dont feel like playing twenty questions, either. The man who shot me is long gone by now.
Tell me about him. It wasnt a request, but a solid demand.
Margo raised her chin. I didnt get a good look at him. He wore an oversize hat that hid his face. I shouldnt have fought with him. I know that now, but when I saw the gun I just reacted. Ive been walking home every night since I started working at the Toucan. I guess a year without a confrontation made me careless.
So you were attacked? Mugged?
Yes. Margo slipped into the lie easily. As often as Blu had schooled her in the art of swimming and fishing, he had lectured her on the value of a failsafe lie. That didnt mean she enjoyed lying, or that she did it on a regular basis. But she was confident that, in the right situation, she could keep her eyes from blinking and her voice rock steady while she
attempted to cheat the truth. He wanted my purse. Ahmy money.
Where did this happen?
Near my apartment.
One block? Two?
Does it matter?
He raised his thick brows. You worked tonight, right?
Margo hesitated. Ry hung out at the Toucan on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. This was Wednesday. Feeling confident, she said, Yes, I just said so, didnt I?
He stared at her a long minute. So this happened walking home from work around ten?
Are you losing your hearing? I just told you that.
He ignored her smart remark. So it was ten oclock when you left work?
Margo glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Quickly calculating the hours, she said, I guess so.
And you were shot within fifteen minutes of leaving the Toucan? Or was it more like twenty-five? Could it have been forty minutes? Fifty?
Annoyed by his relentless questions, Margo said, I didnt get up, look at my watch and say, oh my, Ive been mugged at 10:20.
Was it 10:20?
Margo rolled her eyes. No, I think it was 10:23.
Dammit, Margo, this is important!
I dont know the time, all right! Margos voice wasnt as loud as his, but just as angry.
Well, then, what the hell do you know?
That Im going to have a headache if you keep badgering me like Im the criminal here.
He stood and buried his hands deep in the hip pockets of his jeans. He appeared almost telepathic, Margo thought, as he stared down at her. Did he know something she didnt? As quickly as she asked herself the question, she reminded herself to stick with her story. Ry couldnt disprove a word shed said, not unless he knew for a fact that shed asked for the night off. And he wouldnt know that unless hed questioned Tony, which she was pretty certain he wouldnt doRy was no gentleman, but he had kept their brief affair quiet. The only people who knew about it were her own family members and a few close friends.
Why didnt you call Blu? Or Hewitt?
Brodie?
Come on, Margo. I know youve been seeing him.
Margo didnt disagree. Let him think whatever he wanted to. She said, I couldnt get a hold of either of them.
But you tried?
Yes, I tried.
You really need to move out of that damn neighborhood. It makes no sense you living in that dump and surrounding yourself with those kind of people.
It made perfect sense to Margo, and because it did, she felt like arguing. Its close to work, and those kind of people are my kind of people.
Thats crap. You have a job, take a bath regularly and dont sleep with a bottle. I hardly think theyre your kind of people. What you mean is, theyre Blus kind of people.