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“Samantha Ryan,” she said, and held out a hand.
“So formal,” Han mocked, and he caught her fingers, holding them still as he bent down to kiss them.
Gabriel could almost feel the heat of her blush. She cleared her throat and snatched her hand back as soon as Han released it.
Han raised an eyebrow, amusement evident in his brown eyes. “What can I do for you both?”
“We need a meal and somewhere to talk.”
Han nodded. “The Dragon Room is safe. I shall cook you something and bring it in.”
“Safe” meant he had both psychic and electronic dampeners in place, preventing anyone from using either means to listen in. “Thanks, Han.”
The big man nodded and walked back into the darkness. Gabriel guided her through the tables to the small room at the back. He pressed the button to one side of the door, switching on the special effects inside the room, then opened the door and ushered her through.
Her gasp was almost inaudible. He glanced at her, half smiling as he closed the door. “Amazing, isn’t it?”
She nodded, her gaze on the myriad of tiny dragons that danced and played across the roof. “They look so real.”
“They’re the latest in holographic technology. Han is something of a pioneer in the field.” He walked across to a center table.
She followed him. “So what’s he doing running a restaurant?”
He lit a candle and motioned for her to sit. She took the chair directly opposite his. He hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come. “He still dabbles in the field, as you can see.” And running a restaurant was far safer than active service in the Federation, which was where Han had honed his holographic skills.
She leaned back and asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
He smiled at her directness. “Honesty.”
Her blue eyes glittered like ice-encrusted sapphires in the candlelight. There was anger there, as well as suspicion. Yet he had a sense that she was also controlling herself very tightly, and he wondered why. “I’ve been nothing but honest with you.”
“Have you? Then tell me why you went back to your apartment to retrieve the com-unit you’ve been hiding in your bag. And tell me what you found at Kazdan’s, besides that laser, that makes you so certain he’ll come to this meeting tomorrow. And tell me why someone is setting you up for a murder rap.”
“What?”
Despite the edge in her voice, she didn’t seem all that surprised. “I have orders to wrap up my investigation, and hand you over for prosecution, by tomorrow afternoon,” he informed her. “That order came from the top.” And given that there wasn’t anyone higher than Hanrahan at the SIU, that meant the order had come from someone in the upper echelons of the government. But who? That was the question he’d have to ask Hanrahan when it was safe to do so.
“The bastards.” She rubbed a hand over her eyes, and then looked up again. “What do you intend to do?”
“That very much depends on you.”
“And just what is it you want me to do, Assistant Director Stern?”
The sarcasm in her voice suggested that someone, at some time, had tried using his authority to get her into bed. The sudden coldness in her eyes suggested the outcome had not been favorable—for either party.
He held her gaze. “I want you to help me with a problem. In return, I’ll help you find what’s behind Kazdan’s attempt on your life.”
“What about your orders to hand me over?”
He shrugged. “I was never much for following orders.”
Her gaze returned to the dragons for a moment. He sat back in the chair and waited.
“You want me to trust you,” she said softly, “and yet you’re not willing to trust me.”
He raised an eyebrow as her gaze returned to his. There was something in those bright depths that seemed to run straight through him, diving deep into his soul. It was partly a recognition of fate—a sense that this woman, for good or for bad, would play a vital part in his future. But it was also something else, something he couldn’t even begin to name. And it was that something that made him trust her, even when common sense, and everything he knew about her, suggested he adopt extreme wariness. Which was why what he was about to say might well end up being a bargain with the devil.
“What makes you say that?”
