“You worried he’ll come here?”
“I hope he does. I’m armed, and if that’s not enough, if he’ll hold still long enough, you can subdue him with one of your famous nosebleeds.” She leaned forward and head-nodded over the sill. “Besides, Captain put a patrol car out front.” As Rook leaned over her to see the roof of the blue-and-white, pressing his weight on her shoulders, Nikki added, “Doesn’t he know the city’s in a budget crisis?”
“Small price to protect his star detective.”
A change came over her. She uncoiled her legs and moved from him, sliding herself around to put her back to the window. Rook sat beside her on the cushion. “What?” he said. When she didn’t answer, he leaned a shoulder against hers. “What’s got you up and sitting here at this hour?”
Nikki reflected a moment and said, “Gossip.” She turned her head halfway to him. “I’ve been thinking about how ugly gossip is. How it victimizes people, but how as much as we say we hate it, we still feed on it like it was crack.”
“I hear you. It ate at me every day with Cassidy Towne. They call what she did journalism—hell, I even said it was the other day when I argued with Toby Mills’s spin doctor—but, when you get down to it, Cassidy Towne was as much about journalism as the Spanish Inquisition was about justice. Although, Tomás de Torquemada had more friends.”
“I’m not talking about Cassidy Towne,” said Nikki. “I’m talking about me. And the rumors and gossip I’ve had to deal with since you put me on the cover of a national magazine. That’s what got me all shitty with you in the car today. Someone made a snide comment insinuating that I slept with you for the publicity.”
“It was that lawyer, wasn’t it?”
“Rook, it doesn’t matter who. It’s not the first of those I’ve had to deal with. At least that was an overt remark. Most of what I get are looks or I catch people whispering. Since your article came out I feel like I’m walking around naked. I’ve spent years building my rep as a professional. It’s never been called into question until now.”
“I knew that shyster said something to you.”
“Did you even hear what I just said?”
“Yes, and my advice is to consider the source, Nik. He’s just working on your head to get some sort of psychological leverage in the case. His client’s going down. Richmond Vergennes will be an Iron Chef, all right. Ironing in the Sing Sing laundry.”
She tucked a knee up and scooted to face him, resting a palm on each of his shoulders. “I want you to listen carefully because this is important. Do I have you?” He nodded. “Good. Because I’m telling you about something that’s going on with me that’s a big deal, and you’re spinning off on your own side road. You think you’re with me but you’re running parallel. Understand what I mean?”
He nodded again and she said, “You don’t.”
“I do. You’re upset because that lawyer made an unfair crack.”
She took her hands off his shoulders and folded them in her lap. “You’re not hearing me.”
“Hey?” He waited for her to face him. “I am hearing you, and here’s what you’re feeling. You’re feeling like your life was rolling along fine until my article came out, right? And what did I do? I put you where you aren’t comfortable—thrust into the spotlight with everybody looking at you and gossiping about you, and not always to your face. And you’re frustrated because you tried to tell me it wasn’t what you wanted but I had it so in my head it was good for you that I did everything but consider your feelings.” He paused and took both her hands in his. “I’m considering them now, Nik. I’m sorry for how I made you feel. I thought I was doing a good job and apologize that I let it get complicated.”
She hardly knew what to say, so she just stared at him a moment. At last she said, “So. I guess you were listening.”