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Shadwell shook his head. “If Peterson gives us permission I’ll be happy to tell you, but until then, I can’t.”

“Orders,” I said.

“Chain of command,” he said.

I nodded. “What happens when Chuck comes back? Is he higher in the chain of command than you are?”

They all exchanged glances. Shadwell actually rolled his lower lip under, which was the most nerves I’d seen him show.

“You don’t know where he stands in the chain of command, do you?”

“That’s none of your business,” Shadwell said.

“Whatever you say, shall we go see if everyone’s still got all their clothes on?”

“We could just keep talking out here,” Rowe said.

“We could, but I’ve delayed as long as my self-respect will allow. Time to brave the giggling horde.”

“All women giggle,” Rowe said.

“I don’t,” I said.

He gave me a look that was neither professional nor okay from a strange man. “I bet I could make you giggle.”

“Rowe,” Shadwell said, in a serious voice.

“You just lost points in my book, Rowe, serious points.”

He held up his hands in a push-away gesture. “Sorry, that was out of line.”

“Yeah,” I said, “it was, and if you expect to be in the room with us while we sleep tonight, you are so very wrong.”

Shadwell actually stepped between us to break the eye contact. “We hope the orders will change by then.”

“I’m sorry,” Rowe said again, “it’s just nice to talk to a woman that doesn’t have that look in her eyes.”

“What look?” I asked.

“That how-fast-can-I-get-you-down-the-aisle look.”

I laughed. “I think that’s your nerves projecting, Rowe.”

“This from the woman who didn’t want to go into the next room because she’s afraid they’ll press you to marry your boyfriend.”

“You can tell how happy a couple is by how hard the women try to fix up their single friends,” I said.

“Some men do that, too,” Sanchez said.

There was a loud thump from the next room, and near-hysterical laughter.

“Shit,” I said, and started for the room.

“I thought you didn’t want to go in there,” Rowe called.

“I don’t, but I just realized I’m actually nervous about it, which means I’ve got to go in.”

“That makes no sense,” Rowe said. “You’re going to do it because you know you’re afraid to do it?”

I didn’t correct his afraid to my nervous, because my pulse was up, my muscles tense. I was just meeting some of Jason’s old girlfriends, for God’s sake. He and I weren’t even really an item.

“She’s got to do it now,” Shadwell said.

“Why?” Rowe asked.

“That you gotta ask that question is why you had to leave the cops early.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Rowe asked.

Shadwell had hurried his step to catch up with me, then slowed down because his stride was about twice mine. We didn’t have to look at each other to understand. If something scares you, no matter how small, you gotta face it, because if you start failing on the small stuff, you’ll eventually fail on the big stuff. Shadwell got that; Rowe didn’t. Shadwell and I didn’t necessarily like each other, but he’d go through into the bedroom with me. Sanchez was right behind us. Rowe trailed behind.

I could see a metal folding screen that hid most of the bedroom from view. Shadwell went past the screen first, and suddenly we could see in. There was a storm of giggling, and deep blue crinoline was everywhere. A pale blue dress came flying through the air to land at our feet. It was raining blue bridesmaid dresses.

34

I ACTUALLY HAD to stop beside the fainting couch just inside the room, because it looked like someone had planned the image. The bed was covered in blue dresses. In among the dresses were Jason and the women. They were all blond, blue-eyed, delicate, and looked like cousins or closer. They were all out of breath, and lying or sitting like they’d just finished doing something strenuous. The blue dresses near their faces made their eyes incredibly blue.

Trish stood to the side of the little party like she’d fled the bed when the fun started. She stood behind a man in a suit who had to be Price, Sanchez’s other half.

“What