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“I wish I was free,” I said sincerely. “But I have plans I can’t change. Uh, too many people involved.”

“If it’s an orgy, I could come along and be your partner,” he suggested.

“I can’t bring a date to this,” I said truthfully.

“Oh, well. Okay.” The fact that he never sulked was fast becoming one of my favorite things about him. He asked, “What about tomorrow? I could come over.”

“Yes,” I agreed readily. “Absolutely. Let’s do something together tomorrow.”

“You know what I want to do together.” His voice was silky now.

I glanced at Max and Lucky, wishing they’d feel a sudden, doppelgangster-like compulsion to depart.

“And I want to cooperate fully with that,” I said carefully.

Lucky gave me a wary glance. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, hoping he’d think I was just humoring Lopez about the investigation.

“Well, I was thinking . . .” Lopez said. The tone of his voice made me fantasize about the expression on his face right now. “Since dating has turned out to be too complicated for us to manage, maybe we should back-burner this dinner that we keep canceling.”

“That’s right,” I said, realizing. “You’ve never even bought me dinner!”

“Not for lack of trying,” he pointed out.

“The bum!” Lucky said.

“Is there someone with you?” Lopez asked.

“I’m in a shop.” Strictly speaking, this was true. “You were saying?”

“Oh, you’re shopping? Okay, since you’re busy, I’ll make this fast. I was thinking I’d come by tomorrow afternoon for a few hours of hot sex—you know, the kind that makes the neighbors complain about the noise. And then I’ll take you out for dinner. Or maybe we’ll just order out. We’ll play it by ear after we’ve exhausted each other. Deal?”

A wave of heat washed over me, and I didn’t trust myself to say anything in front of Max and Lucky that wouldn’t make the rest of the day extremely awkward for me.

“Still there?” I could hear the smile in Lopez’s voice.

“Yes,” I said faintly. “It’s a deal.”

“See you then,” he murmured. “Oh, and don’t bother dressing up for the occasion. I don’t plan to be gentle with whatever you’ve wearing when I get there.”

I made an involuntary sound. Lopez laughed. Max and Lucky looked at me strangely.

“Bye,” I choked out.

I gently folded my cell phone shut, then sat there staring at it with a stupid smile, feeling flushed and dizzy . . . and extremely conscious of the two men gazing at me with fatherly expressions. Max looked anxious, Lucky looked annoyed.

“What did the cop want?” Lucky said. “You look all pink and guilty.”

“It’s under control,” I said, continuing my pretense that Lopez had called about the case.

“Don’t kid yourself,” said Lucky. “Love ain’t never under control.”

I thought of the Widow Giacalona and supposed he was speaking from experience.

“One gathers from your end of the conversation that, as we surmised, the police are indeed struggling with physical evidence that conflicts with eyewitness accounts?” Max said.

“Uh-huh,” I said.

“This is a realm in which the mundane forces of law and order, though well-intentioned, are helpless—and possibly even an impediment.”

“You mean the cops could get in the way?” Lucky asked.

“Precisely.” Max’s expression grew concerned. “Or even endanger themselves.”

“And you’re not looking at me that way because you’re worried the charmless Detective Napoli could be in danger,” I guessed.

“Well, I feel some concern for Detective Napoli’s safety, too, but I know you are not attached to him.”

“No, indeed.”

“And as you and I have previously seen,” Max said gravely, “Detective Lopez is a most dedicated and astute young man. He may pursue this case with more determination that is healthy for him.”

Realizing Max had a point, I looked at Lucky.

The old hit man said, “Don’t even think about it. I ain’t gonna expend energy to watch a cop’s back.”

“He’s my boyfriend,” I pointed out. “Or almost.”

“You should be more careful about the friends you choose,” Lucky grumbled.

“I believe that, in good conscience, we must count Detective Lopez as an innocent under our protection,