New York to Dallas - J. D. Robb [8]
“You’ve caught a case?”
“Not exactly. I don’t have time to get into it right now. But I’m glad you came. It won’t take long. You’ll only have to put off buying a couple third-world countries and listen to the mayor make a boring speech.”
“Well worth the price.” He kept his hand on her face a moment. “You’ll tell me later then.”
“Yes.” She would. She could. He was another corner turned, the biggest and the best. She’d met him at another ceremony, one for the dead, she the primary investigator on a murder, he a suspect with a shady past, a dubious present. A man with the face of a fallen angel and more money and power than the devil himself.
Now he was hers.
She took his hands, felt the shape of his wedding ring against her palm. “It’s a long story.”
“We’ll make time for it.”
“Later.” She shrugged it off. “You’re right. This is more than a formality. It’s important for Peabody, and for Detective Strong. The moment’s more than the medal, and a hell of a lot more than the boring speech. They earned it.”
“And you, Lieutenant.”
She spoke her earlier thoughts. “I did the job.”
She walked with him to the door. It opened even as she reached for it. Peabody’s main squeeze, Ian McNab, stood, not in the usual wild colors and patterns of the fashionable e-geek, but in spiffy dress blues. He’d even tucked his long tail of blond hair under the cap.
He said, “Hey, Dallas, looking tight. Roarke, glad you made it.” “Ian, I barely recognize you. You look very official.”
“Gotta do what you gotta. The shoes bite.”
“So I hear.”
“I swung in to let you know they decided to move the deal outside, front steps of Central.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Understanding glinted in his green eyes. “The mayor wanted more exposure for the cops that took down Renee Oberman’s ring, and for himself if you ask me. You figure it’s going to get another big bounce in the media. Good cops against bad cops and all that. Anyway, Peabody’s at her desk.” He jerked a thumb over his skinny shoulder. “With her head between her knees. Maybe you could smooth her out so she doesn’t boot when the mayor pins the medal on her.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake.”
She strode out, long and lanky in the uniform, into the bullpen, and over to Peabody’s desk.
“Pull yourself together, Detective. You’re embarrassing yourself, and more important, you’re embarrassing me.”
“They’re going to do it outside. In public.”
“So the fuck what?”
“Public,” Peabody said, head still between her knees.
“You’re being honored by this department and this city for having the integrity, the courage, and the skill to take out a blight on this department and this city. Dirty, murdering, greedy, treacherous cops are sitting in cages right now because you had that integrity, courage, and skill. I don’t care if they do this damn thing in Grand Central, you will get on your feet. You will not puke, pass out, cry like a baby, or squeal like a girl. That’s a goddamn order.”
“I had more of a ‘Relax, Peabody, this is a proud moment’ sort of speech in mind,” McNab murmured to Roarke.
Roarke shook his head, grinned. “Did you now? You’ve a bit to learn yet, haven’t you?”
“Sir.” With an audible gulp, Peabody got to her feet.
“Jesus, you’re green and sweaty. Go splash some cold water on your face.”
“ ’Kay.”
“Peabody. Damn it, you earned this. So suck it up, straighten up, and take what you earned with some pride. If you can’t do it out of pride, then do it out of fear, because I swear to God I’ll kick your ass hard and I’ll kick it long if you—”
She broke off as she spotted movement, saw the faces. She thought, Crap.
“Don’t let us interrupt,” Phoebe Peabody said with a breezy smile.
“Mom?” Despite the direct order, Peabody squealed like a girl. “Dad. You came! You came all the way to New York.”
She launched herself at them, jumped up and down in their arms in her uniform shoes.
“We ran into traffic or we’d have been here sooner.” Sam Peabody closed his dreamy gray eyes and hugged his daughter hard. “Everybody sends love. We wanted to deliver it.”
“You’re here. You’re here.”
“Where else would we be?” Phoebe