Page 29 of Nobody's Baby
“Absolutely not,” I said. “But today I had to go and argue nineteen grown adults into not letting an infant die out of sheer apathy—so my sympathy with the lawmakers is at its very lowest ebb.”
She leaned forward over the counter, on her elbows. Her hands were very near mine—almost but not quite touching. My skin buzzed with the proximity. “You’re not afraid of what I’ll do with these?”
“No more than I’m afraid of my fellow detectives,” I said, and thought of Leloup. “Less than some, in fact.”
Violet smiled. The plans were whisked into a drawer of the counter and locked away with a key she kept on a necklace around her neck. “I’ll put them somewhere safer tomorrow,” she said. “For tonight…” She cocked her head, golden hair tumbling over one shoulder and gleaming almost as bright as her smile. “I wonder if I might buy a ship’s detective a drink.”
“At the Antikythera Club?” I suggested. “I’ve just gotten word my membership application’s been approved.” High-profile hearings could be good for the social status, it seemed.
Violet shook her head. “Congratulations—but perhaps another time,” she said. “I’ve got somewhere far more intimate in mind.”
“Suits me,” I said. She dimmed the lights and locked the door—and for the first time, I let go of the law, and took her hand.
