“The Nightingale’s good at keeping secrets,” Honor said. “But,” she added, glancing at Vivian out of the corner of her eye, “that doesn’t mean I don’t know what they are.”
“Except for who killed Willard Wilson.”
For a moment Honor looked annoyed by the reminder, then she laughed and shook her head as she stood up. “Oh, Vivian, I hope that smart mouth of yours never gets you in too much trouble.” She leaned over the table, and Vivian froze as she felt Honor’s fingertip gently brush her lower lip. “Because I enjoy it far, far too much for you to ever change.” She stood up, leaving Vivian no chance to respond as she added, “Your Mr. Green is watching you.” Honor nodded toward the bar, where Leo was just accepting a drink from the blond bartender while staring directly at Vivian and Honor. “Ready to ask him for a dance?”
Two could play at that game, Vivian decided, standing as well. “Well, sure, it’s no hardship. He’s a swell dancer. Strong hands, moves a treat.”
Honor’s pause was so brief that Vivian would have missed the moment of utter stillness if she hadn’t been looking for it. But then the other woman nodded, lips pursing as if she were laughing at herself. “Allright, pet. Go put that smart mouth of yours to use and see what you can find out for me.”
“Fine,” said Vivian, giving her head a little toss to settle her hair into place. “I’ll give it a week and see what I can turn up. But I’m drinking for free while I do it.”
Honor rolled her eyes, a petulant gesture so at odds with her normal coolness that Vivian had to hold in a snort of laughter. “I’ll let the bartenders know,” Honor said. “And you let me know what you learn.”
Vivian gave a casual salute, not looking back as she sauntered off, though she heard Honor heave an exasperated sigh as she turned away to do the early-evening rounds. Reaching the bar, Vivian slid onto the stool next to where Leo was standing, meeting his narrow-eyed evaluation with her own pert smile before turning to Danny.
“You owe me a drink, Mr. Chin. And none of the cheap stuff, thanks very much. I’m drinking the good booze for free the rest of the week.”
“Oh really?” Danny’s expression was skeptical, and she saw him glance past her with his eyebrows raised. Vivian didn’t have to follow his line of sight to know that he was checking in with Honor, but whatever signal he received made him shrug and pull out a glass. “Gonna tell me why?” he asked as he began pouring.
“You mean to say there’s something your Hux didn’t tell you?” Vivian asked, delighted, as she curled her fingers around the quickly mixed cocktail.
Danny didn’t let go of the glass. “Careful, kitten,” he said. “Never assume someone doesn’t know the answer just because they’re asking the question. They might know it better than you.”
His tone made Vivian remember the brutal, efficient way he had fought in the alley. That made her think of another alley, blood slowly covering the ground beneath the dead man—Wilson,she heard Honor’s voice murmur in her mind. She shivered, wondering what, exactly, she had just agreed to get mixed up in.
But she laughed anyway as she tugged her drink away, and this timeDanny didn’t resist. “Well, then, if you know, there shouldn’t be any problem, right?” she asked, giving her bob a toss as she swiveled around in her chair and met Leo’s eyes over the rim of her glass. “Mr. Green. Fancy meeting you here again.”
“Miss…” He trailed off, looking adorably confused for a moment as he remembered that he didn’t know her whole name. “Vivian.” The way his voice curled around it would have made her spine tingle pleasantly if she hadn’t been wondering whether he really did know something about the dead man in the alley. “I’ll have you know I came here on purpose looking for you.”
“Should I be flattered or alarmed?”
“Flattered,” Leo said, grinning, though the effect was spoiled when Danny said “alarmed” at the same moment. Leo glared at his friend. “Fat lot of help you are.”
“Just making sure Vivian knows to watch out for you, you slick bastard,” Danny said pleasantly, before turning to a man in an expensive suit who had sauntered up to the bar. “The usual, sir? Right away.”
Vivian frowned into her glass as Danny turned away. His earlier comment had made her assume he knew what favor Honor had asked her for. But if that was the case, would he still be acting so friendly with Leo?
Or maybe the suspicions were all Honor’s, and Danny didn’t think his childhood friend had anything to do with Wilson’s death. Which one of them was more likely to be right?
“So, why are you drinking for free?” Leo asked, sipping his own whiskey as he leaned one elbow against the bar. He looked relaxed, but Vivian could see his eyes narrowing as he watched her face.
If she was going to find out what Leo was up to in New York, she needed to convince him to let down his guard. That meant she had to pick up right where they had left off the night before. Vivian took a deep breath and smiled. “Well, I could tell you, but then I wouldn’t have the fun of watching you get all squirmy with jealousy,” she said, pleased when a slow flush crept up from his shirt collar.
“What makes you think I’m squirming or jealous?”
“You came here on purpose looking for me,” she repeated, feeling reckless. She had gone head-to-head with Honor twice that day and come out, if not ahead in their game, at least not behind. She was, somehow, part of the search for a killer. Leo Green was just one more challenge. She could feel her chest warm with alcohol and her cheeks heating with excitement.
“Does it have anything to do with that favor you were going to owe her for bailing you out?” Leo asked, his eyes never leaving hers as he sipped his drink.
“Maybe it does.”
Leo’s hat was resting on the bar; his fingers moved restlessly on the brim, absently spinning it around as he watched her. “What did she ask you to do?”
It was hard to believe, with those warm brown eyes fixed on her, that he could have anything to do with a murder in a back alley. But even without Honor’s favor, she would have been wary of trusting the smooth-talking man from Chicago. Vivian drained her glass abruptly, set it down with a clink, and held out her hand. “Come dance with me.”
The band was playing a lively quickstep, and Leo glanced toward the dance floor. But his eyes narrowed as he turned back. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“And I won’t until you dance with me,” she said playfully. “Unless you can’t keep up with this one?”
