Take Two Read online

  Pushing through the endless crowds, she passed through three security checks with no problem, noticing as she went that most of the women and even some of the men were wearing the same see-through material that Prissy De Tangelen had been affecting. It made her feel frumpier than ever to glimpse the sleek, nearly naked bodies flashing past her in a constant hurry to get wherever it was they were going. Why hadn’t she checked more closely into what the native New New Yorkers were wearing before she’d moved? Sadie supposed that as soon as she got her first paycheck she’d have to go out and get some new clothes, although, frankly, she would have almost been more comfortable in the prostie-outfits she’d worn on the mission. They covered far more than most of the weird, see-through dresses and suits she was seeing.

  “Van Heusen trial?” asked the bored guard at the fourth security check and Sadie nodded wordlessly, producing her press pass. She started to walk past the man, but he stopped her with one arm across the chest.

  “What’s wrong?” Sadie asked anxiously. Did she look like a desperate criminal or something? The trial was starting in five minutes and she really had to get going.

  “Visual check. Turn side to side, please,” the guard said, in the same bored tone. Hesitantly, Sadie did as he asked, twisting from one side to the other, wondering what in the world he was looking for.

  “Look,” she said, still twisting. “The trial’s about to start and I really need to get in there.”

  The guard gazed at her for a moment and then said, “You got the wrong kinda clothes on for this, lady. You’re gonna hafta strip.”

  “What?” Sadie looked at him aghast. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talkin’ about gettin’ outta them clothes so I can make the check and you can stop holdin’ up my line,” the guard said matter of factly. “This here’s a restricted trial, lady. You shoulda wore somethin’ made outta easy-vis if ya wanted to get in without takin’ off your clothes.” He gestured to the guard to one side of him who was scanning the people who passed by his desk after twisting to first one side and then the other, rendering the fabric of their suits and dresses see-through with the change of position before he let them past.

  Sadie realized with a sick kind of dread the reason for all of the see-though clothing. Everywhere you went in NNYC there were multiple security checks. When you looked at it that way, it was certainly easier to wear the easy-vis outfits than to take off your clothes. People were beginning to pile up behind her. Some of them muttered, gave her disgusted looks and went to find a line that was moving. Sadie knew she was making people late, but the idea of stripping in public was less than appealing.

  “Look,” she said as reasonably as she could. “Can’t you, I don’t know, X-ray me or something? I’m new here and I didn’t know…”

  “No longer allowed ta use any kind of radiation on the general public for security checks. People vs. the State of New York 2094,” the guard droned. “Look lady, you wanna get into the trial or not? It starts in five and Judge Cornwallis’ll holdja in contempt if you come in late and disturb his court.”

  “Yes, all right, fine,” Sadie said tersely. There was no way around it; she would have to undress. Gritting her teeth and trying not to catch anyone’s eyes, she began stripping off the conservative cobalt blue suit, trying to pretend she was in the girl’s locker room back in school on Io. She was down to her matching green bra and panties and was unhooking the front of the bra while the guard looked on with mild fascination when she heard a voice behind her.

  “Sadie? Sadie, honey, is that you?”

  “Oh no,” she moaned under her breath. Turning around with her bra flapping open she saw Blakely standing behind her, that charming, lopsided grin she remembered so well stretched from ear to ear. “Blake!” she said blankly, all of her resolve to be calm and professional forgotten. “I…uh, didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “And I didn’t expect to see you either, sweetheart. Least not so much of you.” Hot indigo eyes traveled over her chest reminding Sadie that her breasts were exposed for anyone to see, her nipples hardened from exposure to the chilly air. Blushing deeply, she clutched the bra shut, trying to hide herself and still her pounding heart. She noticed, a bit resentfully, that Blakely was wearing a dapper navy suit that set off his eyes to perfection. It was completely opaque, but no one was making him strip.

  “I just got in last night and the Times sent me to cover the sentencing. I didn’t know about the security checks,” she babbled, feeling like a total idiot.

  “Hey, take it easy, baby,” Blakely said. Taking her elbow he turned toward the guard and said, “It’s all right, Charlie. The lady’s with me—I’ll vouch for her.”

  “You say so, it’s good enough for me, Detective,” the guard said promptly. He shoved the pile of clothes she’d laid on his desk at Sadie who hurriedly began putting them on again. “She was holdin’ up the line anyway,” he added, beckoning for the next person to move forward.

  “It’s…it’s so good to see you again,” Sadie panted, hopping on one foot as she tried to replace her high-heeled shoes. Blakely obligingly slowed down and let her hold on to his elbow to perform this operation.

  “Yeah, ’m glad I ran into you, kid. Holt and me figured we’d never hear from you again.”

  “Well all you had to do was pick up the vid-screen and call,” Sadie said indignantly, hobbling in the uncomfortable heels as fast as she could down the marble hallway after him as he resumed walking.

  Blakely gave her a piercing glance out of his deep blue eyes.

  “We figured you didn’t want to hear from us or you woulda called,” he said quietly. “We’ve both been missin’ you, Sadie. Missin’ you a lot. Heard you got nominated for an S. P. Good work,” he added quickly, not giving her time to remark on his last words.

  But Sadie thought she felt a faint tickle of some emotion—sorrow, loss, hope?—in the back of her brain. Could it be that the bond wasn’t completely gone after all? She supposed she would know for sure when she saw Holt.

  Oh boy, here we go again, she thought. But strangely, the idea didn’t upset her the way she would have expected it to.

  “I’m working for the Times now.” She smiled up at him a little shyly. “They called and offered me a job as correspondent after I got the nomination. I, uh, I never expected to run into you or Holt in the line of duty though. Where is he, anyway?”

  “Saving me a seat. It’s packed in there,” Blakely said. “C’mon, let’s see if we can squeeze you in.”

  Squeeze was the right word, Sadie thought, when they got settled in the long, benchlike seats that lined the courtroom. She was lucky to have run into Blakely, she thought, because there was no way she could’ve gotten such a good seat otherwise. People were actually standing three deep along the walls, craning their necks to see the front of the room, whereas she, Blakely, and Holt were in the second row of seats with a clear view of everything.

  Holt had greeted her with more reservation, but no less warmth than his partner, and now she sat jammed between the two of them, her heart pounding and her breath coming faster than normal, trying to ignore the emotions she felt from both men and take notes on the court proceedings. The bond was still there all right; it was amazing how it had come to life as soon as she was sandwiched between the two of them again. It had flared like a smoldering ember that had been suddenly dowsed with lighter fluid, seemingly stronger than ever and apparently ready to pick up exactly where they had all left off.

  Sadie wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Being between them reminded her of how much she had missed them both, missed the closeness they had shared. The warm golden current that was buzzing through her nerve endings like a low-level electrical charge made her feel mildly drugged with her body’s need for physical contact. How long since she had been touched? Since she had made love to anyone? Not since the night they had healed her for the last time. Sadie tried hard not to think about it.

  She was wary of letting