Eve by Iris Johansen Page A

don’t want to attract attention.”
    She nodded. “Mustn’t do that. Hotel people are so suspicious…” She looked back at them over her shoulder. “How did you get in the door? I didn’t ask—”
    “What’s this?” A big, muscular man in a tan sport coat was standing in the doorway. “Where do you think you’re going, Sandra?”
    She stopped. “Hello, Jimmy.” She moistened her lips. “I’m going now.”
    “The hell you are. You promised me a party.”
    “Party’s over.” Eve took Sandra’s arm and pushed her forward. “And parties don’t usually start with assault and battery. She’s leaving.”
    “This is my daughter, Eve,” Sandra said. “And she’s right, you didn’t treat me right. I didn’t like you—”
    The man she’d called Jimmy grabbed Eve’s arm as she passed with Sandra. “You can stay. I’ve never had a mother and daughter together before. But you don’t take her anywhere.”
    “Yes, she does.” John was suddenly between them. He grabbed the hand that was grasping Eve’s arm. His thumb was pressing into Jimmy’s wrist. “Let her go.”
    Jimmy gasped with pain, his hand releasing Eve’s arm.
    “Get your mother out of here,” John said. “I’ll be right with you.”
    Eve grabbed Sandra’s arm and hustled her out of the room and down the hall.
    “Should we leave him?” Sandra asked. “I don’t want Jimmy to—”
    “I don’t think you have to worry about John Gallo.” Eve punched the elevator button. But she didn’t like the idea of leaving him, either. The situation was her responsibility. When the elevator door opened, she pushed Sandra inside and hit the lobby button. “Go outside and get in the tan Chevy at the far end of the driveway.”
    “But I want you to come with—” The door closed on her protest.
    Eve was running back down the hall to the hotel room.
    The door was still open. The big man in the tan sport coat was lying on the floor unconscious.
    She hoped he was unconscious. Jimmy was lying very still. As she drew closer, she saw his face. His jaw and left eye were already starting to swell, his nose was smashed, and his lips were cut and bloody.
    John turned to face her. He didn’t have a mark on him, she realized in astonishment. “I told you to take off.”
    “He’s not dead?”
    “He’ll be okay.” He shrugged. “I bloodied him up a little. I don’t like guys beating up women. I thought he should see how it feels.” He took her arm and led her out the door. “It’s been a frustrating night. I thought I deserved to enjoy myself.”
    “And doing that to him made you enjoy yourself?”
    He glanced sidewise at her. “Are you surprised?” His smile was chilling. “Oh, yes, I enjoyed the hell out of what I did to him.”

CHAPTER
    4
    SANDRA WASN’T GOING TO BE able to climb the four flights of stairs at the development, Eve realized, after her mother almost fell twice on the first few steps. She moved to stand on the step beside her and put Sandra’s arm around her shoulders. “Hold on to the banister and lean on me. We can make it.”
    “Sure we can,” Sandra said. “I just feel a little wobbly…”
    “I’ll do it.” John was suddenly beside them, pushing Eve aside. “It will take you half the night to get up those stairs. What floor?”
    “Four.”
    “Go on upstairs and unlock the door.” He was picking Sandra up in his arms and starting up the stairs. “Come on, Ms. Duncan. This will be much easier for you.”
    “Call me Sandra.” Sandra smiled. “Like I said, nice and polite, Eve. A real Sir Galahad, like I saw in that movie.”
    “Wrong.” John smiled down at her. “But I make a good packhorse.” He was moving quickly up the stairs. “We’ll get you into your place in no time.”
    Eve had the door unlocked and thrown wide by the time he reached the fourth floor. “Take her to her bedroom. It’s the door on the right.”
    She went to the bathroom and got a damp washcloth and some salve.
    John was