“He’s got connections,” she went on. “Seeing as he did some time for B and E—breaking and entering,” she explained. “And some petty larceny.”

“You have fascinating friends.”

“It’s a good life,” she said, with a laugh in her voice. “He passes me some information, I pass him a few bills. Mostly it keeps him from picking locks. He hangs down at the docks. Strictly nontourist areas. There’s a bar down there where he happened to be tossing back a few last night. Got chummy with this guy who was already soused. My friend likes a drink better if somebody else is paying for it. They got intimate in that happy way drunks do, and he finds out this guy’s flush because he just hauled a load of electronic entertainment down to King City. Now, because they’re the best of friends, he takes my snitch around the back of the bar to this dump of a warehouse. And what do you suppose is inside?”

“Previously owned electronics at a discount price.”

Amused, she chuckled. “You catch on, Donovan.”

“So why don’t you just call the cops?”

“Hey, these guys might not be the James Gang, but it’s a pretty good bust.” Her lips were curved as she downshifted. “My bust.”

“I suppose it’s occurred to you that they might be … uncooperative.”

When she smiled again, something hot and beautiful leapt into her eyes. “Don’t worry, Donovan. I’ll protect you. Now, here’s what I want you to do.”

*  *  *

When they pulled up in front of the bar a few minutes later, Sebastian had the game plan. He didn’t like it, but he had it. A fastidious man, he looked dubiously at the low-slung, windowless establishment.

Seedy, he thought, but supposed that a good many bars looked seedy in the light of day. He had a feeling this one would look equally seedy in the dead of night.

It was built of cinder blocks that some enterprising soul had painted green. The paint, a particularly hideous shade, was peeling badly and showed the gray beneath, the way an old, peeling scab shows the pasty skin underneath.

It was barely noon, but there were nearly a dozen cars in the gravel lot.

Mel dropped her keys into her purse while she frowned at Sebastian. “Try to look less …”

“Human?” he suggested.

Elegant was the word she’d had in mind, but she’d be damned if she’d use it. “Less Gentleman’s Quarterly. And for God’s sake don’t order any white wine.”

“I’ll restrain myself.”

“Just follow the bouncing ball, Donovan, and you’ll do fine.”

What he followed were her swaying hips, and he wasn’t sure he’d do fine at all.