Caprice left her hand where it was. ‘Ah.’

‘She’s Cuban. She’s a cop. Tarla doesn’t approve.’

‘I suppose she’s beautiful.’

‘She is.’

‘Well, then why are you here flirting with me?’ Caprice asked.

‘Because Lala and I can’t seem to make it work between us. I’ll take most of the blame for that, but she and Tarla aren’t entirely guilt-free. And to be candid, I find you very attractive, which makes it hard to say no.’

‘Then say yes.’

‘I’m having a good time,’ Cab told her. ‘Let’s leave it at that for now.’

‘Fair enough.’

Cab leaned back in his chair. He heard the throb of flamenco music and the click of castanets from somewhere in the restaurant. The aromas of mussels and chorizo rose from the table. ‘It surprises me that there’s no man in your life.’

‘My career is my life,’ she told him.

‘Is that lonely?’

‘Not for a driven woman like me. There hasn’t been anyone serious since Lyle.’

‘I’m sorry.’

Caprice traced a nail around the rim of her wine glass. Her eyes were reflective. ‘Can I be honest with you? Lyle and I were never really romantic soul mates. We shared political values and ambition. It was a relationship of common interests. Which isn’t to say that I didn’t love him. I suppose that must sound awful, given what happened.’

‘No. You were both young.’

‘Yes, we were. Lyle was so rigid, too. Inflexible. That made it difficult. It’s funny, because our whole mission as a third party is not to let ideology be the enemy of the greater good. I don’t really blame him, of course. He felt so responsible in his personal life. He was trying to be a father to his younger siblings, and that was tough. Anyway, I swore to myself I wouldn’t have that kind of relationship again, and when we got the foundation up and running, I never sought out opportunities. Too busy saving the world, I guess.’

‘Married to the cause?’ Cab asked.

‘Something like that.’ She read his face and added: ‘I know. You don’t believe in causes.’

‘One man’s cause is another’s obsession. The Liberty Empire Alliance is a cause, too.’

‘For evil, not good.’

‘Who gets to say which is which?’ Cab asked.

Caprice winked. ‘Me.’

‘You think we’d be better off with a benevolent dictatorship? Give the people what they need, regardless of what they want?’

‘Maybe we would. I could think of worse people than us to overthrow the government, but let’s try a third party first. A party where compromise and common sense aren’t dirty words. A party that doesn’t look for all-or-nothing solutions.’