Radclyffe - Oath of Honor Страница 18

He did seem uneasy, though, but that might just be because he didn’t

know her, and she had taken the job that presumably he had wanted.

Or maybe she was reading too much into the situation because Evyn

thought Chang deserved the job and not her. Evyn.

She hadn’t thought about her while she was working, but every

time she stopped, snippets of their conversations would start up again

in her mind. Along with that split second of gut-wrenching horror when

she’d thought Evyn was mortally wounded. Evyn was so certain of

what should be done and why. In order to do Evyn’s job, that kind

of mindset was probably necessary. She understood. She even agreed,

while another part of her mind questioned.

All Wes could hope was that her orders never conflicted with

her training, but ultimately, she would follow orders, regardless of the

consequences to others. Even Evyn. She shied away from the idea of

leaving Evyn wounded, without the care that might potentially save

her life. She thought of Evyn’s body fresh from the shower—sleek

and smooth and strong. Beautiful. She was trained to read a person’s

body with her hands—to feel the presence of injury and disease in the

disruption of the pattern of skin and muscle and bone. She experienced

the world through her senses, and Evyn filled her senses. The whisper

of Evyn’s skin beneath her fingers that day in the ambulance left her

wanting more. Seeing Evyn naked after her shower, she’d ached to trace

the tantalizing curve along the edge of Evyn’s shoulder blade down the

• 122 •

Oath Of hOnOr

slope of her back to the hollow above her hips. She’d imagined heat

and supple—

“Captain?”

Wes jerked and looked across the room. Jennifer stood in the

doorway, a half smile on her face. Her hair was down, a luxurious

sweep of soft midnight waves. Today she wore forest-green pants and a

V-neck sweater in a lighter shade of green. Low brown boots completed

the outfit. Her figure was small but full, perfectly proportioned.

“Something I can help you with, Lieutenant?”

“A few of us are going out to eat at the end of shift. Would you

like to come?”

Wes quickly considered the advisability of fraternizing with her

new team. If she didn’t go out with them, she might appear standoffish.

If she did, she wouldn’t know the players or the power structure. She

didn’t usually fraternize with colleagues, and socializing with team

members before she’d taken firm command wasn’t a good idea. And

there was the glint of interest in Jennifer’s eyes, no small matter. Wes

had thought she’d noticed it the first time they’d met, and now she

was sure of it. Jennifer’s invitation might be a little bit more than unit

camaraderie.

“Thanks, I’d like to, but I can’t tonight,” Wes said. “I’ve got a

million things to review, and I’m still finding my way around this

place.”

“I understand,” Jennifer said, disappointment clear in her voice.

“Some other time, then?”

Wes smiled. “Yes. Definitely.”

“Good. I’ll let you get back to work.” Jennifer backed up. “If you

need help with the files—”

“I’ve got it for now. Thanks.”

“See you then.”

Jennifer turned and left, leaving Wes alone with charts and

protocols, the stuff of her life she knew well—and thoughts of Evyn

Daniels, something new and entirely different.

v

The round white clock hanging behind the red Formica-topped

counter sported a dented chrome rim resembling a hubcap and a faded

• 123 •

RADCLY fFE

Harley symbol in the center. The black hands shaped like handlebars

read six forty. Hooker’s contact was ten minutes late.

He looked around the roadside diner, studying the faces. At six

thirty on a weeknight, the place was nearly empty. The locals, mostly

farmers, ate early, and the truckers wouldn’t start arriving until midnight.

The militia go-between who’d arranged the meet hadn’t given him any

info other than the location—he’d said the contact was spooked about

dealing with an “outsider.”

Who the hell knew what a bio-disposal technician looked like?

Two guys in oil-stained work pants and denim shirts with the sleeves

cut off midway up tattooed biceps sat at the counter slurping coffee and

uttering occasional monosyllables while working through enormous

steaks and mounds of potatoes. A young woman, barely in her twenties

if that, slouched in a booth with a glass of tea and a red-and-white

cardboard boat of fries slathered in cheese. She ate slowly, making each

fry last three bites, as if the food might be her last for a while. Probably

a runaway—her face was worn with fatigue, but her eyes were too

focused for her to be a junkie. Two men in white open-collared shirts

and dress pants occupied another booth—probably businessmen on the

road. No one paid any attention to him. He finished his coffee, slid two

bills on the counter, and walked outside.

The Georgia heat slapped him in the face, momentarily taking

his breath away. The change from the biting cold in Chicago was

disorienting. Like the diner, the gravel lot was mostly empty. A few

cars clustered around the far corner of the restaurant, where someone

sold ice cream from an open window. Several people, mostly women,

stood in line with children in tow. No one paid any attention to him.

He’d come all this way for nothing.

As he walked to his car, he glanced into the small grassy lot on

the far side of the building. A brunette in a floral sundress and strappy

sandals sat under a tree at a picnic bench, an ice-cream cone in her hand.

She smiled at him, holding his gaze for just a second longer than was

typical for a lone woman who wasn’t a working girl. Hooker walked

over.“Good day for ice cream,” he said.

“They make the best vanilla bean around here. You should try it.”

“Maybe I will. I haven’t had an ice-cream cone in a long time.”

• 124 •

Oath Of hOnOr

She was early thirties, eyes as black as her hair, small and pretty. Built

too. No wedding ring. In fact, no distinguishing anything—no jewelry,

no flash. Attractive, but not someone who would draw attention.

“Probably too cold up north for ice cream,” she remarked, catching

a line of vanilla dripping down the side of the cone.

The quick flick of her tongue caught him by surprise and his cock

got hard. He shifted slightly to hide the fullness in his trousers. “You

got that right. I guess this doesn’t feel hot to you, though, does it?”

“No—this is the best weather of the year.” She smiled. “Sit down,

unless there’s somewhere you have to be in a hurry.”

“Not really.”

“Just get in?”

“That’s right.”

“Here on business?”

He nodded.

“What is it that you do?”

“I buy and sell things,” he said.

“I imagine you find all sorts of interesting things.”

“You never know what you might come across.”

“You’re right. Sometimes things turn up you never expect.” She

bit into the cone and a fleck lingered on her lip.

He had the urge to suck it off. He spread his legs a little wider to

give himself a little relief. Something about this woman had him juiced

up, and that was unusual. He had no trouble enjoying himself with a

woman when he wanted, but when he was on the job, he rarely got

distracted. “I’m always on the lookout for unusual items.”

“I might have something you’re interested in. If you’re looking for

one-of-a-kind items.”

“Really? Rare items are at the top of my list.”

“Those things tend to be expensive, though.”

“I never mind paying what something’s worth.”

“And then there’s transportation, the authentication, all of those

things figure in, don’t they?” She crossed her legs, her sandal dangling

from her toes. “What would you pay for something no one else could

find, delivered in perfect condition? Something rare, unusual.”

“Fully functional, one-of-a-kind?” Hooker leaned his arms back

on the table and crossed his ankles, taking in the vehicles parked in

• 125 •

RADCLY fFE

the lot. None were close enough for audible scanning, and he didn’t

think their conversation could be picked up from the building. If she

was wearing a wire, it was well hidden. Her clothes were tight enough

that hiding the receiver would be difficult. Nothing he’d said could be

incriminating, but he still needed to be careful. “I’m used to paying for

the right product. Half a million isn’t out of range.”

She took another bite of her ice-cream cone. “Two.”

“The item would have to be extraordinarily rare, in perfect

condition, and, in order to avoid the competition trying to duplicate it,

completely untraceable.”

“Guaranteed.”

“Then I think we can do business.”

She smiled, her gaze slowly moving over his chest and down his

body. He couldn’t hide his erection and didn’t bother.

“Now that I’ve had dessert,” she said, “I’m ready for dinner. How

about you?”

“My evening is free.”

“Not anymore.”

• 126 •

Oath Of hOnOr

chapter sixteen

The phone rang at 0530 and Wes grabbed it before the second

ring. “Hello?”

“We’ll pick you up in half an hour,” Evyn said. “Pack a go bag and

wear field clothes.”

“What would that be when I’m not wearing a uniform?”

Evyn laughed. “How about jeans and a shirt? And a light jacket.

Oh—and pack for overnight.”

“Doable. Anything else I should know?”

“Now, Doc,” Evyn said, a teasing note in her voice. “Haven’t you

figured out the routine yet?”

“I’m ever hopeful.”

“Good attitude. See you in thirty.”

Evyn rang off and Wes hung up the phone. She’d been up for an

hour, reading through some of the WHMU protocols she’d downloaded

to a thumb drive and brought back to the hotel with her. She’d worked

all evening and finally turned in at 0200—and couldn’t sleep. She didn’t

usually have trouble sleeping, but she’d lain awake in the dark feeling

a little like a fish out of water. The entire fabric of her professional

life—which was her life—had shifted precipitously. She was still a

doctor, still a naval officer, but she had been transported out of the

highly structured world of military hierarchy into what felt like a new

society where the rules weren’t clear and no one was filling her in.

To dispel the undercurrent of anxiety, she fell back on what she knew

best—discipline, order, and medicine.

As she’d mentally run down the things she wanted to do to fine-

• 127 •

RADCLY fFE

tune the medical unit, her thoughts kept wandering off to Evyn. Snippets

of their first encounter, their first meal, their first fight, their first touch

kept jumping into her mind. Flashes of Evyn’s faintly teasing smile, the

challenge in her deep blue eyes, her certainty about her job—everything

about her stirred her. Spending time with Evyn had been easy, natural.

Exciting. And considering their positions and the specter of a security

breach hanging over every member of the team, including Evyn, very

ill-advised. No matter she couldn’t imagine Evyn violating her oath,

she needed to keep perspective, and the only way she could do that was

by maintaining professional distance.

Finally, to distract herself from thoughts of Evyn and a disquieting

buzz in her belly, she’d texted her youngest sister Denny, a night nursing

supervisor at Methodist Hospital, who was usually able to chat when

her patients were all asleep.

Hey, you busy?

Got a minute. Why are you awake so late?

New post. Can’t shut off my head.

Not like you. Something wrong?

Nah. Not really. How’s everyone?

We’re good. Miss you. You’re going to make it home for

Christmas?

not looking good miss you too

will mail leftovers 

can’t wait 

Gotta go. Call—call me. Don’t stress. Love you.

Her sister had provided enough diversion that she’d been able to

fall asleep. But as she rode the elevator down to the lobby, her thoughts

returned to Evyn. She looked forward to seeing her. Spending time

with Evyn was exhilarating—in one moment Evyn was a highly trained

professional, demanding and a little arrogant, in the next personable,

funny, a little flirtatious. Wes never knew what to expect, and she

always knew what to expect. She planned everything and lived by her

plans. She’d just discovered uncertainty was damned exciting.

Right now, though, she’d settle for boring routine over a new test

of her fitness for her post, but what she’d like and what she got were

• 128 •

Oath Of hOnOr

often different. She pushed through the revolving door and stepped out

onto the sidewalk at precisely 0600. Ten seconds later, a black SUV

pulled up and the rear door swung open. Wes walked over and saw

Evyn in the back beside Gary. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Evyn said.

“Hi, Doc,” Gary echoed.

Wes settled down across from Evyn and the vehicle pulled away.

Evyn pointed to the newspaper in her lap. “Want a section?”

Wes smiled and slid an e-reader from her pocket. “I took your

advice and picked this up yesterday at one of the bookstores.”

“Smart.”

“What? Taking your advice or getting the reader?”

Evyn laughed. “Both.”

Gary’s gaze flicked back and forth between them, a glint of

curiosity in his warm brown eyes. Wes opened the reader and selected