Under Suspicion
Page 3
She glanced at Micah to confirm the man was teasing, and he gave her an inconspicuous nod to confirm it. She smiled back at Taggert. “I’ll do my best.”
She noticed the officer watched Micah for a moment, his smile fading, but then gave her another nod before leaving.
As Taggert moved away, Micah extended a hand. “After you, Dr. Lucas.”
The bistro on the corner seemed like a quiet enough place for them to have some lunch and the waiter graciously settled them at a shady outdoor table with a nice view. Micah explained that he liked being able to see most of the people coming and going around the corner. It made him feel more secure.
Keilani made small talk about the dolphins and Micah responded with brief comments, seemingly consumed with his thoughts, until she mentioned her reason for coming.
“I know the navy said a part of this job would be to mend the reputation of the marine mammal program because there have been some nasty articles circulating about the treatment of your animals. I’ve read many of them, but I’ll admit, I’m not sure why there has been much credence given to them. Is there something else I should know?”
Micah tilted his water glass, watching the liquid tilt, as well. “You know as much as I do. I suspect there might be more to the navy’s reasons for bringing you here, but if there is, it’s information I’m not privy to. I suppose we’ll find out together.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I see. So you think the admiral hiring me is just a front for something?” She honestly couldn’t understand why the navy needed an outside consultant now when they hadn’t used one before.
He gazed up at her, a penetrating look pinning her to her spot from across the table. “Possibly. But it doesn’t make sense. I really think it would be in everyone’s best interest to know what the mission is, if possible. But there is no understanding the reasoning of the US Navy.”
“I guess I should be prepared for anything, then.” She tried to sound unconcerned, but the idea made her nervous. Feeling self-conscious, she scanned around for something to distract them.
“Isn’t that how life always is?” He said it lightly, but she thought he might be feeling some tension, as well. His jaw seemed tightly clenched. His long fingers toyed with a napkin.
It had been a long time since she had eaten a meal with a man in this type of atmosphere. She hadn’t dated anyone since the terrible breakup with Jackson. She hadn’t wanted to. Even now, knowing it wasn’t a date, being alone with a man made her nervous.
They didn’t discuss it any more over the food, instead keeping to topics such as the local climate and their mutual interest in dolphin care and training techniques. She felt a little more relaxed by the time they paid the tab and prepared to leave. From his mannerisms, Keilani thought Micah almost relaxed, too.
Almost.
A man like Micah Kent never completely relaxed.
They had to go inside to pay, and when they had finished, Micah led her out through a door that overlooked the bay. They’d just headed down the empty beach where the sun hung like a glowing bulb over the horizon when the beautiful illusion of peace was shattered.
Keilani felt a tingle race up her spine about the same time Micah shoved her to the ground. A shot rang out and the hard red line of a laser sight danced around, trying to relocate its target. Her pulse thundered in her ears and she could taste the salt in the sea air. All her senses seemed heightened. Her throat tightened and she felt the pressure of Micah’s weight easing off her as she noted the smell of gunpowder.
“Run!” Micah helped her to her feet as he shouted the order.
Keilani rose just enough to allow the efficiency of movement she needed, but soon another shot pinged close by. She stayed low and followed Micah’s direction with no idea where she was headed. How could they have known where to look for her?
She glanced back to see if Micah still followed her just in time to watch him go down as a stark red blossom of blood stained the side of his uniform.
A scream tried to rip from her throat, but she squelched it, only a yelp emerging. Micah looked up at her and waved her on. He was still alive, at least.
He crawled after her, she noted at next glance, then he barked at her to move. Another bullet pinged, proving that the sniper was a professional. He wasted no time reloading. To her amazement, Micah was on his feet—pale, but determined. He didn’t let her get too far ahead of him before catching up.
They had emerged on the far end of the café where there was very little available to them in the way of shields. Her back ached from the strain, but the intermittent dinging of bullets urged her on. She felt the slight pressure of Micah’s hand there, also. The shots seemed to grow closer, the shrapnel from where the bullets were striking the concrete grazing the backs of their legs.
Keilani watched as Micah scanned the area, probably looking for any sort of cover between them and the navy side of the beach. The street was on the other side of the building. Micah gestured for her to follow, then made for some docks down the pier. Was he hoping the shooter would lose them in the maze of vessels and boat slips?
The shots coming from the sniper didn’t slow down any, though. Every time they emerged from cover of any sort, another bullet whizzed toward them. They ducked and darted, unable to stay out of sight for long. Keilani’s nerves were completely frazzled.
They reached the end of the pier and found they were out of options. Micah slid to a halt and fixed his gaze on her. She didn’t like the look he was giving her, not at all.
“I’m sorry, Keilani.” He sucked in a breath and pointed at a broad expanse of water to her left. “We’re going to have to swim for it.”
Keilani was more than prepared to comply with his command. The sniper fire seemed unending and she was desperate to make it stop. The wool fabric of the uniform was heavy as she dove into the briny water, but she managed to make decent time. She didn’t dare surface, but Micah’s presence was sure behind her. He overtook her and led the way, swimming below the surface until Keilani thought her lungs would burst. Her eyes stung from the bite of the salt and she ached with fatigue.
They swam for what seemed like forever before she noticed the changes in the water that indicated they were nearing the dolphin enclosures. Micah kept below the surface for long periods of time before coming up to breathe and she was beginning to tire.
From the shadows above them she assumed they were heading through the tunnels back toward the indoor pools where trainers worked with the cetaceans. She hadn’t realized they could reach the enclosures from the far side of the bay, but she was thankful. The beach must have just been on the other side of the bay where it curved around the naval base. She was still pretty unfamiliar with the layout of the Coronado area.
A few curious dolphins watched them swim past from their glassed-in pens, and a couple even followed them down the lanes with their eyes, anxious to join whatever game the humans were playing. Keilani hoped the water would stop any stray bullets from reaching the innocent dolphins, if indeed the sniper still had eyes on them. He should have lost them while they were underwater.
Micah swam ahead of her, and she was impressed with his speed. She hadn’t realized she had fallen so far behind, but when a gate slammed closed just in front of her, she almost smacked into it. Looking up, she realized she was underground. Panic filled her. Behind her was an unknown enemy and she was trapped in a tunnel with nowhere to go and no air to breathe.
Her mind conjured up images of being shut in that small, dark room from her childhood with hardly any air, her stepfather laughing cruelly from the other side. The sound of the key turning in the lock, the finality of his footsteps walking away. Fear bubbled up inside her in waves.
She tried banging on the gate, but the sound was muffled under the water. She tried harder, wondering how long it would be before Micah realized she wasn’t right behind him. Would she
drown before he found her? She tried again with as much force as she could manage against the drag from the water. Her air was running out quickly.
She fought for calm. Panicking would only make it worse. It was hard to relax when she couldn’t take deep breaths, though. She felt herself losing consciousness just before she realized Micah was turning around to look for her.
He hurried back to the gate, pushing on it with all his strength. Thankfully, it somehow gave way and Micah broke through. He tugged at her listless hand, pulling her toward the surface just outside the tunnel, and she struggled to follow him up out of the water. She broke the surface, gasping from adrenaline as well as oxygen deprivation. The fire in her lungs came close to choking her. She barely had the strength to keep her head above water. Micah had to help her from the pool.
“It’s a good thing you’re a strong swimmer. Are you okay?” Micah’s deep voice broke the eerie silence. A door slammed somewhere and Keilani jumped, almost tumbling back into the water. Micah steadied her with a hand at her lower back. Her eyes shot to his, the adrenaline of fear quickly replaced by something she didn’t know how to identify. It made her nervous. She wanted rid of it.
She could only assume he felt it, too, when he smiled roguishly at her. “So much for your dry clothes.”
Keilani didn’t respond right away. She was all too aware of the precarious predicament she was in, but it didn’t inhibit the other unwelcome feelings coursing through her. “I think I’ve done enough swimming for the day.”
The corners of his mouth turned down at her falsely bright tone. Before he could comment, however, another officer burst into the enclosure.
“Lieutenant Kent! What are you doing here? I thought you were gone for the day.”
“It wasn’t exactly a choice. Why are you here?” Micah frowned at the other man.
“I heard voices in here and I had heard from the CO there was some trouble with the dolphin trainer earlier. I thought I had better check it out, just in case.” The man looked genuinely concerned.
Micah shucked his dripping jacket. His shirt sleeve was stained with blood that looked like a watercolor paint accident. He looked at Keilani, who was watching him with a concerned expression.
“Can I help?” Keilani asked. “You need to treat that wound right away.”
“I can handle it. But we need to go speak to the admiral about this as soon as possible. Taggert, would you let him know we are coming?”
The man agreed to do as Micah asked and left.
“So we are going back to the admiral’s office?” Keilani didn’t look too happy about that.
He pulled some gauze and tape from a cabinet in the room and began to treat the open wound where the bullet had grazed his flesh. His gritted teeth attested to the self-control it took to hold it together as he strained to doctor his own wound. Without asking again, Keilani began to help him.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” He winced as she bandaged the stinging wound. “I sure hope he has a solution.”
* * *
Whatever Micah had expected from Dr. Keilani Lucas before her arrival, this wasn’t it. She was throwing him completely off his game. Her physical and mental strength alone made him stand back and stare, and the woman herself just had him in awe. As trite as it sounded to his own ears, he had never met anyone like her.
He couldn’t deny that he was beginning to feel an attachment to her. She had a strength of character he wouldn’t have expected. And if the way she responded to him was any indication, she felt the same way. But he didn’t have plans to form any romantic attachments—now or ever. That meant he had to keep his distance, despite any feelings he might have. After being betrayed by Jade, he didn’t want to take the chance again. She had shown him just how one-sided love could be.
As they walked to the admiral’s quarters, however, his curiosity got the better of him. “Where did you learn to handle a gun? I never got the chance to ask you earlier.”
She frowned. “My grandfather taught me.”
He wasn’t satisfied with this, nor was he going to let it go at that. “Why your grandfather?”
She shrugged. “We were close. He thought I should be able to defend myself.”
“In general, or for some specific reason?” Thoughts of a violent boyfriend in her past made him angry on her behalf. It happened far too often. Was that why she had learned to shoot?
She seemed to be considering her answer, because she didn’t speak for several seconds. “Both, I guess. It’s rather personal.”
He was confounded by her vague answer, but he also felt certain she had no intention of telling him the details. He couldn’t really blame her. He probably wouldn’t share such intimate details of his life with her right now, either.
“Well, I’m glad someone taught you. I just wish you’d never had to use that particular skill.” He opened a door for her and waited while she passed into the new corridor.
“I’ve had to use a lot of skills since arriving in California this morning that I hoped not to need. It’s so much different from island life in Hawaii.” Her wry smile made him lift one corner of his own mouth.
“I imagine so. I’m sorry you’ve had such a lousy welcome.” He kept his eyes on the corridor in front of him until he felt her watching him, and then he turned his head slowly to look at her.
Keilani’s luminous eyes were all seriousness now. “I owe you a lot of thanks. If not for your help...”
When she let it trail off, he shook his head. “I’d do it all again. And you would have made it, somehow. I don’t know you that well, but I can already guess you would have found a way.”
He realized they had both stopped and stood staring at each other in the corridor, until the officer stuck his head out a nearby door to see where they were. The moment was broken and Keilani looked away. He didn’t completely let it go, though. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, “You’re welcome.”
Keilani blushed as she walked into the admiral’s quarters.
THREE
Keilani fought the urge to put her head in her hands. It felt like she had answered the same questions at least a dozen times. Admiral McLeary was almost terrifying, especially considering her phobia of rigid uniforms. He had brusquely ordered someone to provide a towel for her, but made no other concessions for her comfort. Micah, too, stood dripping at attention beside her chair. The admiral hadn’t even acknowledged him, but neither had he dismissed him.
At last, Micah requested permission to speak.
“What is it, Lieutenant?”
“With all due respect, sir, I think Keilani is a bit overwhelmed. This might be more productive once she’s had some time to recover from the day’s events.” Micah didn’t glance her way, but the admiral fixed her with a stare.
Finally, his hard expression softened a bit. “You might be right. If you’ll excuse me, ma’am, I’m accustomed to working with the toughest military men in the country.” He glanced at Micah. “I think she can hold her own, though.”
“Pardon, sir, but I’m confident she can. But if we’re dismissed—”
“Not just yet. Part of the reason I asked Dr. Lucas to join us is to assist you with a big job. I want you to identify a new type of system that local drug smugglers are using in our area. It’s affecting our operations and I want to put a stop to it ASAP.”
“What exactly is it we are looking for, sir?” Micah’s teeth were clenched. What was he stressed about?
“If I knew, I wouldn’t be putting such priority on it. The rumors say it is passing through every security measure undetected and I want to know how. Figure it out. Train the dolphins to find drugs. Whatever it is you need to complete that task, let me know. I’ll be waiting for updates.”
Micah nodded and began to stand.
“One more thing.” The admiral held up a hand. “I’m closing down all access to the
dolphin enclosures.”
“But sir, we—”
“Not to you and Dr. Lucas. But no one else will be allowed within a hundred feet without my personal permission. I’ll post additional guards on all sides to enforce it. But I want you to get started tomorrow.” The admiral stood. “You’re dismissed.”
Micah led Keilani out of the office and down the corridor. When he took her out the door and to a black Nissan Titan in the parking lot, she finally asked her burning question.
“Where are we going?”
“First to get your things.” He held the door open on the passenger side.
She hesitated a moment before climbing in. “And then?”
“And then we’ll get you settled and get started.” He closed the door before she could respond.
Her heart rate kicked up a notch at the idea of getting settled at Micah’s place. She watched him walk around the front of the truck, his gait a combination of ease and raw masculine power. It wasn’t going to be an option to avoid noticing him. She was going to have to toughen up.
* * *
The truck seemed entirely too small with Keilani’s presence alongside him. Her fidgeting was distracting, but it was more than that. He couldn’t ignore her. He had also noticed she was staring at the admiral’s uniform earlier. It had seemed odd that she had fixated on it throughout their discussion.
But he put those thoughts aside for now. He wished he could do the same with the distraction of her presence. Micah’s training urged him to put some distance between them. She was a threat. He could feel it as sure as he had felt the enemy’s presence overseas before the attack. But his orders were in direct contradiction to what he wanted to do—run.
His wound throbbed, though he had already made a quick assessment and deemed it insignificant. The bullet had grazed the skin of his upper arm near the shoulder, tearing open the flesh. It burned, but it wasn’t painful enough to take his mind off things. For once, the training that helped him forget about physical discomfort was a disadvantage. He’d have welcomed a distraction from the woman beside him.