Firestorm

by Radclyffe

  “The rest of the group looks pretty good too,” he said.

  “So far.” She grinned. “Then again, it’s early days.”

  He grinned back. “Looking forward to getting them up in the plane.”

  “Soon enough.” She thought ahead to the first of the requisite jumps. They wouldn’t be going up in the plane right away—they’d start working on the mechanics by jumping from a stationary tower first. She was looking forward to the exercises, and if she was honest with herself, looking forward to seeing how Jac handled the course. She liked watching Jac work. And that was the last time she was going to think about that.

  *

  “So what’s the word on Ray?” Anderson said, sliding his brown plastic lunch tray onto the table across from Jac and settling onto the bench seat. Most of the guys had already eaten, and the mess hall was nearly empty.

  “He’s doing better.” Jac brushed cornbread crumbs off her fingers and scraped the bottom of her bowl with her spoon. “Man, this is good chili.”

  “It’s a good thing Ice is working us so hard,” Anderson said, dipping cornbread into his chili. “If I show up at home at the end of the season ten pounds heavier, my wife will never believe I spent the summer working.”

  “Somehow I get the feeling we’ll be burning it off pretty quick.” Jac buttered another piece of cornbread. “Word is we’re gonna jump soon.”

  Anderson brightened. “Yeah? Excellent.”

  Hooker thumped his tray down on Anderson’s left and dropped onto the seat. His tight green T-shirt accentuated his muscled chest, and a day’s growth of stubble added to his roughneck image. “Not a great way to start boot camp. Can’t say I’m exactly surprised, though. I had my doubts when I heard who was running the show up here.”

  Jac chewed carefully and swallowed. “What do you mean?”

  “A bad injury on the first day? Doesn’t say much for the training manager.”

  “Accidents happen.” Jac didn’t figure Mallory needed anyone defending her, but she wanted to all the same. Hooker was opinionated and abrasive, although on the surface he wasn’t all that different from a lot of guys. Most of the time, once all the posturing and jockeying for position was out of the way, everybody got along. Something about Hooker put her on edge, though. He wasn’t just griping about authority, he had a target. And the target was Mallory. “I don’t see how Ray falling could be put on anyone. Just bad luck.”

  “The training manager’s responsible for laying out the trails. She ought to have known if one wasn’t safe. We should have been told.” Hooker slurped beans from his spoon and tore off a hunk of bread, waving it for emphasis. “She doesn’t have a great track record. I’m surprised they moved her up after she fucked up last year.”

  Jac stiffened. Hooker had just crossed the line. “Look—”

  “Nobody can predict a blowup,” Anderson said mildly, disproving his own words by metaphorically getting between Jac and Hooker. He held Jac’s gaze across the table, his steady gaze saying Take it easy. Not the time or place. She nodded slightly, acknowledging his support.

  “Hey, I’m just saying,” Hooker said gruffly, “spotters are supposed to pick safety zones that are safe. Those guys who died never made it to the safe zone James picked out.”

  “The fronts can shift out there in seconds,” Jac said, fighting down the urge to leap over the table and strangle the asshole. “Especially on the slopes.”

  Hooker stared at her, and his mouth twisted into a smirk. “Got a hard-on for the ops manager, Russo?”

  Jac slowly sucked in a breath. She’d been baited by the best, and personal insults rarely disturbed her. But this wasn’t about her. He was taking shots at Mallory. “Getting a little personal, aren’t you, Hooker?”

  “Hey, I’m just saying. I don’t care if you’re looking for a little extra something after hours. She’s got a great ass. I wouldn’t mind having a piece of that myself, but out in the field—”

  Jac’s vision narrowed, and her ears filled with the rushing sound of a freight train barreling down in the dark. She pushed the bench back and stood, gripping her tray so hard her knuckles ached. “I’m going to suggest you not go there again,” Jac said softly. “If you do, I’m going to shove the words back down your throat.”

  Hooker laughed as she walked away. Asshole. She’d lived mostly with men the year she was overseas. Crude talk, endless discussions of female body parts, graphic tales of sex and more sex, none of that bothered her. When there was nothing around you but sand and death, not much penetrated the numbness except your connection to your buddies and sex. You looked after your buddies and you shared sex stories. The guys didn’t treat her any differently than they did each other. She didn’t pretend she didn’t like women, she just never gave details about anything. If the guys included her in their banter and their bravado, she never objected. But Hooker—that was different. He’d singled out Mallory, and he’d suggested he wouldn’t mind putting his hands on her. The idea of him anywhere near Mallory sent blades slashing through her insides. She wanted to kill him.

  Jac kept walking even though every fiber in her wanted to turn around and confront him. She’d started out on the wrong foot with Mallory and then compounded it by deviating from safe procedure, climbing down that ravine without backup or safety gear. Homicide was probably not a good idea as a follow-up. She dumped her food into the receptacle and piled her tray on top of the stack nearby. Stepping outside into the brisk spring afternoon, she tried to clear her head. She had time to get in a workout, and she needed it. Between lingering sexual frustration and the simmering urge to crack Hooker’s skull, she felt like a short fuse burning too fast. She needed to get some calm going before she showed up for the afternoon session. Mallory would be watching her, and she wanted to be ready.

  Chapter Nine

  “Mallory! Hey!”

  Mallory turned in the middle of the yard, a rush of pleasure loosening the fist of tension lodged in her chest. As her breath flowed a little easier, the tightness she’d been trying to ignore all day disappeared. “Sarah!”

  Sarah grinned and hurried toward her, her blond curls escaping from under a navy blue knit cap. Even in her cargo pants and matching navy cable-knit sweater, Sarah looked thinner than usual. Mallory had just enough time to wonder about Sarah’s state before Sarah threw her arms around her and squeezed every thought from her head.

  “God, I missed you,” Sarah exclaimed, kissing Mallory soundly on the mouth.

  “Whoa, I’ll say.” Mallory laughed, a weight she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying lifting off her shoulders. Sarah was a good friend—probably her best friend if she’d kept track that way, and a colleague she could rely on. Mallory hadn’t realized just how much she’d longed for a friendly face, someone she trusted not to push her to go places she didn’t want to go or to think about things she didn’t want to remember. Unlike Jac, whose very presence seemed to propel her into the red zone. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you until the middle of the month.”

  “Last-minute change of plans.” Sarah wrapped her arms around Mallory’s waist and gave her a tight hug.

  “What kind of change in plans?” Mallory looped her arm over Sarah’s shoulders. Sarah was deceptively delicate-looking, with finely etched features, a tiny waist, and luminous blue eyes. In fact she was anything but fragile—all lean strength and supple grace. Sarah never had a problem jumping into the roughest terrain or packing out her equipment. She could work a lot of the guys into the ground on a long call out. Her endurance was legendary. And right now, she felt good in Mallory’s arms, warm and comforting.

  “Got a minute to catch up?” Sarah asked.

  “I was on my way to see Sully, but I’ve got time. Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet. I’ve really missed Charlie’s cooking.”

  “Come on, then.”

  They loaded their trays, and Mallory picked a table well away from the few guys talking over cups of coffee. Sarah sat dow
n and Mallory said, “So?”

  “I decided Mark didn’t deserve me.” Despite her nonchalant tone, Sarah’s eyes looked unhappy.

  “Oh, hey. That’s hard. I’m sorry.”

  “No you’re not,” Sarah said, her smile stronger. “You always thought he was a world-class a-hole.”

  Mallory shrugged, grinning slightly. “I never thought he treated you the way you should be treated, and he sure as hell didn’t know what a good thing he had in you. So what happened between you and mister anatomical part in question?”

  “Remember how I used to brag about how supportive Mark was of me smokejumping? That he never complained about me being away for long stretches?”

  “Yeah, I used to think that was out of character for him.” Mallory forced herself not to gobble the chili. Charlie had outdone himself. “Mark always struck me as being high maintenance. I thought he would have needed too much attention to go without you for long.”

  “Well, he managed so well because he had a seasonal substitute. Some college girl who was keeping his bed warm between semesters.”

  “Oh, that really sucks.” Mallory reached across the table and took Sarah’s hand. “I’m really sorry. Really. I might not like the guy, but I know you did.”

  “Thanks.” Sarah sighed and pushed her half-eaten bowl of chili away. “I kind of knew it was coming for a long time, but I just didn’t want to admit it. The upside of the whole mess was I discovered his sideline just when I was making plans to leave for the season. It seemed ridiculous to ask him to move out when I was leaving in two weeks. He might as well stay and pay rent on the place until he finds somewhere else to live.” Sarah grimaced. “I didn’t much feel like seeing any of our friends or listening to my sister say I told you so. I just packed up the car and started driving.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here. You don’t have to work until you’re scheduled—”

  “No, I want to. Please, put me to use.”

  “You sure?” Mallory pointed to Sarah’s chili. “You better eat that, then, because we’ve got another five or six hours ahead of us this afternoon.”

  Sarah nodded and dug in. “Believe me, long days of hard work are exactly what I need. I’ll sleep at night, and I won’t have time to think about him or what an idiot I was.”

  “Okay then. I can always use another training instructor. And you’re not an idiot for being trusting.”

  “Maybe not, but I think maybe I stayed with him longer than I should have because it was convenient. Or maybe just easier. And he’s not hard on the eyes.” Sarah chewed her lip, her cheeks turning pink. “I feel a little shallow about that.”

  Mallory laughed. “Why? Because you’ve got a good, healthy libido and he fired you up?”

  “Well, a little bit of heat might be a good excuse for a casual thing, but two years?” Sarah shrugged. “It’s over and done, right. So, what’s on for this afternoon?”

  “I thought I’d see how they do off the tower. Most of them have no jump experience, and it may not be what they bargained for.”

  “It’ll be dark in a few hours. We’re gonna jump with lights?”

  Mallory grinned. They didn’t fight fires from nine to five. They jumped whenever the plane could get them to the front, night or day, rain or snow. “I thought we might as well see what they’re made of.”

  Sarah laughed. “I’m in. Oh—my place isn’t going to be ready for a couple weeks, so I was planning on bunking here.”

  “Well, that’s no big—” Mallory thought about the sleeping arrangements in the barracks. Sarah’s bunk was the only one secluded enough to offer some privacy. “Damn. We’re not set up yet for more than one woman in there.”

  “Why do we—oh, right. The rookie.” Sarah frowned. “Well, it’s my fault for showing up early. I’ll just have to—”

  “Hey, that’s your bunk and you have seniority. You’re not giving it up for a rookie.” Mallory sipped her coffee, sorting through options. “Besides, the reason we’re not prepared for her is because she showed up off the books this morning.”

  “You didn’t know she was coming?”

  Mallory hesitated, her aggravation of the early morning having smoothed out some since she’d gotten to know Jac a little bit. Jac’s circumstances were a lot more complicated than Mallory had first thought—maybe Jac’s father had pulled strings, but she doubted that was Jac’s doing. Cashing in on her father’s influence just didn’t seem like Jac’s style. But then what did she know of Jac, really? All the same, she wasn’t going to go off with half the facts. “No. She didn’t come through usual channels.”

  “I’m not following.”

  “Someone at regional posted her here.”

  “Huh.” Sarah raised her brows. “And what aren’t you telling me?”

  “I don’t know all the details,” Mallory said.

  “She’s got some pull somewhere, it sounds like.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Oh! Russo. She told me her name was Russo. Her father…not…?”

  Mallory nodded. “Yes.”

  “Wow. Who would’ve thought we’d end up with his daughter here.” Sarah shook her head. “You know, when I first saw her I thought she looked familiar, but with her hair wet and—”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “In the shower. I ran into her in the locker room—in the shower, to be precise.”

  An image of Jac naked, water streaming down her face and over her chest sent a bolt of lightning down Mallory’s spine. She felt her face color and caught herself before she twitched in her chair. “Oh?”

  “Uh-huh. She seems nice.”

  “I guess.” Mallory had a hard time thinking of Jac as nice. There were a lot of words she would use to describe her, but that was not the first one that came to her mind. Intense. Mysterious. Interesting. Gorgeous and sexy.

  “You don’t like her?”

  Mallory blinked. “No. I mean, no, I like her fine. Why do you ask?”

  “I don’t know, I just got a really strange vibe—is something wrong?”

  Mallory shook her head again. Nothing was wrong, only her. “Nope. Everything’s fine.”

  “I wonder if the guys know who she is. That can’t be pleasant for her.”

  “What do you mean?” Mallory’s shoulders stiffened.

  “Well she’s kind of notorious, you know, what with the girlfriend thing and all—”

  “You know about that?”

  “Are you kidding me? You know I’m a People magazine junkie. They picked up the story after those pictures showed up in the Star.” Sarah made a face. “I’d hate for the people I work with to have seen me naked. That way I mean.”

  Mallory’s teeth started to ache they were so tightly clenched. “She was naked?”

  “Oh yeah. Her and the girlfriend. The Star photo was grainy, but clear enough to see they were in flagrante delicto.”

  Mallory lost what was left of her appetite. When Jac had told her about revealing pictures, she’d imagined a heated kiss or a hand in a compromising position. She hadn’t actually considered the photos were taken in the act. Was the girlfriend without pride as well as honor? She knew the seasoned veterans on the team, and trusted them to respect Jac’s privacy. She didn’t know the rookies.

  “If you hear any scuttlebutt about her, let me know.” Mallory stood. She needed some air. She needed to walk off her fury before she said something in front of Sarah she’d regret. Jac could look after herself. She wasn’t responsible for Jac, not that way. Her only responsibility was to see that she was safe in the field.

  Sarah collected her tray and walked with her. “So what are you going to do with her if I take the bunk in the barracks? Can she share your loft until my place is ready?”

  Mallory’s heart lurched. “Oh, I don’t think so. No way. She’s not sleeping with me.”

  Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Who said anything about sleeping with you, huh? I mean, she’d be sleeping in the loft somewhere but—”

  “You know what I mean.”<
br />
  “I think I’m beginning to.” Sarah’s smile widened. “She is really hot.”

  “And you’re really straight. Unless something else changed down there in Santa Fe.” Mallory looked over her shoulder, hoping no one was within hearing range.

  “Ho ho. You’ve got a crush.”

  “Oh my God, I do not. God. She’s a rookie.” Mallory stowed her tray. “I’ve got to get going. I want to talk to Sully, and then I need to check the tower.”

  “You’re avoiding.”

  Mallory turned her back to escape toward Sully’s office. “No, I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are.” Sarah tagged along, laughing. “You’re avoiding your best friend’s nosy questions.”

  “I am not.”

  “So, do you think she’s hot?”

  “Geez, Sarah. Is this high school now? No.”

  Sarah grinned. “So where is she sleeping?’

  Mallory imagined Jac’s quiet breathing in the dark, pictured her moving around in the morning, her thick dark hair tousled from sleep. Her mind skittered away and landed on a grainy image of Jac on the smeared and rumpled pages of a newspaper, naked and defenseless and unable to protect herself. The rage in her chest turned to ice.

  “In the loft.” No big deal, right? She was way too old for a crush, and even if she wasn’t, she had more sense than to be seduced by a cocky grin and soulful eyes. Dark, intense eyes that saw inside her.

  Mallory shivered. The wind had picked up. Ought to make the jumps challenging. She’d have to adjust the tension on the guidelines to counter the shear forces. Plenty to do, plenty to think about. None of those things were Jac.

  *

  “Hey, you want a spot?” Anderson peered down from the head of the weight bench. “You’ve got a fair amount of weight on there.”