Joint Engagement

by Karen Anders

  A male voice responded, the quality distant with a humming sound each time the speaker pressed the mic. “Unknown Coast Guard vessel, this is the United States Coast Guard vessel Point Sharon. Break. Break. Request the description of the vessel. Over.”

  “Eighty-two-foot Point-class cutter. Over.”

  Kinley rested against the console, attempting to collect herself. She was more than rattled. Was there ever a time when such a scene wouldn’t faze her?

  “Special Agent Cooper, sit tight. United States Coast Guard vessel Point Sharon is en route. Alerting United States Coast Guard, Sector Hampton Roads. Alerting SAC Stafford. Over.”

  “Roger that, United States Coast Guard vessel Point Sharon. Over and out.”

  She set down the mic and took up a position near the door. The bridge had a clear view of the bow, but the starboard wasn’t visible. Better to keep her guard up just in case she got company.

  Even as she stood watch, her mind was going fast and furious. How could this have happened? This was an elite, combat-ready force. It was hard to believe that someone could have gotten the drop on them, boarded a United States Coast Guard vessel and murdered everyone aboard. It was a light crew for this class of vessel. Normally, fifteen men manned a ship of this size. Were they also looking at a possible hostage situation with nine men missing?

  * * *

  As soon as the Point Sharon pulled up next to the drifting ship and the preliminary introductions were out of the way, the crew got the engines started and piloted the ship over to the Hampton Roads docks for crime-scene processing.

  Still on the Point Sharon to keep the crime scene as pristine as possible, Kinley stood at the rail as the ship docked. Her boss, Kirk, waited on the dock with a crime-scene team. He was a tall, compact man, a runner like her with a buzz cut and even though she knew he was older than her, he had a boyish face with a set of intelligent brown eyes. Once the gangway was lowered and he was aboard, she briefed him on how she’d found the ship.

  He took her arm and drew her away from the team.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she said immediately.

  “You shouldn’t have boarded that ship without backup.”

  “I tried to call you, but they had a wireless jammer on board on the bridge. No cell signal and I was concerned about casualties.”

  He searched her eyes for a moment. Gave her a nod of approval. “You did good. Why don’t you use the head to clean up? Then get on identifying our guys so we can notify their families and get this investigation under way. I want to know what the hell happened here.” He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to her.

  She took it and nodded. Her running clothes weren’t the ideal outfit at the moment and she was grateful for his thoughtfulness. She walked to the head and turned on the tap, taking a deep breath. She looked at her face in the mirror, one she had lived with for a long time. The delicate features were blank and controlled. It had been a long, long time since she had felt the emotion she’d felt today. The combination of the fog and the memories had seriously shaken her.

  She was good at compartmentalizing; she shoved everything into a box and tamped down the lid. She had a job to do. That was the most important thing she could do for her father right now. He was gone, but she would be damned if she’d let terrorists or drug dealers kill her comrades and get into the US without a fight. She needed to do her job, not just for herself but for him.

  She set the jacket down, slipped a paper towel under the stream and wiped at the dried blood on her arms until it was sponged clean. After that was complete, she cleaned the blood off her weapon and set it back in her holster before shrugging into the jacket.

  When she came out of the head, she snagged one of her team members and got a mobile fingerprint scanner. Now in front of the first victim, a black man, the one she’d initially tripped over, she took in the position of his body. He was lying facedown and obvious bloody gunshot wounds peppered his back. Caught by surprise was her first thought. Sympathy for him and his family made her sigh softly. Her throat tightened. Losing a family member was so...devastating. He was someone’s son, and a husband according to the ring on his left hand. She frowned. No weapon. Anywhere. Had the hostiles taken it? Using the device, she crouched down and reached for the dead man’s hand, separating his fingers and pressing his index finger against the pad of the reader. She looked down at the screen and waited for his identity. Nothing showed up. Figuring she must not have gotten a good reading, she repeated the process, but the reader still returned no information.

  She walked over to the next victim and followed the same procedure. Again, no reading. Kinley moved to the next victim, but this time the reader returned an identity.

  Cameron Dixon, Petty Officer Third Class, assigned to the USS Matthew Robinson, destroyer. She looked for a laptop and typed in the information, and found out that the Matthew Robinson was currently docked at Naval Station Norfolk. She checked the remaining dead men.

  She approached Kirk and said, “Sir, these men are not showing up on the reader as Coast Guard personnel. The only victim that I got a reading on is a naval petty officer.”

  His eyes went bleak, his body stiffening. “What is a petty officer doing on a Coast Guard cutter in one of our uniforms?” he growled.

  “Could be there was some kind of undercover joint operation, but that seems unlikely considering his low rank.”

  He nodded. “Contact NCIS at Naval Station Norfolk and alert them.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said.

  “Looks like our ME has his job cut out for him today,” he murmured.

  * * *

  Special Agent Beau Jerrott turned over and smiled at the sweet blonde who was getting dressed in the light from the rising sun. Her name was Daisy, just like the pretty flower.

  “You sure you have to go back to DC today, Beau, honey?”

  “Aw, chérie, duty calls and I’ve gotta get back to the city.”

  She thrust out her bottom lip and finished zipping up her dress. “Too bad,” she said, softly dropping down on the edge of the bed and pressing a kiss to his mouth. “You are simply one of the most gorgeous men I have ever laid my blue eyes on. Face of an angel.”

  He chuckled. “I’m no angel,” he said.

  She pulled away the sheet and looked down. “Nope, flesh-and-blood man. Much better. Ooh, look, you have something special for me.”

  He laughed and looked down at himself. He was a man and waking up with an erection was routine. “I’d say we had a good time last night.” She sent her hand through his hair, her blue eyes full of carnal lust. He smiled, one hand slipping to the zipper on her dress, the other hiking it up on her thigh. “I don’t have to leave exactly right now—” His cell phone rang just as he was pulling her back down on the bed.

  She sighed and gave him another kiss. “I’m so tempted to stay and be very late for work, but it looks like duty is calling right now, Mr. Special Agent. You ever in Norfolk again, give me a call.”

  He grabbed his cell and smiled at her, cupping her jaw and running his thumb along the plump curve of her cheek. “Jerrott,” he said into the receiver as she rose. Giving him a look of regret, she picked up her purse and slipped out his hotel room door. She paused and blew him a quick kiss. He covered his heart and smiled.

  “You left yet?”

  Beau sighed, his eyes following the pretty blonde to her car, then focused on what his boss, Special Agent in Charge Christophe Vargas, was saying. “Just about to. What’s up?”

  “Just received a call from SA Michael Steele back at Naval Station Norfolk. There’s a situation over in Hampton Roads. Dead petty officer on a CG cutter. They requested that you do a look-see and report back to him.”

  “Roger that.”

  Beau pushed back the covers and rose, stretching. Pad
ding to the bathroom, he took a quick shower and dressed. After pulling out a power bar from his stash, he opened the wrapper and took a bite as he grabbed up his firearm. He tucked it into the shoulder holster and snagged the handcuffs and his ID. He stowed one in the case next to his weapon, and the ID in his back pocket. He pulled up the handle of his suitcase as he grabbed his black leather jacket off the hotel coatrack and left the room.

  Once he stored his bag and polished off the power bar, he settled into the driver’s seat. He entered the address for CG HQ into his GPS and pulled out of the parking lot.

  The trip was quick. He parked and pulled out his ID to make his way to where the cutter was docked, CGIS guys crawling all over it.

  Walking up the gangway, he stopped the first person he saw. “Who’s in charge?”

  The tall blond guy pointed to a trim man with a buzzed military cut in blue slacks and a white button-down, standing at the bow of the ship. “Special Agent Stafford.”

  Beau walked up to him. “Special Agent Stafford. Special Agent Beau Jerrott, NCIS. I hear you have a dead petty officer aboard?”

  “We do.” His cell phone rang and when he looked at the number, he said, “I’ve got to take this. See SA Cooper.” He immediately turned away and spoke into the receiver, “Yes, sir?”

  Beau turned to look for SA Cooper, whoever the hell he was. His eyes snagged on a woman in a CG jacket, running bra and black shorts standing near six covered bodies. He was confused by her for a moment. Not exactly professional gear, but the jacket threw him. Was she a witness?

  There was something about her that kicked him right in his solar plexus and almost made it hard to take his next breath.

  Her hair was a deep, burnished auburn.

  Kryptonite.

  Redheads were his Kryptonite.

  What a freaking knockout, and that wasn’t an overstatement. He guessed five-seven, one-twenty. Was she trying to play down her looks with that pulled-back hair and no makeup, no jewelry, nothing to enhance or draw the eyes? She’d failed. It only heightened her natural beauty. Her bone structure was lovely, delicate, feminine, her features equally so, her skin flawless, improved by the freckles across her cheeks and nose. There was something in her stunning face, some kind of...struggle. Her fists were clenched, her jaw tight. He immediately wanted to wrap his arms around her but didn’t understand why.

  His eyes traveled down her curvy, gorgeous body, the skin of her midriff creamy and soft looking. He took a breath. Her belly button was pierced, but he couldn’t make out the pin. He wanted to get closer, but shook his head to clear it.

  Protective instincts didn’t normally surface unless he was in rescue mode. This woman seemed a little out of her element, a little lost, and for some damn reason, that made him want to be her knight. Immediately wary of those types of feelings, he took a mental step back. Not exactly the role he was used to playing. The one that suited him was a complete and utter rogue. That was why he normally went for the tough, confident women who knew how to play his game. Like Daisy. Easier that way.

  Compelled, he stepped away from the occupied Stafford and toward the woman and the bodies. As he approached, she looked up, and it almost stopped him in his tracks. Her eyes were green and he had to reassess his little-lost-waif impression after seeing the steel in those thickly-lashed, straightforward emerald eyes.

  Her gaze locked on his and for a moment they just stood there, the intensity of the connection almost tangible.

  He was surprised to see the way she sized him up, the flash of censure in her face and then her eyes narrowing just slightly, as if he was some kind of threat. She intrigued him all the more and that was damn bad. He didn’t want to be intrigued. Good thing he was heading out and back to DC after he was finished here.

  “Who are you?” she said, taking in his leather jacket and tailored pants, the steel from her eyes threaded through a voice that was both commanding and sultry.

  His ID was still in his hand and he brought it up. “Special Agent Beau Jerrott, NCIS. I was invited to this shindig. Who are you?”

  She straightened, realizing that she’d been rude. “This is a crime scene, so I’m being a hard-ass to protect evidence. I’m Special Agent Kinley Cooper.”

  She didn’t offer her hand, but he liked that she didn’t apologize. “Cooper? I was told to speak with a Cooper.” He might like to charm the pants off the ladies, but when it came to his job, he was just as hard-core as he’d been on the teams. He switched gears. She was a professional and a fellow agent, which made her off-limits.

  “You found her, then.”

  He’d found her all right, he just had to think of her as an investigator and not as a woman. It was not going to be an easy task. “Could you brief me?”

  She explained how she’d just gone running—which explained her attire—when she’d heard the popping noises and the metal scraping.

  He looked down at the bodies. “Which one is mine?”

  She indicated the covered body at the end. He walked over and removed the sheet. He swore softly in Cajun French. He was just a wet-behind-the-ears kid. His black hair was military regulation, Caucasian, strong Roman nose and jaw, all and all a nice-looking kid, just barely a man. His lips tightened, a mixture of anger and regret for the loss of life. No matter how many times he looked at a body, it never got easier. He took in the Coast Guard uniform. “It’s a fake,” he said softly, examining the ribbons.

  She looked at the ribbons wordlessly, then said, “You’re right.” She crouched down next to him to get a closer look, the heat of her body drifting over him, the light scent of her intoxicating. He turned his head and realized that she was too close for him to maintain any kind of balance between work and...play.

  She must have realized that she was closer than was professionally acceptable. She wobbled and he reached out, snaking his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. Dragging her inadvertently against the length of his body. She was a pleasant weight against him. The skin of her bare stomach was soft against his hand, the warmth of her enticing. The top of her head fit right beneath his chin and the smell of her shampoo tickled his nostrils.

  Startled, she made a soft sound, her head dropping back as her green eyes slammed into his. He rose with her to ground her completely before letting her go.

  “Steady there, sailor,” he said, his voice coming out huskier than he meant it to.

  She gave him a quick, tight smile. “My fault. I was too eager to point out my findings.”

  “No worries,” he replied and crouched down again. She walked around the bodies so that she was a fair distance from him. “These ribbons don’t mean anything, just colored tape, and the CG emblem is missing.”

  She peered at the ribbons and gestured toward the sleeve where the emblem was absent, then looked up at him. “Exactly. Good eye, Jerrott.”

  “It’s Beau,” he said, and for a moment she stared at him before she dropped her gaze. “At first glance this might fool someone from a distance, but it’s not going to fool anyone who’s active-duty CG.”

  Using a pen he plucked from the inside of his leather jacket, he dug around the neck and came up empty. “No dog tags. They must have been removed after he was dead. Look at the abrasion here along the neck.”

  “Yes, I figured out he and his dead friends were posing as Coast Guard members.”

  “Looks that way, but when they executed their witnesses, they must have checked them over. Do you know who these other guys are?”

  “No. There were no hits on them. They definitely aren’t in the military database. We’re going to have to identify them through forensics.”

  He nodded. “So, we have six dead men on an unidentified CG cutter. It’s a good-size ship. What exactly were they trying to get to shore? Contraband? Illegal immigrants? Weapons?” he asked. Or even worse. “Terrorists?”<
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  “Terrorists?” Her jaw clenched. He could see that was a definite button pusher for her. She looked out over the ocean, deep sorrow in her eyes.

  “It’s our job to make sure to find out,” she growled, the sorrow replaced by a snapping anger that went deep. Personal deep.

  He had to wonder how this warrior waif had come into contact with terrorists.

  His gut clenched at the thought of how many unknowns there were in this grisly case already, and how he was lucky he was going back to DC and getting away from the lovely and complex Kinley Cooper.

  Chapter 2

  There was no denying how simply drop-dead gorgeous Special Agent Beau Jerrott was. A woman would have to be dead to not be affected by his tousled black hair, those penetrating eyes and that just-French-enough accent he had going.

  He caught her first with the magnetic quality of his dark blue eyes, glittering with devilish light. When their eyes met, something tangible sizzled between them.

  A grin unfurled, slowly, easily, cutting a pair of dimples into his lean, tanned cheeks. Kinley felt as if someone had just gut-punched her. The smile transformed a face that had only moments ago looked stern and unapproachable. His mouth was wide and mobile, the lips wonderfully masculine and full, accentuated by the faint stubble across his upper lip and around his chin. His thick, dark hair lay across his forehead, the rest tapering down in a medium layer cut that framed his striking face.

  First off, she wasn’t going to give in to an attraction that could spell disaster for her professional career. That was her one and only focus. Rising in the ranks to eventually run her own team. She knew how the boys’ club worked. Sleeping with fellow agents regardless of what alphabet-soup agency they belonged to wasn’t smart. She’d discovered that the hard way.