by Radclyffe
“Germaine and the rest of them seem to know what they’re doing.”
“You were out there on the rig, weren’t you? How did things look?”
“Yeah.” Alex grimaced. “And I didn’t see anything amiss, but I probably should have questioned why there were so few people on the rig. They’d already pulled some of their crew.”
Gem’s stomach plummeted. “So Austin knew there was a spill—”
“No, I think Germaine was telling it to us straight. There’s nothing out there, at least visibly, that points to a major spill. Leaks happen a lot more often than you’d realize.”
“I’m glad of that,” Gem said. “Do you think we’ll be all right, then?”
Alex sighed. “We have only their reports as to how bad things are in the deep. Currents can carry underwater oil accumulations for hundreds, thousands of miles. And if the hurricane hits here? Who knows.”
“We don’t have much time.”
“No.” Alex studied her, frown lines creasing her brow. “You know her, right? Before this, I mean.”
Gem laughed, the sound bitter to her ears. “Yes. A really strange set of coincidences. I rode in with her from the airport.”
“I take it she didn’t mention anything about what was happening out there.”
“No, she didn’t.” Gem wanted to believe Austin wouldn’t have kept the situation quiet if there were a real threat of a major environmental disaster, but how could she know that? It all came down to her not knowing Austin at all.
“Is there something else going on?” Alex asked.
“What? No,” Gem said quickly.
“Then why do you look like you’re hurting?”
“Just worried about the sanctuary.” Gem smiled thinly and grasped Alex’s arm. “And about you, for that matter, out there in what’s coming.”
“You know we do it all the time. It’s not that, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“What do you think of her…Austin?”
Alex blinked at the sudden change of subject. “I think she’s being as straightforward as she can be. She’s walking a line, you know how it is. The information she gave me was completely accurate and honest, if not totally inclusive. Within the letter of the law.”
Gem blew out a breath. “I’m not sure that’s enough.”
“Why does it matter so much what she says?”
Heat climbed into Gem’s face. She was giving away far too much. “It doesn’t, I guess. I just like to know who I’m working with.”
“Well, don’t worry about it too much. I’ll have your back.”
Impulsively, Gem hugged her. “I know. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Always.”
Gem watched her sister climb into the Coast Guard SUV and pull out of the lot. She had no choice now but to meet with Austin. She couldn’t avoid her, as much as she wanted to. And as much as she wanted to avoid her, she wanted to see her again too. Torn between desire and disillusion, she strode determinedly inside.
Not quite ready to cross swords with Austin without fortification, she detoured to the canteen for coffee, silently chiding herself for delaying. Avoidance wasn’t her usual modus operandi. Everything about her relationship with Austin was unlike her. She needed to find her balance, her perspective. How she was going to do that in the midst of a crisis was anybody’s guess, but she’d have to find a way.
Emily, the only one remaining from the morning’s meeting, pulled a cup of steaming hot chocolate from the microwave and gestured to Gem. “Want one?”
“Chocolate might be just the thing. I’ve got a minute or two before I meet with Austin.” There, she’d said her name without the slightest hitch and only the faintest skip of her heart.
Emily blew on the steam coming out of her cup, sipped, and nodded. “I’ll fix one for you.”
“Thanks.” Gem dropped into one of the chairs at a table someone had pushed back to its normal spot and closed her eyes. She hadn’t slept after the calls from first her sister and then Austin. She’d spent part of the time Googling Austin, something else she didn’t ordinarily do. Somehow, the whole idea seemed like such an invasion of privacy, but after the strange call from Austin, she had to learn more about her. Unfortunately, she hadn’t learned much at all.
Austin Germaine didn’t have a Facebook page or a Twitter account or a website, and apparently hadn’t authored any articles after a dozen or so on some technical mechanics of deepwater drilling half a dozen years before. Googling Ace Grand brought up all the usual references to her graphic novel titles and awards, but no photos, only a rare interview, and no calendar of personal appearances. Austin aka Ace had managed to keep an extremely low profile on social media. Finally, she found a YouTube clip of a news video from a site in Alaska where an oil transport ship had gone aground and lost its cargo. If she hadn’t really been digging she never would have found it. She wondered if GOP had some sort of process where they scrubbed those kinds of things from the Internet. At any rate, Austin had been as well-spoken and had looked as good on camera as the reporter interviewing her. None of it told her anything about the woman behind the image.
Gem gave a little jump when Emily set a steaming cup of hot cocoa in front of her. “Thanks,” she said again.
Emily sat beside her. “When do you think the FEMA team will get here?”
“Late morning, I hope. They’re quick to mobilize, and I’m sure they want to get here before the storm hits.”
“They’ll likely set up headquarters on the mainland, don’t you think?”
“Probably. Especially if the governor calls for evacuation.”
“Just as well. Too many cooks—” Emily shook her head. “We certainly seem to have a lot of those all of a sudden.”
“I know, but it’s always this way with multijurisdictional situations. Fish and Wildlife, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and, of course, all the privates get involved.”
“I caught a newscast just now,” Emily said, gesturing to the small TV on the counter whose sound was currently muted. “Just a fifteen-second sound bite on the local news about Rig 86 and a small leak, already contained and of no major consequence.”
Gem tasted the chocolate and let the heat and sweetness soothe the rough anger in her throat. “That’s GOP’s first volley to control the situation. I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more if things escalate.”
“Hopefully they’re not going to.” Emily glanced toward the door as if making sure they were alone. “Austin sounded credible. I don’t think we’ve got a major spill yet.”
Gem heard the tentativeness in her tone. “Austin didn’t mention anything about this to me before. I don’t know whether to believe her or not.”
“What do your instincts say?” Emily asked gently.
“I’m not sure I can separate my instincts from my wishes, and I’m not sure I trust either one at this point.”
“I think your instincts are just fine,” Emily said. “I don’t see you sleeping with her if you hadn’t sensed something exceptional about her.”
Gem laughed entirely without humor. “Oh, there’s plenty exceptional about her. She’s talented and gorgeous and has a way of making a woman feel special. God, I sound ridiculous.”
“No, you don’t. Define special—besides, you know, the obvious parts where you feel like a sexual goddess.”
Gem grinned, a flicker of true humor slicing through the gloom that had descended over her. “I wouldn’t use quite that term, but she certainly woke up something in me. It wasn’t just the sex, although that was damn nice. I felt understood, as if when I told her things, I didn’t have to explain myself. As if she cared.”
“I can’t believe you would have felt that way if it wasn’t true.”
The ice settled around Gem’s heart again. “Well, there certainly were some major gaps in our connection. While I was blithely recounting God knows how many personal details, she was holding back a huge part of hers.”
“I’m
not going to defend her. I don’t know her at all, and you’re one of my best friends,” Emily said staunchly, “but it’s a big tangle, and the only thing I know for sure is that you are a good judge of your own feelings. So I’d trust them.”
“I’ll try.” Gem sighed and finished the last of her chocolate. She carried the cup to the sink, carefully rinsed it, and set it upside down on the drain board. She squared her shoulders. “I guess it’s time to put that to the test.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Thirty minutes had never felt so long. Austin wanted to go after Gem to continue to plead her case, to say something, anything, that would drive the distance from Gem’s eyes and bring some warmth back into her smile. But she didn’t have enough time, and this wasn’t the time or the place. Her words weren’t welcome. She’d run out of time, as she’d known she would, and if she’d listened to the voice of caution she never would have let the situation go so far. She hadn’t been fair to Gem or herself, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to regret a single moment. She hadn’t wanted to be cautious, and she hadn’t wanted to listen to reason. She hadn’t wanted to push aside what her heart demanded yet again. She’d been ruled by the dictates and desires of others most of her life, until she convinced herself what she was doing was what she wanted. Oh, she’d charted her own course—she couldn’t blame anyone else if she wasn’t completely satisfied with her life. She’d broken away from the family tradition of risk-taking and adventure and high-profile excitement, but she’d somehow ended up on the edge of danger all the same. And blood had won out. When she’d stood on the precipice facing Gem across a chasm that logic and reason dictated she avoid, she jumped, not caring that she might fall. The risk had been worth it, and she hadn’t fallen, at least not right away.
“You need me to stay for this?” Claudia asked.
Austin jerked at the sound of Claudia’s voice. She’d actually forgotten she wasn’t alone in the room Gem used as an office. The windowless ten- by ten-foot space was sparsely furnished with a serviceable plain wooden desk, a trio of metal filing cabinets, and a round table with four chairs that appeared to serve as a work space and conference area. She and Claudia had settled there to wait for Gem, and instead of reviewing plans for the containment procedures, she’d forgotten everything except the look of hurt and disdain in Gem’s eyes.
Time to get a grip. She couldn’t afford to forget anything now. A slip of attention or lapse in concentration could mean disaster not just for her, but for those who depended on her. She shook her head. “You’re welcome to stay, but if you’re really intent on going back to the rig, you should probably grab a lift before the weather gets any worse.”
“What about you?”
“I want to stay here until I get a fix on the most-at-risk areas, and I want to be sure the ground team has everything they need.”
“Your call.” Claudia paused. “I thought you might need reinforcements.”
“You noticed.” Austin winced. “I don’t expect open warfare, maybe just a cold war for a little while.”
Claudia glanced over her shoulder, then pulled her chair closer. “It’s absolutely none of my business, but I couldn’t help noticing that one of the Sisters Martin bore a striking resemblance to the woman you were sketching. They’re quite a fascinating pair.”
“They are. I met Gem on the drive in. We spent most of a day in a car together, and we…” Austin shook her head. “It was a hell of a trip.”
“I take it she didn’t know about the rig or your job out there.”
“I didn’t know what I was going to be facing, and even if I had, I wouldn’t have discussed it with anyone. You know the situation.”
“Oh, indeed I do. I signed the same forms you did.” She pushed back a whisper of hair that had fallen free from the clasp, an unconsciously graceful movement that elicited absolutely no reaction from Austin other than a distant appreciation.
“We’ll sort things out,” Austin said with more confidence than she felt. Somehow she had to sort things out, or she’d be walking around with a hole in her middle forever.
“I’m always good for backup.” Claudia gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her hand. “Call me anytime.”
Call me anytime.
Gem halted in the doorway to her office, a hot rush of annoyance and something that couldn’t possibly be jealousy streaking through her. An instant ago she’d been ready to face Austin in a cool, professional manner, determined not to let the past hinder their working relationship. Now that hard-earned calm boiled away. “Am I early for our meeting?”
Austin’s head jerked up. “No, I’m ready when you are.”
“I can see that.”
Claudia slowly drew her hand from Austin’s and turned toward Gem. She smiled, a neutral professional smile. “I was about to head back to the rig. I’m sure we’ll meet again before this is over.”
Gem gave her a thin smile. “Maybe we’ll be lucky and the storm will change course.” And she could get back to her life without the unsettling presence of Austin Germaine and her own treacherous desires.
“I hope you’re right.” Claudia rose, saying to Austin, “I’ll call you with an update as soon as I get to the rig.”
“Thanks. Be careful.”
“Of course.” Claudia nodded to Gem and disappeared.
Gem took the seat Claudia had just vacated, edging the chair back a few inches from Austin, who was far too close. So close Gem could smell the spice and sandalwood, the same scent that clung to her pillow. Her throat ached even as her pulse quickened. Annoyed, aroused, she asked sharply, “What is it you need from me?”
Austin couldn’t begin to answer that, not when Gem looked at her as if they’d never touched. So she’d start at the beginning, where she should have before she’d let her heart lead her head. “Since you and I will be the primary coordinators, I wanted to give you some perspective on my role.”
“I thought you already did that,” Gem said.
“The briefing was mostly a sit rep to establish the task force.”
“What else is there?”
“I hope there’s more.”
“A little late for introductions,” Gem said without a flicker of a lash, “but go ahead.”
Austin tamped down a rejoinder. Gem wasn’t going to make it easy for her. Fair enough. “You already know that I’m the point man for GOP in the developing situation out at the rig.”
“How long have you been doing it?” Gem hadn’t planned on asking any personal questions, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to know more about Austin. She wanted to know something about her that she could believe—facts, not feelings.
“About five years,” Austin said. “I started out as an engineering consultant, but it turns out I’m pretty good at interfacing with the media too.”
“So you’re not just a good-looking mouthpiece.”
Austin let out a sigh. “I’d say thanks but I don’t think there’s a compliment in there. No, I’m not a PR person—in cases like this the media want to talk to the people on the ground, the ones with oil on their hands. I fit that bill.”
Gem pounced. “So why are you here if there’s no spill?”
“Are you also an attorney along with your other degrees?” Austin thought she saw a fleeting smile.
“No, that’s my brother,” Gem said.
“We don’t have a spill, but we do have a leak.”
“Fine distinction.”
“An important one.” Austin took her through the early response actions Tatum and Reddy had instituted.
“And Spencer?”
“The rig is a big float, more or less. They don’t tip if carefully balanced and adjusted for dynamic ocean conditions—with the storm surge, the best information will come from assessing the situation right at sea level,” Austin said. “Plus Claudia will liaise with the federal and state scientific support teams, when and if we get to that point.”
“How bad is the leak?”
“Manageable, possibly containable under other circumstances, but as I told you and the others earlier, I don’t think we can get out of this without some tangible spill.”
“I don’t have much experience with this stage of things,” Gem said. “I was in the Gulf after Deepwater Horizon, but only during the rescue phase.” Even now she could remember the bone-weary hours and mind-numbing devastation. The weeks she’d spent attempting to save the hundreds of birds trapped in the oil spills had been heartbreaking work. So many they hadn’t been able to save. “There was oil everywhere.”
“We’re not going to let that happen here,” Austin said determinedly. “We’re ahead of things now, because with Deepwater, they didn’t have any warning and they couldn’t get booms and floats in place fast enough. We can.”
Gem had seen the huge lines of floats and the skimmers vacuuming oil from the surface of the water, and she’d seen the coastline drenched in oil that drowned the sea life, starved the waterfowl, and ravaged the ecosystem for decades to come. “What if it gets past the booms? Can we keep it offshore?”
Austin felt Gem’s probing gaze, knew Gem was looking for truth, and she had to convince her she was capable of it, for more reasons than the job. “We’re hoping it won’t even get that far. The booms are backup. Our first choice is to burn it right on the surface when it emerges.”
“Isn’t it dangerous—burning so close to your rig?”
“We’ve had plenty of experience with it.”
Gem knew it couldn’t be that simple. “How likely are you to be able to do all this with the hurricane coming?”
“The burn may be enough. Even the storm isn’t likely to extinguish it.”
The edge of Gem’s anger and resentment dulled as she envisioned Austin and the others on a floating platform miles out in the ocean, corralling a burning oil slick with the hurricane bearing down on them. “That sounds insane.”
Austin grinned thinly. “The whole idea of sinking a twelve-inch drill shaft miles down into the surface of the earth from a floating platform is pretty crazy too. But believe it or not, the safety record is pretty damn good. The crews are the best.”