Drop Zone

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Her sister’s ex-boyfriend wielding a knife, his mother holding a gun, the sound of gunshots. All of those images flashed through her mind until they merged into one: the coroner pronouncing a young boy dead.

  Paige thought about how she had overreacted with Damian in the restaurant a few days earlier. She still felt bad about it, but she didn’t know how to explain to him the effect guns had on her. Even throughout her training with the government, first as an intern with the FBI and then as a CIA employee, she had always managed to avoid handgun training.

  Logically, she knew that just because someone carried a gun, it didn’t mean they intended to use it to hurt someone. She also knew that logic didn’t always triumph over emotions.

  A knock sounded on the door, and Paige was pleased she didn’t jump. She turned to see the apartment manager push his way inside. “Well, what do you think?”

  Paige took another look around and made her decision. “I’ll take it.”

  * * *

  Damian checked over his diving gear, his mind as much on Paige as it was on the task before him. He still couldn’t figure out exactly why she had blown him off at the restaurant when they’d first met, but for some reason, he couldn’t get the incident out of his mind. One minute they were getting along great, and the next, it was as if someone had flipped a switch, and she acted like she couldn’t put distance between them fast enough.

  When they’d returned to their table, she had been friendly to everyone, even if she had been a little more reserved than when she’d first arrived. She had even been kind enough to not make an issue out of turning him down. Still, it didn’t make sense.

  Paige had admitted she wasn’t dating anyone, and he could have sworn he had detected some interest. So why had she refused to go out with him? He hadn’t even been able to find an opportunity to ask for her number.

  Jay stepped up beside him and interrupted his thoughts. “Is your gear ready to load?”

  “Yeah.” Damian lifted his diving apparatus and carried it to the truck that would transport them to the dock.

  “I can’t believe NCIS hasn’t found anything yet,” Seth said. “It’s been almost a week.”

  “I can’t believe Damian hasn’t asked Paige out yet,” Quinn countered.

  “He might need our help,” Tristan drawled.

  Damian looked over his shoulder. “I don’t need any help getting a date.”

  “Prove it,” Jay said. “We’re having a little get-together at Seth’s place tonight. Why don’t you call Paige and see if she wants to join us.”

  “I didn’t ask for her number.”

  Quinn looked over at Tristan. “Yep. He definitely needs our help.”

  “Maybe Paige isn’t my type.”

  “Yeah right. Paige is every guy’s type,” Tristan said. When he caught the inquisitive looks his teammates sent his way, he amended his comment. “I mean, she’s every single guy’s type.”

  “Maybe Damian has his eye on someone else,” Seth said.

  “From what I’ve seen, he hasn’t even noticed anyone else since he met Paige. That civilian down the hall stopped by to chat yesterday, and Damian barely gave her the time of day.”

  “Are you talking about the redhead with the Southern accent?” Quinn asked.

  “That’s the one,” Jay said. “She was even hinting about whether we’d be around this weekend. I’m telling you, Damian may have missed a golden opportunity there too.”

  “Do you always talk about people when they’re in the room?” Damian asked.

  “Yep,” Tristan said unapologetically. “We aren’t the behind-the-back types.”

  “Any chance you’ll listen to me when I tell you to butt out of my personal life?”

  “Not really.”

  “Great,” Damian muttered.

  “We’re all married,” Tristan said. “You’re our new source of entertainment.”

  “Lucky me.”

  “And don’t even think about trying to skip out on dinner tonight,” Seth added. “They’ll just hunt you down and make your life miserable.”

  Brent walked in and ended the conversation. “Come on. Get the rest of the gear loaded. It’s time to go.”

  Damian helped Seth secure the rest of their gear and climbed into the truck. By the time they reached the dock, he decided it was a perfect day for a dive. Even though he wasn’t looking forward to the freezing temperature, at least once they were underwater, his teammates would lose their ability to talk for a while.

  Chapter 8

  Paige pulled up in front of the modest house in the suburbs of Virginia Beach. Three cars occupied the driveway and several others lined the street near the Johnsons’ home. She parked two houses down, the closest available spot.

  The moment she climbed out of her car, she caught the scent of grilled meat and heard the low notes of a country song. Curious, Paige headed for the house. When Vanessa had invited her over for dinner, she hadn’t mentioned that she was having a party, but the number of cars indicated Paige wasn’t the only guest.

  She still wasn’t sure what to think of the invitation. This was the first time she had ever had a supervisor invite her to dinner. Then again, she hadn’t expected Vanessa to take her to look for an apartment either.

  Paige lifted a hand to knock on the door, surprised when it swung open before she had a chance to follow through. Her eyes lifted to see Jay dominating the doorway.

  “Oh, good. You’re here.”

  “It sounds like there’s quite the party going on here.”

  “Something like that.” Jay stepped aside and waved her in. “I’m just going to get something out of the car. Vanessa is in the kitchen. It’s through there to the left.”

  “Thanks.” Paige walked inside, immediately self-conscious. The living room was filled with several women she’d never seen before, all of them looking over at her. The only familiar face was Tristan, who stood beside the couch, a little blue bundle in his arms.

  “Paige, come on in, and I’ll introduce you to everyone. This is my wife, Riley, and my sister-in-law Taylor.” Tristan motioned first to the blonde on the edge of the couch and then to the redhead beside her. “Taylor had a moment of insanity a year or so ago and married Quinn.”

  “Ignore him,” Taylor responded. “I promise you get used to him after awhile.”

  Tristan continued without missing a beat, now turning to the woman standing across the room. “Over there is Amy Miller.”

  “It’s nice to meet you all,” Paige said, hoping she didn’t appear as awkward as she felt.

  “Don’t worry, there won’t be a quiz on names later,” Amy said with a look of understanding. “Come on. I’ll help you find Vanessa. Once Tristan gets his baby in his arms, he’s oblivious to just about everything.”

  “Can you blame me?” Tristan asked, looking down at his son.

  “Not really,” Amy said. For a brief moment, Paige thought she detected a note of wistfulness in Amy’s voice, but before Paige could further study her expression, Amy turned and led the way into the crowded kitchen. “Look who I found.”

  “Paige.” Damian stood from his spot at the kitchen table. “I didn’t know you were you going to be here.”

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Seth asked, saving Paige from responding.

  “Just some water would be great.” Paige noticed a flash of humor in Seth’s eyes and a corresponding sense of acknowledgment on Damian’s face. Clearly there was some unspoken communication going on between the two men. Curiosity simmered, and she watched for more undercurrents between them.

  Seth opened a cabinet and retrieved a glass. After he filled it with ice and water, he handed it to Paige. “I’d better go check on Quinn and make sure he isn’t burning dinner.” He turned to Damian. “Come on. You can play referee while I try to wrestle the spatula out of his hand.”

  Damian seemed a little reluctant to leave, but when Seth opened the door, he turned and followed him outside.

 
Paige looked at the various side dishes and desserts covering the kitchen table. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you wanted me to bring anything.”

  “It’s fine. I know you don’t have a place yet,” Vanessa said.

  “Actually, I just signed a contract this afternoon. It’s that town house apartment we looked at together.” Paige motioned to the vegetables lined up on the counter. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Actually, you can. See those mint brownies over there?” Vanessa pulled a plastic container out of a drawer. “Put two or three of them in this.”

  Not sure of Vanessa’s motives, Paige took the container, slid three brownies into it, and snapped the lid in place. “Now what?”

  “Now you can start taking plastic wrap off of everything while I hide these.” Vanessa pulled open her Tupperware drawer again and tucked the brownie container beneath several lids.

  Paige chuckled. “Can I ask why you’re hiding mint brownies when you can just pick one up and eat it?”

  “Oh, I already had one,” Vanessa said mischievously. “I just want to make sure I can have another.”

  “There are at least three dozen brownies here.”

  “Yeah, but you don’t know Quinn very well. He can eat a dozen by himself.”

  “Just Quinn?”

  “Well, my husband isn’t much better, but Quinn’s definitely the worst. Last time Riley made those brownies, I didn’t even get one.”

  “Except for the ones you hid?”

  “Exactly.”

  Paige looked out the kitchen window at the three men standing in the backyard beside the grill. She had thought Seth was joking when he’d said he was going to wrestle the spatula away from Quinn, but from the way Quinn was holding it just out of Seth’s reach, Paige realized Seth was probably serious.

  She couldn’t help but smile, and she found herself enjoying the scene the same way she might appreciate a favorite scene in a movie. “Are they really arguing over who’s going to cook?”

  “More like arguing over whether the hamburgers are done.” Vanessa washed her hands and moved to help Paige unwrap the rest of the dishes. “I’d never say this in front of Seth, but Quinn’s actually the best of the guys at grilling.”

  “I can’t imagine having people fighting over who gets to cook. Usually people have the opposite problem.” She picked up a bowl of potato salad, unwrapped it, and set it back down. “Do you have get-togethers like this often?”

  “Usually once or twice a month when the guys are in town.”

  “Are they gone a lot?”

  “Sometimes. They’ve actually been home for a few months now. They all got approved for leave over the holidays because of Jay’s wedding. He just got back from his honeymoon the week before you showed up.”

  Paige thought of Vanessa’s initial reaction when she’d first arrived. “So have you changed your mind about having an assistant?”

  “You changed it for me that first day.” Vanessa laughed. “Do you know I pulled the same stunt on all of my other assistants and not one of them figured it out?”

  The laughter did wonders for Paige, and she felt some of the knots in her stomach loosen. “Figured what out?”

  “To call for tech support before dealing with the other work.”

  “That was just common sense,” Paige said, but pleasure flushed through her at the compliment.

  “Which is what I’ve been needing in an assistant. You’re the first person who’s shown up who seems to possess an abundance of that particular quality.”

  “I’m glad I passed the test.”

  “Oh, you passed all right.” Vanessa crossed to her pantry and retrieved a stack of paper plates. “Have you decided when you’re going to move into your new place?”

  “If everything goes as planned, the movers should get here on Saturday.”

  “Is the government moving you?” Vanessa asked.

  “More or less,” Paige said. “They’re packing everything up, but because the delivery is on a weekend, I’ll have to unpack myself.”

  “If you find you need some extra help, I know where we can round up some muscle.” She pointed out the window. “Or at least someone to grill some burgers.”

  Paige looked outside again to see Seth tackle Quinn to the ground while Damian wrestled the spatula from his hand. She laughed. “I may take you up on that.”

  * * *

  Damian bided his time during dinner. He chatted with Quinn’s wife, Taylor, about the life of an artist. He took a turn holding Tristan’s son, Dixon. When it came time to play street football, he made sure he was on Quinn’s team to avoid any repercussions from helping Seth dethrone him earlier as the barbecue king.

  When the party started breaking up, he stayed longer than he might normally, waiting for the moment when he could get Paige alone, when he could find out what he’d done wrong.

  That moment didn’t present itself until she’d said her good-byes.

  “Vanessa, thanks again for dinner.”

  “We enjoyed having you.” Vanessa gave her a quick hug. “And don’t forget what I said about when you move.”

  Paige smiled in response. “I won’t.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Damian offered as soon as Paige made a step toward the door. “I should be going too.”

  He thanked Vanessa and Seth before leading the way outside. “Where are you parked?”

  “A couple houses down.” Paige started toward a small SUV down the street.

  Damian fell in step with her, noticing the way she kept her eyes on her car as though she didn’t want to look at him. “I wanted to ask you, did I do something to upset you the other day?”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Then I’m confused,” Damian said, not sure why he felt the need to press the issue. “I thought we were getting along great, but as soon as I asked you out, you acted like you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

  “It wasn’t you, exactly.”

  “Then what was it?”

  “It’s not important.” She dug her keys out of her purse and jangled them. “It’s silly.”

  “What is?” Damian waited for her to look up at him, focusing his gaze on her. “Are you seeing someone else? Did you decide I’m not your type? What?”

  Her shoulders lifted and fell as she let out a sigh. “It was your gun.”

  “My gun?”

  “I know it probably sounds ridiculous to someone like you, but I have a fear of guns.” She held her hands out apologetically. “I noticed you were carrying one, and I freaked out.”

  “I’m surprised you could even tell I had one.”

  “I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting them over the years.”

  Damian felt a sense of satisfaction to realize she had been watching him closely enough to spot his weapon. “Did you happen to notice my teammates carrying?”

  “Some of them. Quinn, Tristan, and Brent all have them too. Why?”

  Satisfaction bloomed into anticipation. He stepped closer. “Everyone on my squad wears a concealed weapon.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.” Damian looked over his shoulder to see if any of his teammates were watching. “Maybe we can try this again. If I promise not to take my gun with us, can I take you out on Friday night?”

  Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “I guess that would be okay.”

  He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Here. Put your number in, and I’ll call you when I find out what time I get off that day.”

  She took the phone and added her number to his contacts. The moment she handed it back, he texted her so she would have his number as well. She unlocked her car, and he pulled the door open for her.

  “I’ll call you later,” he said, holding onto the door until she was seated inside.

  “Okay.”

  When he stepped back onto the curb and watched her pull away, he looked up to see four of his teammates looking through the windows, each of them giving h
im a thumbs-up.

  Damian shook his head. He wondered briefly if any money was changing hands, but he was in such a good mood he didn’t care.

  Chapter 9

  Paige unlocked the door to her new apartment and stepped inside with a sense of new beginnings. She tugged the smallest of her three suitcases behind her and set it just inside the door, along with her purse. She glanced at her watch to see she had half an hour before Damian was due to arrive.

  Since her household effects were arriving tomorrow morning, she had given him her new address. She had debated staying in the hotel one more night but decided it didn’t make sense to have Damian make the long drive to pick her up only to have to get up early tomorrow morning to come back to her apartment. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d crashed on the floor for a night, and she doubted it would be the last.

  Returning to her car, she retrieved another suitcase and the large trash bag that contained her pillow and the bedding she had brought with her. After depositing those in the bedroom, she made one more trip for her last suitcase.

  An abundance of nervous energy bubbled up inside her as she thought of her date with Damian. She still couldn’t believe she’d confessed her fear of handguns, but she knew from her training that if she felt compelled to talk about it, she must be ready to face the fear. Of course, admitting she didn’t like guns was a long way from talking about what had caused the fear in the first place.

  Closing the door behind her, Paige busied herself with airing out her bedding and hanging up clothes. With each outfit she hung up, she wondered if she should change. Damian had said to dress casually, and she had taken him at his word, choosing a pair of jeans and a long sweater, but she caught a glimpse of her favorite scarf in a suitcase and dug it out, pleased to see it wasn’t too wrinkled.

  She draped it around her neck and debated changing her shoes when the doorbell rang. Her stomach jumped, and her eyes narrowed. Why was she having this kind of reaction to going out with someone she’d only met twice? Sure, he seemed like a nice guy, and he was good looking, but she also knew he might very well be taking her out just to prove himself to his buddies.