I reached for the harness, but grasped nothing but air. All was a blur, a blue blur, my eyes smacked with icy pain. There was nowhere, nothing. I sucked in, coughed. My breath gone. My lungs frozen still.
The water churned around me and I was under again, immersed in searing numbness, pressing in on me from all directions. Blackness. My arms wouldn’t move, my legs felt gone. Air? Where? I had to break from this icy grip.
My body wouldn’t respond. Too…cold. Sinking. Sinking. No! I wriggled, moved. Dalton!
Waves pushing me away, away from the boat. Too late. Too far. Gone.
Then something pushed, raising me from the depths. Whoosh. I burst into the air. Free.
Hands, grabbing, pulling me from the sea.
Dalton’s hands.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I couldn’t stop shivering. My hands were numb and I couldn’t feel my feet. Dalton wrapped his wool blanket around both of us and pressed me against him, trying to get me warm. “Good thing Dylan was quick on the crane. The whales were going after you.”
“No, no,” I said, my teeth chattering. “They were pushing me up.” Weren’t they? Yes. “They were trying to save me.”
He put his hand on my forehead. “No, I got you out before they really realized—”
“No, I…I know,” I said. I felt it. They knew I meant no harm. They knew.
“Well, you’re all right now,” he said, hugging me tighter.
“Good thing you weren’t in there any longer. You’re in danger of hypothermia as it is,” Bjørn said. “Let’s get you inside.” He shooed us toward the door like sheep. “All of you.”
April, Dalton, and I were ushered into the galley.
“No hot coffee. Warm some milk,” he said to Dylan who rushed around the tiny galley, opening and closing cupboard doors. “Just lukewarm. And maybe some oatmeal.”
Dylan found a saucepan, but Bjørn snatched it from his hand. “I’ll get it. Run down below and get her some dry clothes.”
Dylan shook his head, his face turning pink, as though poking around in my suitcase was a trespass he wouldn’t commit.
“It’s all right,” I said. “Grab anything. I don’t mind.”
His eyes fluttered about before he disappeared down the ladder.
Dalton and I settled onto the bench next to the heater.
“Not long now,” Bjørn said. “I called Kystvakt. They’re on the way.”
“What?” I asked, my mind in a fog.
“The Norwegian Coast Guard,” Dalton said. He had his arm around me, rubbing my other arm, trying to get me warm. “To take those three into custody.”
I tried to massage my throbbing temples, but my hands were still cramped up and numb. “The cold water must have froze my brain.”
Bjørn plopped a cup of warm milk on the table in front of me. “There. That’ll help you thaw.”
I looked to Dalton. “But I know. They were trying to save me.”
“All right,” he said, smiling.
Dylan appeared with an armful of clothes. He dropped them into a pile on the bench, then stood staring, his hands shoved in his pockets, not knowing what to do next.
Dalton rose from the bench and handed him a corner of the blanket. “Hold this up,” he said. “Give her some privacy while she gets changed.”
I reached for a sweatshirt but my hand still wouldn’t grip. “I don’t know if I can.”
Dalton handed me the sweatshirt, worry etched on his face. “You have to get out of those wet clothes.”
“I’ll help her,” April said and she started yanking at my pant legs, then pulled my shirt up over my head. I felt like an over-sized toddler. She gave me a sympathetic frown. “Undies, too, don’t you think? You want to be all cozy and dry.”
Dylan cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. The blanket billowed with the movement.
I nodded and shifted on the bench, hooked my thumb into the waistband of my panties and slid them off. She unhooked my bra for me. I’d never been overly modest, but somehow being undressed by Dalton’s new girlfriend was too much.
“I’ve got it. I’ve got it,” I heard myself saying.
“Sorry,” she said, barely a whisper.
“I didn’t mean…” I frowned. “Thank you.”
She nodded in understanding, then bunched up the sweatshirt and pulled it down over my head. I poked my arms through and she snugged it down. She did the same with my sweatpants, yanking them up my damp legs, then stepped back. “All right guys, she’s dressed,” she said.
Dalton ripped the blanket from Dylan’s hand and wrapped it around me so snugly it felt like a baby’s swaddle.
He leaned me against his chest and rubbed my arms. “How’s that?” he said. “Feeling better? Is the feeling coming back to your hands? Let me see them.”
“You’ve got me wrapped up too tight.”
He flushed, embarrassed, and loosened the blanket.
I held out my left hand and he took it between his and held it, gently rubbing.
April watched with a curious expression. “I guess I owe you an apology,” she said.
Dalton and I glanced at each other. We weren’t sure which one of us she was talking to.
“Whatever for?” I asked.
She blushed. “I didn’t realize you were a couple.”
I sat back, yanking my hand from Dalton’s grasp. “Oh, we’re not,” I said, shaking my head.
“Yeah…right,” said Dalton, his hands finding the tops of his thighs and clamping on. “We’re partners, that’s all.”
April looked from me to Dalton and back, then turned to Bjørn who was setting a bowl of oatmeal on the table. He grinned and gave her a wink.
“No, really,” I said.
She gave us a mollifying smile. “Well, you make a good team.”
I shook my head. Not me. I’d been stubborn and impulsive and put her and Dalton in danger. I got lucky I didn’t end up fish food. I’d underestimated Ray. I had every intention of bluffing him, but he’d have shot me on the spot and dumped my body overboard.
I looked down at my bracelet and gave it a twist.
“Your dad would be proud of you,” said Dalton.
My eyes clamped onto his. “Why would you say that?”
He shrugged. “You’ve been thinking about him all week. And today is…”
Something in his expression gave him away, a fleeting sign of guilt, then it was gone.
“You pulled his file,” I said. An accusation.
“I was curious, is all,” he said, all innocent. “I didn’t think it would bother you.”
I glared at him. What business was it of his what had happened to my dad? “Well, it does.”
Dalton turned away, saying nothing. The silence lingered. I glanced around the galley. Dylan wiped at the counter with no particular purpose. Bjørn examined his thumbnail and April suddenly found her shirtsleeve interesting.
My stomach clenched. I hated making people feel uncomfortable.
“I’ll go make our calls,” said Dalton and rose from the bench.
“I’ll 'elp wi' de radio,” said Dylan, scurrying after him.
April’s eyes flicked to the window, then the door as it shut. “I need the ladies’ room,” she said with an uncomfortable smile, then escaped to the head.
Bjørn stared at me with a fatherly expression. “Touchy subject, eh?”
I frowned and stared into my bowl of oatmeal.
He set his mug of coffee on the table and eased onto the bench across from me. “He cares about you, that boy. Good heart.”
“He’s my boss. I mean, my partner.” I pushed a spoonful of oatmeal around in the bowl. “Whatever.”
“Don’t matter,” he said. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I said nothing. What could I say? And what the hell did he know about it anyway?
“I did know,” he said. “What Ray was up to.”
I raised my eyes to meet his.
“At first, I
thought it was a fool’s errand. And…” He stared into his coffee, then glanced around the galley, his eyes misty. “Well, I needed the money. This old boat…” He shook his head. “I had no idea he actually knew what he was doing. The other boats, the plane.” He shook his head again. “I underestimated him.”
Me too, I wanted to say. “Did you know about Svein?”
He rubbed his eyes and shook his head
“You helped me stop him. That’s what I’m going to tell the authorities.”
He examined me for a long moment with those sharp blue eyes, then gave me the slightest nod. “The Valkyrie,” he said, almost a whisper. “She decides who lives and who dies.”
“No,” I said. “I believe, in the end, people get what they deserve.”
The door to the head popped open and April came out. She hesitated. I smiled and she moved toward us and sat down. Dalton and Dylan tromped down the stairs and came back in.
“I’ve confirmed, the authorities are en route. Ten minutes out. And I called Joe. You’re not going to believe what he said.” He paused. “He wants us in Alaska.”
“Are you serious?”
“You up for it?”
“Of course I’m up for it.” I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling unsure. “But do you want me?”
The edge of his lip curved upward, ever so slightly. “Do you promise to stay out of the bars?”
“Funny,” I said. “What’s our directive in—oh, my video—” I pushed from the bench “—we’d better make sure—”
“Hold on,” said Dalton, his hand on my arm. “You’re still recovering.”
I brushed past him. “I want to be sure we’ve got ‘em,” I said, heading for the crow’s nest.
“Poppy!” He was right behind me.
I took the stairs two at a time, then started up the pole.
“You could get dizzy. Let me get it.” He was right behind me.
“I’m fine.”
“Both hands. Hang on with both hands,” he was saying as he followed me up the pole, ready to catch me if I fell.
I climbed right up, unclipped the camera with one hand, and crawled into the bucket.
“Are you crazy? Do you know how high up we are?” Dalton said as he flipped a leg over and squeezed into the bucket with me.
“There’s not exactly room for two,” I said.
“Just check the video,” he grumbled.
I clicked through the menu and hit play. The tiny monitor showed a perfect angle on the deck. I hit fast forward and there it was, like a Hollywood box office hit, in full Technicolor, Ray and Michael hauling baby Kimmy out of the water and onto the deck.
I grinned at Dalton. “We got ‘em.”
“We got ‘em,” he said with a nod, holding my gaze.
For the longest moment, I stared into his eyes. “Listen, I’m…” I had to look away.
“We got ‘em,” he said again.
“Yeah, but…” I swallowed and turned back to face him. “I underestimated them. I put you and April in danger and—” I sucked in my breath. “I never should have asked you to—”
“I don’t do anything I don’t want to do.”
“Yeah, but I need to be more—”
“Poppy, there are bad guys in the world. There always will be.” He smiled at me. His tummy-tingling smile. “Don’t ever let it change who you are.”
Yep. My tummy tingled.
“And look at that,” he said, pointing over my shoulder. I spun around. A killer whale breached with a big splash.
“I thought they’d be long gone.”
“Look!” April shouted from the deck below.
The mother whale was splashing and twirling in the water. The baby frolicked on the crest of her wake.
April held her hands over her mouth. “You did it. You saved her. You saved baby Kimmy!”
Dalton put his arm around my shoulders and whispered in my ear, “We do make a good team.”
This guy, I swear.
OPERATION GRIZZLY CAMP
CHAPTER ONE
Across the airport terminal, through the blur of hurried travelers between us, I caught sight of Dalton, facing the other way. There was no mistaking him, the way he fit in a pair of jeans. Ooooh my. He turned and saw me, waved me over with a smile, but as I approached I could tell by the way his eyes held mine that something was up.
Special Agent Dalton had been my partner now for nearly six months, but not without some fireworks between us. I’d learned that when he was in this mood, the best strategy was to take a deep breath and find my inner calm. I’d yet to be successful, but hey, a girl can try.
Our relationship had come a long way in a short time. I trusted him with my life. As an agent, he was top-notch. He was sharp, experienced, everything you’d want in a partner. The trouble was, he set me on fire—in more ways than one. I was still trying to figure out how I felt about him. I was pretty sure he had feelings for me. The problem was, with Dalton, well, it was complicated.
Despite our…I don’t even know what to call it, we’d just had two successful ops and now, without so much as a two-day breather, we were heading to Alaska on a mission to catch a bear poacher who’d been eluding authorities for years. That’s how things work out sometimes. Get ‘em when the gettin’s good.
I set down my duffel bag between us. “What is it?”
“Hey Poppy.” He paused for a beat. “Alaska, here we come,” he said with a forced grin.
“Seriously?” I planted my feet. “I know that look.”
He hooked his thumb in his belt, looked down at his shoes.
“Oh my god, Dalton. Spit it out.”
His eyes made their way back to meet mine. “Stan Martin called me yesterday.”
“Stan Martin? As in the head of Special Ops, Stan Martin? Our boss?” Crap. This can’t be good. “And?”
“He wants me to come in for an official interview—” his tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth for a moment “—an investigative hearing actually, on—” he stared at me “—on what happened during our op in Norway.”
My brain started to swirl around inside my skull. “I don’t understand. It was a clean bust.”
“I know. I know.” Dalton nodded, too much. “I’m sure it’s all a formality. Politics, you know. Apparently Norway officials have been making a stink about it.”
“Well, when does he want us to come in?”
Dalton managed a half-shrug.
My brain rattled. Investigative hearing. The roar of the airline passengers hustling past rose in my ears and suddenly made me feel dizzy. I sucked in some air. Oh crap. “It’s about me.”
Dalton held up a hand, a caution to stay calm. “I don’t know that for sure.”
“Of course you do.” I blew out my breath. “What’d he say exactly?”
He looked away.
“C’mon.”
“He might have mentioned that he’s not sure you understand procedures, protocol, that kind of thing.”
I held myself erect, forced calm. “I know I pushed the envelope a little. Maybe taken it right to the edge.” Dammit. “Okay, maybe a little over. But who doesn’t? It was all legal. In the end. We nailed Ray Goldman, his most-wanted. We caught the bad guy and I’m proud of it.”
“I know.” He nodded some more. “It’s just that, I think the thing is, you’re still, technically, in probationary training and it’s standard procedure to—”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing standard about it. You said it’s an investigative hearing. So stop sugar-coating it.”
Dalton sighed, his shoulders slumped. “He used the words brazen, greenhorn, half-cocked, and—” he hesitated “—lone wolf.”
I looked down at my hands and drew in a long breath to keep myself from exploding. My left hand turned white where my right one wrung the life out of it. “I don’t understand. I nailed the guy and—” My jaw tensed when I realized what I’d said. “We nailed him.” Crap. This can’t be happening. “You were on boa
rd the whole time. You approved everything. We were in it together and—”
“Yes, I did.” He gave me an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. I’m you’re partner. I’ve got your back.”
I let myself relax a little. In spite of all the things I was still unsure of with Dalton, I trusted him. He wouldn’t lie to me.
“Well, what’s going to happen? Will I be suspended?” I couldn’t lose my job. It was everything. Everything I’d ever wanted. I’d worked hard to get where I was. And now it was at risk. Everything on the line. Because I was unorthodox, different, creative. Because I’d done it my way. Same old story.
Now I’d be summoned to the office of Stan Martin, head of Special Ops. My heart raced like a little rabbit being led into the cave of the fierce and almighty king-of-the-jungle.
“I don’t know. But I told Martin I couldn’t come in until after this op in Alaska is done. It’s too important. That will give us some time to go over the details, make sure our report was solid, our stories match.”
“All right.” Now I was the one nodding like a bobble-head.
I picked up the duffle bag, ready to get out of here. I had things to think about, to sort out.
I looked to Dalton and pasted a smile on my face.
He eyed me, still tense. There was something else. I dropped the duffle. “There’s more?”
His tongue went back to the same corner of his mouth. Then I realized: he only had one gun case. He was supposed to pick up firearms for both of us.
“Where’s my gun?” I took a step back. “Don’t tell me—” No. No, no, no! “I’m already suspended?”
“Huh?” He glanced down at the gun case he’d set on the floor. “No, I put them in one case. For weight. On the small plane later.”
“Oh.” I let out my breath. “Then what is it? You’re killing me here.”
He stared at me for a long moment, then seemed to come to a decision. “Are you ready for this op?”
“Ready? Of course I’m ready. I mean, I’m a little worried now, about the Martin thing but—why are you asking me that?”
Poppy McVie Mysteries: Books 1-3 (The Poppy McVie Box Set Series) Page 37