FOR HIS EYES ONLY

by Candace Irvin

  "That was a blast. How long before we ride this one out?"

  Jade grabbed the ketchup bottle as it slid back within reach. "We should be through the storm in a few hours. So what did you do with Macbeth?"

  "Stripped him down and left him tied spread-eagled on my rack. Wanna stop by and make sure he's secured for sea?"

  Jade opened her mouth—and then closed it. She was not falling for it. Not this time. She shrugged and concentrated on squirting ketchup over her fries. "Maybe later."

  Karin laughed. "Not bad. Just watch the blush and you might get away with it next time." She leaned forward. "As long as we're on the subject of stripping, has Reese gotten another look at your necklace this past week?"

  She tried to follow Karin's advice on her blush—and failed. She snatched up her water and downed the entire glass, praying it would help. "Isn't there someone in sick bay you can bug?"

  "Nope. Finished removing Reese's stitches about twenty minutes ago. No one else stopped by, so I split while the getting was good." She grinned. "So, are you going to answer my question?"

  "Do I have to?"

  Karin laughed. "You have to ask?"

  Not really. If she didn't, she'd just hound her until she cracked. The woman was wasted in medicine—her skills would have been more useful in the Inquisition. "I told you, Reese and I agreed it was a mistake. We've managed to put it behind us, why can't you?"

  "It? The man lays a twenty on your lips and you call it an it?" She grabbed Jade's fork before it slid onto the deck and waved it at her. "Are you nuts?"

  "Is who nuts?"

  Jade glanced up to see Lieutenant Coffey and Reese zigzagging their way across the space. Thank God.

  Reese eyed her burger as he claimed the chair next to hers. "You're not really going to eat that, are you? I think we used one of those to patch a steam line this morning."

  She swallowed the lump of gristle. "I'm desperate."

  Coffey laughed from across the table. "You should have said something sooner. I just gave Mack my last Power Bar." He grinned from her to Reese and winked. "But I bet if you bat your lashes real nice, he'll share."

  Karin laughed. "I bet he'd share more than—ouch!"

  Jade smiled as her boot struck home.

  "Did we miss something?"

  Replacing her smile with pure innocence, she turned to Reese. "Not a thing." She glanced down at the granola bar he'd slid over to her and pushed it back. "No, thanks. I'll just grab a cup of coffee and I'll be fine." He ignored her and shoved it back.

  Coffey laughed. "Don't worry, Mack. She's serious. I watched her suck down cup after cup of caffeine for seventy-two hours straight during our navigation final in ROTC."

  Jade laughed. "Ha! How would you know? You were sound asleep at your drafting table half the time."

  "True, but I didn't have anyone running a constant line of coffee to me, either. I had to fend for myself along with the rest of the class."

  "You guys went to school together?"

  Startled, Jade glanced back at the disbelief in Reese's gaze, following it down to the granola bar that was now too squashed for either of them to enjoy. "Is there something wrong with that?"

  Evidently Coffey read a bit more into Reese's expression. "Hey, buddy. We just went to school together. We didn't date. Heck, once she laid eyes on Jeff, no one else had a chance."

  Reese released the flattened remains of the Power Bar, leaving it next to her half-eaten cheeseburger as he pinned her with a stare. "Who's Jeff?"

  "DCA, you there?"

  If Chief Haas had been standing in front of her, Jade would have kissed his weathered cheeks. She settled for ripping her walkie-talkie off her belt as she evaded that steel-blue gaze. "What's up, Chief?" Please, God, let it require her personal attention.

  "Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we've got ourselves a small problem out on the second deck fantail."

  "How small?"

  "Well, it seems several of Supply's forklifts have broken loose from their chains. They're playing tag with some of the guys as we speak."

  "On my way." Jade hooked the walkie-talkie back on her belt and stood. "Catch ya later, guys." She shook her head at Reese, who'd stood along with her. "Sorry, Macbeth, this is the real thing. I can't afford to have you underfoot." She rounded the table and leaned down to whisper in Coffey's ear before she left the wardroom. "Thanks a lot, pal. Next time your office is on fire—I'm gonna let it burn."

  Using a jerky run-walk, she managed to cross the compartment without falling flat on her face as the Baddager rode out several increasingly severe swells. Coffey's chuckle dogged her the entire way.

  She left the wardroom and grabbed her ball cap off the row of hooks outside the door as she passed. She shoved it on her head and turned to brace her hands on the ladder two feet away. Hooking her legs over the metal railing, she pushed off, sliding down to land at the bottom of the next deck with a solid thump. Then she was off and running again.

  Two minutes later, feeling a lot like a battered pinball, she reached the aft end of the ship and stopped short—only to have something hard and muscular barrel into her from behind. She swung about and glared up at Reese. "I thought I told you to stay put."

  He shrugged. "So I don't follow orders well. Sue me." He jerked his head toward the watertight door. "Are we going to stand here and argue or are we going to help?"

  "We aren't doing anything. I am. You stay here—and that's one order you better learn to follow." She didn't bother waiting for an answer, but turned back and undogged the door and shoved it open.

  Son of a—

  She severed her shock and quickly assessed the situation. Though the darkness and driving rain, she could tell three of the four forklifts had broken loose. Two were still rolling amok around the deck as if driven by invisible demons. Chief Haas and several members of the Flying Squad had captured the third one and were straining to hold it steady while Petty Officer Smith reattached its flailing chains to the deck.

  She quickly set out to join the smaller of the two groups converging on the other lifts. It wasn't until she and two other sailors surrounded and latched on to it that she realized Reese was still with her. She lost her chance to yell as the lift dragged all four of them across the deck. They managed to stop it just before it slammed back into the fantail's safety rail.

  "Macbeth!" Her bellow barely rose above the howling wind and other shouts. "See if you can grab that chain!"

  Reese nodded and managed to twist around the back end of the machine, snaking out a long, muscular arm while maintaining his iron grip with the other. "Got it!"

  She inhaled a mouthful of stinging sea spray before shouting over the blast of wind that engulfed them. "There's a padeye behind you—looks like half a doughnut upside down! Can you reach it?"

  "I think so!"

  Petty Officer Vega wrenched a new hook out of his pocket to replace the one lost when the chain snapped and passed it over. Reese snapped it on and then bent into the gale and pounding rain. His biceps strained and bulged beneath the rolled sleeves of his coveralls as he tugged the heavy chain over to the padeye welded to the deck. Jade winced as his knuckles scraped the rough, nonskid coating on the deck—he had to have lost a few layers of skin on that pass.

  "Got it!"

  All four of them let out a collective sigh. But it wasn't over. They still had three chains to go, and two were too short. They'd have to be replaced or welded first.

  Jade realized she was the closest to the one chain that might be long enough to reach the padeye on her left. "Hand me a hook! I've got this one!"

  She grabbed the hook and shimmied around the slick metal, cursing the rain as she strained to maintain her grip along with Reese and the other two men. The ship took another steep roll, and she grunted as it sent the end of the chain lashing back at her—smack into her stomach. She threw her free arm over it, clutching it to her. Her fingers were stiff as she fumbled her way down the links. But she finally reached the last one a
nd moved away from the forklift, dragging the chain over to the padeye.

  "Hold on tight!" She bent to reattach the new hook.

  "DCA!"

  Shock punched the breath from her lungs as she shot up. The fourth forklift had succumbed to the surging ship. Its chains lashing out behind, the runaway machine screamed across the deck, aided by the force of the swells pounding the hull. But a second before she was to greet four thousand pounds of rolling steel, someone shoved her out of the way.

  She blistered the side of the safety rail with a string of purple curses as she smashed into the steel pole instead, the agony splitting into her temple offset by the realization that she would've been crushed if someone hadn't pushed her. She turned back, barely making out Reese's face amid the fog closing in on her.

  "Oh, God, Jade. Are you okay?"

  She nodded, clearing her head enough to manage a shaky smile as she brushed off his hands. "Fine. Thanks. Now, let's get this job wrapped up."

  He looked ready to argue, but she didn't give him the chance. Adrenaline kicked back in and she turned to join the group. Thankfully, it had grown in her absence—the remainder of the Flying Squad had mustered while she was dazed.

  Between the rest of them, they managed to trap the remaining lifts and hold them steady while Smith and Vega welded them in place. The sea started mellowing out of sub-hurricane conditions as they worked, and even the rain slacked off. Apparently, the course correction the captain had set was doing its job.

  Jade let out a heavy sigh as the last chain locked into place, finally reaching up to rub the welt at her temple. She hadn't realized she'd gasped out loud until Reese turned back.

  He tipped up her head and pulled off her cap, frowning as he smoothed his fingers along her forehead. "Dammit, woman. You said you were fine."

  She jerked her chin from his palm and snatched her cover back, more embarrassed at the fuzzy feelings his fingers generated than from being touched in front of her division. "I am."

  His frown deepened to a scowl. "Jade, you're bleeding."

  That's it? It felt like half her forehead was missing. She glanced at his raw knuckles. "So are you. I don't hear you whining."

  He took a deep breath. "Jade—"

  She waved him off. "Don't worry, I'll stop by Medical and pick up a Band-Aid when we're done."

  "DCA!"

  She whipped her head toward her chief's voice—and instantly regretted it, grateful Reese didn't smirk as he grabbed her arms and steadied her. "Thanks."

  "I'm taking you for that Band-Aid. Now."

  The ship swam in front of her eyes again, and suddenly, she wasn't in the mood to argue. "Okay. Just let me see what Chief Haas needs."

  "Jade—"

  She ignored the warning as she headed back to the watertight door. "Wait here." Through intense concentration, she made it without fainting. "What's up, Chief?"

  He motioned her closer. "Take a look at this." Jade struggled to focus on the link he'd placed in her palm. She moved it in closer and that seemed to help.

  What?

  She turned the link over in her palm and stared at it from the other side.

  Good God!

  She raised her eyes, a chill sliding down her spine as she saw the confirmation in her chief's gaze.

  "No, you're not seeing things. I checked two other links and they look the same. They've all been deliberately cut."

  * * *

  Chapter 7

  « ^ »

  Jade grabbed the frame of the watertight door and held on for dear life. The wave of nausea passed and she blinked up at her chief. "I don't get it. Why would someone cut the chains deliberately?"

  Chief Haas scratched the back of his neck. "Damned if I know. There are better ways to sabotage a ship than this."

  "You're telling me. Unless—" she clenched her fingers harder over the steel frame as his face wavered in front of her eyes "—they just wanted to take out the Flying Squad. But even then, a fire would have been a better choice."

  "You okay, Lieutenant?"

  She didn't trust herself to nod, but knew she had to hurry—she saw Reese approaching out of the corner of her eye. She slipped the incriminating link into her pocket. "Fine. Look, I need to see the doc about a Band-Aid. I want you to check into this while I'm in Medical. Don't breathe a word of this to anyone until we've talked. Understand?"

  "You got it." Haas pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and she winced as he pressed it against her head. "You're bleeding pretty bad. Let me get you to Medical before I get started."

  She shook her head—it was a mistake.

  Reese grabbed on to her as he reached the door and pulled her close. "I've got her, Chief. I'll make sure she gets there in one piece."

  She fixed the steadiest stare she could muster on Haas. "It's okay. I need you to finish that write-up before this turns cold."

  He nodded. "Aye, aye, ma'am."

  Reese led her through the doorway as Haas left. "Before what turns cold?"

  She clutched his forearm and used it to combat the swells hitting the ship as well as the fog in her brain. "The scene, standard procedure. Didn't you promise to get me to Medical?"

  "You want me to carry you?"

  Which one? The one staring down at her intently or the other one—the one who wouldn't stop weaving in and around the first? She dug her fingers into his skin. "Not if you value your life, Macbeth. Just don't move your arm and I'll be fine."

  "Jade—"

  "Hush, I'm concentrating."

  She made her way down the darkened passageway at a drunken crawl. Thank God it was after taps. With most of the crew in their racks and the rest on watch, there was no one about to witness her weakened condition firsthand—except Reese. But by now, she was pretty sure he knew better than to open his mouth.

  She swallowed a groan as they reached the ladder leading up to Medical. Peachy. She'd forgotten about this particular hurdle. How was she going to climb the steps without stumbling? She stuck out a boot and almost fell flat on her face.

  Reese grabbed her by the waist and flipped her up into his arms.

  Giving into the fog, she slumped against him as he took the steps two at a time. "Thanks."

  His husky chuckle rumbled beneath her cheek, and the last thing she remembered before the fog closed in around her altogether was his seductive scent wafting over her.

  * * *

  Reese stared down at the jagged cut marring Jade's temple, trying to get the image of her smashing into the ship's safety rail out of his head. He willed her eyes to open for the countless time—his breath catching as they finally did.

  "What happened?"

  "You fainted."

  "What?" He pinned his arm across her chest as she tried to scramble off the examination table. "I did not."

  He grinned. "You did, too. If I hadn't peeled you off the deck and slung you over my shoulder, you'd still be a trip hazard."

  Okay, so it wasn't exactly the truth. But he was trying too hard to forget how soft and vulnerable she'd felt in his arms to discuss what really happened. Besides, he was still ticked to discover she'd gone through ROTC with Coffey. It added a whole new facet to his case he'd rather not consider right now.

  Instead, he focused on the look that had passed between Jade and her chief before he'd approached them. But that only left him wondering what she'd slipped into her pocket. Whatever it was, neither of them seemed anxious for anyone else to find it. And he would have found it, if the hospital corpsman hadn't interrupted his search in the nick of time.

  Damn.

  The door to the exam room slammed open, admitting one worried-looking doctor. She snapped on a pair of gloves and hurried over to the table, frowning as she probed the gash on Jade's temple. "How many times do I have to tell you to duck?"

  "I feel fine, Doc. Thanks for asking."

  Karin glared down at Jade. "Shut up." She glanced at Reese. "What happened?"

  Jade tried to sit, and this time Karin joined him in
pushing her back down. "Lie there and be quiet before I give you a shot of Seconal and knock you out."

  Reese swallowed a chuckle as Jade's bottom lip puckered. "Yes, ma'am."

  He turned back to Karin. "I shoved her out of the way of a forklift and into the safety rail by mistake. She made it to the ladder outside your office and then fainted."

  "I did not!"

  He and Karin both arched brows as they turned to stare down at her.

  Jade flushed, bringing a bit more color back into her cheeks. "Sorry."

  His breath caught, and he quickly turned to Karin to cover it. "What do you need me to do?"

  She cocked her head toward the door. "Go see my chief, she's waiting in the next exam room to take a look at you."

  Reese stared down at his scraped hands. Until then, he'd forgotten about the stinging. "You sure you don't need help?"

  Karin smiled as she swiped a sterile pad around Jade's temple, cleaning the excess blood. "She'll be fine—go."

  "W-wait."

  He turned back to Jade, his heart taking up a deafening cadence at the falter in her voice.

  "My ball cap—where is it?"

  What? She'd just about split her head open and she was worried about that damn hat? He snatched it off the seat next to the table and thrust it at her—but she didn't take it.

  Instead, she smiled. A beautiful, honest-to-God, I like you smile that reached straight into his gut and pulled him inside out. "It's yours, Macbeth—you earned it."

  Somehow, he managed to smile back. Then he turned and stumbled from the room, still clutching that stupid scrap of scarlet like a two-year-old gripping his blankie.

  He'd earned it?

  The door snapped shut, and in one fell swoop, his mantra crumbled to the deck. He'd known all along Jade wasn't capable of running drugs or even turning a blind eye—and now it was time to act like it.

  He leaned against the door, letting his head drop back against it, his grin turning downright painful as he felt the force of Jade's scowl through the steel.

  "What are you smiling at, Doc? Just stitch up my head—I've got work to do."