* * *
Chapter 16
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Jade stopped at the end of the driveway to the Officer's Club and waited for the car behind to pull onto the road. It pulled up alongside her instead. Tucking her purse under her arm, she rounded on it, more than ready for battle if it was Reese. But it wasn't.
Unfortunately, it was worse.
The red Mustang's passenger window hummed as it lowered. "Well, well. Looks like Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep—and her ride back to the pasture as well."
"Get lost, Dillon." She kept walking, nearly groaning as a fat raindrop fell from the sky onto her face and rolled down her cheek. Just peachy. Then again, it was rather poetic, wasn't it? Or was that pathetic?
Dillon kept pace with her as he leaned across the front seat to pop the door. "Get in. I'll give you a lift back to the ship."
She stopped, glaring at the door, then over to him. "Why? Since when have you gone out of your way to help me?"
Apparently Dillon thought that was amusing as hell. His laughter barked out. "Never. And don't get any ideas, either. It's on the way. Now, are you getting in or not?" He glanced at the windshield as a handful of droplets splattered onto it. "You've got two seconds to make up your mind."
Jade glowered at him for the first second, and then shrugged as she grabbed the handle and slipped inside. What the hell. As far as she could tell she had three choices. She could ride with Dillon, walk and get soaked, or go back and call a cab—and risk running into Reese again. For once Dillon was the lesser evil.
* * *
"I said, where is Jade?" Reese tightened his grip on Coffey's shirt, holding him against the wall as he cut the man's oxygen supply in half. "I'm not going to repeat myself."
He had to give the guy credit. Coffey managed to glare back even as his face lost color. "She left. I tried to give her a ride, but she said no. I don't know where she is."
Damn. She was probably already in a cab on her way to the house to grab her stuff. At least she was safe. He'd just have to wait until after he served the warrant to track her down.
That left Dillon.
He hadn't seen him since Coffey took it upon himself to blow his cover from here to Japan. He tightened his grip on Coffey's shirt. "Where's Dillon?"
"He left, too. I think he's got plans tonight. Why?"
"Damn!" Reese snapped his head back up. "Is he headed back to the ship?"
"What's it to you?" The moment he loosened his grip, Coffey twisted his collar free. "What the hell is your problem, Mack?"
Reese dug his wallet out of his boot, opened it and slammed it up against the wall next to Coffey's head. "The name is Reese Garrick and you damn well know it. And my problem is you. That and the fact that you just blew my cover clear out of the water."
In his own defense, Coffey turned white, then red as he stared at the DEA credentials. "Cripes, man. I had no idea."
Reese grimaced as he jammed his wallet into his back pocket. "I believe that was the point. Now, where was Dillon headed?"
"The ship, I think. Why?" He stiffened. "Good God, you don't think Dillon's involved in drugs, do you?"
"I don't think, I know. Listen, I need you to get me into the NSF. I've got a search warrant showing up any minute, but I can't afford to wait. After your little announcement, he'll probably move the heroin tonight."
Reese had the satisfaction of watching the remaining color drain from Coffey's face. Along with the last of his suspicions about the guy. "Heroin? You're telling me Dillon's got heroin in my shop?"
Nope, there was no way the guy could fake that. Still, he had one more question before he was certain. "When did you give Dillon the combination to the safe in your stateroom?"
"During the last deployment. Why? Wait a minute, how did you know Mike had the combination to my safe?"
Reese twisted out a smile. "Because he left me a present in it. The key to my stateroom. It also explains why that key was the only thing in it."
Coffey's eyes narrowed to slits. "Son of a bitch, the bastard tried to set me up, didn't he?"
"Looks that way."
"I'm gonna kill—"
"Stand in line. But first, the codes."
He stiffened as Coffey shook his head. "Sorry, I can't. Relax. I said I couldn't give them to you, but I can go with you."
Good enough. "Let's go." He yanked his car keys from his pocket and was halfway out of the club before Coffey could respond.
* * *
Jade breathed a sigh of relief as they finally pulled into the parking lot beside the pier. If she had to sit and listen to Dillon wax poetic about his latest conquest for one more minute, she was going to scream. At least the rain had let up. She grabbed the door handle and practically scrambled out of the car as he pulled into a slot. "Thanks, I owe you."
He grinned, knowing full well it irked her. "Don't sound too grateful, I'm liable to go into a diabetic coma."
She slammed the door as he got out. "Drop dead, Mike."
He laughed as he fell into step beside her. "Now, there's the viper I've come to detest. But don't loose all your venom on me. I'm sure you'll want to save a little for Mr. Garrick."
She stopped just shy of the guard shack at the end of the pier and gaped at him. "What … how…?"
A shiver ran down her spine as Dillon's eyes narrowed. "So you did know who he was all along. And here I figured you were just sleeping your way to the top."
Jade was still too shocked to take the bait. She flashed her military ID at the guard out of habit, pulling herself together as the Petty Officer saluted them through. "How did you find out?"
"By that, I take it you missed Coffey's little announcement."
"What?" Greg blew Reese's cover? Why? Why would he do that? Unless… Oh, God, did that mean he was the one?
Dillon stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "Hell, Jade, looks like you're not in the loop anymore, doesn't it?"
She managed to shake her head as they reached the base of the brow, still stunned by the implications of Coffey's betrayal. "Anymore? What are you talking about?"
Dillon grabbed her arm and nudged her up the metal steps. "I'm talking about your boyfriend and his real job."
She stopped a third of the way up, panic setting in as she tried—and failed—to twist her arm from his grip. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Taking care of loose ends." His lips thinned as he jerked his chin up at the ship.
"Oh, my, God. It's not Greg. It's you."
He actually smiled. "Congratulations, there is a brain in that head. I was beginning to wonder."
Panic turned to dread as she glanced up the steep brow. The quarterdeck was clearly lit—but it was empty. The Officer of the Deck and his Petty Officer must be inside the shack. She sucked in her breath as Dillon's fingers dug into her elbow.
"Awww, does that hurt?" His smile widened. "Good. Now, listen up. You're going to smile at the Officer of the Deck and check aboard like nothing's wrong. Understand?" He jabbed something hard into her side. "Because if you don't, I'm going to have to give the Petty Officer of the Watch another chance to qualify with his .45—and I don't plan on informing him first. You got me?"
"You know, Mike, I always knew you were an ass." She spit the words into his face—and then grunted as he crammed the barrel of the gun into her waist. At least, she assumed it was a gun. And with two innocent sailors at the top, she wasn't taking any chances. "Yeah, I got you."
"See? The perfect little sailor. I knew you could follow orders." As soon as they were alone, she was going to rip that smirk off his face—with her bare hands.
But what was she supposed to do until then? Hope Reese came after her? Not after the way she'd skipped out. And even if he wanted to, he'd probably assume she went back to his house for her car. But, dammit, she had to do something!
But what?
* * *
Coffey pointed to a red Mustang parked near the entrance to the pier. "There. That's Dillon's car."<
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Reese nodded as he pulled his Bronco up alongside and killed the engine. He reached down into his boot and pulled out his Glock, double-checking the magazine more out of habit then necessity.
"Damn, you mean business."
He nodded grimly as he glanced across the cab. "I always do."
Coffey cocked his head at the pistol. "Jade know about that?"
"Yes." He returned the gun to his boot.
Coffey whistled. "And you still didn't tell her about your dad? You do like to live dangerously."
Reese slammed the door and dug his ship's pass out of Mack's wallet. "Not a word unless I give it." No sense jump-starting the grapevine until it was time to harvest.
"Understood." Coffey held up his ID as Reese flashed the pass. "But when this is done, you might want to consider giving the rest of that explanation to Jade. Including the three words she's waiting to hear."
His stride faltered as he stared at Coffey in shock. How the hell did he—
"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Besides, I know her, remember? She wouldn't feel nearly so betrayed if she didn't love you." Coffey waved him on ahead as they reached the brow. "Hell, she wasn't that mad when she found out Jeff was doing the horizontal tango on someone else's dance card."
Oh, man, that last should not make him feel so damn good. But it did. Because if Coffey was right, and Jade was that upset—it could only mean she loved him. And that meant they could survive his stupidity. Hell, it meant they could survive anything.
He reached the top of the brow, remembering just in time not to face the rear of the ship. Since the colors came down at sunset, there was no flag to honor.
"Sir, request permission to come aboard."
"Permission granted." Lieutenant Shale saluted Coffey aboard. "How was the Hail and Farewell?"
Coffey grinned. "Great. Hey, is Mike still aboard?"
Shale nodded. "Unless he left by the Midships brow. Want me to call down and see?"
Coffey shook his head. "That's okay. I'll do it."
Reese followed both officers to the guard shack but hung back as they entered, staring at the Chain of Command board hanging next to the oval door. Yup, there was Dad, all right. But other than the eyes, you wouldn't know it. And then, only if you were looking. He turned away as Coffey left the shack.
"He's still aboard, but not in his stateroom. I called down. I didn't think you'd want me phoning the NSF."
Reese nodded. "Good move." He wanted to keep the element of surprise as long as possible. Something caught his eye as Coffey went to stuff his hand in his pocket. He clapped his fingers around his wrist and tugged it up.
"Do you mind?"
His heart nearly pounded out of his chest as he stared at the necklace in shock. Jade's necklace. He'd know that heart anywhere. Especially since he'd spent a good deal of last night and this morning running his fingers over it as they lay in bed, talking. His gut nearly imploded with the implications.
Relax, buddy. It didn't mean she was with Dillon. Just that she was on board. He took a deep breath. "Where did you get that?"
Coffey was staring at him as if he'd pulled out his Glock and begun firing. "It was caught on the platform. Shale asked me to drop it by Medical. Apparently Karin dropped it when she came aboard tonight."
"That's not Karin's—it's Jade's."
"No, it isn't." Both he and Coffey turned to Shale, who was pointing at the chain. "I asked her just before she and Dillon headed inside. She said it wasn't hers, but she'd seen it on Karin."
"Crap!" He and Coffey cursed simultaneously.
Reese ripped his badge out of his pocket and shoved it at Shale. "Special Agent Reese Garrick, DEA. Secure the ship. Do not let Lieutenant Dillon leave." He dug a card out of the wallet and slapped it into Shale's palm. "Call TJ Vasquez at this number. Tell him I need backup. Now."
Coffey shoved the necklace into his pocket. "Damn, we can't even call a security alert. Dillon knows the routine. Shale, I'll contact the Command Duty Officer personally and get him to open the weapon's locker."
"The codes."
This time, Coffey didn't hesitate. He repeated them twice before Reese nodded and raced down to the NSF, praying all the way.
* * *
Jade shoved another package of heroin into the black carryall. "You'll never get away with it." Come on, Dad, help me out here. I need you.
Stay calm, honey, just stay calm. I'm on my way.
Jade stiffened. That was not her father's voice. It was Reese's! What the hell was he doing in her head? And where was her father?
Never mind. Just keep your wits about you and look for an opening. I know you can do it, baby. I've seen you stare down an entire ship on fire.
Stunned, she almost turned around to look for him, certain he was in the room. His voice was that clear, that real. But, of course, that was ridiculous. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It had to be.
Dillon laughed. "Sure, I'll get away with it. I'll be so far south by morning, lover boy will have to take the Berlitz crash course in Spanish to track me down. And that's too bad, because he won't have the time. He'll be too busy looking for you." He jammed the tip of his pistol into her back. "Now, hurry up. I've got a border to cross and a tequila to order."
Jade yanked another package of heroin out of the ship-to-ship transfer box as Reese's chuckle echoed in her brain.
Shows how much he knows. I already speak Spanish. Now, slow down. I want you to get him mad. If he's mad, he'll make a mistake, create an opening. And then you take it, okay?
What the hell was going on? She slowly reached for another mottled brown package and gave up wondering why her subconscious was projecting Reese's voice into her head. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that by doing so, she was remaining calm. And she was thinking.
Get Dillon mad?
Yeah, she could handle that. And Reese—rather her unconscious—was right, moving at sub-snail speed would be the perfect place to start. She just wished having his voice in her head when she needed it didn't emphasize that she hadn't been there for him when he needed her.
When Greg blew his cover.
Stop it, honey. Don't go there, not now. It doesn't matter. All that matters is you get through this.
But it did matter. It mattered because she'd let her memories of Jeff's betrayal get in the way of giving Reese the chance to explain.
She sucked in her breath as Dillon smacked his hand across the back of her head—hard. "I said, hurry up."
She ground her teeth and picked up another kilo, or unit—or whatever the heck Reese called it—and slowly placed it in the bag.
Unit. Now, start getting his goat. Gradually at first, so he doesn't suspect. And then I want you to blister him. Come on, baby, I know you can do it. I've had a taste of your acid a time or two myself.
Man, she had a healthy imagination. Jade laid the unit on top of the others and slid it to the side. "So why'd you do it, Mike? Still ticked off at Uncle Sam for not recognizing your superior intellect?" Her tone left no doubt she found him lacking there as well. "Still sucking your thumb and mewling because you got stuck on a repair ship instead of getting an aircraft carrier?"
She bit back a groan as he smacked her head again—harder this time.
She heard Reese growl. I'll kill the bastard for that.
"I'll take that as a yes."
"Shut up, bitch."
She pulled the last package out of the box. "Bitch?" She managed a laugh. "You've got a gun to my head and that's the best you can come up with?" She sighed. "I guess it's no surprise. I mean, you never did think well under pressure, did you?" A grunt finally escaped as he whaled on her head—with the butt of the gun this time. Her head began to throb in concert with her screaming nerves.
Another growl, followed by a string of curses that would have made her chief blush. I'm going to strangle him with my bare hands.
Dillon smacked her again and snarled, "What the hell are you trying to do, get me to kill
you here?"
She closed her eyes until the nausea and dizziness ebbed. No, she had no intention of dying. Here or anywhere else. But it was working. Dillon was mad.
But not mad enough.
She needed him so pissed he wasn't thinking clearly. "You're not going to kill me, Mike. You can't. You don't have the guts. You didn't have the guts to pull Erickson off that transformer and you didn't have the guts to try CPR. And you certainly don't have the guts to admit you froze. You're chicken. You always have been and you always will be." She forced another laugh. "Hell, Mike, you're so shriveled, if the ship had a choir, you'd be singing lead soprano."
That did the trick. She watched the shadow of his hand rear up on the bulkhead on the far side of his desk. Still, she waited. Timing was crucial.
Now!
And then she made her move.
She spun around, using her motion to swing the heavy bag up into his face, smashing it into the side of his head. She was rewarded by a loud grunt, and then metal banging into metal as the pistol went sailing out of his hand and into the bulkhead on the far side of the office. She took advantage of his shock, jerking her knee up and ramming it into his groin. He went down with a thud, writhing and moaning as he clutched himself.
Run!
She headed for the door, clawing at the watertight lever, heaving it up, listening and praying for the welcoming buzz as the electronic seal severed.
It never came.
She grunted as Dillon crashed into her, grabbing a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back so hard, she thought her neck was going to snap. And then her head exploded into blinding pain as he smashed her forehead into the watertight door. And then he did it again and again, slamming her head into the steel harder each time.
And then, mercifully, he stopped. But the pain was still pounding into her skull, beating her mind down to mush. She was so foggy, she was barely aware of being dragged off the door by her hair before he slammed her down to the deck. She moaned, fearing her sanity crossed over into the abyss when she finally heard the electronic lock buzz. And then she knew she was losing it because now, not only could she hear Reese, she could see him as well. She whispered to him, anyway, "I'm sorry, Reese. I tried."
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