thought about it, the madder she was with him for risking his own life. She fully intended on ripping him a new one.
Olivia requested and received clearance to land on the hospital’s heliport. Lights illuminating the landing area cast an eerie glow on the mist from the nearby river. Rescue landed only a couple of minutes before her, and she could see Defoe standing next to the big helo, a blanket draped over his shoulders. Her anger bubbling over, Olivia didn’t bother with her normal soft landing. She slammed down, idled the engines and was up and out of her seat in an instant, pushing past Turner to get to Defoe.
She had the senior chief in her sights. Ten feet from him she started yelling, out of anger and to be heard over the big helo’s engines.
“You arrogant bastard. I’ll see you hanging by the short hairs on the station flagpole tomorrow.” She was on him and saw his color wasn’t so good. Crap.
“Are you hurt?” She wrenched open the blanket draped around him looking for signs of injury.
“Piece of debris hit me in the back. I’m pretty sore,” he answered, watching the removal of the injured man they’d rescued. He took her arm, moving her aside.
“Damn it. Senior Chief, what were you thinking? Get inside and get checked out.”
He shook his head and grinned. “I’m fine. Getting too old for this shit though.”
The rescue crew maneuvered past them. The man in the basket reached out and grabbed her arm in a death grip.
“What the hell?” She was in no mood for this kind of crap. She tried to pry the scumbag’s hand away but he had a grip like a vise.
“Help me,” the man moaned.
“Let go of me you son of…”
She was sucker punched in the midsection. At least that’s what it felt like. All the breath left her. She stumbled into Defoe. Crenshaw reached them and peeled the man’s fingers from her arm. Her world spun out of control.
Rico.
Shit. She didn’t even know his last name.
Chapter Four
For the first time in her life, fear owned her. Olivia fought to catch her breath. The man she’d spent the night with was a drug dealer. What if he was the one who had…No! She couldn’t go there. If he’d killed Danny she would have known, felt something. But she’d gone to bed with a criminal. How could she explain this? Everything she’d worked for could be destroyed. Her career in the Coast Guard ruined. She wanted to scream. No. What she really wanted was to kill the SOB.
Crenshaw broke Rico’s grip and she stumbled full against Defoe who encircled her in his arms. To her surprise, she let him.
Trembling, she struggled to control her emotions. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it over the rescue helo’s rotors.
“Ma’am, he’s gone now,” Defoe yelled. He pulled back from her. “You okay?”
The look of concern on his face pushed her back from the edge.
“Yeah,” she stammered, “yeah. I wasn’t ready for that.”
She moved away from Defoe to see Crenshaw and Turner watching her with equally concerned looks. What could she say? Tell them she’d spent a night wrestling between the sheets with a drug dealer. Fucked him? Damn. Her stomach did a 360.
“Commander, they want us back ASAP to get our statements and talk to the feds.” Crenshaw yelled to be heard over engine noise.
She said nothing.
“ Ma’am, we need to get in the air.”
She blinked several times, trying to erase what happened from her mind like windshield wipers swishing the rain away. She looked at each of her crew. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they responded.
Olivia found the debriefing tougher than normal. After filing the usual reports, feds took over. The suits. Crews were used to this kind of interview anytime they fired their weapons or hauled in prisoners. It came with the territory since they merged with Homeland Security.
The interviews were always annoying, but tonight they were excruciatingly painful. She wanted to tell them she knew the
Olivia requested and received clearance to land on the hospital’s heliport. Lights illuminating the landing area cast an eerie glow on the mist from the nearby river. Rescue landed only a couple of minutes before her, and she could see Defoe standing next to the big helo, a blanket draped over his shoulders. Her anger bubbling over, Olivia didn’t bother with her normal soft landing. She slammed down, idled the engines and was up and out of her seat in an instant, pushing past Turner to get to Defoe.
She had the senior chief in her sights. Ten feet from him she started yelling, out of anger and to be heard over the big helo’s engines.
“You arrogant bastard. I’ll see you hanging by the short hairs on the station flagpole tomorrow.” She was on him and saw his color wasn’t so good. Crap.
“Are you hurt?” She wrenched open the blanket draped around him looking for signs of injury.
“Piece of debris hit me in the back. I’m pretty sore,” he answered, watching the removal of the injured man they’d rescued. He took her arm, moving her aside.
“Damn it. Senior Chief, what were you thinking? Get inside and get checked out.”
He shook his head and grinned. “I’m fine. Getting too old for this shit though.”
The rescue crew maneuvered past them. The man in the basket reached out and grabbed her arm in a death grip.
“What the hell?” She was in no mood for this kind of crap. She tried to pry the scumbag’s hand away but he had a grip like a vise.
“Help me,” the man moaned.
“Let go of me you son of…”
She was sucker punched in the midsection. At least that’s what it felt like. All the breath left her. She stumbled into Defoe. Crenshaw reached them and peeled the man’s fingers from her arm. Her world spun out of control.
Rico.
Shit. She didn’t even know his last name.
Chapter Four
For the first time in her life, fear owned her. Olivia fought to catch her breath. The man she’d spent the night with was a drug dealer. What if he was the one who had…No! She couldn’t go there. If he’d killed Danny she would have known, felt something. But she’d gone to bed with a criminal. How could she explain this? Everything she’d worked for could be destroyed. Her career in the Coast Guard ruined. She wanted to scream. No. What she really wanted was to kill the SOB.
Crenshaw broke Rico’s grip and she stumbled full against Defoe who encircled her in his arms. To her surprise, she let him.
Trembling, she struggled to control her emotions. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it over the rescue helo’s rotors.
“Ma’am, he’s gone now,” Defoe yelled. He pulled back from her. “You okay?”
The look of concern on his face pushed her back from the edge.
“Yeah,” she stammered, “yeah. I wasn’t ready for that.”
She moved away from Defoe to see Crenshaw and Turner watching her with equally concerned looks. What could she say? Tell them she’d spent a night wrestling between the sheets with a drug dealer. Fucked him? Damn. Her stomach did a 360.
“Commander, they want us back ASAP to get our statements and talk to the feds.” Crenshaw yelled to be heard over engine noise.
She said nothing.
“ Ma’am, we need to get in the air.”
She blinked several times, trying to erase what happened from her mind like windshield wipers swishing the rain away. She looked at each of her crew. “You ready to get out of here?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they responded.
Olivia found the debriefing tougher than normal. After filing the usual reports, feds took over. The suits. Crews were used to this kind of interview anytime they fired their weapons or hauled in prisoners. It came with the territory since they merged with Homeland Security.
The interviews were always annoying, but tonight they were excruciatingly painful. She wanted to tell them she knew the
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