Radclyffe - Firestorm

“Then they were lucky soldiers.”

“The apple or cherry?”

Jac grinned. “Any chance I can get a sampler?”

Chuckling, he went back to his grill.

“So? Did you talk Charlie into the pie?” Sarah said when Jac sat down across from her with her own cup of coffee.

“I think so. I sure hope so.”

Sarah eased back in her chair. She’d changed out of the cargo pants and khaki shirt she’d worn earlier into black sweats and a soft, long-sleeved white T-shirt that was just tight enough to show off a very nice body. “It’s pretty late. Can’t sleep?”

A muscle jumped in Jac’s jaw, and she consciously unclenched her teeth. “Not that tired. Sitting in a classroom most of the day just wound me up.”

“Didn’t work it off in the gym?”

“Not much gets past anybody around here, does it,” Jac muttered.

“I saw you going over when I was on my way out for a run. When I clocked in for my own workout two hours later, you were still there. You didn’t see me.”

“Just felt lazy after an easy day,” Jac said.

“Was that what it was?”

Jac ignored the gentle probing. She didn’t want to talk about what was really bothering her. “Worked out good for Ray—all this class time.”

“He’s symptom free. He ought to make up the physical fitness part easily enough.”

“Excellent.” Jac asked as casually as she could, “Did you hear from Mallory?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean anything.” Sarah paused, looking thoughtful. “She’s probably in constant communication with the local station up there, but we won’t hear anything, even when they’ve pulled out. If they’re packing out, that could take a few days right there.”

Jac massaged the back of her neck and winced. Her muscles were knotted and tender, and she rubbed her thumb over a sore spot at the junction of her right shoulder. “Waiting—I don’t do it very well.”

“That’s a lot of this job.” Sarah gestured to her crossword puzzle. “Long stretches of boredom interspersed with frantic activity. Then, when a crew goes out and you don’t hear anything for days, sometimes a couple of weeks, it wears on you.”

“Yeah.” Jac rubbed her face with both hands and sighed. “A lot like the military.”

“You served?”

Jac nodded.

“Then you know how it goes.”

Charlie walked up and slid a plate with two pieces of pie on it in front of Jac. “Keep that to yourself, trooper.”

Jac looked up at him. “I will. Thanks.”

Charlie grunted and headed back to the kitchen.

Jac pushed the plate toward Sarah. “Want some more?”

“Yeah, I didn’t get any of the cherry.” Sarah picked up her fork and cut off a healthy piece from Jac’s plate and slid it onto her own. “Thanks.”

“So I wanted to ask you,” Jac said, teasing a slice of apple free from the flaky crust.

“Yes?” Sarah asked absently.

“You and Mallory—” Jac looked up into Sarah’s eyes.

Sarah regarded her curiously. “Me and Mallory, what?”

“Well, you know, the coffee the other morning—we were playing cards and we made this bet and I didn’t want you to think—”

“Mallory is a really good friend, one of my best friends. It’s probably dumb of me, but I don’t sleep with my friends. Maybe if I did, I’d have better luck.”

Jac grimaced. “Not too subtle, am I?”

“Subtlety is overrated. We’re not lovers. I suspect she would’ve told you that if you’d asked her.”

“I think so too.” Jac stared at the table. “But I didn’t want to ask.”

“Why not?”

Jac traced the edge of her plate with her fork. “She’d run for the hills.”

“Probably.” Sarah sipped her coffee. “You know, Jac, Mallory…” She sighed. “I’m claiming best friend’s right here, so I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.” Jac straightened. She knew the tone—she wasn’t going to like what was coming.

“Okay.” Sarah nodded, as if making a decision. “Maybe Mallory isn’t such a good idea.”

Jac pushed back a surge of anger and kept her voice even. Here came the “you’re not the right person for her” lecture. “Oh? Why is that?”

“She’s just…vulnerable right now.”

“And you think I’ll be bad for her? Hurt her somehow?” Jac carefully cut a wedge of pie with her fork but didn’t lift it to her mouth. “Based on what? My reputation?”

Sarah colored. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that’s not what I meant.”

“What, then?”

“I don’t know you, and I’m not about to ask your intentions. But I know Mallory and I love her.” Sarah bit her lip and let out a breath. “Since the incident last summer, she hasn’t been herself. She still isn’t.”

“Maybe,” Jac said softly, “she never will be. Not the Mallory you knew then. Wounds change us, but they don’t have to destroy us. You should trust her.”

“Yes.” Sarah winced. “What I really should do is mind my own damn business. I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

“No, you weren’t. Mallory’s lucky to have a friend like you.” Jac couldn’t resent Sarah championing Mallory—she envied their friendship. No one had ever stood up for her, and she’d learned not to hope for it. She finished off the apple and started on the remaining cherry. “Nothing has happened and probably won’t. I just… If you and she were together, I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“So noted.” Sarah waited a beat. “So, she’s got under your skin?”

Jac put down her fork and rubbed her belly. She was so tight she could’ve bounced quarters off her abdominal wall. Massaging didn’t help. “Yeah. Quite a lot.”

“Well, maybe I’m completely wrong. Maybe a little shaking up is just what she needs.”

“And you think I’m the one to do it?”

Sarah pointed a finger at her. “I think you very well could be. Hell, you managed to get pie out of Charlie. That took me three years.”

“She’s all right out there, isn’t she?”

“Jac, you know the job.” Sarah’s face softened. “Things happen, but Mallory is really, really good. One of the best. She’ll be fine. And she won’t like it if you worry about her every time she goes out.”

“I’ll hide it.”

Sarah rolled her eyes.

“You’re right. I can see how good she is.”

“You’ll need to trust her, Jac. You’ll both need that, in both directions, if you’re working together.”

“Trust.” Jac had learned young not to trust, not to expect people to do what they promised or mean what they said. She’d learned not to count on anyone, and she’d learned not to be disappointed. “I guess that’s the part of the training you can’t teach.”

“Nope.” Sarah’s expression brightened. “That you get from working your asses off together. You’ll see what I mean when we head into the mountains to set up camp and field train.”

If that meant living side by side with Mallory, Jac was all for it. She just wanted Mallory and her team to come home.

“You better get some sleep,” Sarah said. “We’re back on the tower tomorrow. You all have had enough class time for a bit.” As if reading Jac’s mind, Sarah squeezed her arm. “Mallory will be back soon, and you better look sharp.”

“Right.” Jac rose and grabbed their plates. “I’m gone.”

Sarah laughed. “Keep your head on straight, rookie.”

Jac wasn’t worried about her head. She just wasn’t quite so sure about her heart.

Chapter Fourteen

Mallory hung her gear pack on the peg inside the door in the equipment room and pressed both hands to her lower back, massaging the knots. She needed a shower to get the smoke out of her hair, the soot off her skin, and some of the kinks out of her muscles.