Radclyffe - Wild Shores

“Hold on for a second, Gem…” Alex’s voice faded. “What is it?”

Gem could make out Alex talking to someone nearby, her tone raised in question and a low male voice replying.

“Vice Admiral? Sir, this is Commander Martin,” Alex’s muffled voice came through to Gem.

Gem waited while minutes passed, trying and failing to put Austin from her mind.

“Gem?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“It looks like I’m going to be seeing you in the morning,” Alex said. “Zero-seven-hundred, to be precise.”

“That’s what I was about to tell you. I got a call also. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Alex said, a hard bite to her voice. “I still haven’t been briefed.”

Her sister was not happy, and Gem didn’t blame her. She didn’t like being kept in the dark either.

“Why is this all so cloak-and-dagger?” Gem said.

“I’m not sure, but I’ve got a pretty good guess—that was Vice Admiral Moorhouse just now, informing us we’d be meeting with someone by the name of Austin Germaine, and not only that, we’d apparently be sharing incident command responsibility with her team—whatever that might be.”

A cold hand fisted in Gem’s middle. “I’m sorry? Are you sure about that name?”

“Very sure. In fact, I met her yesterday out at Rig 86.”

“The offshore oil installation?”

“Yeah—I was doing a routine check about storm preparedness and talked to her then.”

“That can’t be right,” Gem murmured more to herself than Alex. “Austin wouldn’t have any reason to be out there.”

“About thirty, average height, beyond average looks although not my type—on the rugged, adventurous side with the required dashing dark hair and intense eyes.”

“That—could be her.” Gem had thought of Austin as a pirate, and maybe she’d been more right than she knew.

“You know her?” Alex asked.

“No,” Gem said, the chill spreading through her. “No, I don’t know her at all.”

Chapter Nineteen

Austin pulled into the lot in front of the sanctuary at 6:50. She cut the engine and turned to Claudia. “There’s a possibility our reception is going to be less than friendly.”

Claudia had changed into a pale champagne business suit with a tailored emerald-green shirt with French cuffs and diamond links that glittered at her wrists, and low black heels. Her hair was swept back in a simple gold clasp. She sat, hands lightly clasped in her lap, looking coolly elegant and professional. She definitely didn’t look as if she’d spent the last few days nearly sleepless on an oil rig fifty miles out in the ocean. Under other circumstances, she would have been just the type of woman Austin would seek out for an evening’s entertainment, but that was before. Before she’d met Gem and awakened to the true pleasures of an intimate encounter. She rubbed a hand over her face, feeling the fatigue tearing at the edges of her mind. Way too early in the game for that.

Claudia gave Austin an appraising glance. “You mean something beyond the usual initial suspicion and distrust?”

“It’s possible.” Austin grimaced. “I’m…acquainted with one of the senior researchers here. Something of an unusual circumstance. Maybe a bit of miscommunication.”

“An unusual circumstance and miscommunication.” Claudia nodded as if she understood all that Austin had not said.

Claudia couldn’t know the depths of the complications unless she were psychic, and even then it would be a stretch. Austin blew out a breath. “Just don’t be surprised if we get an icy reception. My fault. I should have handled a few things differently.”

“I suspect once all the facts are laid out and the timetable is presented, everyone is going to be too busy worrying too much about what’s coming to dwell on should’ve-beens.”

“I hope you’re right,” Austin muttered.

Claudia squeezed her arm, a welcome show of sympathy Austin knew she didn’t deserve, and said, “Let’s go find out.”

The small foyer was empty, but the lights in the hall where Gem had taken her less than twenty-four hours before were on, and the faint rumble of indistinguishable voices came from that direction.

“This way,” Austin said.

“I take it you’ve been here before.”

“Yes.” Austin steeled herself for the first glimpse of Gem. By now, Gem would probably know why she was here, and even if she didn’t, she’d be confused and likely angry about the subterfuge surrounding the meeting. Even knowing her reception would be a cold one, she looked forward to seeing her again. Being near her in any way at all was infinitely better than the void her absence created.

Austin paused in the doorway of the common room to let Claudia precede her. The room looked different than it had when she’d come upon Gem making a cup of coffee the first time she’d been there. Two tables had been pushed together in the center of the room. Several half-full pots of coffee sat on the automatic coffeemaker next to a stack of paper cups. The space wasn’t large and, with six people already in it, felt a little crowded. Alex Martin, in uniform, stood near the head of the table with a young male coastguardsman who looked like an enlisted man, possibly her aide. They stopped talking when Austin and Claudia appeared.

Gem stood where she had the morning before, leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands. Emily and a tall, burly middle-aged man flanked her. The sixth man Austin didn’t know, but she knew what he did. His expensive three-piece suit, monogrammed briefcase, and five-hundred-dollar haircut advertised that well enough, even if she hadn’t worked with plenty like him before. He was an attorney for the company, here to document the proceedings and ensure that, as the company’s representative, Austin presented all the appropriate recommendations and handled negotiations in a way that would stand up to legal scrutiny.

Gem’s gaze met Austin’s across the room, cool, detached, completely impersonal. The twenty feet between them felt like two thousand miles, and a chill rolled down Austin’s spine. She waited for Gem to acknowledge her, to say something, anything, although she didn’t expect a confrontation in front of a roomful of strangers. Gem was far too experienced and professional for that. Gem’s gaze cut away as if they were strangers. Austin absorbed the sting of the rebuke without flinching. She needed to keep this meeting on track, and in order to do that, she had to put her personal feelings aside. She could do it, she’d had a lot of practice, but it hurt more this time than anything she’d done in a long time.

Silence spread through the room and Austin stepped a little away from Claudia, drawing all eyes to her. “Thanks, everyone, for getting here so promptly. I’m Austin Germaine, and I represent Global Oil Productions.” She gestured to Claudia. “This is Dr. Claudia Spencer, a meteorologist who works with us. Most of you already know each other, I gather.” Now that she saw Alex and Gem in the same room, there was no doubt their shared last name was also shared genetics. They had to be sisters. She held out her hand to the attorney. “We haven’t met.”

“Robert Cramer,” he said in a polished Boston accent. “Also here for Global Oil.”

“Perhaps we could all sit down and I’ll explain why we’re here,” Austin said.

Alex said stiffly, “Perhaps you can explain why you seem to be in charge but none of us know who you are or why we’re here to serve at your pleasure.”

“Actually,” Austin said, “we’re hoping this will be a joint venture, because everyone’s cooperation is going to be necessary.” She pulled out a chair at the end of the table opposite where Alex stood, acutely aware of Gem watching her motionlessly. Was she ever going to speak to her again? “Please, if everyone will sit, we’ll get started.”