Radclyffe - Oath of Honor

give himself a little relief. Something about this woman had him juiced

up, and that was unusual. He had no trouble enjoying himself with a

woman when he wanted, but when he was on the job, he rarely got

distracted. “I’m always on the lookout for unusual items.”

“I might have something you’re interested in. If you’re looking for

one-of-a-kind items.”

“Really? Rare items are at the top of my list.”

“Those things tend to be expensive, though.”

“I never mind paying what something’s worth.”

“And then there’s transportation, the authentication, all of those

things figure in, don’t they?” She crossed her legs, her sandal dangling

from her toes. “What would you pay for something no one else could

find, delivered in perfect condition? Something rare, unusual.”

“Fully functional, one-of-a-kind?” Hooker leaned his arms back

on the table and crossed his ankles, taking in the vehicles parked in

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the lot. None were close enough for audible scanning, and he didn’t

think their conversation could be picked up from the building. If she

was wearing a wire, it was well hidden. Her clothes were tight enough

that hiding the receiver would be difficult. Nothing he’d said could be

incriminating, but he still needed to be careful. “I’m used to paying for

the right product. Half a million isn’t out of range.”

She took another bite of her ice-cream cone. “Two.”

“The item would have to be extraordinarily rare, in perfect

condition, and, in order to avoid the competition trying to duplicate it,

completely untraceable.”

“Guaranteed.”

“Then I think we can do business.”

She smiled, her gaze slowly moving over his chest and down his

body. He couldn’t hide his erection and didn’t bother.

“Now that I’ve had dessert,” she said, “I’m ready for dinner. How

about you?”

“My evening is free.”

“Not anymore.”

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Oath Of hOnOr

chapter sixteen

The phone rang at 0530 and Wes grabbed it before the second

ring. “Hello?”

“We’ll pick you up in half an hour,” Evyn said. “Pack a go bag and

wear field clothes.”

“What would that be when I’m not wearing a uniform?”

Evyn laughed. “How about jeans and a shirt? And a light jacket.

Oh—and pack for overnight.”

“Doable. Anything else I should know?”

“Now, Doc,” Evyn said, a teasing note in her voice. “Haven’t you

figured out the routine yet?”

“I’m ever hopeful.”

“Good attitude. See you in thirty.”

Evyn rang off and Wes hung up the phone. She’d been up for an

hour, reading through some of the WHMU protocols she’d downloaded

to a thumb drive and brought back to the hotel with her. She’d worked

all evening and finally turned in at 0200—and couldn’t sleep. She didn’t

usually have trouble sleeping, but she’d lain awake in the dark feeling

a little like a fish out of water. The entire fabric of her professional

life—which was her life—had shifted precipitously. She was still a

doctor, still a naval officer, but she had been transported out of the

highly structured world of military hierarchy into what felt like a new

society where the rules weren’t clear and no one was filling her in.

To dispel the undercurrent of anxiety, she fell back on what she knew

best—discipline, order, and medicine.

As she’d mentally run down the things she wanted to do to fine-

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tune the medical unit, her thoughts kept wandering off to Evyn. Snippets

of their first encounter, their first meal, their first fight, their first touch

kept jumping into her mind. Flashes of Evyn’s faintly teasing smile, the

challenge in her deep blue eyes, her certainty about her job—everything

about her stirred her. Spending time with Evyn had been easy, natural.

Exciting. And considering their positions and the specter of a security

breach hanging over every member of the team, including Evyn, very

ill-advised. No matter she couldn’t imagine Evyn violating her oath,

she needed to keep perspective, and the only way she could do that was

by maintaining professional distance.

Finally, to distract herself from thoughts of Evyn and a disquieting

buzz in her belly, she’d texted her youngest sister Denny, a night nursing

supervisor at Methodist Hospital, who was usually able to chat when

her patients were all asleep.

Hey, you busy?

Got a minute. Why are you awake so late?

New post. Can’t shut off my head.

Not like you. Something wrong?

Nah. Not really. How’s everyone?

We’re good. Miss you. You’re going to make it home for

Christmas?

not looking good miss you too

will mail leftovers 

can’t wait 

Gotta go. Call—call me. Don’t stress. Love you.

Her sister had provided enough diversion that she’d been able to

fall asleep. But as she rode the elevator down to the lobby, her thoughts

returned to Evyn. She looked forward to seeing her. Spending time

with Evyn was exhilarating—in one moment Evyn was a highly trained

professional, demanding and a little arrogant, in the next personable,

funny, a little flirtatious. Wes never knew what to expect, and she

always knew what to expect. She planned everything and lived by her

plans. She’d just discovered uncertainty was damned exciting.

Right now, though, she’d settle for boring routine over a new test

of her fitness for her post, but what she’d like and what she got were

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often different. She pushed through the revolving door and stepped out

onto the sidewalk at precisely 0600. Ten seconds later, a black SUV

pulled up and the rear door swung open. Wes walked over and saw

Evyn in the back beside Gary. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Evyn said.

“Hi, Doc,” Gary echoed.

Wes settled down across from Evyn and the vehicle pulled away.

Evyn pointed to the newspaper in her lap. “Want a section?”

Wes smiled and slid an e-reader from her pocket. “I took your

advice and picked this up yesterday at one of the bookstores.”

“Smart.”

“What? Taking your advice or getting the reader?”

Evyn laughed. “Both.”

Gary’s gaze flicked back and forth between them, a glint of

curiosity in his warm brown eyes. Wes opened the reader and selected

the Washington Post app she’d downloaded the evening before.

Skimming through the sections with a flick of her fingertip, she asked,

“Where we going?”

“Kitty Hawk, North Carolina,” Evyn replied, surprising Wes with

an answer.

“That’s a long ride.” Wes tried to remember what was in Kitty

Hawk besides a nearby Coast Guard station.

“We’re not driving the entire way.” Evyn folded the newspaper

vertically, as if she was going to read it in sections like a subway rider.

“What’s in Kitty Hawk?” Wes asked.

“Ocean,” Evyn said.

Gary laughed.

“I didn’t bring a suit.”

“That’s okay. The water’s pretty warm this time of year.”

“It’s December,” Wes pointed out.

“Believe it or not, water temperatures average over sixty degrees

in December in that area. Something about the Gulf Stream.” Evyn

looked up from her newspaper, her eyes dancing. “You’re a sailor.

You’re not afraid of a little water, are you?”

“Just because I’m in the navy doesn’t mean I enjoy being cold

and wet.”

“I promise we won’t let you drown, or freeze.”

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“I feel so much better. What are we doing?”

“Water block.” Evyn went back to her newspaper.

“I gathered it had something to do with water. I don’t suppose you

could be any more specific?”

Evyn smiled above the newspaper. She was enjoying this, the power

play, and Wes was too, even though Evyn wasn’t playing by the rules

Wes was used to. She followed the commands of others and expected

her own orders to be obeyed without question. She understood and

accepted the reasons why. The military was a huge organization whose

effectiveness was dependent upon coordinated action and instantaneous

response, a hierarchy that could only function if orders were immutable.

Otherwise, chaos reigned, missions failed, and causalities resulted. Part

of what made the system work was accurate intel and preparedness.

In contrast, Evyn gave her no operation details—Evyn not only

didn’t brief her, she purposefully kept her in the dark. Evyn was testing

her without giving her the benefit of bringing her best game. She should

have been pissed off, but she wasn’t really. If she’d felt she was being

set up to fail, she would have resisted, but she sensed no malice from

Evyn, despite Evyn’s friendship with Peter Chang. They were playing

war games, a challenge Wes enjoyed, and she intended to prove herself.

Evyn was enjoying herself too, and Wes liked being part of Evyn’s

pleasure. That was a thought she wasn’t going to study too carefully right

now. She settled back and scanned the news. The vehicle slowed and

she looked up. Evyn was watching her, her expression contemplative.

Wes raised a brow. “What?”

“You look relaxed.” Evyn sounded surprised.

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“You’re not annoyed any longer.”

Wes smiled. “Would it do me any good?”

Evyn grinned. “No.”

“Then why bother?”

“You’re pretty sure of yourself.”

Wes glanced at Gary, who stared straight ahead as if he were deaf

and their conversation wasn’t happening inches away. Maybe he really

wasn’t listening. Privacy took on a different meaning for these two,

apparently. She shrugged. “All I can do is my best.”

“Do you always bring your best game?”

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Wes didn’t do humble when it wasn’t true. “Always.”

“To everything?”

“Don’t you?”

“Damn straight.”

Wes laughed. “Then we’re not so different.”

“Maybe not,” Evyn said softly.

The SUV slowed onto the airport exit, and Wes pocketed her

e-reader. She grabbed her overnight bag, followed Evyn and Gary into

the airport, and went through the line while they cleared their weapons

with security. The flight got off on time, and one hundred and twenty-

six minutes later, they landed in Charlotte.

When they walked outside, a sun-washed blonde climbed out of

the driver’s side of a white Ford Explorer and approached with long,

graceful strides. She looked to be mid-thirties, tanned, and was dressed

in light blue cotton pants and a long-sleeved white T-shirt with a logo

over the left breast reading Ocean Rescue Center. “Agent Daniels,

Agent Brown—good to see you again.”

“Hi, Cord.” Evyn indicated Wes. “Dr. Cordelia Williams, Dr.