At His Command (3 page)

“McBride, you are a wonder.”

He studied her face and winced. “Ouch on the shiner. Are you all right?”

“You should see the other guy. He took a header off the carrier. So I feel lucky to be alive.”

“I’m sure glad you are, ma’am. It would be hard to train up a new boss.”

She smiled. “Thanks for your concern.” He smiled back and nodded. “McBride, I need for you to do some research for me on Master Chief Steven Walker. I want to know where he was stationed. Cross-reference his stations with any pilot accidents at the time he was serving those stations.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

After leaving her legalman, she made her way directly to her CO’s office, receiving a wave through by his aide.

Entering, she saw Captain Mark Snyder was on the phone behind his desk. The look on his face was less than welcoming, but still he motioned her forward. He finished the conversation with clipped tones and hung up the phone.

Captain Snyder was a tall man, which was evident even when he was seated, as he was now. African-American with close-cropped hair, a wide nose and dark, piercing eyes, he cut an impressive figure in his blue coat and white shirt. As a commanding officer he was fair but tough and often liked to debate with her. “That was the skipper on the
U.S.S. James McCloud
.”

Sia came to attention in front of his desk. When he nodded, she stood at ease, reached forward and placed the report on his desk. “Here’s the final report on Walker….”

“This particular conversation doesn’t have anything to do with the master chief,” his voice was low and urgent.

“No?”

“They just had a pilot crash into the deck of the carrier.”

“Oh, my God.” Sia’s heart lurched in her chest and she could see from the captain’s grave look there was more. He motioned for her to sit and she sank into the nearest chair.

“Yes, Commander. It’s even worse than that. He’s Senator Mark Washington’s son.”

Her commander stared grimly at her, and Sia tried not to flinch. Her boss didn’t assign blame. He wasn’t petty and he treated her with respect. But at this moment, she saw the unmistakable truth in his eyes. He thought somehow she had let him down. A sick feeling churned in her stomach and squirmed up her spine.

“Send me back to the
McCloud
and I’ll make sure I get to the bottom of this.”

“It’s not that easy, Commander Soto.” He leaned back in his chair and sighed. “You are under investigation.”

“Yes, it’s a matter of routine. I understand, sir. But I can still perform my duties and cooperate with any type of inquiry.”

“I have no doubt of that. You are a meticulous investigator and litigator. But, this time, it’s required you have help.”

“Help? I don’t need…”

Just then the door opened and her boss smiled. “Too late. He’s already here.”

She twisted around to take a look at the person who was going to accompany her on this assignment.

The pressure in the office changed, condensed. The man was six feet of raw energy in a tightly muscled package. He wore black pants that fit snugly against hard-packed thighs and a trim waist. A gray sweater stretched across his broad chest, with the edge of a plain white T-shirt at his strong throat. Over the sweater, he wore a black leather jacket. Clipped to his belt was the gold NCIS badge. The telltale bulge on the other side indicated he was carrying a sidearm. His thick black hair covered his forehead, errant tendrils curling along the nape of his neck.

Sia gasped as she looked into steady, beautiful dark gray eyes, eyes that had gazed into hers full of a smoky passion that only made them darken.

Oh, damn.

Christophe “Chris” Vargas.

Her brother’s wingman.

The very pilot who had been directly responsible for her brother’s death.

Chapter 2

S
ia looked from her commanding officer to Chris, dumbfounded. It couldn’t be. She was suddenly thrust back in time and all the longing, the desire and the need for this man came crashing into her.

It had been the wildest time of her life. He’d been a great fantasy, all hormones and hazard, and she’d been so crazy about him. He had been the only man her father had approved of, saying Chris was a first-rate pilot and the kind of man her father could trust.

Her father’s approval had been important. With her father’s consent came admiration. A man who could gain the trust and high regard of her father was worth her time.

Captain Snyder cleared his throat.

“Lieutenant Commander Ambrosia Soto, meet Special Agent Chris Vargas.”

For a moment Sia’s vocal cords wouldn’t work, but she was saved from a response by Chris.

“Commander Soto and I are acquainted.”

There were layers of meaning in his voice, a tone that touched her deep down and squeezed her heart. So much regret, pain and apology. Her eyes never just met Chris’s—they connected like two live wires throwing off sparks. She could see by the look on his face he was studying her bruises and his mouth hardened. Her first thought was it was a good thing Master Chief Walker was dead. Chris’s eyes, like polished steel, narrowed.

“Special Agent Vargas comes highly recommended from the director of NCIS,” Captain Snyder said. “We’re damn lucky to have him.”

“Aye, sir,” Sia responded. Chris never did anything by half. Sia had had no idea he’d left the Navy and gone into law enforcement. She’d assumed he was still flying.

The way Captain Snyder looked at her, Sia felt adrenaline release into her stomach. The message was loud and clear. Cooperate, don’t make waves.

“Special Agent Vargas will take point on this, Commander.”

“But it’s my case. I’m the one…”

At the look from Captain Snyder, Sia closed her mouth on the words she was going to say. First off, he wouldn’t be pleased she would in any way say she’d made a mistake. JAG didn’t make mistakes. Second, she’d be usurping his authority. She was often able to get away with it because she was very good at verbal debate. But this time she saw he would yank her off this case in a heartbeat, and she would never get the answers she sought.

She stepped back and came to attention next to Chris. The first scent of him brought back memories of hot skin and heated kisses. She violently pushed those memories away, a resentment building.

Captain Snyder set the folder aside and addressed them both. “You’re going back to the
U.S.S. James McCloud
, Commander Soto, and Special Agent Vargas will accompany you. You will look into the death of Senator Washington’s son. Special Agent Vargas will be in charge.”

“We need to get on a plane as soon as possible, sir,” Chris said.

The captain picked up the phone. “That’s taken care of. I suggest you get yourselves ready to go. I want daily reports.”

“Captain, may I have a word with you? In private?” She glanced over at Chris and he smiled wryly. The protesting tone of her voice made her wince inside. She regretted her blunder immediately.

Captain Snyder sighed. “You’re dismissed, Special Agent Vargas.”

Chris gave her a sidelong look, but said nothing as he turned and left the office.

When the door was fully closed, Captain Snyder said, “Problem, Commander?”

“I have a history with Special Agent Vargas. It’s complicated.”

“Uncomplicate it and get the job done. Personal problems don’t interest me. Results do. Although you are forcing me to rethink my decision to send you back to the
McCloud
.”

“I can handle this assignment,” she said quickly, immediately concerned the tenuous connection between Walker and her brother could snap if she wasn’t given an opportunity to continue the investigation. “I don’t need an NCIS agent breathing down my neck, dredging up old memories.” Damn, she hadn’t meant to say that. “I’m fully capable.”

His eyes cooled. “I know you are capable. But protocol requires it and I’m not going to take a misstep here with the senator’s son. You are still under investigation yourself.”

“It’s a routine investigation.” She added “sir” when his eyes went glacial.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t want this mishap to mar your record. This is going to be media fodder. I want it put to bed quickly.”

Sia clenched her teeth. “Aye, sir.”

Exiting the Captain’s office, Sia looked for Chris and found him a few feet away. She walked up to him, grabbed him by his jacket and pulled him into an empty conference room. “You could have given me some kind of warning.”

“I didn’t know you were stationed here. Not until I walked into the Captain’s office.”

She didn’t deserve this twist of fate. Of all the places he could have ended up, it had to be Norfolk. “I don’t think it’s a good idea we work together.”

He shrugged. “It’s easy. Work with me or Captain Snyder will assign someone else. Sounds like an easy choice to me.”

Sia stared at Chris for several seconds, caught completely off guard again by his presence. After that debacle at her brother’s grave site, she hadn’t expected to see him ever again. Therefore, she’d had no chance to prepare herself to speak to him after what had happened six years ago. She had strategies filed away in her brain for every kind of courtroom situation, but she had no strategies for dealing with Chris and their short-lived, mind-blowing relationship.

“I don’t want to work with you. You know perfectly well why.” She wanted—no, needed—him to go away. She desperately needed to sort out her thoughts, and she couldn’t do that with him standing less than five feet away, pinning her with that intent gaze of his. Maybe it was better not to confront him so directly. After all, it had been a while since she’d seen him. “Listen,” she went on, trying to sound conciliatory, “I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, really, I don’t. It’s just…it’s been a very long day, and I’m not really prepared to deal with this
or you
at the moment.”

Given her continued, rather visceral reaction to him, even after all these years, perhaps she’d never be ready to deal with him.

“I’m sure it has been a long day. And, yes, I know perfectly well why. Doesn’t change a damn thing. Still your choice.”

“I can’t walk away from this. I want you to.”

He shook his head, his gaze resolute. “Not going to happen. I don’t answer to you or Captain Snyder, and I sure as hell don’t answer to the Navy anymore. This is about Lieutenant Eli Washington.”

“Don’t lecture me. I know what it’s about.”

His eyes flared at her terse tone. “Just assign someone else.”

“I can’t!” She clenched her fists, her outburst startling even her.

“Yes, you can. You just want to strong-arm me. It’s always about your precious control. Well, I’m on this case, so get used to it.”

It certainly had everything to do with control now. She’d given up her control to him six years ago. Fallen into such passion and heat, she’d barely been able to remember her name. Now standing so close to him, she felt the same damn pull, so overwhelming, so uncontrollable. He looked like the jets he used to fly: sleek, fast and dangerous.

He smelled way too good, musky and male, a combination as potent as a stiff belt of whiskey straight into the bloodstream. But she couldn’t back up now and show any weakness. Chris would know he had the upper hand and that wouldn’t be a good thing.

She laid it out bluntly, not seeing any reason to sugarcoat anything. “You’re being stubborn because of what happened in our past. Is this payback, Chris?”

His face hardened. “Either do your job or pass it on to someone else, Commander Soto.”

He hadn’t taken the bait, and Sia realized she wasn’t going to make him angry enough to walk away from the investigation. “I intend to do my job. Just without you involved.”

He laughed then, without mirth. “It would be in your best interest to let someone else handle it.”

She stiffened at his chiding tone. “You’re alluding to the investigation into Master Chief Steven Walker’s death?”

He folded his arms across his chest, the movement tightening up his chest muscles and arms, pulling the jacket away from the gun clipped to his waist. “The Navy doesn’t just casually investigate someone. You’re the one who is under scrutiny.”

“At the time I handled the investigation, I did it as thoroughly and diligently as I normally do.” But in the back of her mind doubts assailed her. What if she had been too distracted by past memories and the fresh mourning of her brother’s death? What if she had missed something?

“Is that where you got those bruises? Why your arm is in a sling?”

“Yes. Walker tried to kill me.”

He shook his head. “Stupid man. What happened?”

“He took a header over the sponson and died from the fall. They fished his body up just after he went over.”

“Really, in that vast of an ocean late at night?”

“He was wearing a life vest. A vest he denied me because I was supposed to be the one dead.”

“Let me guess. They didn’t find any evidence you helped him over?”

Weary from the day’s events, she walked to the conference table and settled into one of the chairs. “No, because I dodged his attempt to throw me over. My hands were tied. It’s the biggest indication the events happened exactly as I said they did. I didn’t tie my own hands or wrench my own shoulder or give myself this black eye. The investigation is really just routine and to close the loop.” She thrust out her good hand and showed him the bruises on her wrist.

He walked over and set his backside on the conference table. Taking her hand gently in his, he studied the black-and-blue marks. “That may be true, but it’s the difference between us now. You have to follow the Navy’s rules. I don’t.”

His hand was warm, his palm smooth. Her heart fluttering, she pulled her hand from his hold. “Surely in your job you’re required to follow rules.”

He smiled. “When it suits me, but as a civilian investigator, I have a lot more leeway than you do.”

The smile lighting up his eyes made her remember the potency he wielded with his irresistible charm, all the more reason not to work with him. The other big reason was he’d been directly responsible for her brother’s death and the destruction of her family.