Eye of the Storm

Chapter

Two

A COLD, WET nose poked her in the eyeball. Dar jerked her head back in startlement, then blinked and looked around dazedly. “What th—

” Chino was curled up against her chest, the puppy’s tail thumping against Dar’s leg. The condo was lit warmly with dawn light and the TV

displayed an infomercial for a revolutionary new pooper scooper.

“Damn it.” Dar hitched herself up on one elbow and rubbed her face.

“Gotta stop doing that,” she muttered to Chino, who was apparently getting used to her falling asleep on the couch. Not that the leather surface was uncomfortable, but it threw off her internal alarm clock and made her have to scramble in the mornings.

Like now, for instance, especially since she had a damn plane to catch. Groggily, she sat up, then got to her feet, eyeing the cute abalone clock Kerry had insisted on getting, deciding they didn’t have one piece of tacky South Florida stuff in their living room. “Oh, hell.” Her flight was at eight, and here it was almost seven. “Chino, I’ll tell ya. They’re not getting a wool suit.”

“Woof.”

Dar ambled over and opened the back door for the puppy, then she ducked into the kitchen and grabbed a container of grape juice, which she popped open and sucked at as she headed for the shower.

Ten minutes later she was toweling off and rummaging through her clean clothes, wondering if her presence was worth the scandal she’d cause by showing up casual. Then Alastair’s comments of the previous night poked her and she grinned. “Guess we’ll find out.” She tugged out a pair of faded jeans and neatly ironed cotton shirt.

She pulled the shirt on and brushed a few errant Chino hairs off the sleeves, then slid into the jeans and buttoned them, eyeing the mirror to check the results. A tanned and lean figure was reflected back, showing the effect of three hard months of martial arts training and a multitude of weekends spent diving in the sunny waters offshore. “Oh yeah.” A twinkle entered the pale blue eyes gazing back at her as she added a belt, then clipped her pager and phone on. “Nice, huh? I’ll give you nice.” She pulled a jacket from the closet and slung it over her arm, then shouldered her briefcase and headed for the door. “Think you’ve forgotten just how much trouble I can be when I put my mind to it, Alastair.”

Eye of the Storm 11

Then she stopped. “Whoa.” She put her things down, jogged to the back door, and whistled for Chino, who came bounding up the steps.

“C’mon, girl. I gotta go.” The puppy put paws up on her leg and whined, and she gave her a quick hug. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back tonight.” She glanced around then gave the dog a kiss on the head. “And don’t you tell anyone I did that, okay?”

“Grrrr.” Chino chewed on her belt loop.

“Okay. Be good.” Dar stood up and checked to make sure the puppy had water and biscuits, then she grabbed her case and headed out the door.

It was close. Fortunately, the causeway she lived off of angled right across the city, and onto the one leading to the airport. She dropped her keys in the valet’s hand and jogged through the terminal, arriving at the gate just as the plane was boarding. Moments later, she was sprawled in a comfortable leather seat at the front of the plane, being offered her choice of beverage. “Chocolate milk,” she responded, sending the stewardess off to rummage.

It was a pretty day, Dar reflected, as she gazed out her window and watched the ground crew finish their routine. The sun came in the small portal and she closed her eyes against its brightness, finding a comfortable spot to rest her head as she let the world fade out a little.

“Wonder what Kerry’s up to?” She allowed an image of her lover to form against the inside of her eyelids.

KERRY SIGHED GENTLY as the first light trickled into her window.

She hadn’t slept much, her thoughts keeping her tossing and turning until she’d finally dropped off well after midnight. Now here she was awake before dawn.

Oh well. She sat up and dangled her feet over the bed, rubbing her bare arms and yawning. It would give her a chance to get a run in, at any rate, something she’d had only sporadic success at while she was out on the road. At least it would be pretty scenery.

Kerry stood and trudged into the rustic bathroom, turned on the water, and splashed a handful of it on her face before she realized the temperature difference between Vermont and Miami. “Yow!” Her green eyes popped wide open and she hastily adjusted the warm water faucet a little to cut the chill. “That’s one way to wake up.”

She investigated the little courtesy refrigerator in the room and found tiny crocks of cold apple cider and some little coffee cakes.

“Mmm.” She took one of each, dropped into the curved wooden desk chair, and hit the key to retrieve her mail while she nibbled on her breakfast.

The laptop connected and she logged in with two fingers, then sat back as her mail downloaded. “Oo.” She clicked on one mail from Dar and smiled as a small, dancing raccoon shimmied across the screen, singing “Dixie.” Kerry muffled a laugh, almost sending a spray of crumbs all 12 Melissa Good over her keyboard. “Where in the hell did she find that?” She watched the cartoon for a moment more, then shook her head and checked the rest of the mails, leaving the three urgent ones open and waiting for attention.

Her juice finished, she got into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She tied her hair back into a tail and put on her running shoes before slipping out the door to the cabin and into the early morning air. It was cool and dry, very different from the late June heat she faced in Miami, and Kerry drew in an appreciative breath as she chose a path and started up it at a walk.

She let her leg muscles stretch out a little before she broke into a jog, not wanting to push herself too hard after being relatively inactive for a few weeks. Between flights, hotels, and the four accounts she’d consolidated on her trip, she’d hardly had time to figure out what state she was in, much less where the nearest gym was.

So, she asked herself, why drag yourself out here today, hmm? Kerry picked up her pace a little, feeling her body settle into the activity.

Couldn’t possibly be because you’re going home in two days, could it? And you’re going to have to keep up with Dar after two weeks of being a lazy bum, or risk a first class teasing? She laughed at herself, acknowledging the eager thrill that danced over her skin at the thought of seeing her lover again.

The little path meandered upward, and she welcomed the effort, enjoying the pretty trees as she lengthened her stride. It had been an interesting couple of months, really. Both she and Dar had settled down and gotten used to being with each other, and now that they’d worked out timing, and schedules, it was really becoming a lot of fun. She’d half expected there to be large areas of contention between them since they were so different, but the condo allowed them both their space and they’d started off by setting a few ground rules.

Like no talking work at home. That was a biggie, since they were both so involved with the same subjects it was hard not to. After a while, though, Kerry had noticed a distinct change in Dar’s attitude when she was home—the taller woman seemed to shed her tough and often impatient shell when she walked through the door, displaying a warmer and gentler side that Kerry was becoming very addicted to.

What a sweetie she was—not that she’d ever admit to it, though. As they’d grown closer, she’d been able to get Dar to open up a little and share some of her inner demons, just as Kerry had slowly started to unburden herself from her own.

Kerry’s path took her up and over a small ridge and down parallel to a stream that trickled through the wooded area. She slowed her steps as she reached a wooden bridge, crossed it, and ambled to a halt, finding a log nearby and sitting down on it, just to watch the water go by her.

Ducks floated past, nibbling at the reeds, and making the occasional foray under the water. Kerry looked up from watching them as soft footsteps approached her. From the path opposite the way she’d come, a tall, burly man in corduroy pants and a flannel shirt came into view, with a carved walking stick he was using to disguise a faint limp.

Seeing her, he stopped in surprise. “Why, hello there.”

Eye of the Storm 13

Kerry smiled in reflex, finding nothing to dislike in his broad, open face with its light covering of beard. “Hello.”

“You’re a strange bit of a thing to be sitting out here on a log, now aren’t you?” The man ambled closer and cocked his head, studying her.

“Without your clothes on and all.”

Kerry stood up. “I was just out for a run.” She pointed towards the bridge. “Where does that go?”

“Just down by the old mill,” the man answered. “You don’t want to go down there. Ground’s very rocky and there’re snakes.”

“Ah.” Kerry glanced around her. “You’re right. That wouldn’t be a good idea. Oh well.” She circled him and regained the path. “Time to get to work anyway.”

He moved suddenly and blocked her. “Hey, hey. So what kind of work do you do?” His hands stroked his cane. “Pretty little thing like you?”

Oh boy. Kerry drew in a breath, then expelled it. “I’m a network ana-lyst.” She forced a smile. “But thanks for the compliment. Now, I do have to be going.” The cane snaked out and caught her upper arm, and her heart started pounding. “Sir, you don’t want to do that.”

“Now, I just want to talk. Take it easy, little girl.” The man laughed.

“Not often I get to see someone as nice looking as you up here. Surely not half naked.” He tugged her closer.

Kerry almost panicked, but just as she was about to scream she could almost hear Dar’s calm words in the back of her mind. Don’t lose your mind. Stay calm. Hit hard. She grabbed the stick with one hand and jerked hard, then spun and swept a leg out, pulling his feet from under him and dumping him on the ground.

The stick came free into her hands and she backed off, spreading her grip across the length of it with a feeling of weird familiarity.

It was strange. Her body shifted, coming over her center of balance as her knees unlocked, and her shoulders tensed in readiness. “Like I said, you really don’t want to do that,” she said quietly.

“Son of a bitch.” Oddly, the man didn’t seem upset. He laughed.

“Joke’s on me, then, I guess. Sorry about that, young lady. I really did think you were just out to tease an old goat like me.”

Kerry eyed him uncertainly, but she relaxed a little. She stepped back, but kept the cane between herself and the prone man. Her thumbs slid out to balance her grip and she was aware of how comforting it felt to have the thing in her hands. “That’s a pretty disgusting thing to think.”

“Well,” he got to his knees, then heaved himself up onto his feet, “if I’d a known you were some kind of a ninja, I surely would have kept my thoughts a deal more pure.” He held up his hands. “I am sorry, ma’am.”

Slowly, she let the stick’s end drop, then extended it towards him.

“It’s all right. Sorry I threw you that hard.” She felt a faint pang of regret in releasing the cane, but she put that down to her natural caution and focused on keeping her knees from shaking in pure reaction. “Are you all right?”

14 Melissa Good

“Surely.” The man brushed his pants off then wrapped his hands around the walking stick. “I am sorry, Ms. ...”

“Stuart.” Kerry offered her hand. “Kerry Stuart. And you are?”

“Jess Walters.” He gingerly returned her grip. “You new around here, Ms. Stuart?” He gestured towards the path. “I don’t want to keep you.”

Kerry started walking back the way she’d come, and he fell into step next to her, his limp hardly keeping him from matching her stride. “No.

I’m just visiting. My company sent me here for a few days.”

“Ah.” Jess nodded. “I live up past the hill top there. I’m a web designer.”

Kerry gave him a startled look. “Really?”

“Ayup.” He nodded. “Last job was with Tungsten Aerospace. Just finished their web site last week.”

“I work for ILS.”

Now it was his turn to stare. “No. Really?”

“Mmm. They just bought Allison Consulting. That’s what I’m here for.” Kerry felt the shakiness fade as she continued walking and decided Mr. Walters was probably harmless for now.

“Ah.” The tall, burly man chewed his lower lip. “Well, since I put a scare in you, let me try and make amends. You be careful of those people, Ms. Stuart. They’re not nice folks.”

Kerry turned her head. “Really? They seemed all right. What do you mean?”

“I can’t really say.” His jaw firmed and he looked off into the distance. “Just you be careful, all right? Nice talking to you, Ms. Stuart. And sorry about the misunderstanding.” Abruptly, he chose an offshoot of the path and was gone before Kerry could answer, his tall form disappearing into the brush with startling speed.

Kerry put her hands on her hips and stared at the spot for a moment in deep puzzlement. “What in the heck was that?” She shook her head, then resumed her jogging towards the cabin, now wondering what in the world she’d gotten into.

She was still wondering after a hot shower had removed the sweat from her body and she stood in the middle of her room deciding what to wear. “Hmm.” She eyed her possible choices. The staff at Allison had been wearing business dress, so her maroon suit wouldn’t be out of place, however...

Dar had this theory about power trips, and it went something like,

“Find out what they think is important, then turn it around and show them how unimportant you think it is.” So. They thought appearances were important.

Kerry smiled, and tugged her oldest, most comfortable jeans out of her bag and added a brightly colored shirt to it, along with her hiking boots. “Let’s shake ’em up a little.”

Eye of the Storm 15

THE HOUSTON AIRPORT was busy, and Dar had to dodge around a multitude of moving bodies on her way to the car rental desks. She managed to arrive just after a handful of businessmen in suits and took her place in line with a feeling of mild irritation. The single clerk made her wonder if it was early lunchtime, then she noticed two others in a small office in the back, apparently working on a problem.

Dar turned her attention to watching people go by, playing her usual mental game of trying to guess the person’s occupation. She’d picked out three geeks, two accountants, and a TV star before a loud voice drew her eyes back to the desk.

One of the businessmen was at the counter arguing, slapping his hand down on the Formica countertop. The clerk behind the desk simply shrugged and held her hands out and pointed at the clock. The man grabbed his briefcase and stormed off towards an airport limo desk.

“What’s up?” Dar asked her neighbor in line.

“They’re out of cars.” The man grunted. “Figures. They got some damn convention up here going on. And they’re all empty, even the luxury models.”

“Convention?” Dar mused.

“Yeah. Southern Baptists, or something like that.” The man pointed at a group of travelers heading towards a large tour bus.

Dar followed them with her eyes, then considered her options. She could, of course, take a cab to the office, but she hated cabs. Her eyes went to the limo desk. There was that possibility. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to send that kind of message.

Then her eyes drifted back over to a small kiosk near the door, where a young man in denims and a cowboy hat sat, evidently bored.

Fun Rentals. Dar studied the pictures of RV’s, Skidoos, and...

A smile appeared on her face. “Excuse me.” She stepped past the men in line and ambled over to the kiosk. She leaned on the desk and waited for the cowboy to look up. “Hi.”

His eyes widened and he sat up, blinking at her. “Um, sorry, ma’am.

Can I help you?”

Dar pointed. “One of those, please.”

He looked. “Uh, sure.” He scrabbled around his desk for paperwork.

“Um, sorry. Not many...ah, we usually have folks taking out the RV’s first and I...oh, here we go.” He retrieved two forms and slid one across the desk to Dar. “Could you fill that out for me? And I’ll need to see your driver’s license.”

“Uh huh.” Dar pulled her wallet out, removed the license, and handed it over. She took a pen out and started writing. “Here.” She also handed over her credit card.

“Okay. Um, I have to call in your license. Do you have any outstanding tickets, ma’am?”

“No.” Dar continued writing. She ignored his low voice as he called in the license, then straightened as he hung up. “Got what you need?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The boy scribbled something on her form, then pulled 16 Melissa Good a set of keys from a small board near his left hip. “Would you come with me, please?”

Dar followed him out the door into a blast of bright sunlight. She pulled her sunglasses out of her jacket pocket and shoved them into place, then stood back as the boy opened a door to one side of the parking area.

“Gotcha a nice one. Have you ever driven one of these, ma’am?” The boy looked up, tipping his hat back a little. “They can be a little tricky.”

“I’ve ridden one.” Dar took the helmet off the handlebars and removed the keys from the attendant’s hand. “Thanks.” She checked the motorcycle over, biting off a grin. “Harley, eh? Nice.”

“Yeah.” The boy backed off, then waved. “Have a great day.”

“Oh, I will.” Dar seated herself, and started the motorcycle up, adjusted the throttle and slid the helmet over her head. “I definitely will.”

KERRY WAS AWARE of the eyes fastened on her as she entered Allison’s offices and she returned the looks with pleasant smiles as she made her way to the conference room. She walked by the startled occupants and put her briefcase down, then unzipped it and pulled out a thick manila envelope. “All right. This is what the plan is.”

She took out several packets and passed them around. “We have certain criteria your systems need to meet before we permit the connection up to the Intranet. I’ll need your server specifications before the end of today.”

“That’s a lot of machines,” Ann objected coolly. “We’d have to pull resources for that.” She ran her pencil over her lips in thought. “Our clients are already calling, asking what the impact of the merger is going to be on their services.”

“Well,” Kerry leaned on the table, meeting her eyes, “once their traffic’s on our backbone, it’ll double their throughput. I bet they can’t wait.”

She smiled. “Isn’t it nice to have great news for them?”

An awkward silence fell. “Ann, that’s a minor detail, just put some people on it,” Sam drawled. “What else?”

Kerry lifted a sheet of paper. “It’s mostly procedural at this point.

Our personnel people will be in contact with you to transition staff. But I want you to know in advance everyone will be subject to background checks and screening.”

A low murmur rose. Ann leaned close to Sam, as she watched the slim blonde woman review her papers. “That could be an issue.”

The comptroller grunted.

“Is that really necessary? We’ve had most of these people on board for years,” Charlie objected. “I’d hate to have them think we think they’re criminals or something.”

The cool green eyes fastened on him. “Nothing personal,” Kerry replied, smiling for no apparent reason. “It really isn’t. Everyone has to go through it because of all of our government contracts and the fact that Eye of the Storm 17

you all will have access to our Intranet.” She paused. “Is there a problem with that? Sometimes it’s easier if we know in advance.”

They exchanged glances. “Oh. No, no. No problem.” Charlie waved a hand at her. “I was just asking. Seemed like a waste of money to me, and we all know how important that is.”

“Mmm.” Kerry put her paper down and slid her hands into her jeans pockets. “Well, we’ve found that in the long run it’s worth it. One security breach can cost us a lot.” Her fingers touched a small, unfamiliar object and her brow creased, but she merely closed her hand around it inside her pocket. “Okay. I’ll need a current print of your payables and receivables, preferably in soft copy, then we can get started.”

Sam stood up and stretched. “All right. I’ll get that going. Charlie?

Want to coordinate these things with me? We don’t want to keep Ms. Stuart waiting.” The two men left, closing the conference room door behind them.

Ann leaned back in her chair and slid her pencil between her fingers.

“Anything else I can do?” she asked, politely.

Kerry picked up her paper. “My boss had some questions.”

The petite woman smiled. “Would that be the infamous Dar Roberts?” she inquired. “I’ve heard some very impressive things about her. In fact, it’s one of the things I was most intrigued about after I heard we were being bought out.”

“Yes, it would be.” Kerry sat down and folded her hands. “She definitely lives up to her reputation. And as a matter of fact, one of her questions was regarding the bidding process. She found it really…interesting that your company always got the bid on the day of last refusal.”

A guarded look slipped over Ann’s face. “Oh, really? Well, that’s a coincidence. I don’t think I ever noticed that.”

Kerry watched her expression and body language, something Dar had been coaching her in. Ms. Ann was nervous all right and hiding something. “Yeah. She was going to give the account reps at those companies a call. Just to check out how the deals went through.” The pencil moved faster, and she could almost sense the other woman’s tension rising.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll find out it was just a coincidence…and some sharp bidding.” Ann stood up abruptly. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom. Ah…there’s coffee down the hall if you’re interested.” She took her papers and left quickly, her heels making a staccato tattoo on the tile floor.

“Hmmm.” Kerry pulled a mug from her briefcase and retrieved a teabag from a side pocket, then she strolled to the door and slipped through it, her curiosity fully aroused.