Red Sky at Morning

Chapter

Twelve

“YOU KNOW,” KERRY carefully buttoned a pair of Andrew’s old pajamas around her fidgeting lover, “you could just go get this taken care of.”

“Kerry,” Dar sighed, trying not to let the pain get to her. Too much.

“Sorry. I’m tired, and very cranky, and I just want to go to bed.” Her shoulder had stiffened up, and despite a handful of painkillers, she could hardly move her arm. It was making her a little nervous, and she really wanted nothing more than to lie down and not stir for a while.

“Dar...” Kerry took a breath to continue their argument.

“Please?” Dar heard the break in her voice and winced. It had its effect, though, because Kerry paused, exhaled, then put a gentle hand against her chest. “First thing tomorrow, I promise. We’ll go right over to Dr. Steve’s and let him take a look.” She gazed hopefully at Kerry.

“Okay?”

Kerry gazed unhappily at her. “No.” Her lips tensed. “Not okay, because I hate seeing you in pain.” Her shoulders dropped. “But I guess it’ll have to do. C’mon, let me help you get into bed.” She glanced through the open bedroom door. “You want a heating pad or an ice pack?”

Chino was already in her basket, her soft brown eyes watching Dar with a worried expression. Andrew and Ceci had followed them almost home, then had driven on toward the marina, accepting Kerry’s assurance that there was no problem, Dar was just tired.

Now Kerry was beginning to doubt that reassurance. She’d tried a dozen ways to convince her stubborn lover to let her drive her over to the nearby hospital, but Dar steadfastly refused, preferring to suffer from the noticeably swelling injury rather than submit to the emergency room’s tender care.

On the other hand, she had to admit, as she helped Dar lay down in the waterbed, her lover looked completely exhausted; and with their luck, they’d end up sitting in the waiting room for at least three hours, probably more. Kerry pushed Dar’s disheveled bangs out of her eyes. So maybe she had a point. “Ice pack?”

Dar closed her eyes and luxuriated in the simple pleasure of lying down. Her body relaxed, and that helped with some of the pain. She 196 Melissa Good was very glad to be home, and still, and away from the uneasy company they’d spent the evening with. Though the atmosphere had relaxed a little as dinner progressed, the pain and the sullen looks from Chuckie were enough to want to make her stand up and just chuck something.

Like her beer glass. “Ice pack.” Dar opened one eye and considered the concept. “Yeah.” She gave Kerry an apologetic look, very much aware of just how unhappy her partner was. “Thank you.” Her uninjured hand reached out and slid up Kerry’s bare thigh. “I know you think I’m being an idiot.”

Kerry sighed. “No, I don’t, but I won’t lie and say I really understand it,” she said. “It’s what hospitals and doctors are for, Dar.

That’s why they get the big bucks, remember? I wish you’d let me take you over; they’d have given you some painkillers, at least.”

Dar stroked her leg. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “It feels better already, just being still,” she objected stubbornly.

Her lover folded her arms. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Anything you like.” The unrepentant blue eyes studied her.

“Except take me to Sinai at midnight.”

“You could have let me tell your folks.” Kerry frowned. “What was the point in keeping this from them?”

Dar chewed her lower lip. “They worry.” She shrugged her uninjured shoulder, then averted her eyes from Kerry’s intent ones.

“And, um...my dad tends to be a little overprotective.”

“Really,” Kerry murmured. “Imagine that.”

Dar gave her a quick look. “I never told him when I got into fights if I could help it. He...” She paused. “He’d sometimes go a little nuts, if you know what I mean.”

Kerry considered that. “You mean he’d have gone after the little wiener?”

Dar nodded.

“Where’s my cell phone?” Kerry started to get up. “I’ve got their number on speed dial—”

“Kerry!” Dar grabbed for her leg. “C’mon now.” She was surprised at her lover’s aggressive reaction. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Wasn’t that bad?” Kerry sat down and gave her a severe look.

“Don’t give me that patootie, Dar. I saw that arm. That jackass deserved to have his damned bat shoved so far up his...” She left the sentiment unfinished and sighed loudly. “It pisses me off!” Her voice rose into an aggravated shout.

Chino whined. Dar caught Kerry’s hand and held it. “I know,” she replied seriously. “But I want to handle this, Kerry. Okay?”

“Mm.” Kerry looked unconvinced. “All right.” She patted Dar’s leg.

“Well, let me go get that ice pack. Don’t go away.”

Dar watched her leave, then exhaled and let her eyes close again.

What a completely jackass day. She mentally reviewed the compound disasters of the last twenty-four hours. Damn. Her shoulder was Red Sky At Morning 197

throbbing. She could feel the swollen pressure that occasionally shot prickles of pain all the way up her neck and down to her fingers, and she shifted, trying to find a more comfortable spot for herself.

Was she being idiotic? Dar reviewed her reasoning again. Should she have just let Kerry take her to the damn hospital? Kerry was upset, and Dar hated when Kerry got mad at her, especially if it was for a good reason. Glumly, she opened her eyes and reviewed the off-white popcorn ceiling. She has a good reason. No, she has several good reasons to be pissed off, because I am acting like a stupid adolescent again, aren’t I?

“DAMN, DAMN, DAMN,” Kerry muttered to herself as she walked through the living room and entered the kitchen. “What in the heck’s wrong with her, Chino?” she asked the Labrador, who had followed her. “I swear, she’s got a streak up her back this wide...” Her hands spread apart, and she let out an exasperated gust of air. “Jesus!”

Chino sat down in front of her cookie jar and looked up expectantly. “Gruff.”

Kerry allowed herself to be distracted for a moment. “Oh, you think I came out here for you?”

“Gruff.”

“Hang on.” Kerry went to the refrigerator and took out one of the frozen gel packs they kept ready for overly rambunctious gym sessions.

She set it on the counter, then retrieved a cookie from its jar and held it.

“What do you say?”

Chino obediently sat up, lifting one paw and placing it neatly on Kerry’s knee. “Aorgh.”

“Good girl.” Kerry gave her pet the treat and watched her crunch it contentedly. “Why can’t you teach Dar to do that, huh? She never listens.”

Her conscience nudged her as soon as the words slipped out. That’s not true, Kerry, and you know it. She sighed and went to the pantry, retrieving a soft, fluffy maroon towel from the laundry area. Dar did listen to her. “I got her to try green beans the other week, right?” she commented to Chino. “Maybe it’s because she usually does listen to me that this is driving me so nuts.”

Kerry leaned against the counter. “Or maybe it’s because it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Chino nuzzled her knee and gave it a lick.

“But you know what, Chino, me yelling at her isn’t helping,” Kerry admitted quietly. “It’s just making her tense and giving me a stomachache.” She squared her shoulders and folded the towel around the ice pack. “Time to go make nice and have a snuggle. You with me?”

“Gruff.” Chino wagged her tail.

“Good girl. C’mon.” Kerry released a deep breath and let the irritation wash out of her. A smile returned to her face as she started back toward the bedroom.

198 Melissa Good Dar raised her head as footsteps approached, and girded her loins.

Metaphorically. “Kerry, listen...”

“Here you go.” Kerry reentered the room and sat down on the waterbed railing, carefully leaning over and placing the wrapped ice pack against Dar’s shoulder.

“And here.” She set a glass down by the table. It had a straw sticking out of it, the kind that bent. “In case you get thirsty.” Kerry brushed her fingertips over Dar’s lips. “You know something, I forgot it was Friday night.”

Dar’s fine, dark eyebrows knit together over the bridge of her nose.

“Huh?”

“It’s Friday night,” Kerry repeated. “We’re not a drug overdose, a multi-car accident, or an attempted homicide. We’d have been sitting in that waiting room until well after dawn.” She put the tip of her finger on Dar’s nose. “So I think it’s for the best we did this.”

Slowly, a faint grin spread over Dar’s face. “And here I was about to give in and meekly let you drag me off there,” she admitted, a huge wave of relief almost making her shiver.

“You? Meek?” Kerry leaned over and replaced her finger with her lips, kissing Dar gently. “Never.” She pulled back and went nose to nose with her lover. “Besides, I’m really tired.”

“You look it,” Dar replied. “C’mon into bed.” She reached out and doused the bedside lamp.

Kerry nodded in agreement, then stood and walked around to the other side of the waterbed, getting in carefully and squirming under the freshly laundered sheets until she felt the warmth of Dar’s body very close by. She put her head down on the pillow and folded her hand over Dar’s as it lay on the taller woman’s stomach.

Their fingers twined.

Kerry could see Dar’s profile in the dim starlight from the window, and the faint curve of her ear close by. “Dar?”

There was a soft crackle of movement as Dar turned her head, and the light now reflected faintly off her open eyes. “Hmm?”

“I love you.”

The face opposite Kerry dissolved into a grin. “You even love me when I’m being a stubborn cranky bitch?” Dar asked in a low drawl.

“What’s up with that, Kerrison?”

“I’m a sucker for a cute face,” Kerry smiled, “and a bad attitude.

What can I tell you?”

Dar kissed her soundly. “Thanks,” she murmured into Kerry’s half-open lips. “I love you, too.” She felt Kerry smile before her kiss was returned in equal measure.

“HOLD STILL.”

“I am holding still,” Dar answered through gritted teeth.

Red Sky At Morning 199

“Dar, you are not.” Dr. Steve circled the X-ray machine and nudged her over a little. “Now, will you stop wriggling?”

Dar’s lip twitched into an almost snarl. She’d been under the device for hours, at least, and the hard table was stressing her to her limits.

“Wasn’t three hundred pictures enough? You going for a record?”

“Dar.” Dr. Steve leaned over and put a hand on her forehead with surprising gentleness. “It’s only been five minutes. Give me another five minutes, and it’ll be over, okay?” The doctor gave her a pat, then went back to adjusting the X-ray machine’s aperture. “Kerry, keep her busy while I do this, willya?”

“I’ll try.” Kerry walked to the end of the table and pressed her body up against Dar’s socked feet, which only just rested on its padded surface. Toes flexed against her belly, and she rubbed them through the cotton, smiling down the length of the long denim-covered legs stretching before her. “Hey.”

Grumpy blue eyes peered back at her. “It felt better this morning,”

Dar griped.

Kerry laughed softly. “Dar, you are something else,” she said. “I swear, if someone poked you through the belly with a spear, you’d call it a flesh wound and stick a Band-Aid on it.”

“Oh, she told you that story, huh?” Dr. Steve looked up from his settings. Usually a trained tech would perform the procedure, but the doctor knew his unruly patient better than to subject one of his innocent staff to her. “It’s hereditary. Her daddy’s the same damn way, and believe you me, Kerry, it used to about drive me insane to take care of these two.”

“Hey,” Dar objected. “We weren’t that bad.”

“Yes, you were,” her family physician corrected her. “Be still, Paladar Katherine, or I’ll tell Kerry about you and that tailpipe.”

Kerry watched her lover’s eyes widen in alarm, and she stifled a giggle. “You know,” she cleared her throat. “I only wish I’d had a doctor like you when I was growing up. The practice that my family used was about as patient friendly as those open-back hospital gowns.”

The doctor looked up at her and grinned. “That right? Bet they made a hell of a lot more than I do, then.” He adjusted one last dial.

“Okay, behind the shield, Kerry.”

Kerry gave Dar’s toes one last squeeze, then joined Dr. Steve behind the lead shield. “Remember to get her neck while you’re in there,” she whispered to the gray-haired man. “She’s been having backaches.”

“Got it already,” Dr. Steve whispered back.

“What the hell are you two whispering about?” Dar growled.

Kerry and the doctor exchanged amused glances. “How cute you look in your sports bra, hon,” Kerry piped. “Didn’t want to embarrass you.”“Got it,” Dr. Steve managed to say around a snicker. “Okay, Dar.

200 Melissa Good You’re finished.” He removed his apron and pulled the machine arm back, freeing his very reluctant and now noticeably blushing patient to sit up. “Hmm. Guess I don’t have to check your cardiovascular system; seems to be pumping just fine.” He pulled the X-ray plates out and winked at them. “Lemme go get these processed.”

Kerry waited for him to leave before she circled the table and faced her lover, who was now sitting up with her legs dangling off the table, cradling her injured arm with her good one. “See? Not so bad.” She deliberately sidled between Dar’s knees and gazed into the stormy blue eyes facing her. “C’mon, Dar, don’t you want to feel better? I know you can’t be comfortable with that.” She touched Dar’s elbow, where the lurid bruise had extended to during the night.

Dar sighed. “I know,” she muttered. “I just—”

“Hate doctors,” Kerry finished for her. “Honey, it’s almost over.”

She stroked Dar’s cheek gently. “Just relax.”

“Easy for you to say,” Dar grumbled. “You’re not sitting here half-naked, having people whisper about your sports bra.” She slid off the table and stretched, sidling away from the X-ray machine toward the large louvered window in the examination room.

Kerry took the opportunity to admire the body under the garment being discussed, and smiled. She walked up behind Dar and slipped her arms around her, hugging her and planting a kiss right between Dar’s shoulder blades. “Mm.” She breathed out softly, watching goose bumps travel over the skin her cheek was pressed against. “I’m glad you decided to get checked, Dar.”

Dar peered over her shoulder at her engaging blonde limpet.

“Yeah, well, maybe he’ll give me a pat on the head and a bottle of Percodan. You going to help me analyze that base data when we get home? Typing’s going to be hell.”

“Of course.” Kerry released her and stepped back as they heard Dr.

Steve coming down the hall. “You really think there’s something there?”

Dar’s face grew quiet and rather grim. “Yes.” She looked up as Dr.

Steve entered. “If you’re back for more pictures, forget it.”

Her old friend whipped his hand up and focused. He snapped a picture of the surprised and very off-guard Dar, then grinned at her.

“Gotcha. Okay, kiddo. C’mon down the hall, and I’ll tell you the bad news.”

“What was that for?” Dar objected, pointing at the camera.

“Family scrapbook.” Dr. Steve picked up her shirt and tossed it to her. “Here, don’t scandalize the nurses. They’ve got delicate egos.”

Dar allowed Kerry to help her ease her shirt on, and then they followed Dr. Steve down the hall to his office. This was a fairly large room, lined with book-covered shelves and an impressive set of diplomas scattered over the wall. On the opposite wall, pictures took pride of place—of Dr. Steve and his family, and some of him at a much Red Sky At Morning 201

younger age in uniform.

He also had nice, comfortable leather chairs. Dar sat down in one and leaned back. Kerry studied the pictures, reacting a little when she found one with a familiar, if younger Andrew Roberts in it. “Hey. It’s Dad.” She half turned. “Ooh...he was a cutie.”

“Kerry, if you’d just consent to repeat that if I dragged that old sea dog in here, I’d pay you, big time.” Dr. Steve laughed, then put his hands on his desk. “Now, young lady,” he fixed his eyes on Dar, “you have a nasty bone bruise.”

Dar eyed him warily. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” the doctor replied. “You’re a very lucky little munchkin, my friend. If it wasn’t for the fact that you have a nice, big, juicy deltoid muscle there, you’d be looking at a fracture, and putting a cast there ain’t fun.” He stood and walked over to the X-ray box, pointing at a dark spot in the long bone of Dar’s arm. “Right there.”

Kerry and Dar peered at it. “And?” Dar finally asked. “What’s the treatment?”

“Amputation.” Dr. Steve turned and gave her a deadpan look, getting a halfway hysterical giggle from Kerry. “You get a sling which you will keep on, young lady, a bottle of blood thinner in case anything in there is considering doing something icky like clotting, and some painkillers.” He pointed at Dar. “I want you off your feet and doing nothing stressful for at least the rest of the weekend.”

“Okay,” Dar agreed readily, having planned to spend the day on the couch with her laptop anyway. So far, it didn’t sound too bad, and as long as the process did not involve plaster or fiberglass in any incarnation, she was happy. “That it?”

Dr. Steve sat on the edge of his desk and leaned forward.

“Sweetheart, I mean it.” He reached out and traced a line from the injury up Dar’s neck. “Do you see how close this is to your noggin? I don’t want any clots getting any ideas and sending you into the hospital with a stroke.”

Dar blinked. “A stroke?”

“You heard me,” Steve stated. “So I want you to make like a vegetable for the next few days, and take those damn pills. I wish you’d called me yesterday.”

Dar drew breath to answer him, but Kerry got a word in first. “It was late,” she told him, leaning over Dar’s chair. “We got home near midnight.” She tousled Dar’s hair. “We thought about going over to Sinai, but—”

“But you’d still be sitting there, with a sore butt and the same problem,” Dr. Steve finished. “Yeah, well, next time, forget the hospital, just give me a call, hmm?”

“We will,” Kerry stated, then glanced down. “Won’t we?”

Dar smiled wanly. A stroke? Her mind jerked in horror at a threat she’d never even considered. Getting injured was nothing new to her, 202 Melissa Good but this was different. She could imagine living with losing a limb, but strokes were a crapshoot. She could end up half-paralyzed, which was bad enough, but worse—she could lose part of who she was if it hit the wrong spot at the wrong time. “Yeah, we will,” she muttered hoarsely.

“Good girl.” Dr. Steve patted her knee. “Let me get you set up with that sling. I already called in your prescription to that high-society mambo pusher they call a pharmacist on your Fantasy Island.”

KERRY REACHED OVER and picked up her mug, taking a sip of the strawberry tea as she reviewed the data on the laptop screen for the nth time. She was curled up on the soft, comfortable leather chair in the living room, one leg slung lazily over the chair arm. Her eyes lifted over the mug’s rim and eyed the nearby couch, and then she put the cup down and went back to her statistics.

She could, she knew, have gone into either of their offices and used the large monitors to make viewing the data easier, but she preferred to stay where she was and suffer the eye strain so she could keep an eye on Dar. The drive home had been very quiet, and her usually unruly lover had meekly taken the medicine the island pharmacy delivered, then settled down on the couch. She’d even let Kerry fuss and put a pillow behind her head and tuck a soft fleece blanket around her.

Waiting for me to say I told you so, Kerry mused. The blood thinner and vasodilator Dr. Steve had prescribed, along with the painkiller, knocked Dar out in no time flat, and her lover had been sleeping for the past few hours. Which was good, Kerry thought, because if Dar was sleeping, it meant she wasn’t awake and worrying, having had the living daylights scared out of her by Dr. Steve’s warning.

Poor Dar. Kerry leaned toward the couch and gently pushed a bit of Dar’s hair back away from her closed eyes. She had a white cotton sling fastened around her neck, holding her injured arm close to her body, and even in sleep a tiny crease was present across her forehead. As much as Kerry appreciated Dr. Steve’s forcing Dar to take her injury seriously, it hurt her to see her lover so subdued, obviously scared and keeping silent about it.

Kerry riffled her fingers through the dark hair spilling over the pillow, straightening its silky strands as she watched Dar sleep. Then she sighed and returned her attention to the damn laptop.

So, what was all this, Dar? She scrolled through files, seeing Dar’s notations but not seeing the patterns her lover had painstakingly constructed or the significance of them in the data stream. It wasn’t that she was oblivious to the method; she just didn’t understand where Dar got the little hooks she was using to connect all the pieces together.

Maybe that was because Dar had worked on the original system software? Kerry pushed her hair back behind one ear and leaned closer Red Sky At Morning 203

to the screen. Sure, that must be it. She knew how this whole thing worked, so naturally she could...

Kerry let the thought trail off as her eyes found something.

Curiously, she left the bowels of Dar’s program and called up the associated data files, studying the personnel assignments and the ship schedules coming in and out of the base. Slowly, her forefinger lifted and touched the screen, making a little scratching noise against the LCD.

Why...she wondered. Why would one ship get all the new recruits?

Operationally, it made no sense, especially to someone steeped in day-to-day operations, as she was. You don’t put all your newbies in the same bucket, because then you have a useless bucket of confusion. You spread them out among other, more experienced workers, so they can learn from them.

Kerry looked up the operational record of the craft in question, a supply ship that apparently worked with larger groups of vessels but was small enough to dock in small ports. Slowly, she picked up her cup and took another sip, not taking her eyes from the screen.

DAR BECAME VAGUELY aware of her surroundings, the medicated sleep still having a fairly firm hold on her. There was a slightly tinny quality to the sounds she was hearing, and she had no inclination to open her eyes.

Her shoulder ached, but it was a far-off kind of ache, and it took several minutes for her to sort through a very foggy mind and remember what had happened. Oh yeah. Dar wondered if the medication was supposed to make her feel so completely washed out.

A soft clicking was coming from nearby, and she heard a faint sound of ceramic on wood, then a sigh and the shift of a body against a leather surface. Dar spent a moment drawing a mental picture, imagining Kerry in the chair with the laptop. Very slowly, she opened one eye, then turned her head and blinked, the image in her mind resolving into reality.

Kerry was intent on the screen, her brow furrowed and the end of a pencil being gnawed on between her teeth.

For some reason, that made Dar smile.

After a second, Kerry looked up and their eyes met. “Oh.” She put the machine down and leaned on the chair arm. “Was I making too much noise?”

“No.” Dar cleared her throat. “Wow. I feel like I’m swimming in clam chowder.”

A blonde brow arched. “Clam chowder? Ew.”

“What time is it?”

Kerry checked the laptop’s system tray. “Two.” She studied her injured partner. “Here, take a sip of this; you look dry.” She handed 204 Melissa Good over her tea, then paused and changed her mind, getting up out of the chair to hold the cup for Dar to sip from. “I forgot how awkward it is when you’re wearing one of these.” Her free hand plucked the sling.

Dar sucked thirstily at the tea, enjoying the sweet taste. “Glad you put some tea leaves in this sugar water,” she teased.

Kerry stuck out her tongue. “It’s your fault,” she accused Dar. “I didn’t used to.” She leaned over and kissed her partner on the lips.

“Want some of your own? I was going to put some soup up.”

“Soup?” Dar felt a little more alert. “Was that inspired by my chowder, or do you think a bone bruise requires that for healing?”

Firmly, she pushed aside thoughts of clots, halfway convinced she’d have been better off just letting the damn thing heal on its own, with her in blissful ignorance of her risk.

“Hon, I’ll order in baby back ribs if you want them.” Kerry laughed. “I’m hungry, and I’ve got a container of that spicy Thai soup in the fridge, so...”

Dar’s eyes lit up. “With the coconut milk?”

“Uh-huh.” Kerry had to muffle a smile. “That changes things, hmm?” She ruffled Dar’s hair. “I need a break anyway. I found something I think you need to look at when you’re a little more awake.”

She made her way past the coffee table toward the kitchen.

Dar knew she should get up and look at the computer, but the drugs still had a tight hold on her, and her body was more than content to remain where it was. Probably so fuzzy I wouldn’t know what the hell I was looking at anyway, she mocked herself. But the thought started her mind churning over the problems she’d seen the day before.

As if on signal, her cell phone rang. However, since Dar was dressed in a pair of soft gym shorts and not much else, she didn’t have the phone near her. “Hey, Ker?”

“I hear it.” Kerry came trotting out of the kitchen sucking on a wooden spoon. “Ooh...you’re gonna like this. There’s more chicken than vegetables in it.” She picked up the buzzing phone and opened it.

“Hello?”

“Is that Roberts?” a female voice asked crisply.

“No.” Kerry glanced at her lover. “Can I ask who’s calling?”

There was a brief silence. “Chief Daniel.”

Ooh...Kerry narrowed her eyes. The bulldog. “She’s—”

The chief interrupted Kerry. “Look. I need to talk to her. Just tell her who it is. Believe me, lady, I wouldn’t be on this phone if I didn’t need to be.”

Hmm. Fair enough. “It’s that petty person,” she told Dar, after muting the phone.

Dar’s brows lifted. “Chief Daniel?” she asked in surprise. “Damn.

Give me the phone.”

Kerry walked over and handed it to her, then knelt and helped Dar to sit up a little. “Easy,” she murmured.

Red Sky At Morning 205

Dar’s head spun for a minute, and she waited for the buzz to fade, then held the phone to her ear. “Hello, Chief.”

“Roberts.”

“Yep, that’s me,” Dar agreed. “Did you miss me so much you had to call on a Saturday?”

“Roberts, just shut up a minute.” The chief lowered her voice. “All crap aside, there’s something here you need to see.”

A prickle went up Dar’s back. “Like what?” she said.

A distinct hesitation made itself felt. “I can’t explain it,” the chief said.

“Bad enough I’m dealing with the devil, as it is. Just get down here.”

Dar met Kerry’s gaze. The blonde woman was shaking her head no, in a very serious way. “I can’t,” she finally replied. “If you want me to know about it, you’ve got to come up here.”

“What?” the chief hissed. “Don’t be a— Jesus, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m trying to help you out here, damn it.”

“I know.” Dar decided to try honesty. “I had an accident last night, Chief. I’m not driving to the base, so if you’ve got something that big, get moving.”

The chief was quiet for a long time, and then she sighed. “Son of a bitch,” she finally said. “What the hell, I’m in this so deep now, it won’t matter. Where the heck are you?”

Dar told her. “Chief?”

“What?” the woman snapped back.

“What made you change your mind?” Dar asked. “About me, I mean.”

Chief Daniel snorted, clearly audible even to Kerry. “Change my mind? Like hell, I did.” She paused. “You ever hear the term ‘least evil choice’?”

Dar allowed a dry chuckle to escape. “Oh yeah. I’ve heard that before.”

“I bet.” The chief hung up.

Dar folded the phone closed and relaxed back onto her pillow.

“That was a surprise.” She glanced up at Kerry. “Last time I saw her, she was cursing me for a pervert.”

Kerry gazed soberly back. “I can’t believe she’d just turn around and help you, Dar.”

A faint shrug. “She’s not a...” Dar lifted her uninjured hand and rubbed her eyes. “She’s a good officer, Ker. She knows her stuff, and she’s just protecting her people. She views me as a threat.” Dar considered her words. “Question is, what’s she found that’s more of a threat to her than I am?”

“Hmm.” Kerry tapped the end of the spoon against her chin. “Well, it’ll take her a while to head up here. Let me get this soup done.” She pointed the wooden utensil at the couch-bound woman. “Then you’re going to sit there and let me feed it to you.” She turned and headed back to the kitchen, leaving an amused Dar behind.

206 Melissa Good

“I DON’T SUPPOSE I can get away with staying dressed like this?”

Dar asked, as she used a washcloth and cold water to bring a little more life into her face. “Can I?”

Kerry leaned against the doorsill and regarded her. “If it were up to me...” she ran a fingertip under the elastic waistband of Dar’s soft gym shorts, “sure.” She traced a rib. “But I think your petty person is going to pop a solenoid.”

“I’m not in the mood to coddle her solenoids,” Dar responded, awkwardly trying to manage her toothbrush one-handedly. “Ker, could you...”

Kerry reached across her and picked up the toothpaste, spreading it neatly on the brush for her. “There you go.” She put the cap back on and watched as Dar brushed her teeth. “Well, all you need is a T-shirt or something.” Her eyes dropped to the very short shorts, which exposed almost all of the length of Dar’s very long legs. “On second thought, c’mon into the bedroom and let me see what I can do for you.”

Dar turned, a very rakish grin on her face. “Now that’s my kind of offer.”

“Tch.” Kerry moved forward and her hands found their way around the sling. “Do you remember how we... Ah.” Kerry found Dar’s arms wrapping around her, and the sling settled around her own shoulder, attaching them together body to body. “That’s right.”

Dar ducked her head and they kissed. She felt Kerry’s body press against hers, and the sensual rush erased the lingering aches like magic.

“Much better than drugs,” she murmured.

“Oh yeah?” Kerry slid her hands across Dar’s skin. “How about this?”

Dar growled softly in response and nudged Kerry backward a step.

She held her lover’s body close with the sling and unhooked Kerry’s bra, feeling her gasp a little in surprise as the snug cotton came free.

“Not bad for one hand, huh?” she whispered in the pink ear near her lips, which then was delicately nibbled.

“Uh.” Kerry’s fingers roamed restlessly over Dar’s half-clad body.

“This could get complicated.”

“Oh.” A soft, breathy purr. “I hope so.” Another nudge toward the bed. “Simple’s no fun.” Dar rubbed lightly against Kerry’s skin and smiled as Kerry melted into her, a jolt of warmth flaring as their bodies joined. She could feel Kerry breathing, her chest moving against Dar’s, and as she took another step toward the bed, she felt that breathing quicken in time with her touch circling Kerry’s breasts.

They stopped and rid themselves of extraneous clothing, still linked together by the sling. Dar slid her other arm under Kerry’s and half-turned, easing down onto the bed, pulling Kerry down with her.

Amidst a tiny giggle, Kerry ended up sprawling over her, their legs tangling together.

“Y’know...” Kerry licked Dar’s neck, then bit down lightly around Red Sky At Morning 207

her collarbone. “With our luck, she drives fast.”

“I haven’t cleared her on the ferry yet,” Dar replied blithely. “She’ll wait.”

Kerry’s chuckle turned into a soft moan, and she forgot about visitors.

Or ferries.

CHIEF DANIEL DROVE along the causeway, looking nervously right and left when she wasn’t glancing at the piece of paper on which she’d written the directions. “What the hell is that nutball talking about? She sent me to the goddamned Coast Guard terminal. Damn her...thinks I’m joking.”

Abruptly, she spotted a right hand turn and took it, almost causing a two-car collision behind her. The car she cut off honked furiously, and she stuck her hand out the window, giving him a rude gesture as she made the tight turn into the small, not-well-marked ferry base. “Son of a bitch.” She shook her head. “Should have figured.”

The chief maneuvered her pickup truck through the roped-off lanes and arrived at the edge of the dock. A uniformed guard greeted her courteously. She rolled her window down. “This how you get on?”

“The island? Yes, ma’am.” The security officer nodded, obviously used to the question. “Are you visiting one of our residents, or are you interested in purchasing a home?”

Momentarily distracted, the chief leaned on her window frame and pulled her sunglasses down to get a better look at the neat, almost military clean Latino man. “How much do they cost?”

The guard blinked. “Um...w...”

“Round numbers.” The chief smiled. “Leave off the pennies.”

He cleared his throat. “I think the little ones start at a million...”

“Ah. Is that all?” The chief fixed a smile on her face. “Tell you what, there’s someone called Roberts who lives out there. Dar Roberts.

I’m supposed to go see her.”

The guard flipped through his clipboard, then read a page intently.

“Ms. Daniel?” He looked up. “Is that you?”

The chief’s nostrils flared. Ms? She’d get the little catfish bait for that. “Almost.”

The guard directed her onto the patiently waiting ferry and they chocked her wheels, then after a few minutes and a few more cars, they got under way.

Out of long habit, the chief reviewed the boat, noting the properly secured lifesaving equipment and the stock of life preservers. The ferry itself was flat, with room for perhaps twenty cars, and had a small cabin where people who were just riding over could stay in comfort. It was neat and clean and well ordered, and the chief found herself approving of it despite her inclination otherwise.

208 Melissa Good In short order, they docked at the islandside dock, and she watched as the ramp to offload the cars was lowered. The island was plush and had lots of fancy-looking landscaping. She bet the hedges she was driving past cost more than a month of her salary.

The sudden impact of water on her windshield made her jump and grab for the window controls. “Hey!” She glared at the dockhand, who was washing off the front of her car. “What th— Oh.” Salt spray. Sure.

Seventy-two Mercedes per square foot; can’t have them rusting, now, can we?

She drove on and glanced at her directions again.

One road, clockwise. Simple enough. She turned left and followed the road around to the second drive, then slowed her pace until she found the parking she’d been told about. She slid the pickup into a visitor’s spot and got out, holding a briefcase close to her.

She looked around, curiously. “Damn place shits money.” She shook her head and then made her way up the short path to the steps that led up to the door that matched the address she’d been given. It was a short flight that led up to a buff-colored door with a discreet doorbell. Chief Daniel paused and twitched at her uniform, dusting off her sleeve before she squared her shoulders and rang the bell.

Barking answered her, which was a surprise. She hadn’t figured Roberts for a dog. After a moment, and a quick command from inside, the door was opened. Chief Daniel found herself facing the intense gaze from a pair of steady green eyes almost on a level with her own. She spoke crisply. “I’m here to see Dar Roberts.”

“I know,” Kerry replied. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kerry Stuart, Dar’s partner.” She held out a hand.

Chief Daniel almost backed up a step in pure reflex. Her distaste for queers had almost overridden her wanting to find out what the hell was going on, and this was pushing her buttons way too hard, way too fast. But she realized she wasn’t getting past the blonde door guard, so she gritted her teeth and took the proffered fingers. “A pleasure,” she enunciated precisely, hoping it was clear how untrue that was.

Disgusting. She had to steel herself not to wipe her hand off when Kerry released her.

“Come on in.” Kerry stepped back and held the door open. “Don’t mind Chino, she’s harmless.” Standing behind Kerry was a large cream-colored Labrador retriever, who was watching her alertly. “Mostly.”

The chief edged around the big dog and stopped, while Kerry closed the door behind her. The first thing she noticed was the smell.

Equal parts leather and polish, with a touch of spice in the air. She looked around, taking in the huge living room with its comfortable leather furniture and expensive entertainment center. A door led off to one side, and through its half-open panel, she could see it was a bedroom. Behind the living room was a formal dining room, then the arch that led, she speculated, to the kitchen.

Nice place. The art on the wall was interesting, and the stereo was Red Sky At Morning 209

clearly top of the line. As a techno buff herself, the chief was impressed.

Kerry walked past her. “Dar’s just getting something to drink.” She gestured to the furniture. “Would you like to sit down?” The Labrador trotted past her and jumped onto the couch, curling up and putting her head down, but keeping an eye on the intruder.

“No thanks,” the chief said, her eyes shifting as she caught a flash of motion.

Dar appeared from the kitchen, holding a glass in one hand. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, but one arm was in a white cotton sling. “Afternoon.”

“What’d you do, finally piss someone off who could do something about it?” Chief Daniel asked bluntly.

“Sit down.” Dar ignored the snarky comment and took a seat on the couch. She noticed the chief hadn’t moved. “Either sit down, or get the hell out of here.” Her voice lifted and gained an edge. “You were all hot to show me something, so show me or get lost.”

Kerry opened her mouth, then closed it and simply sat down, pulling her laptop over and starting to review its screen. She didn’t look up as Chief Daniel took a reluctant seat as far away from them as she could.

“Fine.” The chief put her briefcase down on the coffee table and unzipped it. “See what you think of this, hotshot.” She pulled something out and threw it on the table. It slid across the glass surface and stopped right before Dar. “Looks like I didn’t need any outside help to find it, did I?”

Dar put her cup down and pulled the packet over, investigating it curiously. “What the hell is it?” she asked, glancing at the chief.

“Open it. I don’t have X-ray vision,” Daniel sniped back.

Dar unfolded the wrapping one-handed and finally got through the plastic wrap that covered the parcel. She pulled back the last fold and stared at the results. Her brow crinkled, and she exchanged a look with Kerry, who appeared equally puzzled. “You found a gift-wrapped brick?”

The chief laughed shortly. “And here I thought you had some brain cells. Maybe your perverted lifestyle made them leak out. That’s not a brick, Roberts. It’s cocaine.”

It came out of left field and almost smacked Dar upside the head.

She stared at the object. “Cocaine?” Her voice rose. “You’ve got to be joking.” Kerry edged over and examined it in fascination. Dar rubbed her temples with one hand. “Must be the drugs I’m taking. I’m hallucinating that I’m in a bad episode of Miami Vice.”

Kerry bit her lip. “Is this where they break down the door and start yelling?”

Dar stared at the brick, then up at the smug Chief Daniel. “They’re smuggling drugs?”

A shrug. “Found that in a storage locker that’s supposed to have 210 Melissa Good remaindered ammo in it.” She smirked at Dar. “You didn’t have a clue, did you?”

Dar sat back and exhaled. “No.” She stared over the chief’s head bleakly. “Not about this,” she admitted. “But that might explain something else.”

And it probably did explain the journal entries. Dar tried to grasp the enormity of the situation. But how far did it go? How many people knew?

How high? Dar slowly let a breath out. All the way?