by Kate James
“There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s your job, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “I started the improvements shortly after I started. George has been true to his word. He’s been there for me every time I’ve had a question, and he checks in with me on a regular basis.” She placed her utensils on the edge of her plate and took a drink. “When I’ve discussed some of the improvements with George, he’s made me feel...foolish about some of them. He had me second-guessing myself a few times, but I thought they were the right things to do, and did them anyway.”
“What sort of improvements have you been making?”
“I’ve introduced an RFID—uh, a radio frequency identification—guard-tour system for guards to check in when they’re doing their rounds, changed some of the standing orders and procedures, enhanced some of the equipment. Right now, we’re working on upgrading the video management system.”
“Those all seems logical and necessary. Have you considered—and no offense meant—that maybe George had been in his job for too long and had become complacent? I’m not aware of any major incidents at the airport in the time I’ve been at SDPD.” He shrugged. “Maybe he didn’t see it necessary to keep up with current technology and practices?”
Ariana was surprised by the gratitude that flooded her at Logan’s validation. It had troubled her that George, a man she liked and respected, didn’t always see the things she wanted to do as necessary. So much so that she’d pulled back from him. Now it was mostly him checking in with her. It was nice to have another man whom she also liked and respected, and who was in the business, back her up. “Thank you for the vote of confidence,” she said.
“It’s impressive to have implemented so many positive changes in a year. Maybe George is intimidated by your competence,” he added with a warm smile.
Ariana felt the heat rise to her cheeks and concentrated on finishing the last of her meal. When they were done, she helped him clear the plates, and she brought out the pie.
“Did you ever want to be a cop?” Logan asked as they were starting on their desserts. “This is fantastic, by the way!” he added after sampling the pie.
Ariana glanced away and shrugged. “For a time.”
“And?”
She was silent for a moment. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”
He gave her a contemplative look and she was grateful when he let it go. They moved on to other topics while they finished their coffees. Despite his objections, she helped him clean up.
The evening had passed quickly, and she was sorry to have it end. When he walked her out to her car, there was an intense pink wash smeared across the sky. Some trick of perspective made the rising moon, partially cloaked by diaphanous clouds, appear enormous. A call of a loon, the scrambling of some small creature in the brittle underbrush and a distant dog’s mournful howl were the only sounds until Logan spoke.
“I’m glad you came tonight. I’m enjoying getting to know you.”
“Thank you for dinner,” Ariana responded.
He was standing so close, she could see the fine lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth in the muted light. Focusing on his smile lines, she wondered if he’d kiss her and hoped that he would.
When he leaned toward her and his lips parted, her eyes closed and she savored the gentle touch of his mouth on hers.
As they drew apart, there was a smile on his lips and it caused a tightness in her belly.
She turned to her car and he opened the door for her, offering a hand to help her get in. “I want to see you again...outside of work,” he said before he shut her door and waved as she backed out of the driveway.
Ariana found herself grinning the entire way home. She fell asleep in a cheerful, cozy cocoon of bliss.
The feeling didn’t last.
Bryan Carpenter, a guard with Sector Security, might have been murdered nearly two years ago, but in her nightmare it was as fresh and vivid as if it was happening in the moment. And the burden of responsibility hadn’t subsided.
She jerked upright up in bed, her face and sleep shirt damp with perspiration. Her breathing was ragged and harsh. She thought back to that sweltering summer, as she’d done innumerable times, and whether she could have or should have done anything differently. Ariana had just been promoted to operations manager at Sector Security, and she’d sent Bryan to his death. It didn’t matter to her that it hadn’t been her decision.
Should she have refused? Resigned?
There was no room for error in her field of work. People’s lives could be at stake.
* * *
BY THE TIME Ariana arrived at work the next morning, she’d shaken off the vestiges of the nightmare. She’d covered the dark circles under her eyes—the telltale signs of a sleepless night—with light foundation she seldom used. To force the debilitating memories of Bryan and his murder out of her mind, she tried to focus on her time with Logan the evening before.
She was still thinking of Logan when he arrived at her office, Boomer with him.
The grin on his face looked as silly as she was certain hers did. “Thanks again for dinner last night,” she said in hushed tones, surprised that she hadn’t immediately been bothered by Boomer’s presence. “I had a nice time.”
“So did I.” He walked in and gave her a quick kiss before she could object. She glanced around swiftly. She felt like a schoolkid sneaking a kiss behind a portable so the teacher wouldn’t catch them.
Logan dropped into the chair across from her desk, keeping Boomer close. “Don’t worry. There was no one out there to see that,” he mollified her. “But it’s a nice start to my day,” he added with another grin. “How about we grab a couple of coffees and...talk?” Logan suggested.
Ariana smiled. “I’d love to, but I have a pile of work to get through.” Her smile turned grim. “And more worrisome, I’m waiting for a call from Calvin.”
Logan’s grimace nearly made her laugh. “Problem?” he asked.
“No. Just the usual. He wants a daily update.”
Logan nodded. “Then how about I go get the coffees and we drink them here?”
“Sounds good. I should be finished with the call by then.”
Logan eased out of his chair. “I’ll be right back. Can I leave Boomer with you for a few minutes? I’ll secure his leash to the chair.”
“Um...” She glanced at the large dog, lying quietly beside Logan, his snout resting between his extended paws. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Okay. We’ll keep working on that,” he said with a gentle smile. “We’ll be right back.” He gave Boomer a heel signal and they left her office.
Ariana sighed. She was glad he hadn’t pushed the matter of leaving Boomer. She ran the tips of her fingers along the hard, jagged scar near her hairline. She hated the fear, all because of one bad experience, which she had to admit wasn’t the dog’s fault. Intellectually, she truly believed there were no bad dogs, just bad owners. It didn’t ease her apprehensions, though.
She exhaled heavily. Between that and Bryan’s murder, she was lugging a lot of baggage around with her.
By the time Logan returned, she’d finished her call with Calvin and most of her team had arrived. With the corridor bustling, she and Logan avoided personal topics and talked about the SDPD’s new procedures at the airport and the investigation. The whole time Ariana kept a wary eye on Boomer.
“Do you feel more comfortable with him at all?” Logan asked softly.
“I’m comfortable,” she said through tight lips.
Logan signaled for Boomer to sit up beside him. Ariana immediately drew back in her seat. “That’s comfortable?” he questioned. “You only have to worry about Boomer if you’re a bad guy...or you attack his handler,” he said with a grin, obviously trying to put her at ease.
Oh, how she wished it w
as that simple. “I know. We have dogs at the airport, too, through US Customs and Border Protection, mostly to check for narcotics, but also for meat and plants being brought in from foreign countries. TSA has occasionally used dogs, as well. Not often enough in my opinion.”
He nodded slowly, then got up to close the door. He sat back down, leaned across her desk and linked his fingers with hers. “Will you tell me why you’re afraid of dogs?”
Ariana took comfort in the contact for a moment before withdrawing her hand self-consciously. She hadn’t told many people about her phobia and the reason for it. She considered herself sensible...except in this case. She liked Logan and understood that Boomer was important to him. If they were to have any sort of relationship—which after last night she didn’t think was out of the question—he should know about some of her baggage.
She took a bracing sip of coffee. “I’d just turned fourteen.” She didn’t have to think about how old she’d been, whether the sun had been shining or the exact spot where it had happened. Everything about that day was indelibly etched in her memory. “We’d just moved to a house in Carlsbad, because my father was starting a new job there. My parents were renting the house until they found one to purchase. It was a nice neighborhood. My parents wouldn’t have moved anywhere they didn’t consider safe for me.”
Ariana had liked the little bungalow at first. So close to the ocean, walking distance to her school. She took a deep breath and continued. “Not long after we moved in, my parents were out and I was playing in the backyard. I hadn’t made any friends yet. I was new to the neighborhood and school hadn’t started.
“My dad had set up a contraption for me so I could practice hitting a baseball.” She smiled. “I loved sports as a kid and wanted to try out for the school team. I hit the ball but instead of landing in the netting, it struck the metal frame and ricocheted up and over the hedge our neighbor on that side had along the property line. From the sound of it, the ball hit metal. I was thankful that I hadn’t broken a window.
“I’d met our neighbor once when we’d first moved in. He was middle-aged and as far as I knew lived on his own. I went over to his house to apologize and retrieve my ball, but he wasn’t home. I decided to quickly run into his backyard and get my ball.” She held up a hand and smiled without humor. “I know. You don’t have to tell me I was trespassing. At the time, I didn’t think there’d be any harm in it. No one would know, and I wouldn’t get in trouble.
“As it turned out, the ball had bounced into an aluminum window well. It was pretty deep. I wouldn’t fit into it, but I thought if I stretched out on my stomach and reached down, I’d be able to grab my ball.
“I was like that, reaching in, my head and shoulders in the well, when my neighbor showed up. He must have gotten home, saw that I’d left the gate open and decided to investigate. Anyway, he had a dog. The dog was some sort of mixed breed, maybe seventy-five or eighty pounds. I didn’t know he had a dog. The man was furious and shouted at me. I pulled myself out of the window well as quickly as I could, but my shoulders were wedged in tight. Before I could get up, he set his dog on me.”
Logan straightened abruptly. Ariana saw the outrage in his eyes, a bright flash that burned like fire. “A grown man let a dog loose on a child?”
Ariana held his gaze. “Yes.”
“That’s unconscionable. Unbelievable! Just because you were in his backyard?”
“It wasn’t that simple. Luckily another neighbor heard me screaming. He called the police and an ambulance. The police contacted my parents and I was rushed to the hospital. I was bleeding but I wasn’t badly hurt. Just this.” She pulled back her hair and showed Logan the scar he’d noticed the day of the explosions.
He leaned forward and examined the jagged white mark he’d remembered seeing the day of the explosion. “The dog bit you?”
“No. He didn’t. When he ran at me, I fell sideways. The window well had an exposed corrugated metal edge—I’m not sure why it was left like that. Maybe because the owner was doing his own repairs, and didn’t want anyone on his property. Anyway, I fell against it and it sliced me. I needed a few stiches, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
He took her hand into his. “What happened to the guy?”
“The police determined he had a grow-op in his basement. He’d thought that was what I’d been after.”
“But you were a child! How could he possibly think that you were there—what—spying on him?”
She lifted a shoulder, let it drop. “You’d think he would’ve known better. But the police also discovered that he had an addiction problem. He was high as a kite when he found me. Crystal meth. He wasn’t in his right mind. At least that was his defense when he tried unsuccessfully to fight the charges.”
“And the dog?” Logan asked quietly. She understood that he’d hate to think of an animal being put down.
“It wasn’t the dog’s fault. Intellectually, I know that in spite of how I feel. It was lucky he didn’t actually bite me. My injuries were a result of my fall. The dog was taken to a hard-to-place shelter.” Ariana gave him a half smile. “Believe it or not, I’ve always loved animals. I pleaded with my parents to make sure he wouldn’t be euthanized. When my parents realized I’d developed a phobia about dogs, they took me to see him—on the advice of a doctor. He seemed happy and healthy. There was nothing threatening or mean about him.” She shrugged again. “I could see that, but it still didn’t change how I felt about dogs. As I said, I wish I didn’t feel that way, but it’s just there.”
Logan pushed out of his chair, tugged her out of hers and wrapped her in his arms. He tucked her head against his chest, under his chin. “I’m so sorry...” he whispered.
She ignored that they were in her office with the door open, and anyone could walk by. Craving the comfort he offered, she held tight until her heart rate settled. “I’m okay now. Thank you,” she said when she finally stepped back. Logan skimmed a gentle finger along her hairline, tracing the contour of hardened skin. “This is a constant reminder, isn’t it?”
She nodded, knowing that her emotional scars were deeper than the physical ones. Something good had come out of the incident. It had fueled her passion to become a police officer, to stop people like that man from harming others. She might not have made it into the police force, but she loved what she did.
When Logan pressed his lips to her forehead, she wanted to melt into his arms again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“GOT A MINUTE, JAGGER?” Rick asked from Logan’s doorway.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
Rick walked in and sat in the chair facing Logan’s desk. “I got a call from one of my Drug Enforcement Administration contacts. They got a tip about drug smuggling at San Diego International Airport.”
“That’s nothing new.” Logan was aware that any major airport experienced a degree of smuggling. His team had been involved in a couple of major busts in the past.
“Except they believe it’s been going on for some time, that it’s organized and that it’s not just drugs that they’re smuggling. They mentioned stolen goods and possibly firearms.”
Logan leaned back in his chair. “That is new. I wonder why Ariana hasn’t said anything to me about it.”
Rick gave him a considering look. “You’re seeing her, aren’t you?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘seeing.’ At least not yet. We had dinner a couple of nights ago. I barbecued.”
Rick let out a soft whistle.
“What?”
“To my way of thinking, if you barbecue for a woman, it’s as serious as it gets for you. And so soon?”
“Never mind. How did we get on this topic, anyway? We were talking about smuggling.”
“Right. And you asked if Ariana was aware of it. I know for a fact that the DEA wouldn’t have mentioned it to her. Th
ey believe the ring has someone on the inside. Baggage handlers perhaps. For them to be able to do what they allegedly have been doing...” Rick paused. “Maybe someone from security, too.”
Logan didn’t like what he was hearing. “You said they’ve been operating for a while. Ariana has only been there for a year. She wouldn’t be involved, if that’s what they’re thinking.”
“I didn’t say she was. Nor did they. I’m not sure how long they think it’s been operating, but I do know they have an investigation under way and would like cooperation from us. Until we know more, sharing of the information is on a need-to-know basis, and Ariana doesn’t need to know right now... Sorry, Logan,” Rick said, as he rose to leave.
Logan felt as if he’d been hit by a truck. The coffee beans he’d found in the storage room at the airport took on a whole new meaning. If they had been used to throw dogs off the scent of narcotics, not explosives, that would explain why Nitro didn’t alert but Darwin did. They’d been retraining Nitro and it must have taken.
He’d have to inform the DEA of what he’d found. He thought about the storage room having been filled with boxes and cartons when Shannon had first seen it.
The baggage handler’s and Ariana’s keys worked on the door, but not Max’s. Was that relevant? The DEA thought insiders were involved—baggage and security. There was no way Ariana would be embroiled in something like that, but he wasn’t at liberty to discuss it with her. Holding something as important as that back from her was not a great way to start a relationship.
Had he just thought that?
A relationship?
“Man,” he murmured and rubbed the top of his head, thinking of Ariana and worrying about how she’d take it when she found out.
