Read Online No Quarter Given (SSE 667) by Lindsay McKenna - Free Book Online

for Griff. "She must have loved your sensitivity and thoughtfulness."
    Catching himself, Griff gave her a strange look. Just what was Dana up to? He halted at the guard gate. "Ensign, I've got work to do. Dr. Collins has ordered you to report for flight training next Monday." Abruptly, he swung away, heading back to his office. Dammit, how had he let Dana into his personal life? The soft blue of her eyes had touched him deeply, the compassion in them bringing up a wealth of wonderful old memories. His mother had died when he was fifteen. Until that time, he'd faithfully come in and read to her from her favorite authors every night. It had been his way of showing his love.
    Griff mulled over Dana, Carol and his mother as he walked toward admin. Carol had never really asked him about his childhood. She'd been more interested in his career as a fighter pilot. He'd been the one to bring up his mother, and Carol had made the appropriate sympathetic sounds and comments. But Dana's eyes mirrored the tragedy he'd felt as a child growing up. She understood. Shaken, Griff tried to ignore that discovery about Dana. How had he let himself fall under her spell?
    ***
    When Maggie and Molly returned to the apartment that evening, Dana proudly showed them the cardboard cockpit she'd drawn and set up on a kitchen chair. Bringing up another chair, Dana sat down.
    "We can all practice with this mock-up," she told them excitedly. "I used the trainer manual and drew in all the dials and gauges." With a grin, Dana looked up at her friends. "I figure if one of us calls off the preflight checklist and emergency maneuvers, the person sitting here can go through it."
    "Smart move," Maggie congratulated enthusiastically, eyeing the mock-up.
    "It's perfect!" Molly said. "And you've done such a good job, Dana."
    "I had to do something," she explained wryly. "Turcotte wasn't about to let me sit in the cockpit. He knew I wanted to, but walked away from the opportunity to let me do it."
    "How about your eye?" Molly asked, setting her books down on the kitchen counter.
    Dana told them the whole story. Maggie grinned devilishly.
    "So, the Turk has some redeeming qualities, after all."
    "Maybe," Dana hedged. And she told them about his family situation.
    "Weak mother," Maggie murmured, opening the refrigerator and pouring them all some iced tea. She handed the glasses around and sat down at the Formica-topped table. "Maybe that's why he thinks all women are weak."
    Dana squeezed fresh lemon into her tea and sat down with Maggie. Her friends were both still in flight suits. She was glad she'd changed into a pair of yellow shorts and a sleeveless white blouse earlier. "It's a start."
    Molly was sitting at the mock-up. She looked toward them. "Is Turcotte married?"
    Dana shrugged. "I don't know"
    "Intriguing question," Maggie said. "You know Manny's a real gossip. I'll ask him to do some snooping around for us." She jabbed a finger at Dana. "I asked my IP today about Turcotte and he got real tight-lipped. All he'd say was that he was tough as hell. I think if we give you our experiences this week in the cockpit, we can help you prepare to start flying with Turcotte next week."
    "Not only that," Molly added excitedly, "but you're going to blow him away when you have cockpit start-up and shutdown procedure down pat. He won't expect you to know that, Dana."
    "Probably thinks I'm out getting a tan, partying and playing around," she agreed.
    Maggie got up. "Well, it's my turn to cook, ladies. How about Swanson Hungry Man frozen dinners?"
    With a groan, Dana laughed. "At the academy, we had three squares a day over at the chow hall. Here, we've got to get into the routine of fixing our own meals. What a drag. Are we spoiled?"
    The laughter lightened the kitchen, and Dana got up and out of Maggie's way. They had set up a roster of duties. Each woman had her own particular chore to complete each day. The camaraderie was binding, just as it had been at Annapolis. They were