before?"
"Only in pictures."
The helicopter begins a slow descent. We cross over the dam, a simple earthen structure, and continue skirting the water's edge for a good fifteen minutes, arriving finally at our destination.
At least a dozen shipping containers are lined up on a patch of barren red dirt that has been leveled. Construction equipment—a large backhoe, a bulldozer, and what I think is a scraper…all looking like they rolled out of the cold war—sit idle a few hundred feet away.
Having spent my entire career as a design engineer at a consulting firm, I've never actually spent any time on a construction site. This promises to be interesting. And by interesting I mean a complete disaster.
Especially considering I took the assignment to put some air between myself and the hunk sitting across from me.
The chopper lands in a cloud of powder fine dust that refuses to settle even as the blades of the helicopter slow to a crawl.
Trey pulls off his headset and sets in on the seat. "Wait here a minute," he says to me and then opens the door. Before disappearing into what looks like red fog, he discretely pats his hip, checking I assume, his gun.
I stare blankly into the wall of dust as the minutes tick by, trying my best to keep my mind blank as well. In the cockpit, the pilots appear to be having a lively conversation but they're either on another frequency, or they've disconnected my headset because all I see is their mouths moving silently.
Trey returns about fifteen minutes later. "We're all set."
He grabs a duffle bag, one I hadn't noticed before. It isn't mine.
"Hand me your bag," he says.
Oh God. He isn't just escorting me here. He's staying.
I didn't bring much, just enough to fit into a gym bag. I retrieve it from under the seat and lift it up. "I think I can manage."
"Humor me," he says with a smile. "Let me pretend you need my help."
Who am I to deny his need to be chivalrous? I hand it over. "Careful. It weighs at least five pounds."
His smile broadens. "You can take those off now," he says as I start to rise, tapping the side of his head.
"Oh." I'm still wearing the headset and tug it off, following his earlier lead and setting it in the chair.
He offers his hand when I reach the door. Remembering how good it felt the last time it was wrapped around mine, I hesitate. And then I chastise myself for doing so. I've got to get over this aversion to him. It isn't his fault I'm an emotional catastrophe. And it isn't his fault I seem to think every encounter with him is going to end up with one of us naked—probably him as I uncontrollably rip off his clothes.
"Thanks," I say, slipping my hand into his with forced confidence. Mmm, calloused, warm, and oh so big.
He helps me down the stairs. I wince when we hit the cloud of dust.
"Close your eyes and hold your breath. We'll be out in a few."
I obey and follow him. Blindly.
Even before Jim I had trust issues. That game people play, where they fall backward into the waiting arms of a trusted peer, was never one I could manage, no matter how many times I tried. But for some reason I feel comfortable with Trey at the helm. After all, it's his job to protect me, and he seems to take it very seriously.
We've only traveled about twenty paces before he says, "We're clear," and releases my hand. "You can open your eyes now."
The reservoir sparkles before me, stretching out in a plane of shimmering blue. On the far bank, the mountains rise like a dramatic rocky backdrop. It's incredibly hot, but a moisture-kissed breeze blows delicately off the water, calming the impassible heat.
"Wow, it's…gorgeous."
"I thought you might prefer this scenery to what's behind you—don't turn around!" I stop mid-twist. He grins. "—while I debrief you."
I've been debriefed so much in the last month, I'm surprised I'm still wearing pants.
"Security here is a little looser than Merritec Village. I don't want you to worry though. It's remote, we're fenced in with
"Only in pictures."
The helicopter begins a slow descent. We cross over the dam, a simple earthen structure, and continue skirting the water's edge for a good fifteen minutes, arriving finally at our destination.
At least a dozen shipping containers are lined up on a patch of barren red dirt that has been leveled. Construction equipment—a large backhoe, a bulldozer, and what I think is a scraper…all looking like they rolled out of the cold war—sit idle a few hundred feet away.
Having spent my entire career as a design engineer at a consulting firm, I've never actually spent any time on a construction site. This promises to be interesting. And by interesting I mean a complete disaster.
Especially considering I took the assignment to put some air between myself and the hunk sitting across from me.
The chopper lands in a cloud of powder fine dust that refuses to settle even as the blades of the helicopter slow to a crawl.
Trey pulls off his headset and sets in on the seat. "Wait here a minute," he says to me and then opens the door. Before disappearing into what looks like red fog, he discretely pats his hip, checking I assume, his gun.
I stare blankly into the wall of dust as the minutes tick by, trying my best to keep my mind blank as well. In the cockpit, the pilots appear to be having a lively conversation but they're either on another frequency, or they've disconnected my headset because all I see is their mouths moving silently.
Trey returns about fifteen minutes later. "We're all set."
He grabs a duffle bag, one I hadn't noticed before. It isn't mine.
"Hand me your bag," he says.
Oh God. He isn't just escorting me here. He's staying.
I didn't bring much, just enough to fit into a gym bag. I retrieve it from under the seat and lift it up. "I think I can manage."
"Humor me," he says with a smile. "Let me pretend you need my help."
Who am I to deny his need to be chivalrous? I hand it over. "Careful. It weighs at least five pounds."
His smile broadens. "You can take those off now," he says as I start to rise, tapping the side of his head.
"Oh." I'm still wearing the headset and tug it off, following his earlier lead and setting it in the chair.
He offers his hand when I reach the door. Remembering how good it felt the last time it was wrapped around mine, I hesitate. And then I chastise myself for doing so. I've got to get over this aversion to him. It isn't his fault I'm an emotional catastrophe. And it isn't his fault I seem to think every encounter with him is going to end up with one of us naked—probably him as I uncontrollably rip off his clothes.
"Thanks," I say, slipping my hand into his with forced confidence. Mmm, calloused, warm, and oh so big.
He helps me down the stairs. I wince when we hit the cloud of dust.
"Close your eyes and hold your breath. We'll be out in a few."
I obey and follow him. Blindly.
Even before Jim I had trust issues. That game people play, where they fall backward into the waiting arms of a trusted peer, was never one I could manage, no matter how many times I tried. But for some reason I feel comfortable with Trey at the helm. After all, it's his job to protect me, and he seems to take it very seriously.
We've only traveled about twenty paces before he says, "We're clear," and releases my hand. "You can open your eyes now."
The reservoir sparkles before me, stretching out in a plane of shimmering blue. On the far bank, the mountains rise like a dramatic rocky backdrop. It's incredibly hot, but a moisture-kissed breeze blows delicately off the water, calming the impassible heat.
"Wow, it's…gorgeous."
"I thought you might prefer this scenery to what's behind you—don't turn around!" I stop mid-twist. He grins. "—while I debrief you."
I've been debriefed so much in the last month, I'm surprised I'm still wearing pants.
"Security here is a little looser than Merritec Village. I don't want you to worry though. It's remote, we're fenced in with
Similar Books
