Devil’s in the Details (58 page)

Dani smiled crookedly, her eyes glassing over, "I promise you Alex, you will hear it and pay attention when it happens. Knowing her, she will slip it out while asking you to pass the salt."

I held the woman's gaze, that sinking feeling from all the nights I sat thinking about Victoria's computer, Voltaire Lingerie and what James told me, all started to feel like a heavy rock sitting the bottom of my gut. Dani's genuine speech told me there was far more to the incident in the desert that scarred Victoria, far more that went past just her helping Dani out in intelligence work. It was if Victoria had a terminal disease and everyone but I, knew it.

I squinted at Dani, "What really happened that day you saved Victoria?"

She smirked, lifting the vodka to her lips, "You are a smart one, nurse blue eyes, you read between the lines better than anyone I’ve ever met. That's saying a lot since all I do is work with idiots whose sole mission in life is to read between the lines." She took a long sip, licking her lips before looking at me, "A big fat fuck happened that day I saved Victoria, and I’ve spent my life since trying to right that asshole's wrongs." She shrugged, "All I can say is this Alex, some mysteries are better left as cold cases. All of them."

Dani gave me a hard look before another smirk broke out, "You want to hear the story of how I broke her nose in Italy? Her left side is her weak side, in case you two ever get into a fight."

I smiled tightly, nodding for Dani to embark on her story as Victoria slowly returned to us.

My smile was fake. My gut was stirring up a hurricane sized storm when I heard cold cases. Leading me to fear that I had not been careful enough when I contacted James to look into that strange address for Voltaire near the Pentagon.

Taking a quick inventory, I saw Dani was on her way to getting drunk. The empty glass behind her with her traditional chewed up red straw plus the one in her hand with a half inch of clear vodka in it, told me that in the ten minutes we had been in the hall, Dani had downed two drinks like they were water.

She was holding true to her own tradition, taking full advantage of the free booze and food.

After handing Alex her drink, I reached over and plucked the glass from Dani's, "Slow it down Lieutenant O'Malley." Dani frowned at me, hating I was using her fake last name and had taken away her drink. The look on Alex's face told me Dani not only started on the path of being blitzed, but she left the filter on her mouth at home. "Admiral Odell was asking about you, he's near the back by the h'orderves table." I gave her a hard glare, silently telling her to go away, eat something and knock whatever she was already starting, off.

Dani rolled her eyes, flicking her hand at me, "Yes Commander Bancroft." She sauntered off towards a group of admirals mingling together with their wives.

I sighed, "Never fails, every damn year she does this." I turned to Alex, smiling, "Dinner should be in twenty minutes, but if you're hungry we can pick at some cocktail wieners."

Alex smiled tightly, shaking her head, "I'm fine with the drink. Thank you."

I knew that tight smile of Alex's, it was the same one I had seen a hundred times while we were friends. It was the same one she had when I popped in on her at the hospital and met Doctor Dean. It was her worst fake, I'm okay, smile.

Cursing Dani for the millionth time, I moved closer to Alex, running my hand over her arm, "What did Dani say to you?"

Alex shrugged, fake smile still holding strong, "Nothing important, she was telling me about Italy and the fight you two had." She barely looked in my eyes as she sipped the vodka cranberry, "I told her that I’m still trying to understand your odd sibling like relationship."

I blew out a calming breath through my nose. Dani had said more, Dani had said things that got right into all of Alex's cracks and sat on top of whatever it was that caused her jealousy to show up. Dani had done something to push Alex into her fake smile and take away the excited glint in her eyes I saw when we walked into the marbled hall.

Nodding I held on to her wrist, "Alex, Dani is an asshole. An asshole with a heart of gold that is currently being drowned in pure vodka. She’ll get worse before the night ends, but she has our best intentions in that heart of hers." I paused, waiting for Alex to finally look at me, "What did she say? I know she probably told you her version of the Italy fight and not the accurate version."

Alex softened, closing her eyes, "She said something that got under my skin, maybe it's a forgotten trigger from my incident, but she said that some mysteries are better left cold cases." She opened her eyes, "It reminded me that my case is still open and somewhere Detective Scarlett is going to pop out of the woodwork to ruin my day." Alex moved her hand, grabbing a few of my fingers, "Dani also told me you instigated the fight in Italy, you both were hammered and she stuck you with the tab."

I raised my eyebrows, trying to cover up that I knew exactly what Dani's loose lips was hinting at. In her drunken stupidity, Dani was trying to warn Alex about her ex. The redhead's shitty attempt at telling Alex to keep her nose out of the dark corners kept by Voltaire. "She was hammered, I was buzzed. It wasn't the enormous bar tab she stuck me with, it was the screaming Italian bar owner who threw a broom at me when Dani started calling him unpleasant names in Italian."

I smiled, watching Alex's face ease away from tense and back to the excited woman I was eager to spend the night with. "Her and I got into a screaming match and since we both were still a little battle weary, tensions overtook us and she hit first. Popping me in the nose with a right hook, breaking it. I returned the favor, cracking three of her ribs and shoving her into the canal right outside. Leaving her to the fishes."

Alex laughed, shaking her head, "I don't think I'll ever get you two, I know I've said it a million times.” She sighed gently, "Must be a Navy thing."

I rolled my eyes, "It's a Dani is a pain in my ass thing." I smiled at the big blue eyes in front of me, lifting her hand to my lips to kiss warm fingers that would always make my stomach flop when I touched them. "Thank you for being here with me."

Alex grinned, squeezing my hand, "You did ask me to be your date, Victoria."

I nodded, "But you didn't have to accept, Alex."

She opened her mouth to issue witty, sassy retort when I felt a strong hand clasp onto my shoulder.

"Commander Bancroft, you must introduce me to this enchanting woman on your arm."

The sound of the deep voice, immediately relaxed me the second I recognized it. I turned to grin in response to the massive grin on the face of Vice Admiral Ward Atlas. "Admiral Atlas, it would my pleasure." Letting go of Alex's hand, I moved to stand at her side. "Sir, this is Alexandra Ivers, but she prefers to be called Alex and she is my date for the evening." I glanced down, "Alex, this is my second favorite Admiral in the entire Navy, Ward Atlas."

The Admiral laughed heartily, shaking his head, holding his hand out towards Alex, "You should ask her who her first favorite is." He winked at me, offering his polite greetings to a suddenly very shy Alex, "And please, call me Ward." He nodded towards me, "This one won't in polite company while in these outfits, well maybe after a few more drinks she might let it slip."

Alex chuckled, offering up her own polite greetings. Ward was a man in his late fifties and lived and breathed the Navy deeper than I did and ever would. He had a head of silver hair that was longer than the usual buzz cuts around us, bright mischievous blue eyes and a white shining grin that I knew melted hearts when he was a young Ensign back in the day. I adored Ward and the joke about being my second favorite admiral was an inside joke between us that had been going on for the last five years.

The man knew exactly where he sat in on my list of people I trusted and cared for, he had been the Rear Admiral on the ship home after my rescue. The only man and person outside of Dani that I would actually respond to when I was deeply imbedded in the shock of having survived what I did. He was the one who took it upon himself to take care of everything I couldn't, my hospital care, the therapy sessions and finally a job at the academy when I was discharged but had no idea what to with my life when I was left with Voltaire as the only job option.

Ward had been one of the sole people that kept me hanging on to the tiny pieces of my humanity. Pieces I had been so close to shedding in favor of the monster born that day in the sand and the one Voltaire was cultivating.

I tipped my head down, placing my hand at the small of Alex's back. "My first favorite Admiral will always be M." I felt the heat run around my cheeks, "I should have never told you that, every time you bring it up, I feel nerdy, sir."

Ward guffawed, "My dear Victoria, as a history Professor, you are already classified as a nerd." He nudged my shoulder, returning his attention back to Alex, "I gave Victoria her first James Bond book on the boat years ago, it was my personal copy of Casino Royale." He paused, looking at me softly with those piercing blue eyes, "It opened up a conversation between us." Ward winked my way, "So Alex, tell me about yourself and how you manage to capture this brilliant woman's attention?"

"I caught it with a club sandwich the size of a small car and pure persistence. Victoria wasn't easy to tie down, she offered a challenge or two before I won." Alex's confident tone had Ward grinning brighter.

"The way I see it, Victoria has won." Ward gave me a knowing look before asking Alex about to continue on with the finer details of her work as a nurse and if she was enjoying herself at the formal so far.

I sat back, watching Alex charm the stars right off the Admirals collar, winning him over in a few minutes. She was perfect, incredible and could hold her own with Ward's witty sense of humor. I was soon forgotten as the two discussed Alex possibly taking a tour with the Admiral over at the naval hospital. Alex eagerly discussing the idea of working in a hospital that was slower, but did far more good in the long run for the patients it served.

I drifted off, looking around the room at the other attendees, smiling and nodding at a few of my co-workers and a few others that I had spent time with on a ship throughout the years. I was at ease, comfortable and enjoying myself at the formal. Smiling I shook my head, I had never enjoyed this tepid mandatory event, always dreading it year after year. Feeling Alex lean into me as she laughed at one of Ward's dumb jokes, I felt the warmth of her soak into my uniform jacket and soar right to my heart. I swallowed hard looking over at the woman charming the pants off one of the most revered Admirals in this day's Navy, tonight was the night.

Tonight I would tell her what she meant to me and finally release the last ten years of my life, letting her be the wind that carried me home. Home with her.

"Victoria, you're staring and Ward asked you a question." Alex looked up at me, her eyes smirking at how dreamy I must have looked while staring at her, lost in my thoughts.

"I don't blame her, Alex. I remember what it's like to see the world in the one person who holds yours." Ward patted my shoulder, "I was asking if you had intentions of hanging around for dessert? We do the yearly presentations of faculty awards and I have something special for you, Victoria."

I cleared my throat, trying to recover from sounding embarrassed that I had been caught staring, "Yes, I think we can manage to stay for dessert." I felt Alex's hand fall into mine. "As long as it isn't a teacher of the year award."

Ward chuckled, "Sadly Captain Pegg has that one in the bag, has for the last five years." He shrugged, "The man lives and breathes shaping midshipmen while the rest of us just live and breathe." Ward nodded in my direction, "I should check on my wife, Commander Albus seemed taken with her when we walked in." He smiled at Alex, "Fantastic to meet you, Alex. please call me on Monday and I will set up that tour."

"I certainly will, and thank you." Alex turned to look at me as Ward moved back into the crowd, "He's very fond of you."

I shrugged, "Can you blame him?" I grinned at her, tugging her hand before she could give me a dirty look, "Let's go find our table for dinner, be warned, I think Dani is sitting with us."

Alex blew out a slow breath, looking over my shoulder, "Speak of the devil."

Dani stopped in front of us, another full glass of vodka in her hands, her face looked as if she had seen a ghost or her worse enemy, "Professor, I am bailing on this shit show."

I frowned, "Why? Did they run out of vodka or cut you off?" I could see the booze taking hold in the way her eyes were clouding over.