Vortex (SAI Book 1) (13 page)

The sound of a shot filled the air, and Joel knew that Ben had been forced to immobilize someone who was threatening Dane. “Who’s next?” he asked the crowd.

The sound of choppers filled the air, and a man pointed to the sky. “Fucking Feds are coming in.”

“Make a choice,” Joel shouted. The thump of the rotors and the whine of the engine was like a lullaby to him. Whenever he heard that sound, he knew that he was going to make it to another day. It didn’t matter if it was in Yemen, Iraq, or Louisiana. The sound always meant the same thing. “Sitrep,” he barked into his mic.

“Man down in Hot Block crew. I hit his leg and probably missed the femoral artery. But I can’t be sure,” Ben replied.

“Thanks, man,” Dane said into his mic. “The conversation over here wasn’t going well, and I think they were about to start shooting. At what…I don’t know.”

“Are they starting to move away?” Joel asked.

“Slowly,” Dane responded. “Let Vivi know that we have a GSW victim on the way in.”

“Copy,” Joel said. The men in front of him started to move away. It seemed that no one wanted to be around when the Feds showed up. Standing with his gun ready, he waited until the corner was clear. “I guess the party is over.”

“Vivi is waiting at the back door for the GSW victim, and Ruby called Gideon with an update,” Ben said into his mic. “I’m going to stay up here for a while. I want to make sure that no one returns.”

Joel glanced up and saw the FBI chopper land in the intersection. Now that was shock and awe. It certainly sent the message that someone was serious about what was going on in Algiers. Another chopper landed about a mile away, and Joel figured they were going to start combing the neighborhood asking questions.

Walking backward, he moved toward the clinic. “I’m going to stand watch for a while and see what develops. I want to make sure that no one decides to make a name for themselves and return,” Joel stated.

“Copy,” Ben replied.

Dane walked down the street with a man over his shoulder. “On my way in. Let the girls know.”

A black car came screaming around the corner, and Gideon jumped out. “Tell me the body count is low.”

Joel tipped his head. “So far, so good.”

“I hate the paperwork, so that’s good news.”

“Dane is bringing in one GSW victim.”

“Nice work, man.” They both watched the Feds fan out, and Gideon shook his head. “All they care about is the names of the men from the crews out of state. They are going for the big fish, and they don’t much care what happens around here.”

“Live to fight another day,” Joel replied. He admired the hell out of Gideon because he kept trying to make a difference for the city he loved. He got that, but it had always been his country that he’d protected. “I’m going to stay out here for a while and make sure that no one returns.” Moving his cap around, he rested his hands on his gun and quartered the area. Vivi wasn’t going to be happy, and he wished that he could give her a different outcome. Watching the Feds fan out and move down the street told him that wasn’t going to be possible.

***

Joel stood in Vivi’s backyard and watched her slam dishes around in the kitchen. That had been the mood since they’d left the clinic. Every time he tried to talk to her, she held up her hand. She had made it clear in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t ready to discuss it. So he did what he hated to do. Waited.

The alarm on his watch buzzed, and he ambled over to check the steaks that he had on the grill. When he heard the door open, he lifted his gaze and smiled at the woman coming toward him. The fact that she wasn’t snarling was a step in the right direction. “Ten minutes and it will be ready.”

Vivi handed him a beer and tried to smile. “Sounds good.”

“Are you ready to tell me what you’re upset about?”

Grabbing his hand, she led him over to the love seat that faced the pool. Taking a sip of her wine, she ran her finger over his hands. “Seeing you go out and face the gangs today scared me to death.”

“Oh.” Moving his hand around her shoulder, he kissed her head and smiled. The fact that she was worried about him was an excellent development. “Viv, today wasn’t a big deal.”

“It was to me.” Leaning her head against his shoulder, she breathed deeply. “It felt like Somalia.”

Leaning forward, he stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry that you were frightened. I’ll try not to do that again. But, Viv, this is what I do.”

“Why did you look like you were having the time of your life? Did you feel scared?”

“I wasn’t scared, because I’ve trained for this and practiced it and experienced it a few thousand times. I have built my bravery muscles over fifteen years on the Teams. I was trained in activities that required copious amounts of bravery. I practiced in situations where the danger was real, long before I ever hit the battlefield.”

“Don’t you ever feel fear?”

“Of course I do. Any rational human being experiences it when in danger, including an experienced warrior. When I was in training, I learned to manage my fear, sharpen my performance, and build my confidence. You probably experienced the same thing when you were learning to become a surgeon.”

“I suppose. But being a surgeon is a lot different than being a warrior.”

“I don’t agree. You’re trying to save someone’s life, and so am I. In those situations, your heart races, the adrenaline is pumping hard, and the mind bounces like a pinball. Until you learn through practice and repetition how to manage it. After a few hundred times, it becomes easier.”

“I agree with that. I learned how to perform under intense pressure, and maybe the same is true for you.” She took another sip of wine and sighed. “Doesn’t mean that I welcome it.”

“I’ve always operated best under extreme circumstances. So what happened today wasn’t a big deal to me. I enjoy the confrontation. Setting things right. Making the hard choice. That’s who I am at my core, and that will never change.”

“I understand, but it doesn’t mean that I like it.”

The alarm on his watch went off, and he stood up. Holding out his hand, he helped her up. “Viv, I’ll always protect you.”

Leaning forward, she placed a small kiss on his lips. “Thank you, and I appreciate it. More than you will ever know. But…I’m still going to be frightened.”

“I’m pretty indestructible. So you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Doesn’t make a difference, Joel. A bullet is a bullet. And I know what it does to the human body.” Turning around, she returned to the kitchen.

Pulling the steaks off the grill, he placed them on the plate and covered them with foil. Scraping the grill slowly, he thought about what she’d said. Her tolerance for seeing him in danger was fairly small. Which was both encouraging and devastating. It demonstrated that she was starting to care for him, but it also meant that he had to do everything he could not to give her cause to worry. Unfortunately, the threats around them might make that difficult. 

CHAPTER NINE

Joel leaned over and laced his running shoes and felt perspiration run down his back. The humidity was already high at seven in the morning. The back door scraped open, and he heard Vivi’s footsteps as she approached. Her pink running shoes came into view as she stood before him. Rising slowly, he let his eyes travel up her long sexy legs, across her round hips, and up to her sports bra.
Wait…she can’t run in that
. “Morning, honey. It seems you forgot to put on a T-shirt.” When his gaze met her flashing eyes, he knew that he should’ve kept that last thought to himself. Adjusting his cap, he quickly tried to come up with something that would head off the blast that he was about to receive. When her hand moved to the top of his shorts and started a slow ascent up the front of his chest, he lost his cognitive functions and wondered if he was going to survive whatever she had in mind.

“I’m not going to wear a shirt if you don’t.” Letting her hand rest against his chest, she smiled innocently into his eyes. “It’s hotter than blazes out, and I have no desire to become…hotter.”

Swearing under his breath, he counted to ten slowly in his head. Having Vivi half-naked with her hand resting against his skin was about to make him combust. “Have mercy on me, please. How do you expect me to run next to you when you have all that skin showing?”

“I can say the same thing about you, Joel. I don’t think the women of New Orleans are ready to behold all your naked glory before they’ve had their morning coffee.”

“I don’t have any naked glory, Vivi.”

Stepping back and lifting her hand away from his chest, she studied him from the top of his light brown hair right down to his running shoes. He swore she let her eyes linger when she hit the middle, but he was too polite to point that out. “I’m just a beat-up old sailor.”

“You’re full of it, and we both know it.” She tightened her ponytail and spun around. “I’m not going to waste any more time discussing it.”

Pulling a T-shirt off the back of the chair, he then threw it at her head. “Wear mine if you don’t feel like running upstairs to get one of yours.”

He watched her take it off her head and bring it to her nose. She inhaled the scent and then smiled. “I’ll go find one.” She threw his shirt back in his face as she passed him. “Thanks for the offer, though.”

Grinning, he watched her saunter away. Their time was coming, and all he had to do was be a patient man. He slipped his T-shirt over his head and stretched his legs as he waited for her to return. His head spun with ideas about the many ways he was going to seduce her. Smiling to himself, he watched her saunter out to the patio and twirl around.

“All covered up.”

“Thanks, honey, for showing a little mercy.”

“Let’s go and get this over with. We have to be down at St. Charles Ave. early if we expect to find a good spot. We’re meeting everyone down there at ten, and I don’t want to miss anything,” Vivi said, as she came toward him.

Following on her heels, they walked out the back gate and moved along the sidewalk. “Are we going to ignore the threats against the clinic?”

“Yes. I want to enjoy Fat Tuesday, and then I’ll face reality tomorrow.”

“Works for me.” Grabbing her hand as they walked made him feel better. “Thanks for putting a T-shirt on.” The idea of men looking at Vivi had him half-nuts, as the caveman part of his personality revealed itself. He was going to keep it to himself for as long as he could, because it probably wasn’t something that she would appreciate.

“Men don’t ogle me anymore. I’m no longer a sweet young thing ripe for the picking. I’m practically past my prime.”

Abruptly, he stopped on the sidewalk and tugged her into him. “Vivi, you’re a grown woman through and through, and I can assure you that nothing is more desirable than that.” Dropping his mouth, he kissed her with all the desire that had been running through his body.
So much for patience.
When her hand came up to his face and lay gently against his skin, he almost hummed with pleasure. Before the condition in his shorts became indecent, he released her lips and stepped away. “You are fucking irresistible.”

“Well…” Lifting her ponytail, she twirled it in her hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. I’m acting crazy, and we should start our run.”

“Good idea.”

Starting out slowly, he made sure that she kept pace with him. He had no idea how much she exercised and what she was up for. “How far do you want to go?”

“We can run over to Tulane and I can give you a mini tour. I’m probably good for a forty-minute run.”

“Okay, you lead, honey, and I’ll follow.”

Laughing, she ran alongside him. “You just want to stare at my ass.”

“Nothing wrong with that. I’m a man who knows what he likes, and I happen to like what you’ve got.” Winking, he dropped back and whistled. “Damn, woman. I like my view.”

Vivi sped up a little and grinned. “I like the new you. Now that you’re not snarling at me, you’re fun to be around.”

“I’m done snarling, honey. I’m ready to start seducing.” He watched her almost stumble when he said the word seduce. Closing in, he was ready to catch her, but she righted herself and continued moving. Shaking his head, he laughed quietly. It seemed that Dr. Vivi DuMond wasn’t quite as confident as she made out. Which made sense. Because neither was he.

It had been a long time since he thought about having someone in his life, and honestly, the whole idea scared the shit out of him. But not doing anything about his growing feelings for Vivi wasn’t an option anymore. The door had been opened, and there was no way to close it. He was going to see this thing through…no matter what. All he could hope for was they both ended up with what they wanted in the end.

***

They jogged through the beautiful campus at a leisurely pace, and Vivi pointed out different points of interest as they moved along the path. “Where did you go for your undergraduate degree, Vivi?”

“I went to Vanderbilt and then came back here and attended Tulane Medical and then went back to Vanderbilt for residency and then came back and did a general surgery residency. I never escaped the South until I joined MSF.”

He noticed that she slowed her pace as she got into her story and almost stopped when she spoke about going abroad. “Do you want to take a break and walk for a while?”

Glancing over, she grinned. “Sure. I was trying to keep up with you, but I can’t.”

“I’m still in pretty good shape for an old man.” He walked next to her along the leafy path that led around the old stone buildings. “Were you wild in college, or did you always have your nose to the grindstone?”

“I was a little wild the first three years. But when I decided that I wanted to try and get into medical school, I buckled down.”

Vivi stopped and bent over to retie her shoe, and he tried to keep his eyes averted. And he did for the first ten seconds. After that, he was a lost man. Why did he even try? 

“I can feel you staring at me.” Standing up straight, she slid her hands on her hips and studied him. “How wild were you in college?”