A Darker Shade of Dead Page 6

  The meeting broke up shortly thereafter and everyone scattered to their various assignments. The men of the combat team headed out the door together for some more PT while the women congregated near the door to chat. Only John Petit remained of the men and judging by his expression, he wanted to say something privately to his new commander.

  Well, that was to be expected, Matt thought. He understood John’s unique position. If Matt were in John’s place, he’d be chomping at the bit to be let out in the field. It would be up to Matt to convince John he was exactly where he needed to be.

  Matt headed directly for John’s position, standing off to one side of the door near the women, but not part of their talkative group. John saw him coming and seemed surprised when Matt held out his hand for a friendly shake.

  “Welcome to the team.”

  “Glad to be here, sir,” John replied politely.

  “Your sister’s been a valued asset since she became involved in this. I have no doubt you’ll be the same.” Might as well get the family issues out of the way, Matt thought.

  “I appreciate the vote of confidence, sir. I only wish I could be out in the field with the other guys—and my sister.” He shot a concerned look over at Sarah who stood with the other women, oblivious to Matt and John’s conversation.

  “I understand, John. But you have to realize the limitations on this mission. We’ve already lost too many good men to this horror. That’s reason enough to keep anyone who’s not immune out of the field.”

  John looked pained but resigned. “I see the logic of it, but it’s a hard pill to swallow when my kid sister is being sent out.”

  “Totally understandable, John.” Matt nodded as he followed John’s gaze to the petite woman who had already faced zombies and kidnappers and come out on top. “If there’s any way we can get you out in the field safely, I promise you we’ll do it. Until that time, though, we need your expertise following the foreign connections. Aside from Sarah, you’re the only trained investigator we have on this team. Sarah’s skills are more in hands-on crime scene work. From everything I’ve heard and read about you, you’re better suited to research and following leads in unconventional ways.”

  John cracked a smile. “You could say that.”

  Matt understood the grin. CIA operatives never did anything in conventional ways. In fact, the file he’d been given on John indicated the man was anything but conventional when he was running down bad guys. Though the file had been heavily redacted, Matt had learned enough to know that John was a much needed asset on this team.

  The women moved out of the room at a sedate pace, and Matt and John followed. Sarah looked back and beckoned to her brother to join her while she walked ahead with Donna Sullivan and Mariana Daniels. John excused himself and left Matt at the back of the pack. He noticed when Sandra hung back from the others, letting them outpace her. She was good at fading into the background.

  Matt sped his pace just slightly until he was walking beside her. She gasped when he snuck up on her, and he had to stifle a chuckle. Apparently he hadn’t lost the ability to be stealthy when the situation called for it.

  “I reserved the gym facilities for sixteen hundred hours,” Matt said softly, gaining her attention.

  “Yes, I know. I heard you say that during the meeting.”

  “I’d like especially for you to attend, Sandra. You can use the machines, even if you don’t want to participate in the martial arts practice, but I’d like for us all to gather as a group.”

  “An exercise in team building?” Sandra asked. She was a smart cookie. She’d grasped the reason for his insistence on this group PT session right away.

  “It couldn’t hurt. We have a diverse group of people here. I want them to feel more comfortable with each other.”

  “And sweating together will help us work together, right?” She raised one eyebrow, an amused smile tilting one corner of her mouth. “All right, I’ll be there.”

  Sure enough, at 1600 hours, when the team gathered, Sandra was among them, wearing form-fitting sweats. She was so petite he could span her waist with his hands. The soft fabric clinging to her curves made his mouth water. He’d never seen her in something so…enticing.

  John called the group to order, taking his place at the head of the class. He’d act as sensei and Matt would be his second. They were both highly ranked martial artists. John held a fifth-degree black belt, while Matt’s was third-degree. The other guys were all first-degree black belts in various forms of martial arts and would most likely separate from the ladies, who were mostly beginners.

  Matt didn’t think it would hurt for the women to see just how highly skilled the male team members were. Just as the men would benefit from seeing the women making an effort to learn self-defense. Each of these guys could judge for themselves how well each woman could handle a physical threat. This was as much an exercise in evaluating everyone’s level of skill and preparedness as it was a team-building effort.

  Matt called the group to order and they formed loosely around him on the matted area. The gym was big enough to accommodate them, with a row of machines off to one side that included treadmills, stationary bikes, and weight equipment. They had the area to themselves for this first workout.

  “I expect we’ll break into two groups after the warm-up.” Matt stood next to John as everyone else arranged themselves in a loose semicircle around them. “I’ll take the less experienced folks on that side of the mats, and the rest will form up with John on this side.”

  “Meaning, you get to work with all us girls,” Donna teased. Matt was glad to see she felt comfortable enough with him already to do so.

  He grinned at her. “Rank has its privileges.” Everyone laughed at his comeback and the easy tone was set for the workout. “John, if you’d lead us in the warm-up.” Matt stepped to the back of the class, letting John sort out who would stand where.

  He lined them up in rank order as would be in a traditional martial arts dojo. Matt should be up at the front of the class, but he decided to hang back. He would observe and nurse the constant pain that went with him everywhere.

  Matt’s combat career had ended with injury—as many Special Forces careers did. He’d messed up his back so badly that it would never be the same again. He still practiced martial arts. In fact, he’d regained a lot of mobility through exercise, but he would never be able to hold his own again with someone like John Petit or the other guys, for that matter. The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

  He still had the skills to be able to teach less experienced students. The women would be easy for him to deal with and it would free up John to work with the front line troops on this mission. All except Sarah.

  When they formed two groups, Matt was surprised to see Sarah Petit go with the less experienced group. Another odd thing—Mariana Daniels hadn’t shown up at all, though Simon was there.

  Before the real work of the class could begin, Matt decided to speak with Simon. They’d finished the warm-up and everyone was milling around, taking a short break before continuing. Matt motioned to Simon and he came over.

  “Where’s Mariana?” he asked without preamble.

  Simon looked decidedly uncomfortable. “She…uh…well…she’s been feeling poorly and I told her to sit it out tonight. She could probably participate in kata practice, but I’d really like to keep her away from any actual sparring right now.”

  “Why?” For the life of him, Matt couldn’t understand Simon’s reasoning. Mariana had faced the zombies more than once. She should take any opportunity to learn how to defend herself, in case it happened again.

  “Well…see…she’s…”

  “Pregnant!” Donna broke in. “Isn’t she?” Donna had been unabashedly listening in to their conversation.

  Simon blanched, nodding.

  “I knew it!” Donna crowed.

  Matt was stunned. He’d never even considered the possibility. He really wasn’t used to dealing with women on his comba
t teams. “How did you know?” he asked Donna, curious.

  She laughed again. “I can think of only one thing that could make a Navy SEAL so uncomfortable to discuss. Well, maybe a few more than that. I bet he’d never go buy tampons for his girlfriend, either. Of course, she won’t be needing those for a good long while now that she’s got a bun in the oven. Congratulations, Simon.” She patted his shoulder and sauntered off, already spreading the news to the other women. Simon just looked stunned.

  “Is she always like that?” he asked Matt.

  Matt shook his head, watching the women react to her news. “I couldn’t say, but I guess we’ll find out.”

  Simon grimaced as he turned back to Matt. “So yeah, Mariana’s pregnant. That’s why I think we should keep any potentially dangerous activity to a minimum, for the time being. She’ll want to exercise, but sparring isn’t something I think she should be doing.”

  “I agree one hundred percent, Si.” Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “Congratulations. Imagine that. Next year at this time there’ll be a little version of you and Mari running around underfoot. I bet you’re happy.”

  “Stunned, to be honest. I didn’t really think of it happening so soon. Now that it has, I’m beginning to enjoy the idea. It’s kind of awesome and scary all at once.”

  “I can only imagine.” Matt stepped away as John called his group to order. “Please give Mari my best wishes and tell her she’s welcome to join us for whatever part of the class she can handle.”

  Simon thanked him and hustled to take his place on the mats with the other guys. Matt turned to his little group and wondered where to begin.

  “Have any of you done any martial arts before?”

  Matt expected Sarah to at least have had some training. Until recently, she’d been a county cop. When she raised her hand, Matt wasn’t surprised. What did surprise him was Sandra’s raised hand.

  He turned to Sarah first, since she was closest. “Did you study with your brothers when you were a kid?”

  Sarah laughed. “Far from it. Our dad didn’t think it was ladylike, so I wasn’t allowed to learn. I took a few training courses with the police department. That’s all.”

  Matt was surprised. “Well, you won’t face that same attitude here. I think it’s important for every member of this team to at least know how to defend themselves if necessary. If nothing else, it’s good exercise.” Sarah nodded in agreement and he turned to Sandra. “How about you, doctor?”

  “I have a green belt in go ju ryu karate. I know that’s probably quite different from what you’ll be teaching us here.” She seemed to want to downplay her abilities. Matt wouldn’t let her do that. She was a vital member of this team, even if she spent most of her time in a laboratory and not in the field.

  “You’ll be surprised at the similarities, I’m sure. This is good. You can help me demonstrate the moves.” Sandra indicated her agreement as he turned to the last member of his small group.

  “I’ve never done anything like this before,” Donna answered without being asked. He was discovering she was a forthright kind of person. He liked that, though he’d have to get used to her lack of military discipline. “But I’m eager to learn.”

  “Good. We can build on that enthusiasm,” Matt replied, standing and facing the three ladies.

  Chapter Four

  “Wouldn’t you rather be working over there with the guys, instead of babysitting us girls?” Sandra asked.

  “Not really. I’d hate for one of them to put me back in traction.” Matt gestured to the other side of the mats where the guys were sparring full force.

  “Traction?” She looked really concerned. Matt was uncomfortable with the subject but willing to be honest with her. He’d learned early on in his command that if you wanted honesty from your troops, you had to give them the same courtesy.

  “My combat career ended because of an injury. My back is permanently messed up. This is about as good as it will ever get. I spent a long time in traction, and most of the doctors said I would never walk again, so I’m actually very grateful to have this amount of mobility.”

  Sandra shook her head. “I’m impressed. I had no idea you were hiding that kind of injury.”

  “Not hiding, exactly. Just dealing with.”

  She looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I’m actually impressed at how well you manage. I had no idea you’d been injured at all. That kind of thing must cause you a lot of residual pain.”

  His mouth tightened just thinking about the spasms he sometimes had to deal with. “It’s manageable.”

  Mostly he ignored the pain. Sometimes it got so bad that he couldn’t disregard it, though. When that happened, he did the best he could to muscle through the pain until he could get horizontal for a while. A few hours of sleep usually suppressed the spasms and let him continue his work.

  “When I was in med school, I spent some time in orthopedics,” she said quietly. “I even considered making it my specialty before I was selected for a unique molecular biology program. If you ever need anything, I could probably help.”

  Matt was touched by the shy offer. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. I’m doing much better lately. I only have difficulties once in a while. Luckily, this isn’t one of those times.” A small white lie there. He did feel a little strain in the area as they practiced, but it was controllable.

  They spent the next ten minutes working on the combination. Sandra was a fast learner, and he was able to partner her with Sarah, who had also quickly understood the principle of the movement, so he could give Donna another round of instruction. All three women were doing much better than he had expected, in fact. Donna was by far the least talented of the group, but she was doing well, considering. She had a sort of contagious enthusiasm, which almost made up for her lack of coordination.

  The class certainly wasn’t dull with her around. She managed to make them laugh more often than not, and the time sped by as they learned several new moves.

  Matt moved on to a more complex combination, using Sandra as his practice partner. She moved well and had a natural grace that he found enchanting. He’d noticed the feminine sway of her hips before, but feeling her warm body under the thin cotton of her clothing as he helped break her fall was something even more distracting.

  Her fragrance wafted to him like a siren’s call, and the heat of her body radiated through his hands, straight to his libido. He had to step back and get a hold of his response before he embarrassed both himself and the good doctor.

  “You can let go now.”

  Sandra’s soft voice drifted up to him as he knelt over her on the mat. He still had hold of her shoulder with one hand; his other hand was at her waist. He realized his mistake almost at once and let go as if she’d burned him.

  “Sorry. My mind wandered.” She looked up at him with those sexy green cat’s eyes of hers, studying him as if he confused her. He couldn’t blame her.

  The poor woman probably had no idea just where his mind had wandered to. A nice girl like her would likely be scandalized by the thoughts that had raced across his fevered imagination.

  Images of her sweet, naked body straining under his as he took her in a sweaty, heavenly rush of dominance. He’d imagined for one blissful moment the way he’d possess her soft depths, pounding into her as she welcomed his strong thrusts, her voice crying out, spurring him on as she wrapped her legs around him.

  Damn. If she was only half as potent as his imagination, she’d be lethal.

  But he couldn’t think of her that way. She was part of his team. A woman under his command.

  She wasn’t strictly military, and that allowed him some leeway he otherwise wouldn’t have, but he didn’t intend to bend the rules too far. No, it was bad enough he already had two couples in his new command. He couldn’t afford the distraction a deeper personal relationship would bring. Mari and Simon were one thing. Both were now civilian contractors. Likewise, Sarah was not, nor had
ever been, part of the military. Her fiancé, Xavier, was still in, but he knew how to follow orders.

  While Matt didn’t doubt the women in their lives came first—above and beyond any order Matt might issue—he still trusted both Simon and Xavier to follow his lead. Their girlfriends, he wasn’t as sure of, though both ladies had already proven their ability to fight the common enemy. What Matt really didn’t want to do was add to the couple count.

  Even thinking about Sandra in an intimate way was dangerous. He couldn’t afford the distraction—not for his team and not for himself. He had to be one hundred percent on target here. This command was too important, both to him personally and to the world at large. He couldn’t afford to screw it up.

  He stood and extended a hand to Sandra, who still lay on the mat. She took his hand, and he fought against the warmth that spread from her much smaller hand to his.

  “Are you okay?” she asked in a low, concerned voice as he helped her to her feet. “Is it your back?”

  He seized the ready excuse she’d given him, glad to have some explanation for his strange behavior. Even if it wasn’t entirely true.

  “I’m all right. Just a twinge.” He reached around to rub his back with one hand for good measure, but his words backfired.

  “I’ll take a look later, if you like. Maybe I can give the area a little therapeutic massage. It might help. Just take it easy for now and don’t overexert.”

  Damn. That sounded a little too good. The truth was he’d like to feel her fingers on his body. Anywhere on his body. The idea of that act was making him sweat. Matt had to calm down and get back to business. He had to push thoughts of Sandra’s skilled hands on his flesh aside for now.

  Much as he’d like to take her up on the offer of a massage then and there, he had to remind himself that they weren’t alone. Donna and Sarah were waiting. Watching him and Sandra. A quick glance told him Sarah had one eyebrow raised quizzically in their direction. No doubt she sensed something in the air. She was too good a cop to miss the blatant signals Matt was trying so hard to hide.